Lenovo’s hybrid 2-in-1 laptop combines Windows and Android

Lenovo’s ThinkBook Plus Gen 5 Hybrid can function both as a powerful Windows laptop and an Android tablet.

Over the years, companies have unveiled a number of devices that combine the benefits of a tablet and a laptop. Typically, these run on one operating system and one processor.

Lenovo's hybrid device has made the 2-in-1 concept more interesting. The company has started shipping the ThinkBook Plus Gen 5 Hybrid, first announced at CES, which has two operating systems – Android 13 and Windows 11 Pro – along with two separate processors.

This hybrid device has a 14-inch OLED display with a 2.8K (2880 x 1800) resolution. When connected to a so-called Hybrid Station, it can function as a monitor for a Windows laptop, while an external monitor can also be connected.

The laptop is powered by Intel’s Meteor Lake processor with a dedicated neural processing unit, making it capable of processing AI workloads. The premium version of the device comes with decent specs, including 32GB of RAM and 1TB of storage.

You can switch between Android and Windows operating systems with the press of a keyboard button. In laptop mode, users can use the picture-in-picture (PiP) option, which allows them to access Android apps while using the device as a Windows laptop.

Another unique feature of the ThinkBook is that it can be used as a standalone Android tablet when unplugged from the Hybrid Station. The tablet is powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 first-generation processor, has 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage, and comes with Qualcomm’s Adreno graphics.

Overall, the hybrid has a 75Whr detachable battery (100W charging), 38.7Whr (50W charging) of which is for the tablet.

This combination of two devices will be quite pricey. For now, it appears that the company has started shipping the base model of ThinkBook Plus Gen 5 Hybrid in selected markets, including China and the UK with no mention of future availability in the US.

In the UK, the base model with 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage (both for a tablet and a laptop) starts at £2,200.