2024-01-13 13:37:27
Lenovo ThinkBook Plus Gen 5 is a 2-in-1 laptop in the most literal sense. Its display is a fully functional Android 13 tablet while its keyboard base (Hybrid Station) is a Windows 11 laptop featuring an Intel Meteor Lake processor.
You can detach the monitor to use it as a tablet while keeping the keyboard base attached to an external monitor. You can also switch between Android and Windows modes at the touch of a button.
Although it’s a bit pricey at $1,999, the ThinkBook Plus Gen 5 looks like a compelling combination. Will it find its way onto our best laptops and 2-in-1s list? Read my early impressions to find out.
Lenovo ThinkBook Plus Gen 5 Hybrid hands-on review: Specs
Header cell – column 0 hybrid tab hybrid station
Processor
Intel Core Ultra 7
Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1
Operating System
Windows 11 Android 13
Memory
32GB
12GB
storage
1TB
256GB
graphics
Intel Arc Qualcomm Adreno
show
Not a 14-inch 2.8K OLED touch
Audio
2x 2W speakers Harman/Kardon super linear speakers 4x 1W
Camera
Not Front: FHD+IR, Rear: 13MP + 5MP
battery
75 and 38 hours
ants
2x Thunderbolt 4/USB-C, 1x headphone jack 1x USB-C
Connectivity
Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.2 Bluetooth 5.3
dimensions
12.3 x 9.2 x 0.3 inches 12.3 x 8.8 x 0.2 inches
Weight
2.1 lbs 1.7 lbs
Lenovo ThinkBook Plus Gen 5 Hybrid hands-on review: price and availability
The Lenovo ThinkBook Plus Gen 5 will be available sometime in the second quarter of 2024 for $1,999.
The Windows 11 Hybrid Station contains an Intel Core Ultra 7 processor with integrated Intel Arc graphics, 32GB of RAM and 1TB of storage. The Android 13 hybrid tab runs on a Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 processor with Qualcomm Adreno graphics and has 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. This is the only configuration we know of at the time of writing.
Lenovo ThinkBook Plus Gen 5 Hybrid hands-on review: design and display
At first glance, the ThinkBook Plus Gen 5 Hybrid is almost indistinguishable from the best laptops. However, its visible hinge and two cameras on the “lid” let you know this isn’t your average laptop.
The ability to remove the display/tablet from the keyboard base isn’t new as we’ve seen it on machines like the Microsoft Surface Pro 9 (among others). The main thing is that the tablet (Hybrid Tab) and the base (Hybrid Station) are two separate computing devices. This makes the ThinkBook Gen 5 Hybrid unique… and exciting.
It is not easy to remove and insert the tablet from the keyboard. The strong magnetic connection ensures that the base or tablet won’t come apart easily, but it also means you have to apply a decent amount of force to separate the components – which can be a bit scary. It might get easier with practice, but it’s hard to tell right now.
The hybrid tab measures 12.3 x 8.8 x 0.2 inches and weighs 1.7 pounds. It’s a sturdy slate that feels good to hold. It has the dual-tone design of the Lenovo Tab M10 Plus Gen 3 and the company’s other tablets. The rounded part (hinge) on the bottom/left side of the tablet interferes with the otherwise flat surface, but makes it easier to hold with one hand. The rear cameras protrude slightly from the back but not by much.
The hybrid dock measures 12.3 x 9.2 x 0.3 inches and weighs 2.1 pounds. In terms of design, it is a standard keyboard deck – except that it has a connector and two pins for connecting the tablet. The keys feel nice to type and have a decent travel distance. I also liked the smooth and responsive touchpad, which is just as spacious as the keyboard. If you want, you can connect the Hybrid Station to one of the best monitors (via USB-C) and use it as a computer. Remember, this is a Windows machine at its core.
There are a total of three Thunderbolt 4/USB-C ports – two on the Hybrid Station and one on the Hybrid Tab. The base of the keyboard also has a 3.5mm headphone jack. That’s not a lot of ports, but both devices use Bluetooth if you need to connect to peripherals like the best wireless keyboards or the best wireless mice.
Whether in tablet or laptop mode, you’ll get a 14-inch 2.8K OLED display. We’ll have to get the ThinkBook Plus Gen 5 Hybrid into our test lab to see what its panel can do, but I found it plenty bright and colorful when I tested this device. The OLED panel should make watching streaming videos a pure joy.
Lenovo ThinkBook Plus Gen 5 Hybrid hands-on review: features and battery capacity
As the “hybrid” moniker suggests, the ThinkBook Plus Gen 5 Hybrid combines an Android tablet and a Windows laptop. You can use them together as a laptop or separately as two devices. Doing the latter can be especially useful if you (for example) want to use Hybrid Station with your work account and use the Hybrid tab with a personal account.
When the devices are connected, you can switch between Windows and Android by pressing a function key marked with a star. Although Lenovo doesn’t want to call this mode an “Android laptop”, it actually functions that way. The ability to use Android apps with a keyboard and touchpad is a great alternative if you don’t want to use the tablet’s touchscreen. A feature called Hybrid Stream allows the Windows 11 laptop to stream Android apps on the screen in a picture-in-picture window.
When connected to an external monitor, the ThinkBook Plus Gen 5 Hybrid performs as one of the best Windows laptops. The Intel Core Ultra 7 “Meteor Lake” processor with its neural processing unit (NPU) is designed to handle AI-driven tasks more efficiently than processors without an NPU. In this sense, Lenovo’s hybrid machine is an “artificial intelligence laptop”.
The devices can share content. For example, if you take photos with the tablet and then connect it to the keyboard base, all photos will be instantly synced. Synchronization is possible as long as both devices are connected to the same Wi-Fi network.
The Hybrid Station has a 75 WH battery while the Hybrid Tab has a 38 WH battery. Lenovo claims the ThinkBook Plus Gen 5 Hybrid (combined) can last up to 12 hours, but we’ll have to run a battery test on this machine to see if that’s true.
Lenovo ThinkBook Plus Gen 5 Hybrid hands-on review: Outlook
The Lenovo ThinkBook Plus Gen 5 Hybrid is the most unique laptop I saw at CES 2024 because it combines an Android tablet and a Windows laptop into one device. It doesn’t seem like a gimmick either, as having two devices can be very useful – especially for people who use Windows PCs and Android tablets. This is a 2 in 1 that lives up to its name… and I’m here for it.
I’ll have to wait until the second quarter of 2024 to see if the Lenovo ThinkBook Plus Gen 5 Hybrid is the ultimate hybrid device. Will its operating systems run as flawlessly as I hope, or will this machine fail to impress? Stay tuned for my final review to find out!
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