Some of the best business laptops in the world are about to get a whole lot better. Starting in January, Lenovo will release new versions of its popular ThinkPad T, X200, L series and ThinkPad 13 notebooks, along with a brand new 2-in-1, the 13-inch ThinkPad Yoga 370. As denoted by the "7" in their model numbers, the laptops are getting the latest 7th Generation Core series processors, which provide improved performance and power-efficiency. Even better, many of the new notebooks will come with Thunderbolt 3 ports, which can be used to charge the system, send data and power multiple displays over the same cable.
To take advantage of Thunderbolt 3, Lenovo is also coming out with a series of docks and monitors that let you connect to your entire desktop setup and charge with a single connection. Here's a complete breakdown of all the new Lenovo laptops and peripherals, along with the major improvements to each.
ThinkPad Yoga 370
Other: 13.3-inch, 1080p screen | Other: Active stylus | Other: Thunderbolt 3 port | Other: Up to 1TB PCIe SSD | Other: 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
Release Date:March 2017Replaces: Nothing
ThinkPad T470
Other: 14-inch, 1080p screen | Other: Thunderbolt 3 port | Other: Up to 1TB PCIe SSD | Other: 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
Release Date:February 2017Replaces: ThinkPad T460
ThinkPad X270
Other: 12.5-inch, up to 1080p screen | Other: USB Type-C Port | Other: Up to 2TB HDD or 512GB PCIeSSD | Other: 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
Other: 14-inch Up to WQHD screen | Other: 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
Other: 13.3-inch, up to 1080p touch screen | Other: Optional backlit keyboard | Other: USB Type-C port | Other: Up to 512GB PCIe SSD | Other: Up to 32GB of RAM | Available in silver or black What's New: The ThinkPad 13 adds three new optional features
Available: January 2017Replaces:ThinkPad 13 (2016)
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ThinkPad T470p
Other: 14-inch up to WQHD display | Other: Nvidia GeForce 940MX graphics | Other: Standard-volt CPU | Other: 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
Other: 15.6-inch up to 4K screen | Other: Thunderbolt 3 port | Other: optional IR camera | Other: GeForce 940MX graphics | Other: 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
Other: 14-inch up to 1080p, 15.6-inch up to 1080p screens | Other: 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
: 23.8 or 27-inch, 2560 x 1440 IPS screen | Other: | 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 usea second external display.
Starting Prices:$329 / $259Available:March 2017
ThinkPad Thunderbolt 3 / USB-C Docks
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
Starting Prices: $279 / $199Available: Feburary 2017 / January 2017
The official Geeks Geek, as his weekly column is titled, Avram Piltch has guided the editorial and production of Laptopmag.com since 2007. With his technical knowledge and passion for testing, Avram programmed several of LAPTOP's real-world benchmarks, including the LAPTOP Battery Test. He holds a master's degree in English from NYU.
