Introducing Lenovo's Alternative to the Mac Studio - A Potential Game-Changer for Windows Devotees

Introducing Lenovo’s Alternative to the Mac Studio - A Potential Game-Changer for Windows Devotees

Lenovo

At CES 2024 , Lenovo plans to show off a ton of new computers, and among the flood of hardware, the one that stands out the most in our opinion is the ThinkCentre Neo Ultra.

Also: CES 2024: What’s Next in Tech

Without question, the new PC resembles a Mac Studio , coming with a main desktop unit in the shape of a small box alongside a monitor. It houses all of the major components like a neural processing unit, or NPU for short. This utilizes AI to provide a third resource for the computer, improving its overall performance. It can even be upgraded, letting you modulate the device’s performance however you want.

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Lenovo states the ThinkCentre Neo Ultra is meant for business-centric users as well as everyday consumers. Its Intel Core i9 processor and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 graphics card give the machine a great deal of flexibility. It can handle a variety of workloads from programming software to content creation. Notable features include support for Wi-Fi 7 for lightning-fast connectivity and customizable storage.

If you prefer something more compact, Lenovo also has the ThinkCentre Neo 50a 27 Gen 5 AIO (all-in-one) computer – I know, it’s a mouthful. It also won’t have the little box that the Ultra does. Instead, it’s a single 27-inch screen with all the main hardware parts, like the Intel Core i7 processor, inside. The screen is TUV Rheinland certified so it’s capable of outputting vibrant colors.

Also: This Lenovo AIO PC will make you think twice about jumping straight to iMac

Among the CES reveals were several laptops, too, such as the ThinkBook 14i Gen 6 Plus. Similar to the ThinkCentre Neo Ultra, it has its own AI enhancements. Internally will be the company’ LA3 AI chip which, alongside Lenovo’s Smart Power 3.0 tech, will power features like Smart Meeting. This tool optimizes the computer during conference calls on the fly. Its purpose is to ensure smooth streams by eliminating as much buffering as possible. Additionally, the ThinkBook 14 comes equipped with a series of sensors that’ll automatically adjust both screen and keyboard brightness according to a room’s ambient light to save on battery.

Other notable features of the Gen 6 ThinkBook 14 include a 14.5-inch 3K display, a robust cooling system, plus a hidden USB-A input that’ll protect flash drives.

Lenovo/ZDNET

For the sake of brevity, we won’t cover every single device Lenovo has in store, but we will highlight a couple more. We thought the ThinkBook Graphic Extension was pretty cool. It’s an external graphics card that can be plugged into a laptop to boost its performance. And there is the Magic Bay Studio, a 4K webcam using AI for optimal picture clarity.

The ThinkCentre Neo Ultra and ThinkBook 14 will launch in Q2 2024 with prices starting at $1,499 and $2,199, respectively. The ThinkCentre Neo 50a 27 AiO is set for Q1 2024 and will cost $899 at launch. Stay tuned to ZDNET for more coverage of CES 2024.