And then there’s the stylus: you’ll be able to doodle or jot notes on this second screen just like last time, but there are a few notable changes to remember. For one, the stylus fits inside the notebook this time, rather than magnetically — and somewhat awkwardly — snap to the side of the screen. More importantly, the stylus can also be configured to launch specific apps once it’s removed from its housing, a move that makes it feel not unlike one of Samsung’s trademark S Pens.
Meanwhile, the rest of the machine is fairly standard road-warrior stuff. You can kit it out with up to an 11th-gen Intel Core i7 chipset and up to 1TB of storage, while the 16GB of RAM, integrated UHD graphics, WiFi 6, 2W stereo Harman Kardon speakers, and two Thunderbolt 4-compatible USB-C ports are common across all configurations. Lenovo says you can expect up to 15 hours of use from the ThinkBook Plus’s 53Whr battery, though you can squeeze considerably more life out of this notebook if you only use that E Ink screen — think 24 hours or so.
The original ThinkBook Plus was charming in its strangeness, but some of Lenovo’s software and feature choices felt incongruous with the notebook’s focus on business. This time, though, the company didn’t just flesh out that second screen’s functionality — it focused it. Sure, that means it’s a little less fun than before, but hey: these changes also make the Gen 2 i an easier sell for IT departments, and a great conversation starter for the professionals who ultimately wind up with these things.