Stefan Mileschin

Lenovo is one of the companies that experiments with form-factors and capabilities of its PCs. At CES 2020, the manufacturer introduced its ThinkBook Plus laptop that features two screens: one main 13.3-inch LCD and one auxiliary e-ink display on the top cover. The additional monitor doesn't add a lot of bulk to the device, thanks to the nature of e-ink.

With the ThinkBook Plus, Lenovo decided to offer SMB something it yet has to offer to other markets: the second e-ink screen on top cover. This display can be used to receive ongoing essential notifications, read documents, take notes, and create illustrations or diagrams using the integrated Lenovo Precision Pen without firing up Windows and the main screen. Lenovo does not reveal much about the auxiliary display, but it looks like it uses a proprietary set of applications with all the peculiarities of such approach, and as such some hands-on time is going to be needed to really get a feel for the benefits.

If the second screen is not considered, the ThinkBook Plus is a regular 13.3-inch laptop that comes in an aluminum chassis with 180° lay-flat hinges found on ThinkPads as well as a 13.3-inch Full-HD IPS display. The machine weighs 1.4 kilograms, which is heavier when compared to the ThinkPad X1, and is 17.4 mm thick.

At the heart of Lenovo ThinkBook Plus is Intel’s 10th Generation ‘Comet Lake’ Core i7 processor with built-in Intel UHD Graphics accompanied by 8 GB or 16 GB of DDR4 memory as well as an M.2 SSD featuring up to 512 GB capacity or Intel’s Optane Memory H10 storage solution comprising of 3D XPoint and QLC 3D NAND. Lenovo says that the ThinkBook Plus can last for 10 hours on its 45 Wh battery.

On the connectivity side of matters, the ThinkBook Plus has a pretty standard set of technologies, including Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5, USB 3.1 Gen 2 Type-C, USB 3.0 Type-A, HDMI 1.4b, and a 3.5-mm audio jack. As for security, the laptop has a fingerprint reader, and a dTPM 2.0 chip.

https://www.anandtech.com/show/15322...s-w-comet-lake