Lenovo always unveils a cornucopia of gadgets at CES and this year is no different. In addition to smart home products and various laptops, the company is showing off an unconventional approach to PCs. Since introducing the ThinkBook Plus series in 2020, Lenovo has used it as a platform to roll out unusual form factors, like the previous iteration with an e-ink screen on its lid.

Now that the laptop is in its third generation, Lenovo is moving its second panel down to the keyboard deck and making it a full-color LCD instead. Not only is this approach more useful, it’s also potentially more power-intensive. At a recent hands-on in New York (held in accordance with COVID-19 regulations), I checked out the ThinkBook Plus Gen 3 and, in spite of some bugs, I’m intrigued by the premise.

The laptop’s main screen is a 17.3 inch IPS display that runs at a 3K resolution. It’s accompanied by an 8-inch 800 x 1,280 LCD to the right of the keyboard and features an integrated digitizer layer to enable stylus support. The machine runs an interesting version of Windows 11 that offers several more orientations, in addition to the typical snap shortcuts that you see when you hover over an app’s title bar.

Cherlynn Low / Engadget

On the ThinkBook Plus, when you drag an app, a small dialog box pops up with two suggested layouts (and five more appear when you hover over an arrow here). Windows 11 will just see the 8-inch LCD as an external screen and push out content the way it would to your connected monitors. You can choose to snap a window to take up the whole bottom panel, half of it, cover the entire top display, take up only two thirds of it and more. The most unconventional of these layouts is something Lenovo called “waterfall” where an app can spill over the top screen into the bottom, which could be nifty for extra long lists.

I dragged a long spreadsheet into waterfall mode, for example, and could see entire columns at a glance. Or say you’re watching a live-changing Ted Talk up top and want to jot down notes by hand. Writing on the demo unit was surprisingly smooth with satisfying latency. I also appreciated the position of the pad because it felt more intuitive than trying to draw on a laptop’s display.

During my hands-on, the ThinkBook Plus was responsive at snapping apps where I wanted them to go and did so quickly. But it struggled when launching some other functions that Lenovo built into the lower display.

There’s a whiteboard tool that turns the panel into a notepad, as well as a digital numpad. With supported apps like Adobe Lightroom, you can also have a dedicated dashboard of shortcuts or a magnified view sitting next to the keyboard. Lenovo made a “Magic Launcher,” which is a row of buttons at the bottom of this screen for quick access to the whiteboard, numpad and other specialized software.

Cherlynn Low / Engadget

This was the most buggy part of my hands-on experience. Sometimes, tapping the buttons wouldn’t work (or would take more than a few seconds before anything happened). The demo unit crashed at least once, too. But we’re at least a few months away from May, when Lenovo expects to sell these machines, so it has some time to iron out these kinks.

The rest of the system performed as expected. The main 17.3-inch IPS display runs at 3,072 x 1,440, which is an aspect ratio of 21:10. It’s easy enough to split three apps on that roomy screen, though if you want to use all of it for editing pictures in Lightroom, at least you can keep an eye on Slack or Twitter with the bottom display.

Keeping all this running is a 12th-generation Intel Core processor with up to 32GB of DDR5 RAM. It uses Intel’s Xe graphics with Unified Memory Architecture, which should be powerful enough for some photo editing. There's also a Full HD IR camera with a privacy shutter and an array of ports including an HDMI socket, two USB A jacks and a Thunderbolt 4 connection.

Cherlynn Low / Engadget

It’s worth noting that the battery size here is 69 Whr, which is pretty typical for most laptops this size. But most laptops this size don't also have a secondary monitor to power, so we'll have to wait till we can test one out for ourselves to get a sense for real-world endurance. You'll only be able to get these in May, and they'll start at $1,399.

Lenovo also announced a slew of other products in its ThinkBook and ThinkCentre family of business-minded devices. There’s the updated ThinkBook 13x Gen 2, which can work with a “Wireless Multi-Device Charging Mat” that recharges Qi-compatible gadgets while also powering the laptop itself. The company also debuted a new ThinkCentre Neo line comprising three desktop systems for small and medium businesses. Finally, the new ThinkBook 14 and 16 Gen 4+ i (yes, that’s part of the name, not a stray letter) sport 16:10 screens running at 90Hz and 120Hz respectively, among other updates.

