It looks like the Lenovo Vibe Z
from last year is due to get a follow-up pretty soon. That's because a
Lenovo K920 has been spotted at China Mobile's booth at Mobile Asia
Expo.
And since the Vibe Z bears the model number K910, the purpose of the new device becomes instantly clear.
The Lenovo K920 features a unibody design that looks metallic but
probably isn't. In terms of specs it will be a beast, coming with a
6-inch 2560x1440 pixel touchscreen, which in fact is Lenovo's first to
have such a high resolution. A 16MP camera is on the rear and a 5MP unit
is there for selfies. Lenovo K920
The phone will be powered by Qualcomm's quad-core Snapdragon 801
chipset, with a CPU clocked at 2.5 GHz, and will sport 3 GB of RAM.
Internal storage is set at 32GB, and you can expect Android 4.4 KitKat
to be on board.
The K920 has support for China Mobile's TD-LTE, complete with
dual-SIM functionality. Whether there will ever be a version of the
smartphone for other parts of the world is unclear at this point, as is
when it will be released in China (or even officially announced). Update: An eagle-eyed reader contacted us to point out that
you can actually (if barely) make out the words Optical Anti-Shake next
to the camera sensor on the K920's back. This seems to be what Lenovo is
going to call the Optical Image Stabilization feature that we know from
smartphones made by other companies.
Users out of Malaysia are reporting that the Lenovo Vibe Z, the company's latest 5.5-inch smartphone, is now getting Android 4.4.2 over-the-air.
The update comes in at a massive 1.2GB, so it's safe to assume that
Lenovo have thrown in a healthy dose of software optimizations and
features - maybe even a few from its recent Motorola acquisition.
Vibe Z owners can look for the update notification in their taskbar,
or through their about screen in the settings menu. Due to the large
file size it's recommended that you stick to updating via a WiFi network.
Lenovo's upcoming smartphone, the Golden Warrior S8 has been detailed by an online retailer. The information comes complete with the pricing info of the smartphone. Lenovo Golden Warrior S8 Official Images
The Lenovo Golden Warrior S8 sports a 5.3-inch LTPS display with a
resolution of 1280 x 720 pixels and comes with Gorilla Glass. Under the
hood, there is a MediaTek MTK6592M chipset with quad-core CPU clocked at
1.4GHz. The device also features 2 GB of RAM, 13 megapixel rear camera
with LED flash, 5 megapixel front facing shooter and 16 GB of internal
memory with the ability to expand it via microSD card.
Connectivity options for the Warrior S8 include Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n,
Bluetooth, Wi-Fi Direct and 3G support. The upcoming dual-SIM smartphone
measures 146 x 76.7 x 7.9mm and weighs about 146 grams. Lenovo Golden Warrior S8 Live Images
It's quite disappointing to know that the Lenovo Golden Warrior S8
will run on Android 4.2 Jelly Bean OS and not a more recent version of
Android. Lastly, the smartphone packs a 2,000mAh battery, which
according to the company offers 2 days of standby time.
Lenovo Golden Warrior S8 will carry a price tag of $200 when the
smartphone hits the market. Unfortunately, there is no word on when the
device will go official.
The Thinkpad Ultrabook Gets a High-End Windows 8 Touch
High performance laptops are nothing new, but until recently
they were hulking beasts that could break one's back if carried out of
the house. Things have changed - it's now possible to have top
performance in ultra-portable packages, as demonstrated by the Lenovo
ThinkPad X1 Carbon Touch Ultrabook.
It's hard to classify the Lenovo's direct competitors due to the huge variety of Windows 8
hybrids and laptops on the market. The rulebook has been ripped up and
with a traditional laptop design with an added touchscreen, the Lenovo
ThinkPad X1 Carbon Touch is one of the more conservative offerings. High
performance laptop hybrids such as the Sony Vaio Duo 13 spring to mind, as do traditional Ultrabooks such as the Dell XPS 13 and MacBook Pro with Retina display.
The original 2012 Lenovo X1 Carbon was the best ThinkPad money could buy, but now Lenovo has added a touchscreen panel and changed Windows 7 Professional for Windows 8, bringing last year's model right up to date.
The
result is a formidable machine that not only offers the best usability
and performance, but also a fantastic Windows 8 experience. However, the
eye-watering price tag of £1,779 / US$2,139 / AU$2,538 means this
experience doesn't come cheap.
Pick the Lenovo ThinkPad
X1 Carbon Touch up and it's immediately apparent that you're holding a
different class of laptop. ThinkPad has always been a predominately
business brand and you'll have seen the familiar black matt chassis
punctuated by that red mouse pointer in Starbucks and train stations all
over the place.
Being a ThinkPad, the X1 Carbon Touch
retains the looks synonymous with this illustrious range, but the
similarities with bog-standard corporate machines end there. Yes there's
the red mouse nipple, which is bemusing when a touchscreen and
full-sized trackpad are on offer, but it's an example of how important
the look of the X1 Carbon Touch is to Lenovo.
