Berlin — Lenovo is attempting to challenge the traditional clamshell laptop market with its Flex design of portable computers.
With the new Flex 14-inch and Flex 15-inch Ultrabooks, starting at $629, Lenovo has borrowed from its Yoga device with a display that can rotate back about 300 degrees, allowing it to be used in stand mode as a display. The flexible hinge has been tested 25,000 times for durability purposes.
The Flex models are full-fledged Ultrabooks running Windows 8 and powered by a fourth-generation Intel Core i7 processor.
Other features include up to 8GB of DDR3L memory and a 1TB hard drive with optional 16GB solid-state drive. Battery life is rated at about six hours, and it has a full complement of ports.
“I think this will challenge the traditional clamshell model when consumers see them in stores,” said Matt Bereda, Lenovo’s marketing director, Think business group.
The company last week also introduced the Flex 20, an all-in-one version of the Flex and the Yoga 2 Pro.
The Flex 20 is a table PC and was called the baby brother to Lenovo’s first table PC, the Horizon table PC. The Flex 20 is small, with a 19.5-inch display, compared with the Horizon’s 27-inch screen, but otherwise has the same basic functionality. It can rotate so the screen is flat against a table, enabling it to be used for games.
It runs on a fourth-generation Intel Core i7 processor and will ship with Windows 8.1. It has 8GB of memory and 500GB of storage via a hybrid HDD/SSD. Battery life is listed at about three hours, and it weighs just less than 8 pounds.
Starting price is $899; shipping is scheduled for the fourth quarter.
The Yoga 2 Pro laptop/tablet hybrid can operate in four separate modes: laptop, stand, tent and tablet. It is 10 percent lighter than the previous model, the Yoga 2, and has nine hours of battery life.
The Yoga 2 Pro will ship with Windows 8.1. It has the same processor as the Ultrabooks, as well as 512GBSSD for storage and 8GB of DDR3L memory.
Starting price will be $1,099 when it ships later this year.
