Lenovo launches the ThinkPad 25 Anniversary Edition notebook to celebrate 25 years of ThinkPad notebooks.
In 1992, IBM shipped the ThinkPad, the iconic bento-box laptop that defined a generation of productivity. Twenty-five years later, Lenovo has launched the ThinkPad 25, an anniversary edition that even boasts a retro $1,899 price tag.
The ThinkPad 25 is the culmination of a crowdsourced design process that began more than a year ago, with Lenovo asking its fans—hypothetically, at least—what they would want in an anniversary edition. The result? Retro styling: the famous 7-row keyboard (now backlit), blue accents on the keys, and a “rainbow” logo with different colors. Naturally, the famous red TrackPoint nubbin is there, too.
Lenovo’s ThinkPad 25, top and bottom.
Inside the Lenovo 25 sits a 7th-gen Intel Core i7-7500U, 16GB of DDR4 DRAM, and a 512GB SSD—all relatively powerful components that help justify the rather high price. The big boost comes from the standalone Nvidia GeForce 940MX (2GB) GPU, although that’s a slightly aged part by now. If you’re a ThinkPad fan, you’ll also notice the 14-inch FHD (1920×1080) anti-glare screen. ThinkPads have never been known for their displays, and the Lenovo ThinkPad 25 apparently continues that trend.
Connectivity is provided by three USB 3.0 ports, a USB-C port with Thunderbolt 3, HDMI, a 3.5mm headphone jack, and ethernet. Inside, there’s a 2×2 802.11ac connection, plus Bluetooth 4.1. A 720p camera sits in front for videoconferencing or Windows Hello login (also available via the fingerprint reader). You’ll also find a 4-in-1 card reader on the side.
Still somewhat chunky, but that’s the ThinkPad.
An especially nice perk is the integrated 48Whr battery, which contributes to a rated 13.9 hours of battery life. All told, the ThinkPad 25 weighs 3.48 pounds, and measures 13.25 x 9.15 x 0.79 inches.
“Devoid of superfluous ornamentation, ThinkPad is the enemy of trendiness, design clichés, fleeting fashion, or competitive emulation,” said David Hill, vice-president of Lenovo’s Think Design and User Experience, in a statement. “Instead, it is the embodiment of an original and authentic idea.”
In general, we’d have to agree.