However,
when you pick up the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Touch for the first
time, the solid, flexless build, smooth rubberised finish and
lightweight chassis can't fail to impress. The fact that this machine
weighs just 1.5kg (3.3lbs) yet counts as one of the most powerful
Ultrabooks on the market speaks volumes about what Lenovo has achieved.
Other
Ultrabooks that have tried to achieve this balance of weight and power
have ended up scrimping on build quality - such as the HP Envy 15 with its awful trackpad or the Acer Aspire S7 and its keyboard, but the Carbon oozes quality from every port.
From
the beautifully spaced and comfortable keyboard that enables immediate,
accurate speed typing to the smooth and responsive trackpad to the
luxurious panel that manages to marry vibrancy and clarity with a
non-reflective finish.
Windows 8 review
It's
not just the weight - or lack of - that makes the Lenovo ThinkPad X1
Carbon Touch such a engineering triumph, it's also the thickness.
Despite measuring 22mm (0.87 inches) at its thickest point - a not
exactly size-zero waistline - the Carbon's wedge shape gives it the
impression of blade-like thinness. It's alluring to look at and commands
attention, attracting admiring comments from those around you.
However,
to ace a TechRadar review, you need more than alluring looks. So let's
get under the hood and see how good the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Touch
really is.
The expected ThinkPad amenities are standard, including vPro
management, TPM, a fingerprint reader, and even an optional integrated
WWAN (3G) radio. The carbon fiber cover and cage are, in Lenovo’s
parlance, “satellite quality,” and the chassis certainly feels more
durable than Sputnik.
Lenovo also hasn’t forgotten about the things that users actually
care about. Audio is impressive and Dolby-certified. The keyboard is
backlit and fully usable, and the glass touchpad was rock solid on this
go-round with the Carbon. (The 2012 unit I tested had a disturbingly loose one.)
Only two complaints marred my experience with the X1 Touch. Foremost
is battery life. While I managed to score an extra half hour of video
playback versus the old X1, at 3.5 hours of running time, it is still at
the bottom of the heap of Windows 8 laptops when it comes to longevity.
The screen is also relatively dim, and colors look a bit washed out in
comparison to other recent-model laptops.
Of course, there’s also the not-insubstantial price to consider, too.
The X1 Touch starts at $1,350 and, as configured, runs a hefty $1,729.
That’s cheaper than the non-touch Carbon I reviewed in the fall, but
still a huge investment in a laptop, and hundreds of dollars more
expensive than the competition in this space. (Acer’s 14-inch Aspire M may be heavier, but it’s less than half the price.)
If you’re trying to convince your boss to buy one for you, my recommendation is lean heavily on the bit about the satellite.
WIREDExcellent combination of performance,
portability, and durability. Still the best keyboard going. Trackpad
issues resolved. You want bells and whistles?
TIREDProbably the most expensive computer in its
class. Screen not as impressive as the previous generation. Battery life
upgraded, but still not enough.
Specifications
Under the hood is an Intel Core i7
processor 3667U, the U in that pithy moniker indicating that it's one of
the ultra low-power chips designed for Ultrabooks. It packs
considerably more power than the likes of the Asus Zenbook or Samsung Series 9, since it's clocked at an impressive 2GHz.
The
benchmark scores from our lab tests back this up too, with a top-end
performance resulting in roughly 10 per cent more power than rival
Ultrabooks such as the Asus Zenbook.
The
Core i7 chip is also left to handle the graphics tasks in the absence
of a dedicated graphics card. It has become the norm for manufacturers
to leave 3D graphics to the onboard processor now, but it means that
despite the sky-high price tag, the Lenovo ThinkPad Carbon X1 isn't the
best choice for heavy video editors or gamers.
Elsewhere there's a whopping 8GB of RAM, an amount normally reserved for gaming machines or high-end powerhouses such as the Samsung Series 7 Chronos. This helps keep the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Touch noticeably quick, helping a slick, breathless performance.
There
are several models of the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Touch at a range of
price points, and our model packed a 256GB SSD drive, the highest you
can get. The only criticism here is the lack of usable space, and of the
256GB on offer, only 190GB was usable.
Looking
at the frankly ludicrous price tag, one might be forgiven for
mistakenly thinking that a dedicated graphics chip powered the Lenovo
ThinkPad X1 Carbon Touch, but in a laptop this thin all the
pixel-pushing has been left to that Intel Core i7 processor. It does a
good job and performs better than most Ultrabooks, meaning that even the
latest games are within its limitations, if you don't mind sacrificing
some graphics performance.
Of course, the 14-inch, 1600 x
900 resolution panel is a key part of this updated Lenovo ThinkPad X1
Carbon Touch, and while we'd like to have seen 1080p included given the
price, it's still a good performance.
