Laptops

Lenovo reveals new business laptops with hot swap battery feature

Lenovo reveals new business laptops with hot swap battery feature
The ThinkPad T440s Ultrabook is among a number of new business Ultrabooks announced by Lenovo
The ThinkPad T440s Ultrabook is among a number of new business Ultrabooks announced by Lenovo
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The ThinkPad T440s Ultrabook is among a number of new business Ultrabooks announced by Lenovo
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The ThinkPad T440s Ultrabook is among a number of new business Ultrabooks announced by Lenovo
The 14-inch display of the T440s is available in HD+ (1600 x 900 resolution), Full-HD and Full-HD touch IPS varieties
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The 14-inch display of the T440s is available in HD+ (1600 x 900 resolution), Full-HD and Full-HD touch IPS varieties
Carbon fiber construction makes the T440s both lightweight and strong
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Carbon fiber construction makes the T440s both lightweight and strong
The T440s comes with one internal 3-cell battery, and one external
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The T440s comes with one internal 3-cell battery, and one external
Power Bridge technology means that the user can hot swap the latter with an external battery pack without needing to power off
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Power Bridge technology means that the user can hot swap the latter with an external battery pack without needing to power off
A 3-cell battery pack, together with a 6-cell unit that can be hot swapped without switching the T440s off
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A 3-cell battery pack, together with a 6-cell unit that can be hot swapped without switching the T440s off
The T440s boats up to 4th generation Intel Core i7 processor configurations with integrated HD 4400 graphics, supported by as much as 12 GB of DDR3L system memory and up to 1 TB of HDD storage or solid state options running up to 512 GB
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The T440s boats up to 4th generation Intel Core i7 processor configurations with integrated HD 4400 graphics, supported by as much as 12 GB of DDR3L system memory and up to 1 TB of HDD storage or solid state options running up to 512 GB
The standard T440 shares many of the features of the T440s
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The standard T440 shares many of the features of the T440s
The T440 comes with up to 4th generation Intel Core i5 processor
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The T440 comes with up to 4th generation Intel Core i5 processor
The standard T440 is a little chunkier, with a starting weight of 4 lb and a thickness of 0.83 in
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The standard T440 is a little chunkier, with a starting weight of 4 lb and a thickness of 0.83 in
The ThinkPad X240 is available in configuration up to Haswell Core i7 with integrated HD 4400 graphics and up to 1 TB of HDD storage
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The ThinkPad X240 is available in configuration up to Haswell Core i7 with integrated HD 4400 graphics and up to 1 TB of HDD storage
The backlit keyboard sports added Windows 8 functionality
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The backlit keyboard sports added Windows 8 functionality
The X240's 12.5-inch displays come in either HD, HD Widescreen and Full-HD non-touch, or HD Widescreen and Full HD touch-enabled versions
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The X240's 12.5-inch displays come in either HD, HD Widescreen and Full-HD non-touch, or HD Widescreen and Full HD touch-enabled versions
The 14-inch ThinkPad S440 comes with as 10-point multi-touch and non-touch HD screen options
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The 14-inch ThinkPad S440 comes with as 10-point multi-touch and non-touch HD screen options
Up to 4th gen Intel Core i7 processing is available with the 15-inch ThinkPad S540, supported by as much as 16 GB of DDR3L RAM
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Up to 4th gen Intel Core i7 processing is available with the 15-inch ThinkPad S540, supported by as much as 16 GB of DDR3L RAM
View gallery - 15 images

Lenovo has taken the wraps off some new Windows 8 business class Ultrabooks ahead of an IFA 2013 debut. Though all of the new additions take advantage of the performance improvements and energy efficiency offered by Intel's Haswell processors, the new T and X Series models also feature something called Power Bridge technology that allows users to swap out the second battery without having to power down first. Lighter and thinner than previous ThinkPads, the new laptops all feature a large trackpad to support Windows 8 gesture controls, and come in both touch-enabled and non-touch display panel flavors.

The best of the two new ThinkPad T Series releases is the T440s (which has actually been sitting in Lenovo's online shop since July). With a starting weight of 3.5 lb (1.6 kg), and measuring 0.81-in (20.45-mm) at its thickest point, this model is the thinnest and lightest of all Lenovo's T Series laptops. It comes with two 3-cell batteries, one internal and the other swappable. Included Power Bridge technology means that the user can hot swap the latter with another battery pack without needing to power off which, in the case of the ThinkPad 68+ (72Wh) pack, is claimed to extend up time to much as 17 hours before the user needs to head for the nearest wall outlet.

