Lenovo Refreshes ThinkPad Line With New CPUs, Thunderbolt 3

Starting Price: $1,264
Release Date: March 2017
Replaces: Nothing

Key Specs: 13.3-inch, 1080p screen; Active stylus; Thunderbolt 3 port; Up to 1TB PCIe SSD; Up to 16GB of RAM; Available in silver or black

What's New: While Lenovo already had 14 and 12-inch ThinkPad Yogas in the Yoga 260 and Yoga 460, respectively, this is the first model with a 13-inch screen. Unlike most other ThinkPads, the Yoga 370 is available in silver as well as black.

Why You Should Care: At just 3.17 pounds and 0.7 inches thick, this 2-in-1 is light enough to carry anywhere and powerful enough to be your main computer. Lenovo bundles an active stylus, which is perfect for Windows Ink or other drawing and handwriting apps. 

Outlook: The Yoga 370 sounds like a solid mainstream business 2-in-1 in the mold of the Yoga 260 that came before it. 

Starting Price: $914
Release Date: February 2017
Replaces: ThinkPad T460

Key Specs: 14-inch, 1080p screen; Thunderbolt 3 port; Up to 1TB PCIe SSD; Intel Optane 16GB cache; Nvidia GeForce 940MX graphics

What's New: The ThinkPad T470 is 3 percent lighter and 5 percent thinner than its predecessor, tipping the scales at 3.49 pounds and measuring 0.78 inches thick. In addition to its 7th Gen Core processor, the 14-inch laptop adds a Thunderbolt 3 port for charging and data, an optional PCIe NVMe SSD for speedy file transfers and an optional IR camera for doing facial logins with Windows Hello. The laptop will also be one of the first in the industry to offer Intel Optane cache memory, which should speed up the storage even more. Lenovo will also offer the T460 with Nvidia 940MX graphics. 

Why You Should Care: The ThinkPad T460 was our favorite business laptop of 2016, because of its extremely long battery life, industry-leading keyboard and sturdy design. The T470 ups the ante by adding Thunderbolt 3, which you can use for charging and connecting to next-gen peripherals, and by including high-performance PCIe SSD options which were not available on its predecessor. It retains the same PowerBridge battery technology, which combines a 3-cell internal battery with a 3 or 6-cell removable unit, and promises even longer endurance due to a more power-efficient CPU.  It also has a full array of ports, including an Ethernet connection and SD card reader.

Outlook: The ThinkPad T470 looks like it could be the new mainstream business laptop to beat, a productivity powerhouse for anyone who needs to get things done.

Starting Price: $909
Release Date: March 2017
Replaces:ThinkPad X260

Key Specs: 12.5-inch, up to 1080p screen; USB Type-C Port; Up to 2TB HDD or 512GB PCIeSSD; Up to 16GB of RAM; 

What's New: The ThinkPad X270 adds a USB Type-C port it can use for charging and data, while retaining Lenovo's old-school proprietary charging port. It adds a PCIe SSD option for much faster loading and saves and it gets a bit lighter, slimming down to 2.9 pounds from the 3.18 pounds of its predecessor. Otherwise, its specs remain the same as the X260, keeping the earlier model's generous selection of ports and its hot-swappable battery system.

Why You Should Care: The ThinkPad X260 was the longest-lasting laptop of 2016, enduring for over 17 hours on the Laptop Battery Test, with its extended battery on board. With a more power-efficient CPU on board, the X270 could last even longer on a charge. Adding PCIe storage could improve performance dramatically and the convenience of having a USB Type-C port can't be underestimated.

Outlook: We wish Lenovo had been a bit more daring with the ThinkPad X270 and given users the full power of Thunderbolt 3 instead of a USB Type-C port. However, this lightweight ultrabook will undoubtedly be one of the most versatile business laptops around and one of the longest lasting.

Starting Price: $1,099
Available: February 2017
Replaces:ThinkPad T460s

Key Specs: 14-inch Up to WQHD screen; Thunberbolt 3; Available in silver or black

What's New: The ThinkPad T470s adds a Thunberbolt 3 port for charging and data while retaining Lenovo's proprietary charging port too. It also has a new silver color option.

Why You Should Care: At just 3 pounds and 0.74-inches thick, the ThinkPad T470s is the lighter, slimmer alternative to the T470, offering similar performance and a full array of ports, including an Ethernet connector and SD card reader. Like its predecessor, it has a sealed-in, 3-cell battery that won't last nearly as long on a charge as the dual-batteries in the heavier ThinkPad T470. 

Outlook: If you want the performance and functionality of the T470 in a a much lighter package, the T470s will probably be a solid option. However, we expect modest battery life as last year's model endured for a below-average 8 hours and 16 minutes.