The colours look
great, it's pin sharp despite not being Full HD and it's as great for
watching a movie as it is for working on a presentation. What's more,
the touch sensitivity is as good as we've seen on a Windows 8 device,
and it's miraculously free from smearing.
For
a laptop that measures 22mm at its thickest point, connectivity is
underwhelming, with two USB 3.0 ports, one of which can charge devices
when the laptop is sleeping.
There's also DisplayPort
for connecting to external monitors and an SD card, but no Ethernet,
HDMI or VGA, which will mean carrying extra dongles to your meetings.
However, business users will love the fingerprint reader and hard drive
protection.
Performance
Benchmarks Cinebench 10: 11,498 3D Mark: Ice: 32,650 Wind: 3787 Fire: 512 Battery: 192 mins
With
a score of 11,498 in our processor tests, it's clear that the Lenovo
ThinkPad X1 Carbon Touch is a formidable machine. This kind of score
ranks among some of the best performing Ultrabooks on the market, and
even manages to give the next generation of Intel processors a run for
their money.
Other than top multitasking and app
switching speeds, the i7 processor speeds up boot times, enabling it to
go from cold to a usable Windows 8 home screen in roughly 15 seconds.
Even better is the resume from sleep, which averaged around four
seconds, partly due to Windows 8's improvements and of course that
wickedly fast chip.
However,
there's a downside. The high performance third generation Intel Core i7
chip colludes to suck power from the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Touch,
especially under heavy strain. The result is an uninspiring three hours
of battery life in our test, which involves looping a high definition
clip with full screen brightness until the laptop dies.
Three
hours is one of the lowest Ultrabook battery scores we've seen, and
should ring alarm bells for anyone who intends to use the Lenovo
ThinkPad X1 Carbon Touch at high load while away from mains electricity.
Turning the screen brightness down and sticking to
moderate web tasks increases lifespan to around four hours, which is
still underwhelming when you consider the Samsung Vaio Duo 13 running
Intel's latest Haswell fourth generation processor managed six hours in the same test.
If
you spend long periods on the road, you could be frustrated by the
disappointing longevity, especially given the Ultrabook's sky-high price
tag. Intel's new chips, announced in May and being released in earnest
later this year, will offer better longevity and battery performance,
which makes the £1,779 / US$2,139 / AU$2,538 price seem even less
appealing.
As with most Ultrabooks there's no dedicated
graphics, and while games might be playable on lower settings, it's in
no way suited to overly creative tasks or heavy video editing. We
wouldn't normally pull up an Ultrabook for this failing, but then most
Ultrabooks don't cost this extraordinary sum.
Connections, and battery Like
many business systems, the X1 Carbon skips the SD card slot (a security
concern for some), but you do get two video outputs, both HDMI and Mini
DisplayPort. Ethernet requires a dongle, but Lenovo would no doubt like
you to use one of its OneLink docks to add additional connectivity,
including DVI, full Ethernet, and four USB 3.0 ports. That standalone
dock costs $179, a hefty additional investment, but I use an older
USB-powered version, and have found it to be excellent.
In
our benchmark tests, the Core i5-powered X1 Carbon performed as
expected when compared with other recent ultrabooks with
higher-than-1080p displays. Nearly all these systems have fourth-gen
Core i5 CPUs, from Intel's ultra-low-power line (except the Toshiba Kirabook, which has a previous-generation Core i7), and
you'll find any of these more than powerful enough for everyday personal
and business tasks, from putting together PowerPoint presentations to
social media and Web surfing to streaming HD video.
Given all
that, what we're really looking for from the X1 Carbon is amazing
battery life. A slim, on-the-go laptop needs to last all day, and while
the X1 does well, it's not a long-lived as some. The system ran for 5
hours, 41 minutes, in our video playback battery drain test, which is
merely OK, and not in the same ballpark as the 13-inch MacBook Pro,
nor even the Samsung Ativ Book 9 Plus or Lenovo Yoga 2 Pro. Keep in
mind that all of the systems mentioned here have better-than-HD
displays.
Conclusion
The third version of the ThinkPad X1 is the best to date, and it
remains one of the only choices for a slim, high-design business laptop
with premium features. The addition of both a
2,560x1,440-pixel-resolution display and the adaptive function key row
is welcome, but these upgrades also drive the price up high enough that
you're likely to have to twist some arms to get your IT department to
get this as your next work laptop.
Looking
at the frankly ludicrous price tag, one might be forgiven for
mistakenly thinking that a dedicated graphics chip powered the Lenovo
ThinkPad X1 Carbon Touch, but in a laptop this thin all the
pixel-pushing has been left to that Intel Core i7 processor. It does a
good job and performs better than most Ultrabooks, meaning that even the
latest games are within its limitations, if you don't mind sacrificing
some graphics performance.
