Lenovo’s new laptops have an Intel superpower

Lenovo has announced two new laptops in partnership with Intel. Yes, they feature the new Core Ultra Series 2 chips, but it’s really the software that makes these laptops interesting. The laptops themselves are the ThinkPad X1 Carbon and Yoga Slim 7i, but they’re both tagged with an additional name: Aura Edition Imagined with Intel. I’m not sure what the name is supposed to connote, but laptops under this new line include a host of software features that were developed by Lenovo in partnership with Intel.

The most exciting of these is Smart Share, which allows for quick photo sharing between your phone and laptop with nothing more than a tap. Bumping the side of the laptop lid with your iPhone or Android phone will automatically bring up a smart share window displaying the photos in your mobile device.

Now, there is a catch to this, though, which is that it’s built on Intel Unison, meaning that both the laptop and phone need to have an app installed. Once that’s done, however, it’s a pretty seamless way to drag and drop photos between devices.

The other big part of Aura Edition is Smart Modes. The feature has a dedicated key on your keyboard to pull up the menu, which gives you four modes to choose from: Shield, Attention, Wellness, and Collaboration. Shield mode, for example, automatically turns on your VPN, lurking alerts, and secured network. Wellness, on the other hand, will remind you to take breaks and analyze your slouch. Not all these seem super helpful, and some, like Collaboration, only offer one setting that changes. It’s a neat idea, but there’s definitely room for expansion.

Lastly, these Aura Edition laptops have Smart Care, which offers access to both video tutorials and 24/7 tech support. This is not unlike what HP has explored with its Dragonfly laptops in the past.

As for the laptops themselves, they haven’t received any major exterior updates. The ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 13 is the same super-light commercial PC people have grown to love, while the Yoga Slim 7i has the more modern look.

The one major change is that the Yoga Slim 7i is now slightly larger, using a 15-inch screen instead of a 14-inch screen. It’s a 2880 x 1800 resolution screen with a 120Hz refresh rate regardless of whether you choose OLED or IPS. It’s an interesting form factor, though, not growing too much in footprint beyond a standard 14-inch laptop. The Yoga Slim 7i isn’t overly thin or light at 0.55 inches thick and 3.2 pounds, but in handling the device, I found the hinge to be a bit too tight, making it hard to open the device with one hand.

In a world where Intel, AMD, and Qualcomm are fighting for the attention of both laptop manufacturers and buyers, it’s interesting to see Lenovo develop a relationship with Intel that provides extra features. In other words, it’s not leaving the pick of CPU as a completely neutral choice for the buyer — there’s some differentiation exclusive to Intel.

The ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 13 Aura Edition will be available starting in November for an expected starting price of $2,000. A price and release date for the Yoga Slim 7i has not yet been revealed.