Lenovo powers new ThinkPad L-series notebooks with mobile Ryzen 5000

Lenovo is beefing up its Yoga business notebooks, specifically the 13.3-inch ThinkPad L13 Gen 2 and the ThinkPad L13 Yoga Gen 2, with AMD Ryzen 5000 Mobile processors. 

Announced Wednesday as part of virtual MWC (normally held live in Barcelona, Spain), both ThinkPad L13s are essentially the same laptop, though with one key difference: The Yoga is a 360-degree convertible, and the ThinkPad L13 is a traditional clamshell laptop. That results in a little less battery life for the Yoga model: 10.6 hours, versus 10.8 hours for its clamshell cousin, Lenovo said.

The addition of AMD’s Ryzen 5000 Mobile processors, however, is a first for the ThinkPad L13 lineup, and it arrives specifically following requests from customers, Lenovo said. (Specifically, Lenovo is using the AMD Ryzen 5000 Pro series of processors, with more corporate security and management features.) Executives also noted that the addition of AMD’s processors allow for 20 percent more battery life than a similar laptop powered by an Intel Core chip.

Lenovo

Familiar Lenovo ThinkPad features make their appearance, including the ThinkShield security shutter that you can slide with a fingertip to cover the webcam. The webcam, meanwhile, is optionally Windows Hello-certified, and there’s a Match on Chip fingerprint reader option, too.

The Lenovo ThinkPad L13 Yoga includes the integrated pen, which docks inside its charging cubby on the side of the laptop. Both the L13 and the L13 Yoga have been tested against the MIL-STD 810H specification and approved.

Lenovo said that the ThinkPad L13 Gen 2 will be priced starting at $799 when it ships in August. The ThinkPad L13 Yoga Gen 2 will also ship in August, for a starting price of $999. We’ve included what we know of the specs below.

Lenovo ThinkPad L13 Gen 2 features

• Processor: Up to Ryzen 5000 Pro series processors
• Display: 13.3-inch, with HD and FHD options (250-, 300-nit brightness)
• Memory: Up to 16GB LPDDR4X 3200
• Storage: Up to 1 TB PCIe SSD
• Graphics: AMD Radeon
• Ports: 2 USB-A 3.2, 2 USB-C 3.2, HDMI 2.0, microSD, 3.5mm mic/headphones
• Security: Optional Windows Hello depth camera / fingerprint reader 
• Camera: HD (user-facing)
• Battery: 46Wh, or about 10.8 hours of use
• Wireless: Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax 2×2 AX200), Bluetooth 5.1
• Operating system: Windows 10 Pro 
• Dimensions: 12.26 x 8.62 x 0.69 inches
• Weight: 3.06 pounds
• Colors: Black, Silver
• Prices:  Starting at $799

Lenovo

Lenovo ThinkPad L13 Yoga Gen 2 features

• Processor: Up to Ryzen 5000 Pro series processors
• Display: 13.3-inch FHD (300-nit brightness)
• Memory: Up to 16GB DDR4X 3200
• Storage: Up to 1 TB PCIe SSD
• Graphics: AMD Radeon
• Ports: 2 USB-A 3.2, 2 USB-C 3.2, HDMI 2.0, microSD, 3.5mm mic/headphones
• Security: Optional Windows Hello depth camera / fingerprint reader 
• Camera: HD (user-facing), optional world-facing camera
• Battery: 46Wh, or about 10.6 hours of use
• Wireless: Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax 2×2 AX200), Bluetooth 5.1
• Operating system: Windows 10 Pro 
• Dimensions: 12.26 x 8.62 x 0.69 inches
• Weight: 3.17 pounds
• Colors: Black, Silver
• Prices:  Starting at $999

As PCWorld’s senior editor, Mark focuses on Microsoft news and chip technology, among other beats.