With companies continuing to push people towards wireless audio this was an inevitability. Today Lenovo took things to their natural conclusion with the ThinkBook 15 Gen 2, which is the world’s first laptop to feature a pair of built-in wireless earbuds.
Yes, that’s right, on the ThinkBook 15 Gen 2, Lenovo built a small tray into the right side of the system that can be pulled out to reveal a pair of Bluetooth earbuds. Like other true wireless earbuds, Lenovo’s earbuds automatically turn on and connect when removed from their tray and come with touch sensors that let you mute or unmute the earbud’s mics by tapping on the side. And when you’re done, you can stash the ThinkBook 15's earbuds back inside the laptop to recharge.
Unfortunately, the problem with having wireless earbuds that are built into a laptop is that you kind of have to drag the laptop where you want to use them, which may not be ideal if you’re trying to travel light or are commuting into an office where you might already have a desktop system. But more importantly, normal standalone wireless earbuds just aren’t that big or hard to carry around and they don’t suffer from being tied down to a single machine.
And while there is something to be said about having a pair of earbuds that are dedicated to your work machine, with how easy it is to pair standalone wireless earbuds with various gadgets nowadays, I’m struggling to imagine Lenovo’s built-in wireless earbuds becoming a major selling point. Furthermore, even though Lenovo says it will be possible to replace one of the ThinkBook 15's earbuds, it’s still going to be a major hassle if one does go missing.
Still, kudos to Lenovo for trying, because if Lenovo didn’t, some other company would have gotten around to this eventually.
Aside from its built-in earbuds, the ThinkBook 15 Gen 2 is a relatively straightforward 15-inch laptop featuring a 15-inch full HD display, a range of 11th-gen Intel CPUs, up to 40GB of RAM, various HDD and SSD storage configurations, Thunderbolt 4, and optional NVidia MX450 graphics. And if you’d prefer something with a Ryzen processor, Lenovo is also offering a ThinkBook 15 Gen 2 AMD model with a range of Ryzen 4000 chips.
The ThinkBook 15 Gen 2 also sports relatively slim bezels allowing for a screen-to-body ratio of 88%, a sturdy metal body, and even a built-in privacy shutter that can be used to cover up the laptop’s webcam. At least if those built-in earbuds don’t solve all your problems, you’ll still have a well-rounded 15-inch system.
Finally, in addition to the new ThinkBook 15, Lenovo is also giving practically the entire ThinkBook line a revamp including the ThinkBook 13s Gen 2, ThinkBook 13s Gen 2 AMD, ThinkBook 14 Gen, ThinkBook 14s Yoga, and the ThinkBook 15p i (no, that is not a typo), which will all get a range of updated displays, chassis, and components.
Lenovo’s refreshed ThinkBook systems will begin rolling out later this fall starting in October, with systems like the ThinkBook 15 Gen AMD starting as low as $550 (or $570 for the Intel model) and going up to $940 for the ThinkBook 15p i (again, not a typo).