Power Bridge technology means that the user can hot swap the latter with an external battery pack without needing to power off
Power Bridge technology means that the user can hot swap the latter with an external battery pack without needing to power off

Elsewhere, the T440s boats up to 4th generation Intel Core i7 processor configurations with integrated HD 4400 graphics, supported by as much as 12 GB of DDR3L system memory, and up to 1 TB of HDD storage or solid state options up to 512 GB. The 14-inch display is available in HD+ (1600 x 900 resolution), Full-HD and Full-HD touch IPS varieties, and there's a 720p webcam backed up by a noise-canceling dual microphone array.

Connectivity comes in the shape of three USB 3.0 ports, including one that can power connected devices, a media card reader, VGA and mini-DisplayPort, and integrated Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. Other options include 4G LTE WWAN technology and NFC capabilities.

It also features a full-sized, spill-resistant keyboard along with fingerprint scanner and tamper detection.

The T440s will be available from the end of October, starting at US$1,149.

The only appreciable differences between the standard T440 and its T Series sibling are processor options that only run up to Core i5, one less USB 3.0 port and the choice to include an integrated smart card reader. This model is also a little chunkier, with a starting weight of 4 lb (1.8 kg) and a thickness of 0.83 in (21 mm). The T440 has also been given an October ship date, but is a little cheaper at $899.

The rest of the Berlin bunch

The ThinkPad X240 weighs 2.94 lb (1.34 kg) and is 0.79-in (20.3 mm) thin. It's also available in configurations up to Haswell Core i7, and up to 1 TB of HDD storage (SSD is also available), though RAM tops out at 8 GB. Its 12.5-inch displays come in either HD, HD Widescreen and Full-HD non-touch, or HD Widescreen and Full HD touch-enabled versions, and there's Dolby Home Theater Advanced Audio 2. The backlit keyboard sports added Windows 8 functionality.

The X240's 12.5-inch displays come in either HD, HD Widescreen and Full-HD non-touch, or HD Widescreen and Full HD touch-enabled versions
The X240's 12.5-inch displays come in either HD, HD Widescreen and Full-HD non-touch, or HD Widescreen and Full HD touch-enabled versions

Buyers can choose to combine the X240's 3-cell battery with a 6-cell travel battery for over 10 hours of continued use before needing to find a wall outlet. Reported connectivity options include VGA and HDMI ports, a 3-in-1 card reader, two USB 3.0 ports, and 3G/4G WWAN as an optional extra. This model has been earmarked for October availability, and prices start at $1,099.

The two remaining Ultrabook models announced by Lenovo are new additions to its S Series. The 14-inch ThinkPad S440 and 15-inch S540 are available as 10-point multi-touch and non-touch HD screen options, and discrete graphics with up to 2 GB of dedicated video memory. Up to 4th gen Intel Core i7 processing is available, supported by up to 1 TB of HDD or 256 GB of SSD storage. The S540 is able to house twice the DDR3L RAM of its S Series sibling at 16 GB.

The S440 benefits from a rapid charge feature that can provide its battery with up to 80 percent charge capacity in just 45 minutes. Either model can be connected to a OneLink Dock via a single cable for power and access to USB 3.0, native video, and Gigabit Ethernet ports.

Up to 4th gen Intel Core i7 processing is available with the 15-inch ThinkPad S540, supported by as much as 16 GB of DDR3L RAM
Up to 4th gen Intel Core i7 processing is available with the 15-inch ThinkPad S540, supported by as much as 16 GB of DDR3L RAM

At the time of writing, Lenovo hasn't revealed if the new S Series Ultrabooks will be made available in the US, saying only that the S440 is due for release this month in select markets for a starting price of €699, while the S540 breaks out in October for €649.

Source: Lenovo

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5 comments
5 comments
Nitrozzy Seven
when they release a laptop that doesn't melt, I might get interested.
vnrgoli
Gasp!!! They are releasing another business laptop without WIDI?? I love Lenovo and want to see them at the cutting edge. I did not see Wireless Display in any of their techspecs. V
DonGateley
"Connectivity comes in the shape of three USB 3.0 ports, including one that can power connected devices"
WTF? Two without power? That's got to be a mistake. It would be ok for desktop use where they will likely be attached to powered hubs anyway but ridiculous for portable use (unless they have a power out jack for hubs.)
That the T440s has DisplayPort pretty much seals the deal for me regardless. It's upgrade time if I can somehow move my Win 7 system to it as Win 7.
Derek Pater
sounds great, we have an older Lenovo, its a great computer,
Basil
The 16:9 screens are only for games and movies - entertainment - you need a deeper screen 16:10 or even the old 4:3 screens to see a decent amount of a document - to make a business notebook. Why is it that Apple - the people who make the sexiest entertainment devices are the only people who understand screen aspect ratios?