Lenovo's wicked 17-inch ThinkBook Plus Gen 3 has a built-in 8-inch LCD display

Lenovo ThinkBook Plus Gen 3
(Image credit: Future)

Lenovo has thrown its hat into the ring at CES 2022 with the ThinkBook Plus Gen 3 — the first 17.3-inch laptop with a built-in secondary 8-inch full-color LCD display. Better yet, it's packing powerful specs under the hood.

We got a first look at Lenovo's new dual-screen laptop, along with other exciting updating on the Lenovo ThinkBook 13x Gen 2, ThinkBook 14 Gen 4+ i, and a new ThinkBook 16 Gen 4+ i. With the ThinkBook Plus Gen 3 looking to be a contender for our list of best business laptops, let's dive into what it has to offer. 

Lenovo ThinkBook Plus Gen 3

Lenovo's new ThinkBook Plus Gen 3 will be available from May 2022, with a starting price of $1,399. The 17-inch laptop aims to impress, as it's powered by 12th Gen Intel Core H-Series processors, Intel Iris Xe graphics, up to 32GB LPDDR5 RAM and up to 2TB for storage.

The ThinkBook Plus is equipped with a 17.3-inch primary display,  with an impressive 21:10 ultra-wide aspect ratio with 3072x1440 resolution at 120Hz. You can also expect up to 400 nits of brightness and a 90% screen-to-body ratio with Dolby Vision support and low blue light with TÜV Rheinland EyeSafe certification.

The true star of the show is the secondary display placed on the base panel. This 8-inch second LCD touch glass display with 800x1280 resolution can be used in a number of ways, including being a chat window, notepad, drawing board to draw or edit images, calculator, and can even mirror smartphones. Plus, it sports a “Magic Launcher” that can place frequently used application icons on the second display for quick access. Now that's handy. 

(Image credit: Future)

The ThinkBook plus Gen 3 also comes with an integrated digital pen with ColorKing Plus and digital Pantone libraries for all your image editing needs. You'll also find a Smart Power button with an integrated fingerprint reader for security, along with an FHD (1080p) Infrared webcam with a physical privacy shutter.

With dimensions of 16.1 x 9 x 0.7 inches and weighing 4.4 pounds, the laptop can easily act as a portable desktop replacement. You'll also find a glass touchpad and a backlit keyboard. And if you're a fan of Storm Grey, you'll be happy to know that's the only color the laptop comes in. 

Lenovo ThinkBook Plus Gen 3

(Image credit: Future)

In terms of ports, the ThinkBook features one Thunderbolt 4 port, one USB-C with Power Delivery and DisplayPort 1.4 support, two USB-A ports, one HDMI output and an audio jack.

Lenovo's ThinkBook laptops are some of the company's best, including the Lenovo ThinkBook 13x and Lenovo ThinkBook Plus G2 ITG. We're excited to see how well the ThinkBook Plus Gen 3 handles, along with the other ThinkPad Z Series Lenovo recently announced at CES 2022. 

Lenovo ThinkBook 14 and 16 Gen 4+ i

Lenovo also announced updates to its ThinkBook 14 and new ThinkBook 16, with the fourth generation models now boasting 12th Gen Intel Core H45 processors, thinner designs, 16:10 aspect ratio displays, larger glass touchpads, smart sensors, and smarter features.

(Image credit: Future)

Both models will be available from April 2022, with the ThinkBook 14 Gen 4+ i starting at $839 and the ThinkBook 16 Gen 4+ i is priced from $859.

Along with the 12th Gen Intel Core, expect up to Nvidia GeForce RTX 2050 GPU, up to 32GB LPDDR5 RAM and up to 2TB for storage. The 14-inch model can come equipped with a 2.8K (2880 x 1800) IPS 16:10 display with 400 nits of brightness, 90Hz refresh rate, and 100% sRGB color gamut, while the 16-inch model can sport a 2.5K (2560 x 1600) IPS 16:10 display, 350 nits of brightness, 120Hz and 100% sRGB color gamut coverage. Both laptops also have WUXGA (1920 x 1200) IPS 16:10 displays configurations available.

(Image credit: Future)

The 14-inch and 16-inch ThinkBook laptops' chassis sport anodized aluminum metallic exterior finishes on three sides, and come in Arctic Grey. Both also have plenty of ports, including one Thunderbolt 4 port, one USB-C with Power Delivery and DisplayPort 1.4 support, two USB-A 3.2 Gen1 ports, one USB-A 2.0 port, one HDMI 2.0 output, an audio combo jack and an Ethernet port. The 14-inch laptop has a 3-in-1 Micro SD card reader, while the 16-inch boasts a 4-in-1 SD Card Reader.

Battery-wise, the ThinkBook 14 fits a 62Wh or 46.5Wh battery with Rapid Charge depending on the configurations, while the ThinkBook 16 boasts either a 71Wh or 57Wh battery also with Rapid Charge support. 

Lenovo ThinkBook 13x Gen 2i

Last but not least, Lenovo also introduced an updated Lenovo ThinkBook 13x Gen 2i, and it comes with an optional ThinkBook Wireless Multi-Device Charging Mat that brings wireless charging for the laptop via Power by Contact, and compatible mobile devices via a Qi charger. 

(Image credit: Future)

Similar to the previous Lenovo ThinkBook 13x, the second-gen laptop now boasts up to a 12th Gen Intel Core processor, 32GB of DDR5 RAM, up to 2TB SSD, Wi-Fi 6E connectivity, and comes with Windows 11 (much like every laptop introduced at CES 2022).

With upgraded specs, the 13-inch laptop will now be an even better business laptop when compared to its predecessor, which we gave a high 4 stars out of 5 in our review of the previous ThinkBook 13x. We're also keen on trying the charging mat, which can deliver 65W wireless laptop charging and up to 10W for mobile devices.

CES 2022 is showing off plenty of laptops, and you can keep up-to-date on everything announced in our CES 2022 hub. 

Darragh Murphy
Editor

Darragh Murphy is fascinated by all things bizarre, which usually leads to assorted coverage varying from washing machines designed for AirPods to the mischievous world of cyberattacks. Whether it's connecting Scar from The Lion King to two-factor authentication or turning his love for gadgets into a fabricated rap battle from 8 Mile, he believes there’s always a quirky spin to be made. With a Master’s degree in Magazine Journalism from The University of Sheffield, along with short stints at Kerrang! and Exposed Magazine, Darragh started his career writing about the tech industry at Time Out Dubai and ShortList Dubai, covering everything from the latest iPhone models and Huawei laptops to massive Esports events in the Middle East. Now, he can be found proudly diving into gaming, gadgets, and letting readers know the joys of docking stations for Laptop Mag.