IFA: Lenovo unveils Glasses T1 wearable display, next-gen ThinkPad X1 Fold, and more

Ahead of the IFA show in Berlin, Lenovo has announced a range of devices, including laptops, tablets, Chromebooks and monitors – and, first up, a pair of glasses that deliver a virtual monitor. 

Lenovo Glasses T1 

They won’t be available outside China until 2023, but the Lenovo Glasses T1 (which will be called Lenovo Yoga Glasses in China) look set to turn heads at IFA. Described as a “wearable private display for on-the-go content consumption”, the TI Glasses are compatible with USB-C-equipped smartphones, tablets and laptops, and will connect to Lightning-equipped iOS devices via optional adapters.

Looking more like a pair of regular shades and less like a ridicule-attracting piece of geekery, the T1 Glasses come with swappable nose clips and adjustable temple arms to maximise comfort, and also support custom prescription lenses via an attachable frame. The temple arms also accommodate a pair of speakers, as well as buttons to adjust volume, screen brightness and colour temperature. The virtual display, which can be anchored to a fixed point in space or allowed to move with your head, is delivered via micro-OLED technology with 1080p resolution per eye, a 60Hz refresh rate and 10:000:1 contrast ratio.

Use cases for the T1 Glasses include mobile gaming and providing mobile professionals with the convenience of a “personal monitor in their pocket”. There are also privacy advantages: “Using the Lenovo Glasses T1, workers have a private workspace to prevent shoulder surfing,” Lenovo says. 

Lenovo Glasses T1 specifications 

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Fold (2022) 

The second-generation ThinkPad X1 Fold offers considerably more screen space than its 13.3-inch predecessor, thanks to a roomy 4:3 16.3-inch OLED touch screen, which folds down to a 12-inch display for use with a magnetically attachable keyboard in laptop mode.  

Not only is the screen bigger, but bezels are thinner (~10mm) and the device slimmer when unfolded (8.6mm) and folded (17.4mm). Like the original model, the 2022 ThinkPad X1 Fold is tough enough to pass MIL-STD-810H testing. 

Inside, the 2022 X1 Fold runs Windows 11 on 12th-generation Intel U Series processors (up to Core i7 with vPro) with up to 32GB of RAM and up to 1TB of SSD storage. Intel’s CPU-integrated Iris Xe handles the graphics.  

As well as being larger, sleeker and more powerful (yet still fanless), the new X1 Fold has impressive sustainable credentials. The removable back cover is made from 100% recycled woven performance fabric, and post-consumer materials are used in the speaker enclosures, power supplies and compostable exterior packaging. 

This versatile foldable device supports several operating modes, under the guidance of Lenovo’s Mode Switcher interface: classic clamshell mode with a 12-inch main display and either a virtual or physical keyboard in the lower half; landscape or portrait mode with the 16.3-inch screen fully unfolded and propped up on a magnetically attached stand; and two handheld modes – book and tablet. 

The new ThinkPad X1 Fold is also the first to incorporate an enhanced version of Intel’s Visual Sensing Controller (VSC), which manages the 5MP webcam to deliver automatic framing, ‘wake-on-approach’ authentication, ‘walk-away-lock’ and ‘onlooker detection’, among other useful features. 

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Fold (2022) specifications

Lenovo ThinkCentre M60q Chromebox Enterprise 

Housed in a super-compact 1-litre chassis, the tiny but tough (MIL-STD tested) ThinkCentre M60q Chromebox Enterprise can be mounted unobtrusively on the back of monitors, under desks or on walls.  

Powered by up to a 12th-generation Intel Core i5 processor and able to support up to four monitors, the ThinkCentre M60q Chromebox Enterprise is designed to service ‘heavy workload productivity’ in offices, kiosks or remote locations. 

There are plenty of connections on offer: two USB-A and one USB-C (with DisplayPort) on the front panel; and 4x USB-A, 1x HDMI 2.0, 1x DisplayPort 1.4, 1x Flex IO (DP, HDMI), plus Gigabit Ethernet (RJ-45) at the back.

The Enterprise version of the Chromebox M60q is IT-friendly in terms of deployment, security features and manageability, making it suitable for frontline environments like healthcare and call centres. There’s also a version of the M60q without the Chrome Enterprise Upgrade features if these are not required. 

Lenovo ThinkCentre M60q Chromebox Enterprise specifications

Lenovo IdeaPad 5i Chromebook (16-inch) 

Lenovo’s first 16-inch Chromebook, the IdeaPad 5i Chromebook is aimed at ‘the modern family’ — by which Lenovo means hybrid workers and students, who are spending more time at home and less time in offices and classrooms these days. 

Featuring a 16-inch 16:10 screen with either 2.5K or FHD resolution and 120Hz or 60Hz refresh rates respectively, and powered by up to a 12th-generation Intel Core i3 processor, the IdeaPad 5i Chromebook also features a 1080p webcam and leading-edge Wi-Fi 6E connectivity. Two top-firing speakers are tuned by Waves’ MaxxAudio, while the full-size keyboard has enough room to incorporate a separate number pad. Battery life is claimed at 12 hours.

Lenovo IdeaPad 5i Chromebook specifications

Also announced…

Lenovo’s IFA portfolio also includes monitors, tablets and a Windows 11 laptop. The monitors are the Lenovo Legion Y32p-30 Gaming Monitor with 4K resolution and a 144Hz refresh rate, three ThinkVision T-series monitors and one S-series monitor, all designed to serve knowledge workers with different feature sets. There are two new 11.2-inch Android tablets, the Lenovo Tab P11 (2nd Gen) and Tab P11 Pro (2nd Gen), and the 16-inch ThinkBook 16p Gen 3, based on AMD Ryzen 9 6000 H series processors and Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 discrete graphics.