Lenovo’s convertible Chromebooks lead the company’s CES charge

Lenovo announced some 41 new products today at CES, including a range of Chromebooks, ThinkPads, and others. Chief among the fresh hardware are the Lenovo Chromebook IdeaPad Duet and the Lenovo Chromebook IdeaPad Flex 5, both of which can convert from one form factor to another. The company bolstered its business X1 Carbon and X1 Yoga lines, as well as added 5G to at least one model.

Of all the devices on hand, we found the convertibles the most interesting. Here’s the skinny.

More reading: Chromebook or laptop: Which should you get?

IdeaPads go Chrome

The IdeaPad Duet and IdeaPad Flex 5 are two totally different machines, though they share plenty of features.

Lenovo doesn’t want you to call the Duet a tablet, but that’s sort of what it is. It is similar in concept to the Google Pixel Slate in that it’s a tablet-esque slate that attaches to a thin keyboard that doubles as a cover. It’s a fine size and weight, and lets you switch from a laptop use-case to a tablet use-case with a quick yank on the keyboard. Some will surely appreciate that the keyboard has a trackpad. A detachable rear cover includes a built-in kickstand that stretches to 135 degrees.

It has a 10.1-inch Full HD IPS LCD screen with 400nits of brightness and a 70% color gamut. It resembles the size and shape of the Apple iPad Pro just a bit. I found the screen to be plenty bright in the few moments we spent with it.

The IdeaPad Duet runs Chrome OS, not Android, though it is compatible with Android apps. It supports an optional USI stylus for pen-based input. The convertible goes on sale in May at a starting price of $279.99.

Lenovo’s larger IdeaPad Flex 5 is more akin to the company’s C340 Chromebook. This is a higher-end piece of hardware thanks in part to the 10th-Gen Intel Core i5 processor, 128GB go storage, and 8GB of RAM. The display stretches 13 inches with 300nit brightness and a redesigned, narrow bezel. Like the smaller Duet, the Flex 5 supports pen-based input and includes a stylus with a pressure-sensitive tip.

Battery life reaches as much as 10 hours. Other specs include Thunderbolt 3, Wi-Fi 6, a 720p camera, and a spill-resistant keyboard. It comes in gray and goes on sale in late June for $359.99.

See also: The best Chromebooks you can get

Heavy hitters

While the above Lenovo Chromebooks are nice additions to the company’s roster, they aren’t necessarily the high-powered productivity machines needed by professionals. That’s why Lenovo kicked out updates to its Yoga line.

The Yoga 5 is what Lenovo claims is the world’s first 5G Yoga laptop. It supports mmWave and sub-6GHz 5G and can function with a respectable set of 5G networks around the world. This is a nice step up for those who are always on the road. Other specs include a 14-inch Full HD IPS LCD display, a Snapdragon 8cx processor with Adreno 680 graphics, an IR camera, and a fingerprint reader. It weighs 2.86 pounds and hits the street in the spring for $1499.99.

Last in the major new device lineup is the Yoga Slim 7, which comes in 14- and 15-inch sizes. These feature 10th-Gen Core i7 processors with efficient cooling, Dolby Atmos, up to 4K resolutions, and an optional all-glass top panel. It goes on sale in April for prices starting between $849.99 and $1,209.99.