Tag: AMD Ryzen AI 400 series

  • Lenovo IdeaPad 5a 2-in-1 15 OLED Upgrade Benefits

    Lenovo IdeaPad 5a 2-in-1 15 OLED Upgrade Benefits

    Key Takeaway

    1. Lenovo’s 15-inch convertible now ships with AMD Ryzen AI 400 series CPUs starting at $800.
    2. The base model features a mediocre IPS touchscreen with backlight bleeding and narrow color range.
    3. An OLED display upgrade is available for only $70 more, offering significant improvements in contrast, color, resolution, refresh rate, and brightness.
    4. OLED’s enhanced visual quality comes with a trade-off of reduced battery life.

    Lenovo’s latest 15-inch convertible now available with AMD Ryzen AI 400 series CPUs

    Starting at just $800, Lenovo has released its new 15-inch convertible which now feature AMD Ryzen AI 400 series processors. In our review, we notice that the basic setup equipped with an IPS touchscreen presents some common issues such as noticeable backlight bleeding and a limited 45% NTSC color range. These shortcomings are typical for entry-level or budget laptops. However, surprisingly, Lenovo provides an option to upgrade the display at a reasonable cost, improving overall visual quality for the users.

    Affordable OLED display upgrade offers significant benefits

    The IdeaPad 5 2-in-1 15AGP11 can be customized with an OLED display for just an additional $70 over the base model. While it’s normal for laptops to come with both IPS and OLED options, the price difference here is quite minimal, making the OLED feature an easy choice for most consumers. OLED technology not only provides deeper blacks and a broader P3 color gamut but also boasts a much higher resolution compared to traditional IPS screens. Furthermore, this particular OLED panel boosts refresh rate from 60 Hz to an impressive 165 Hz and increases maximum brightness by 100 nits, reaching 1000 nits for DisplayHDR1000 support.

    Visual upgrade with OLED makes a noticeable difference

    These enhancements deliver a dramatically better user experience when using the device. The vibrant visuals, smoother motion, and brighter display quality make it feel more premium, akin to what you might expect from a higher-end Yoga Pro series rather than a budget-friendly IdeaPad 5. For just a slight extra fee, users receive a significantly better display that elevates the overall usability of the device.

    Drawback: reduced battery life with OLED

    Nevertheless, choosing the OLED option does present a downside—battery life suffers. The increased resolution, quicker refresh rate, and higher brightness require more power, thus shortening the battery lifespan of the device. Despite this, the visual advantages are substantial enough that many might find the trade-off worthwhile considering the relatively low additional cost involved in the upgrade.

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    • Lenovo Yoga 7a 2-in-1 Laptop with AMD Gorgon Point APUs

      Lenovo Yoga 7a 2-in-1 Laptop with AMD Gorgon Point APUs

      Key Takeaways

      1. The Lenovo Yoga 7a 2-in-1 laptops feature a 360º hinge, allowing use as both a tablet and a traditional laptop.
      2. Available in 14-inch and 16-inch sizes, they are powered by AMD Ryzen AI 400 series APUs, with options for up to 32 GB of memory and 2 TB of storage.
      3. The 14-inch model boasts a 2880 x 1800 OLED touch screen with a 120 Hz refresh rate and can reach 1,000 nits brightness, ideal for creative tasks.
      4. A 70 Wh battery supports quick charging with a 65-watt USB-C charger, and the laptops weigh just over 3/3.9 pounds (1.4/1.8 kg) for portability.
      5. Starting prices are $849 for the 14-inch model and $899 for the 16-inch model, with availability expected in the next quarter.

      Among the many laptops Lenovo introduced during CES 2026, the Yoga 2-in-1 series has been updated as well. True to form, these laptops feature a 360º hinge, enabling them to serve as both a tablet and a conventional laptop.

      Specifications and Performance

      The Lenovo Yoga 7a 2-in-1 laptops come in 14-inch and 16-inch sizes, both equipped with AMD Ryzen AI 400 series “Gorgon Point” APUs, going up to the Ryzen AI 7 445 APU which has 6 cores and 12 threads. Users can opt for up to 32 GB of LPDDR5X-7500 memory, along with a maximum of 2 TB of PCIe Gen4 storage in an M.2 slot. The graphics will be managed by the Radeon 840M iGPU, and there’s no room for discrete graphics, which is not surprising.

      Display and Battery Life

      The 14-inch Yoga 7a is set to have a 2880 x 1800 OLED touch screen with a 120 Hz refresh rate. Lenovo states that the display can reach 1,000 nits brightness, making fine details stand out. The 16:10 aspect ratio is also expected to be beneficial for creative tasks, especially if Lenovo’s claims of 100% DCI-P3 color gamut coverage and a Delta E of under 1 are accurate.

      A 70 Wh battery is included, which can be charged using the provided 65-watt USB-C charger. Weighing just over 3/3.9 pounds or 1.4/1.8 kg, the Yoga 7a 14″/16″ should be quite portable. The available I/O ports are as follows:

      Additional Features

      Other notable features of the Lenovo Yoga 7a convertible include four stereo speakers with dual 2-watt woofers and dual 2-watt tweeters, a 5 MP front camera, an IR camera, a 90 cm² trackpad, as well as WiFi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4.

      The starting price for the Lenovo Yoga 7a 2-in-1 is $849 for the 14-inch model, while the larger 16-inch model will cost an extra $50. These laptops are anticipated to be available in stores sometime in the next quarter, though an exact release date is not yet known.

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    • Asus ExpertCenter PN55: New AMD Mini PC with 96GB RAM

      Asus ExpertCenter PN55: New AMD Mini PC with 96GB RAM

      Key Takeaways

      1. Asus launched the ExpertCenter PN55 at CES 2026, featuring the AMD Ryzen AI 400 series.
      2. The new mini PC includes the XDNA 2 NPU with up to 55 TOPs of AI performance and supports up to 96 GB of DDR5 RAM.
      3. The design is similar to the previous PN54 model, remaining compact and smaller than the NUC 16 Pro.
      4. Connectivity options include WiFi 7, Bluetooth 5.4, and support for quad 4K displays.
      5. Pricing and availability details are yet to be announced.

      Asus has officially launched the ExpertCenter PN55 during CES 2026, marking it as an updated model of the previous PN54 released last year. This compact mini PC features the AMD Ryzen AI 400 series, with the highest configuration boasting an unspecified AI 9 HX processor, which is expected to deliver solid performance thanks to the Radeon 890M integrated GPU.

      Processor Insights

      It’s important to mention that the Ryzen AI 400 series isn’t entirely fresh; they’re essentially rebranded versions of the Strix Point APUs. Therefore, there won’t be a notable jump in performance compared to its predecessor, which is a barebone model equipped with an AI 7 350, currently priced at $660.99 on Amazon.

      Enhanced AI Capabilities

      Despite this, Asus has emphasized the new mini PC’s XDNA 2 NPU, which can reach up to 55 TOPs of AI performance. It also supports a maximum of 96 GB of DDR5 RAM operating at 5,600 MHz. Although the Asus ExpertCenter PN55 remains compact, it offers a good variety of ports for connectivity, ensuring users have enough options.

      Design and Features

      In terms of aesthetics, the design hasn’t changed much from the ExpertCenter PN54, and it remains smaller than the NUC 16 Pro which is powered by the Intel Panther Lake processors. Additional features mentioned during the brief CES 2026 presentation include WiFi 7, Bluetooth 5.4, and the ability to support quad 4K displays. Asus has yet to share specifics regarding pricing and availability, but these details are expected to be announced shortly.

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