The first laptops to ship with Qualcomm Snapdragon X processors earlier this year had a few things in common. They all offered long battery life, powerful NPUs for hardware-accelerated AI features, and processors that were powerful enough to handle most day-to-day tasks (with the possible exception of gaming).

But another thing they had in common was high price tags: the cheapest models started at $1,000. Now that Qualcomm has introduced a Snapdragon X Plus chip specifically made for lower-cost laptops, we're starting to see some more affordable models. Case in point: Lenovo has introduced three new laptops powered by Qualcomm's chips that have starting prices starting as low as $749.

Lenovo ThinkBook 16 Gen 9 Lenovo ThinkBook 16 (Gen 7)

The cheapest model is actually the largest. The new Lenovo ThinkBook 16 (Gen 7) is a 4 pound notebook with a 16 inch, 2.5K IPS LCD display, an 8-core Snapdragon X Plus (X1P-42-100) processor, an 84 Wh battery, and support for up to 32GB of LPDDR5-8488 memory and up to a 1TB PCIe Gen 4 SSD.

Lenovo says the laptop will be available in North America in October with prices starting at $749 for an entry-level model.

Keep in mind that in order to keep the price on the (relatively) low side, Lenovo made some compromises. Most Snapdragon X notebooks that have hit the streets so far have been premium devices with high-end specs. This model not only has a slower processor (with fewer CPU cores, lower CPU frequencies, and less than half the graphics performance), but Lenovo also skimped a little bit on the display and ports.

The screen tops out at 350 nits of brightness, and while the laptop has two USB Type-C ports for video, data, and power, they top out at 10 Gbps speeds rather than 40 Gbps.

Here's a run-down of the port selection:

  • 2 x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C
  • 2 x USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A
  • 1 x HDMI 2.1
  • 1 x 3.5mm audio
  • 1 x microSD card reader

    • The laptop also supports WiFi 7 and features a backlit keyboard, a fingerprint sensor, and an FHD webcam with a privacy shutter. It comes with a 65W USB Type-C power adapter, and the notebook measures 356 x 248 x 17mm (14″ x 9.8″ x 0.7″).

    Lenovo IdeaPad 5x 14″ 2-in-1 (Gen 9)

    Folks looking for something a little more compact may prefer the new Lenovo IdeaPad 5x 14″ 2-in-1 (Gen 9)convertible notebook. This model has is a 3.3 pound notebook with a 14 inch, 1920 x 1200 pixel, 60 Hz OLED display with up to 400 nits brightness.

    Lenovo IdeaPad 5x 14″ 2-in-1 Gen 9

    It has the same 8-core chip as the ThinkBook 16 but features a brighter display and a smaller, more versatile design that includes a 360 degree hinge that allows you to use the computer in laptop or tablet modes.

    This model tops out at just 16GB of LPDDR5x onboard memory and has an M.2 2242 slot for PCIe Gen 4 solid state storage and it will sell for $849 and up when it goes on sale in October.

    Other features include a 57 Wh battery, two USB Type-C ports, an HDMI 2.1 port, a 3.5mm audio jack, a microSD card slot, support for WiFi 7 and Bluetooth 5.2, and a FHD webcam with a privacy shutter.

    The Lenovo IdeaPad 5x 14″ 2-in-1 (Gen 9) measures 313″ x 227 x 18mm (12.3″ x 8.9″ x 0.7″).

    Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5x 14″ (Gen 9)

    Lenovo is also launching a new IdeaPad Slim 5x 14″ (Gen 9) laptop with a Snapdragon X Plus (X1P-42-100) processor in select markets. This clamshell-style notebook won't be sold in the North America at launch, but it's expected to be available in Europe this month for 999 Euros and up.

    Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5x (Gen 9)

    The Slim 5X clamshell notebook has a similar display, battery, and port selection to the convertible tablet-style model, but supports up to 32GB of RAM.

    The notebook measures 312 x 221 x 17mm (12.3″ x 8.7″ x 0.7″) and weighs 1.48 kg (3.3 pounds).

    via Lenovo press release (1)(2) and Windows Central

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