January 15, 2008, Apple introduced its MacBook Air and the rest of the PC industry spent several years scrambling to present an alternative. Intel and other PC OEMs came up with the Ultrabook specifications in an attempt to match Apple’s sleek and long-lasting personal computer, and the effort has largely succeeded.
However, new leaks from Lenovo’s laptop roadmap hint at a pound for pound competitor to Apple’s updated MacBook Air design as well as several other offerings that push the envelope of Ultrabook specifications.
Yesterday, images and specs of a new Lenovo PC line dubbed “Slim” leaked and showcase a series of personal computers with longer battery life, lighter weight, and in some instances even the coveted 16:10 display aspect ratio.
https://twitter.com/h0x0d/status/1283429416744267776?s=20
Based on the leaks gather by @walkingcat, Lenovo will introduce the Slim series that will include a Yoga Slim 7, Slim 7 Carbon, Slim 7 Pro, and Slim 9, presumably next year with a formal announcement probably planned for a possible digital CES, MWC or IFA conference.
In particular, the Yoga Slim Pro 7 will arguably be the mass appeal device from Lenovo next year as its spec’d with a 14-inch screen that comes with the long-overdue 16:10 display aspect ratio, 90 Hz refresh rate and up to 400 nits of brightness that also offers optional touch support. The Yoga Slim Pro 7 will also come with an 11th-gen Intel Core i7 Tiger Lake processor, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650, or possibly MX450 graphics cards and Dolby Atmos support.
Other listed features of the Yoga Slim Pro 7 include Wifi 6 support, 1.3mm key travel, Amazon Alexa digital assistant support, and Zero-touch login technology.
In addition to the new design and processor, Lenovo is claiming the PC can output 16 hours of battery life with support for fast charging that translates to an 80 percent charge after an hour of being plugged in.
Another PC offering users might be considering is the Lenovo Yoga 9 which will offer up to an additional hour of battery life over the Slim Pro 7 at 18 hours while also supporting displays up to 4K HDR and siloed digital pen. However, unlike the Slim Pro 7 which is supposed to weigh as little as 2.6 pounds, the Yoga 9 will come in a relatively hefty 3.1 pounds and 0.6 inches thick. Lenovo will also be leather-bonding the lids of some options to offer an additional premium feel for the Yoga 9.
Lenovo will also be “slimming” up its gaming PC options as well with the introduction of the Legion 5, Legion 7, and IdeaPad Gaming 3 devices. Lenovo continues with a similar design aesthetics as previous models that include I/O ports hidden on the backside of the device as well as the company’s Advance TrueStrike Gaming Keyboard architecture and Vapor Chamber thermals.
New features for the Lenovo Legion Slim 7 now include 144 Hz refresh rate display or 60Hz paired with a 4k HDR screen, NVIDIA GeForce RTX2060 graphics support, and a claim of up to 8 hours of battery life.
Yesterday’s leaks follow earlier information about other planned Lenovo releases that include a new ThinkPad X1 Nano laptop, but none of the information released thus far includes prices, availability, or a release timeframe.
