CES: Lenovo ThinkPad 8 tablet and Intel Haswell powered X1 Carbon unveiled

Firm unveils next wave of professional Windows 8.1 machines

LAS VEGAS: Lenovo has unveiled its latest Windows 8.1 tablet, the ThinkPad 8, alongside an upgraded version of its ThinkPad X1 Carbon hybrid ultrabook.

The ThinkPad 8 is the latest in a growing sea of small-form Windows 8.1 tablets. Measuring 132x224x8.8mm, the tablet is confirmed to feature an 8.3in, 1920x1200 full HD display with 10-finger multitouch support.

The tablet is also confirmed to be powered by an Intel Bay Trail Z3770 quad-core 2.4GHz processor and boast 2GB of internal RAM, so it should be able to outperform most other tablets in its size bracket. Lenovo told V3 that the chipset's low power demands mean the ThinkPad 8 will last up to eight hours with regular use off one charge.

The ThinkPad 8 will also run using the Windows 8.1 Pro and come bundled with the full version of Microsoft Office. Alongside 4G connectivity, the ThinkPad 8 will feature basic Micro USB, Micro HDMI, Micro SD and Micro SIM ports.

The new X1 Carbon is a redesigned version of the ultrabook-tablet hybrid of the same name that Lenovo unveiled at CES 2013. A Lenovo spokesman described the upgraded X1 Carbon as the six-million dollar man of convertibles, promising that it would be "stronger, faster and lighter."

The upgraded X1 will offer businesses a variety of Intel Haswell chipset options peaking at the Intel Core i7 processor, all of which will also have vPro support. VPro is security technology by Intel, which is designed to protect businesses from a variety of attacks at a hardware level. The 2014 X1 Carbon will also come with the latest Windows 8.1 Pro software pre-installed and have 14in touch and non-touch screen options.

Both 2014 versions are thinner than their 2013 predecessors, with the non-touch X1 Carbon measuring in at 331x227x17.7mm and the touch 331x226x18.46mm. By comparison the touch-enabled 2013 model measured in at 331x226x21mm.

The 2014 X1 Carbon also features a new Adaptive Keyboard. The Adaptive Keyboard is a capacitive strip that lies on the top of the X1 Carbon's keyboard dock. The strip is designed to provide users with a choice of touch shortcut keys that dynamically update depending on which application is open.

The ThinkPad 8 is confirmed for release in late January, with pricing starting at $399. The ThinkPad X1 Carbon is also confirmed to arrive in January, priced from $1,299. Check back with V3 later for full reviews of the Lenovo ThinkPad 8 and X1 Carbon.