Starting Price: $674
Available: January 2017
Replaces:ThinkPad 13 (2016)

Key Specs: 13.3-inch, up to 1080p touch screen; Optional backlit keyboard; USB Type-C port; Up to 512GB PCIe SSD; Up to 32GB of RAM; Available in silver or black

What's New: The ThinkPad 13 adds three new optional features: a touch screen display, a backlit keyboard and a PCIe SSD.

Why You Should Care: The original ThinkPad 13 was a breakthrough laptop in 2016, combing a light chassis, great battery life and the best keyboard we tested all year with an unbeatable price. Though it's listed as $674, the new ThinkPad 13 is likely to have the same street price as its predecessor, hovering around the $600 mark and even dropping into the $500 range when on sale. The new model keeps what we loved about the original and adds options that were conspicuously absent such as a backlit keyboard and PCIe storage.

Outlook: The ThinkPad 13 should be an even better deal in 2017 than it was in 2016. While some users stayed away from the prior model because they wanted a keyboard backlight or a speedier SSD, they can now get those features.

Starting Price: $1,049
Available: March 2017
Replaces: ThinkPad T460p

Key Specs: 14-inch up to WQHD display; Nvidia GeForce 940MX graphics; Standard-volt CPU; Up to 1GB PCIe SSD; Optional Optane Cache

What's New: The T470p adds an optional 1080p touch screen, a new backlit keyboard option and a new Intel Optane cache option for speedier storage.

Why You Should Care: The T470p is Lenovo's high-performance alternative to the ThinkPad T470. Though the company has not released details on its CPUs, there's a good chance that, like its predecessor, it will have a quad-core processor. Like the previous  model, it is also heavier than the regular T series, tipping the scales at 4 pounds. 

Outlook: Sadly, the T470p does not get a Thunderbolt 3 or even a USB Type-C port, but it does promise improved performance for those who want a ThinkPad with more oomph.

Starting Price: $909
Available: March 2017
Replaces: ThinkPad T560

Key Specs: 15.6-inch up to 4K screen; Thunderbolt 3 port; optional IR camera; GeForce 940MX graphics; up to 1TB PCIe SSD; optional Intel Optane memory

What's New: The T570 drops down to 4.4 pounds and 0.79 inches thick, a reduction of 8 and 10 percent respectively. It adds Thunderbolt 3 for charging and data, an IR camera for Windows Hello login and Intel Optane  memory for speeding up the SSD even more.

Why You Should Care: Those who want a larger ThinkPad with a numeric keypad and a high-res screen will find a lot to like in the T570. It retains the wide selection of ports and hot-swappable batteries of its predecessor. The ThinkPad T560 lasted over 21 hours on a charge so the T570 could eclipse that industry-leading number.

Outlook: The ThinkPad T570 adds increased versatility and performance while retaining everything we liked about the T560. It looks like a winner.

Starting Prices: $799 / $809
Available: March 2017
Replaces:ThinkPad L460 / L560

Key Specs: 14-inch up to 1080p, 15.6-inch up to 1080p screens;  hard drive or optional PCIe SSD storage; optional Optane cache memory

What's New: The 14-inch L460 and 15.6-inch L560 get minor updates, including higher-performance storage options such as a PCIe SSD and Intel Optane cache memory.

Why You Should Care: Intel's ThinkPad L series is heavier and chunkier than the T series, with fewer options and no Thunderbolt 3 or USB Type-C ports to be had. However, these laptops usually sell for less than the T470 / T570 and offer similar performance.

Outlook: Businesses looking to shave a few bucks off the price of their ThinkPads will appreciate this minor upgrade. Anyone who can spend just a little bit more will prefer the T or X series laptops.

Note: Image of L470 shown.

Starting Prices: $329 / $259
Available: March 2017

Key Specs: 23.8 or 27-inch, 2560 x 1440 IPS screen; 99% sRGB color gamut reproduction; USB Type-C docking with power delivery

Why You Should Care: These thin-bezeled monitors double as charging hubs for laptops USB Type-C ports. With one cable, your ThinkPad (or other notebook) can output to the monitor, get all of its power and send data to all your peripherals. The monitors have plenty of ports including 4 USB 3.0 connectors and DisplayPort out so you can use a second external display.

Starting Prices: $279 / $199
Available: Feburary 2017 / January 2017

Key Specs: Dual 4K monitor output (Thunderbolt 3) / Dual 1080p output (USB Type-C)

Why You Should Care: If you're buying a laptop with a Thunderbolt 3 or Type-C port,  you can use these docks to power your laptop and connect it to all your monitors and peripherals over a single cable.

Outlook: Thunderbolt 3 docks have a mixed reputation, because many we tested in 2016 had compatibility issues. Lenovo's dock should work well with the ThinkPads it's designed for, but we'll have to see how it handles other brands of laptop.