The ThinkBook Plus Gen 3 is one of the most eye-catching things I've seen this CES, though that’s not to say Lenovo is breaking new ground. ASUS has already made several dual-screen laptops in its ZenBook Pro Duo series, and Lenovo itself also tried before with the ill-fated Yoga Book line. Dell and Intel have shown off some concepts, too and I'm very intrigued by the premise here. With Windows 11’s release last year, it seems like more PC makers could be ready to deliver real dual-screen laptops and we could see more of them in 2022. As a taste of what’s to come, the ThinkBook Plus Gen 3 is tantalizing and I applaud Lenovo for continuing to try and innovate.

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The KeyMander Nexus Gaming KVM is the next evolution of IOGEAR's connective hardware for PC and consoles, and it's due to come out between April and June 2022 for $200. It specifically supports Xbox Series X and S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PlayStation 4 consoles, making it possible to play any game on those systems with a keyboard, mouse, monitor and headset connected to a PC.

The name of the game here is streamlining. The Nexus Gaming KVM brings multiple consoles to a single screen and input system on the PC, while also allowing users to swap among Switch, Xbox One and PS4 controllers. It supports video at 4K and 60Hz, using HDMI 2.1.

Now to address the ninth-generation elephant in the room: The Nexus Gaming KVM doesn't fully support PS5 or the DualSense controllers. This is in line with previous iterations of the KeyMander switches, which also have limited functionality with PS5.

"We have limited support for PS5, can only play PS4 and non-DualSense PS5 games," an IOGEAR spokesperson told Engadget. "We are looking to launch a dongle in late Q2 that may bring full support." Q2 ends ends in June 2022, the spokesperson clarified.

IOGEAR has been talking about that dongle for about seven months now, and the use of "may" in that statement isn't reassuring. Sony's DualSense controllers for the PS5 include a range of new features, like adaptive triggers and ultra-sensitive haptics, and several titles actually require this gamepad to function. This makes it difficult to translate PS5 games to a standard input method like a keyboard and mouse. However, IOGEAR says it's still trying.

There are ways to play certain games with a keyboard and mouse plugged directly into consoles, but these titles are limited. Not only does the Nexus Gaming KVM unlock this input method for every game on supported systems, but it keeps things organized by running each console through a single monitor and headset, negating the need to swap screens and controllers. Unless you have a PS5, for now.

Lenovo is bombarding CES 2022 with a wave of new PCs, and it won't surprise to hear that gaming laptops play an important role. The company has introduced seventh-generation Legion 5 (shown below) and Legion 5 Pro (above) portables that are cooler and thinner while packing new AMD Ryzen 6000 and Intel 12th-gen Core CPUs. The AMD-based 5 Pro and Intel-based 5i Pro are sleeker than their predecessors, but offer the latest chips thanks to a revamped cooling system with slimmer fans, a larger exhaust area, a copper block heat sink and a more effective heat pipe layout — hopefully, the thermal issues with last year's models are no more.

You can also expect options for the latest GeForce RTX 30 series GPUs, improved WiFi 6e performance and a 16-inch 2,960 x 1,600 IPS panel with a rare 240Hz adaptive refresh rate. You'll also find up to 1TB of SSD storage, four-zone RGB lighting and up to 300W charging with a proprietary solution (135W through USB-C). The Legion 5i Pro arrives in February starting at $1,570, while the 5 Pro debuts in April for $1,430.

Lenovo

Cost-conscious gamers won't have to give up much. The non-Pro Legion 5 and 5i models also use new AMD, Intel and NVIDIA parts, but they're 15 percent thinner while boasting more powerful fan systems and larger exhaust areas. They should feel better on your lap, too, thanks to an aluminum-magnesium hybrid cover. The 15-inch, 165Hz 1440p screen won't be quite as impressive as what you'll find on the Pro models, but it still offers a speedy 165Hz refresh rate and full sRGB color space coverage. Four-zone RGB is optional.

The regular Legion 5i ships in February starting at $1,200. Wait until April and you can buy the AMD-powered Legion 5 from $1,130.

This being Lenovo, there's also a slew of peripherals on deck. The 24.5-inch Legion Y25-30 monitor (due in May for $340) mates a 240Hz refresh rate and DisplayHDR 400 support with a high-accuracy IPS panel, while 24- and 27-inch G24qe-20 and G27qe-20 monitors (both coming in March for $260 and $300) provide the basics. The Legion M600s ($85, May) is a lightweight, ambidextrous wireless gaming mouse with a 19,000DPI sensor, while the M300s wired mouse ($30, May) packs RGB lighting and an 8,000 DPI sensor.

