Lenovo ThinkBook Plus G2 i brings a bigger and faster e-Ink display on its back

Lenovo Thinkbook Plus G2
Lenovo Thinkbook Plus G2 (Image credit: Daniel Rubino / Windows Central)

What you need to know

  • Lenovo announced the ThinkBook Plus Gen 2 i at CES 2021.
  • The laptop features an improved e-Ink display on its back.
  • The ThinkBook Plus G2 i will be available in Q1 2021 with a starting price of $1,299.

Lenovo announced the ThinkBook Plus Gen 2 i at CES 2021. We've seen plenty of new laptops at CES, including several from Lenovo, but we haven't seen anything like the ThinkBook Plus Gen 2 i this year. The laptop features an e-Ink display on its back in addition to its traditional display. The ThinkBook Plus Gen 2 i will be available in Q1 2021 with a starting price of $1,549.

Lenovo announced the first generation ThinkBook Plus last year at CES 2020. This year's ThinkBook Plus Gen 2 i has a bigger and faster e-Ink display. The display bumped up from a 48 percent screen-to-body ratio up to a 68 percent ratio, which results in a 12-inch usable area. The e-Ink display also got a resolution bump up to 2560 x 1600, which matches the laptop's main display. The e-Ink display also has a better refresh rate and user interface than last year's model.

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CategoryLenovo ThinkBook Plus (Gen 2)
OSWindows 10 Pro
ProcessorUp to 11th Gen Intel Core i7
RAM16GB LPDDR4x
Dual-channel
GraphicsIntel UHD (UMA)
Integrated
StorageUp to 1TB M.2 PCIe Gen4 SSD
Display13.3 inches (Main)
2560x1600
IPS, Touch, 400 nits, Dolby Vision
12 inches (E-Ink)
2560x1600
Monochromatic, Touch
PenLenovo Integrated Pen
PortsTwo Thunderbolt 4
3.5mm audio
AudioDual 2W speakers
Dolby Atmos
Four microphones
ConnectivityWi-Fi 6
Bluetooth 5
CameraFront-facing 720p
ThinkShutter
SecurityFingerprint reader
Battery53Wh
Dimensions11.73 x 8.22 x 0.54 inches
(298mm x 209mm x 13.9mm)
Weight2.86 pounds (1.30kg)
ColorStorm Gray

In addition to an improved e-Ink display, the ThinkBook Plus Gen 2 i has a taller 16:10 aspect ratio, Dolby Vision HDR, and Dolby Atmos support on select models. It runs on up to an 11th Gen Intel Core i7 processors. The laptop also has a new garaged pen that can automatically launch select applications.

Like its e-Ink counterpart, the main display of the ThinkBook Plus Gen 2 i has a better screen-to-body ratio than its predecessor. It now has a 90 percent screen-to-body ratio compared to last year's 78 percent. The laptop has two Thunderbolt 4 ports and supports Wi-Fi 6.

As if an e-Ink display on a laptop wasn't already unique, the ThinkBook Plus Gen 2 i also has an optional ThinkBook Charging Mat. The mat allows you to wirelessly charge the laptop, which gets up to 15 hours on a charge, according to Lenovo. That battery life bumps up to 24 hours, according to Lenovo, if you only use the e-Ink display.

Sean Endicott
News Writer and apps editor

Sean Endicott brings nearly a decade of experience covering Microsoft and Windows news to Windows Central. He joined our team in 2017 as an app reviewer and now heads up our day-to-day news coverage. If you have a news tip or an app to review, hit him up at sean.endicott@futurenet.com.