New Lenovo Laptops Lock Unless They Recognize Users

Lenovo has unveiled the next iterations of its ThinkPad X1 series of laptops. The upcoming line includes the 10^th generation of the company’s flagship X1 Carbon device, in addition to the 7^th generation of the X1 Yoga and the second generation X1 Nano.

All three of the Windows laptops (with Windows 11 Pro) are built with a 12^th generation Intel core. Buyers can choose between the company’s 15-watt U-series of processors and the more powerful 28-watt P-series, though the latter has been tuned to 20 watts (and 19 watts in the X1 Nano) to deliver longer battery life.

However, the biggest highlights may be the devices’ new camera options and the improved computer vision features. The Lenovo ThinkPad series has traditionally featured a 720p camera. The new laptops improve on that with an optional 1080p camera with an extremely wide 87-degree field of vision that will perform better in low light conditions.

The computer vision features, meanwhile, will help with device security. Prior ThinkPad laptops have supported presence detection to lock the computer when the person using it walked away. The enhanced presence detection platform is far more sophisticated, and will automatically unlock the computer when a recognized user sits back down. It also has eye tracking capabilities, and will dim the screen to save power when the user looks away.

The new cameras can support facial recognition, and biometric logins through the Windows Hello platform. Those who want to take advantage of the feature will need to make sure that their laptop includes the optional IR sensor, which is required for identity verification with Windows Hello.

Somewhat amusingly, the computer vision platform can tell when the user is slouching, and can remind that person to adjust their posture. Lenovo’s Carbon Gen 9 laptops featured a fingerprint sensor from Synaptics when they debuted in March of 2021.

Sources: Tom’s Hardware, MS Power User

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(Originally posted on Mobile ID World)