Follow all of the latest news from CES 2022 right here!

Shortly after Intel tells the world that Alder Lake for laptops has arrived, that all the laptop makers show off the products to take advantage of the new silicon. Today, it’s Lenovo’s turn, busting out a refreshed range of ThinkPad X1 and Yoga machines with new, 12th-generation Intel Core chips and plenty of razzle-dazzle.

The flagship X1 range is welcoming a 10th-generation X1 Carbon, seventh-generation X1 Yoga and a second-generation X1 Nano. Those high-end machines are targeted at professionals currently caught between the office and working from home, like so many of us are these days. That means the big focus is making sure you don’t look completely awful while you’re sat in yet another endless Zoom meeting.

That’s why these new models all get a redesigned “communications bar,” which is a fancy way of describing the webcam housing. Nestled inside you’ll find a “superior camera,” with a number of options, including a standard HD camera or an FHD + IR camera, paired with quad-array microphones. You can also opt for a Computer Vision bundle that, Lenovo promises, will be able to automatically detect which person is in front of the machine for a faster log-in experience.

You can also spec these machines with OLED displays, a 2.8k option for the X1 Carbon and a full 4K OLED for the X1 Yoga. Plus, there’s WiFi 6E, options for 4G or 5G modems and support for Tile’s finding features to help you never misplace your machine. The ThinkPad X1 Carbon (Gen 10) and Yoga (Gen 7) will be available in March, with prices starting at $1,639 and $1,749, respectively. The X1 Nano (Gen 2), meanwhile, will turn up a month later in April, with the base model due to cost $1,659.

Lenovo

At the same time, Lenovo also wants to talk about its not-X line of Yoga machines, including the Yoga 9i, Yoga 71 and Yoga 6. The 9i is the flagship 2-in-1 for the year, which comes with the option of new 12th-generation Intel Core chips paired with Iris Xe graphics — making it an Intel Evo-certified machine. Lenovo says that this new model has vastly-improved (Bowers and Wilkins’) audio which is much louder than before, too. You’ll also be able to get the 9i with a 16:10, 4K OLED IPS touchscreen with 100 percent DCI-P3 color accuracy.

Meanwhile, the 7i gets the option of a 2.8K OLED touchscreen (for the 14-inch) or a 2.5K LCD 60Hz display (for the 16-inch model). Both get the option of a Intel Core i7, paired with Iris Xe graphics, rapid charging and screens optimized for graphics professionals. The Yoga 6, meanwhile, is designed to burnish Lenovo’s environmental credentials, with its recycled aluminum cover or fabric-wrapped cover made with 50 percent recycled plastics.

You can expect to get your hands on the Yoga 9i at some point in Q2, 2022, with the base model available for $1,399. The 16-inch Yoga 7i will retail for $899, while its smaller sibling will set you back $949 before you’ve started speccing it up, and both arrive in Q2 this year as well. Finally, the Yoga 6 with a Ryzen 5000 will require you to hand over $749, and if you guessed that these would also drop at some point in Q2, you deserve a cookie.

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Ring is today beefing up its homesecurity portfolio with a new Glass Break Sensor which does the job you already guessed it does based on the name. Compatible with both the Ring Alarm and Alarm Pro, this 3.78-inch puck sits close to the frontier of your home and monitors the sound in your home. An AI will be able, apparently, to tell the difference between a window being smashed in and other noises that sound a bit like it.

If it does detect the sound of something sinister, you’ll get a notification on your Ring app, letting you take additional action. Alternatively, you can change the settings to automatically trigger a siren or, if you have a professional monitoring partner, can get them to give you a call. 

Its scanning range is around 25 feet, and the company hopes that it will be able to run for three years on a single set of three AA batteries. 

The Glass Break Sensor is available for pre-order today, and will begin shipping to customers on February 16th, priced at $40.

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Many companies at CES 2022 have been focused on products you can find on shelves, but Hyundai came to the show with nothing less than a grand vision of the future. The company used its presentation to outline a "metamobility" strategy where robots augment humanity's capabilities — to the point where you could even reconfigure whole rooms, or use a robot as a stand-in while you navigate the metaverse at home.

