June Wan/ZDNET
While a 2-in-1 laptop/tablet isn’t groundbreaking, it’s pretty rare to see one that runs on two different operating systems. But that’s exactly what the ThinkBook Plus Gen 5 Hybrid, just unveiled at CES, does.
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As the “hybrid” part of the name implies, it’s literally two separate devices in one. Not a single device with two modes like a traditional laptop and tablet combination, but an Android computer and a Windows computer smashed together in the same unit.
When it’s in laptop mode, the device functions just like a normal Windows computer with an Intel Core Ultra 7 processor, 1TB SSD, and up to 32 GB of RAM. But when you remove the 14-inch, 2.8k resolution OLED display, it turns into a touchscreen Android tablet with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ processor, 12 GB of RAM, and front and rear cameras.
The second mode, the company notes, is especially useful with the Lenovo Tab Pen Plus for presenting slides.
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Each component has a separate battery (a 38-watt hour battery in the tablet and a 75-watt hour battery in the laptop), meaning they can be used independently or together by docking to a monitor, keyboard and mouse. Users can even connect the keyboard wirelessly as an accessory for the tablet and a “Hybrid Stream” mode allows the user to use the device as a standard laptop, but with a small window to the side where Android apps can be accessed in “high quality and low latency,” Lenovo says.
While Lenovo says the ThinkBook Plus Gen 5 is designed for media content creators, designers, and logistics professionals, it adds that it’s able to handle nearly any mainstream task, and almost any user could benefit from the dual functionality.
The ThinkBook Plus Gen 5 Hybrid starts at $1,999 and should be available in the second quarter of this year.