This Lenovo laptop that transforms into an Android tablet is the most clever device I’ve tested

ZDNET’s key takeaways

• Lenovo’s ThinkBook Plus Gen 5 Hybrid runs each Home windows 11 and Android 13.
• It means that you can get pleasure from the perfect apps from each environments, powered by nice {hardware}.
• The gadget’s excessive price (over $3,500) and few ports will scare away most customers.

Lenovo’s ThinkBook Plus collection is an attention-grabbing household of laptops. Every technology does one thing utterly totally different from the final. The fourth generation had an e-ink show, and the one earlier than that had a small display subsequent to the keyboard. The Gen 5 Hybrid is doing one thing out of left area once more, with Lenovo taking the thought of a “2-in-1 laptop computer” fairly actually.

Additionally: I went hands-on with Lenovo’s auto-swiveling laptop at IFA 2024, and it’s quite the spectacle

2-in-1 computer systems, for probably the most half, have a tendency to simply be a laptop computer with a touchscreen that bends all the way in which again. The ThinkBook Plus Gen 5 Hybrid, then again, is 2 units rolled into one. It consists of a pill and a keyboard, with every half housing totally different {hardware}.

View at Lenovo

It is not a big gadget, sporting a vibrant 14-inch 2.8K OLED touchscreen. Nonetheless, the pill homes a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1 SoC operating Android 13 whereas the keyboard homes an Intel Core Extremely 7 155H processor operating Home windows 11. So, you have got two totally different ecosystems on the identical gadget, and you’ll hop between them by urgent the Tremendous key subsequent to F12.

The 2 sides do not function utterly individually from one another. You’ll be able to ship information from one system to a different through the Hybrid Folder.

For instance, as an example you have got a giant work undertaking. You are able to do the intensive workloads on Home windows 11 after which ship the information over to the Android aspect for additional modifying, picture creation, or no matter you want. 

Additionally: The ThinkPad I recommend for hybrid workers is not Lenovo’s newest model.

The Android aspect features equally to a Chromebook — you get all of the G Suite apps in addition to a few YouTube apps. You’ll be able to take away the show from the keyboard at any time to make use of it as a pill, though you have to to tug on it with a little bit of power (the connecting magnets are fairly robust).

I had a good time utilizing the ThinkBook Plus Gen 5 Hybrid, at first. The extra I used it, nonetheless, the extra I puzzled who would wish to achieve this recurrently. It is a area of interest product that I can not think about getting widespread adoption.

My primary downside is that the combination of each methods is just floor stage. They don’t seem to be deeply intertwined. Every half has its personal cupboard space, RAM, processor, and extra. It is not like you may set up an app on the Home windows aspect and entry it on the Android aspect.

Additionally: Lenovo’s new $749 ThinkBook may be the best-value Windows laptop of 2024. Here’s why

Pushing the dearth of cohesion apart, the ThinkBook Plus Gen 5 does fairly properly as each a laptop computer and a pill. I used to be capable of navigate the web, write, and deal with a number of open pages with out experiencing any main slowdown.

The benchmark exams for the Intel Core Extremely 7 revealed it performs at an identical stage to different laptops with the identical piece of {hardware}. The benchmark exams I ran on the Android pill revealed the gadget performs beneath the extent of a Galaxy S23, however higher than the Galaxy Z Fold 4. So good, however not superb.

Regardless of having two batteries, Lenovo’s gadget would not have an extended runtime. With the 2 halves related and operating Home windows 11 on Finest Efficiency mode, the ThinkBook Plus ran for nearly eight hours. On the Finest Energy Effectivity plan, it lasted slightly longer: round 8.5 hours.

Additionally: How we test laptops at ZDNET in 2024

I used to be shocked to see this as a result of I believed the Energy Effectivity would enhance the battery life by a very good quantity, however that simply wasn’t the case. I additionally examined the Android pill’s battery individually from the keyboard, and it did a lot better. It ran for nearly 10 hours straight.

Sadly, there is not a approach to make use of Home windows 11 on simply the pill — it’s a must to use Android.

ZDNET’s shopping for recommendation

The Lenovo ThinkBookPlus Gen 5 Hybrid begins at $3,518. On account of its excessive price ticket and unorthodox twin system, I can not advocate this to most individuals. The fifth-generation ThinkBook Plus Gen 5 simply would not provide a fascinating laptop computer expertise past its, admittedly enjoyable, gimmick.

Not solely is it costly, however its design makes it troublesome to make use of. This mannequin has solely 4 ports: three USB-C and one for headphones. There’s nothing for USB-A or HDMI. For many customers, I like to recommend getting one thing that focuses on both Home windows 11 or Android, such because the Lenovo Slim 7.