Boston Dynamics' robots also played a large part in the event, and Hyundai was keen to discuss everything from exoskeletons through to digital twins for machinery. It's a lot to take in, we know. Thankfully, you can learn about those and more through our six-minute supercut.

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Although many other major tech companies withdrew from having a physical presence at CES 2022, Samsung stayed the course. A t this year's show, it made a bunch of announcements and revealed an array of products, including the Galaxy S21 FE, a slightly more budget-friendly version of the Galaxy S21.

At 55 inches, the wild Odyssey Ark is Samsung's largest curved monitor to date. Elsewhere, Samsung showed off a portable projector with a built-in smart speaker, its latest QLED sets, a remote that can recharge using router radio waves and an updated TV interface with cloud gaming services such as Google Stadia baked in. You can catch up with the company's biggest news from CES with our eight-minute supercut.

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Another year of restrictions means the excuses for not starting that podcast are surely drying up. If your last one was “I can’t find a USB mic I like,” then 512 Audio might be about to ruin your (procrastinator’s) day. The company is unveiling two USB microphones at CES this year along with a podcast-friendly audio interface.

If you do (or plan on doing) a lot of vocal work, the $119 Script microphone might be the one to consider. The vintage styling is based on Warm Audio’s WA-14 studio condenser microphone (512 Audio is a subsidiary of Warm). The Script is dual-pattern (Cardioid/Omni) and the dual 14mm capsules are tuned to vocal work, so the company claims. Thanks to its USB connection, the Script offers zero-latency monitoring via a headphone jack and onboard gain/mute controls.

Should you want a microphone that’s a little more versatile, then the $160 Tempest might be a better fit. Like the Script, there are onboard monitoring and volume controls. The Tempest also offers a larger, 34mm capsule, for those that want a more responsive sound. This model, too, is based on one of Warm’s existing microphones – specifically the WA 47Jr. Though we don’t know if these microphones are just USB versions of the ones they mimic or are simply visually inspired by them (at the very least, the WA14 offers more polar patterns than its 512 counterpart).

512 Audio

With both of the new microphones offering USB connectivity, you won’t need an interface to connect them to your PC, but 512 Audio is unveiling one of their own for those that already have XLR microphones and want to plug them into something a little more podcast friendly than a generic interface.

While there’s no pricing information at this time, the audio interface has two combo ports for the aforementioned XLR mics and or ¼-inch instruments. There’s also a 3.5mm input for phones and other compatible devices. Perfect for introducing a “caller” onto your show or simply for feeding in other audio sources as you see fit. There are two headphone outputs on the front, which is a definite perk for podcasters and even a mute button for the mics which is less common than you might think, and handy in a podcast scenario for talking off-air or avoiding coughs and other unwanted sounds.

Of all the above, the Tempest will be launching first, slated for March this year. The Script will be available in “spring” and the audio interface will come later this year.

Follow all of the latest news from CES 2022 right here!

Of course, the year when many media outlets and companies decide to skip on attending CES in person, Sony decides this is the year to make some news at its press conference. While we got more news on its EV plans, and next-gen TVs, Tom Holland was also drafted into the showcase to promote the forthcoming Uncharted feature film.

Then it hit us with a barrage of specs for the highly anticipated next-gen PlayStation VR headset. It will, of course, be compatible with the PS5 and the VR2 Sense controllers we’ve already seen. It will have a display resolution of 2,000 x 2,040 pixel per eye, a 110-degree field of view, and be capable of 90 to 120Hz frame rates, all while supporting 4K HDR.

The world of consumer VR has rocketed forward since the original PSVR, so Sony is playing catchup with features like inside-out tracking, which uses multiple embedded cameras to track the movements of your head and controllers. There will also be “headset feedback” which sounds like the headset will shake and vibrate like a DualShock/DualSense controller. We’re still waiting to see what it’ll look like, how much it’ll cost and when we’ll get to buy one, but the company did announce one of the first games arriving on the platform: Horizon Call of the Mountain, which will be a VR experience set in the Horizon universe.

-Mat Smith

Samsung's portable Freestyle projector focuses and levels automatically

The floodlight-style device weighs just 1.83 lbs.

Samsung

Samsung's new portable projector uses autofocus and auto-leveling features that'll help align whatever you're watching, meaning you'll have a lot of options for where to place it.

