At the IFA, Lenovo announced a new 2-in-1 ThinkPad Helix designed for business users along with the Edge 15 dual-mode notebook that features a 300 degree hinge.
Featuring a full-HD display, the new ThinkPad Helix is lighter and thinner, with the tablet portion weighing in at 1.8 pounds and boasting a thickness of 0.38 inches, which is 15 percent thinner than its predecessor. The detachable design means that you can use the Helix in five modes: Tablet, Stand, Tent, Laptop, and Desktop. Under the hood, the new Helix will be powered by Intel's latest Core M "Broadwell" line of processors, and will feature 8 GB of RAM and a 256 GB SSD. Running on Windows 8.1 Pro, the Helix comes with Lenovo's software utilities like Lenovo Reach, a cloud storage solution, and Lenovo ShareIt, an easy file transfer solution.
Along with the standard keyboard dock, Lenovo is offering a Pro keyboard dock that features an extended battery that is claimed to last 12 hours. The Pro keyboard dock also comes with a connector for storing the digitizer pen. The standard dock comes with a battery that lasts 8 hours.
The ThinkPad Helix will be available in October with prices starting from $999. The Pro keyboard dock will be available from January 2015.
While the ThinkPad Helix is mainly focused at the business segment, the Edge 15 is targeted at mainstream users. With under an inch thin and weighing just over five pounds, the Edge 15 is Lenovo's thinnest 15-inch notebook. Featuring an aluminium design, a backlit keyboard and a 300-degree hinge that allows you to twist the screen back and lay the notebook flat on the keyboard, the Edge 15 is a more premium version of the Flex 2.
In terms of hardware, you get a 15.6-inch full-HD multi-touch screen, fourth generation Intel Haswell-based Core i5 or i7 processors, 8 GB DDR3L RAM, up to 1 TB SSHD Drive including an integrated 16 GB SSD or a standalone SSD up to 256 GB and an Nvidia GT840M with 4 GB dedicated video memory. Lenovo has mentioned that the Edge 15 will be available to consumers at Best Buy and Lenovo's website starting October from $899.
Are you guys excited about the ThinkPad Helix? What do you think of the Edge 15?