You'll be able to project content at a display size ranging from 30 to 100 inches with a 1080p resolution. It has a 180-degree cradle stand, so you can point it toward a ceiling and watch things while you're lying down. Alternatively, using a base accessory, the Freestyle can even connect to a standard E26 light bulb socket.

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TP-Link’s new WiFi 6E router has motorized antennas that follow your devices

Less excuses for poor connections.

TP-Link

How do you make a router cute?

Look at it wiggle!

ASUS' ROG Flow Z13 is a gaming tablet with NVIDIA's RTX 3050 Ti

Think of it like a Super Surface.

The ROG Flow Z13 packs in Intel's new 12th-gen processors and up to NVIDIA's RTX 3050 Ti all in a sleek slate. Weighing in at 2.43 pounds, it's clearly not meant to replace smaller tablets like the iPad. Instead, ASUS sees it as a way to bring your PC games everywhere — say a cramped airplane tray table — without the bulk of a laptop. It can even connect to external GPUs.

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​​The RTX 3090 Ti is NVIDIA’s new-new flagship GPU

There’s also an “RTX 3050” at the low end.

NVIDIA just teased a new flagship GPU: the RTX 3090 Ti. More details will arrive soon, but the company did reveal a few specs to keep high-end GPU fans intrigued. The RTX 3090 Ti will become NVIDIA’s ultra high-end GPU, outside of its creator line, supplanting the RTX 3090.

Like the 3090, the 3090 Ti will have 24GB of GDDR6X memory, but running at 21Gbit/s, as opposed to the 19.5Gbit/s of the 3090’s memory. NVIDIA also says the GPU is capable of calculating 40 shader teraflops, 78 RT teraflops and 320 tensor (AI) teraflops. More vital statistics – but no price – after the fold.

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Dell's XPS 13 Plus is a beautiful ultraportable with no headphone jack

What good is a sleek design if we can't plug in our headphones?

The company's flagship ultraportable that sparked the slim bezel trend and has remained one of our favorite notebooks for years is evolving. The XPS 13 Plus, a more powerful and ambitiously designed notebook with a lattice-less keyboard (read: no space between the keys) and a glass haptic touchpad. It also, gasp, lacks a headphone jack.

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Sony reveals its follow-up Vision-S 02 EV prototype

It’s an SUV.

Sony

Sony has unveiled a follow-up to the electric car it revealed at the same event two years ago. The new prototype is an SUV called the Vision-S 02, which features a large interior that can seat seven.

The electric SUV has sensors all over its body, including CMOS image and LiDAR sensors for its driver assistance system. Sony says it's already conducting tests in Europe as part of its efforts to release Level 2+ driver assistance technology on public roads. Inside, there are ime-of-flight sensors for driver authentication, as well as support for intuitive gesture and voice commands. Sony now has ambitions to become a player in the electric vehicle industry and sell its cars to the public. It will establish an operating company named "Sony Mobility Inc." this spring and will explore entry into the EV market.

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The biggest news stories you might have missed

​​Sony's 2022 Quantum Dot OLED TVs can tweak quality settings using a camera

HyperX boasts 300 hours of battery life for its latest gaming headset

NASA's James Webb Space Telescope has successfully deployed its 70-foot sunshield

Watch LG's CES 2022 event in under five minutes

Eargo's latest smart hearing aid adapts to your environment

Let's watch two minutes of the upcoming 'Uncharted' movie

John Deere says its self-driving tractor is ready for production

Intel debuted its new chips for laptops — and a handful of devices that use them — at this year's CES. The chipmaker has announced that it's bringing its hybrid 12th-gen CPUs to laptops a few months after they were introduced for desktop computers. These CPUs combine performance cores (P-cores) and efficient cores (E-cores) on a single chip to be able to better handle the demands of various real-world tasks. Their faster cores can power your game, for instance, while the slower cores are taking care of your livestreaming needs. They'll top out at 14 cores for laptops, which include HP's updated EliteBook and ZBooks, as well as MSI's new Stealth GS77 and Stealth GS66 gaming laptops. Intel has also revealed that its 12th-gen KS-series chips for desktop, which are arriving this spring, will be able to reach 5.5GHz on a single core. Plus, it's adding a foldable specification for its premium Evo PC line this year. You can watch a condensed version of the company's CES event in our video above. 

Follow all of the latest news from CES 2022 right here!