Lenovo, as perhaps the most well-known brand in China, Lenovo's name should be heard by every notebook user. But among them, compared to ThinkPad, Xiaoxin, the name of the Zhaoyang series may be known to few people.
In fact, Zhaoyang is a sub-brand of Lenovo that specializes in purchasing large customers, and its long history can even be traced back to the birth of Lenovo Zhaoyang S5100 as China's first laptop computer in 1996.
Time has passed, and Zhaoyang, which has gone through 28 years, is still standing at the head of the centralized collection notebook, and continues to launch excellent notebooks steadily. And today, I have the honor to get my hands on Zhaoyang's latest flagship AI business notebook launched this year - Zhaoyang X7 to lead you to see the performance of this machine in all aspects of the AIPC era.
In fact, since the advent of Chat GPT in 2022, the topic of AI has been very hot, such as "Will AI replace humans?" Issues have also sparked a lot of discussion. Until I saw a very profound point of view: AI also has different characteristics, and the relationship with humans also has different forms, it can be human tools, pets, partners, but no matter what kind of relationship, AI will not eliminate you, but people who learn to use various AI tools will, and AIPC is naturally one of them.
So what is an AI PC? What's the difference between this and a traditional PC?
In the past two years, the wave of AI has swept through various industries, especially the creative industry. These technologies have greatly improved the productivity of many intellectual labor processes in the past, such as large language models can automatically complete complex article writing, automatic table editing, and even programming without human labor. There is also video and image generation based on LLM diffusion models, and so on. If these features are to be deployed locally, they need to be equipped with a GPU with sufficient performance.
In some auxiliary AI functions, such as using AI for voice optimization to reduce noise during voice calls, or using AI to intelligently blur the background during video conferences to prevent privacy leakage, NPU can be used for more energy-efficient performance.
Therefore, if you want to buy a new notebook in this year's 618, the new AIPC led by Zhaoyang X7 must be a priority.
Take the Zhaoyang X7 I borrowed as an example, its core configuration can be said to be the benchmark level of AIPC at this stage: it is equipped with an Intel Core Ultra 7-155H processor with NPU, which can provide an energy-efficient AI experience in lightweight AI scenarios, bringing an excellent experience while not consuming a lot of battery power; The RTX 4060 has 233 TOPS AI computing power + 8G of independent video memory, which plays a very big role in the process of deploying medium-sized local AI models. If even the RTX4060 of a laptop isn't enough, the native graphics dock comes in handy.
Let's talk about this external graphics dock briefly, its hardware part is actually a renaming of the Oculink SFF-8611 interface, but it has made a hot-swappable magic change for Zhaoyang's own docking station in the picture above. If you use this graphics dock to connect an RTX4090 desktop-level graphics card, then the surging computing power of 1321AI TOPS can make this machine directly become the 14-inch notebook with the strongest AI computing power at this stage.
In addition to hardware, ready-to-use AI computing power
As a new era of Lenovo to build AIPC, first of all, it is also equipped with Microsoft's NPU-based MEP function, you can see that after turning on background blur in the camera app that comes with Windows, NPU will intervene in the calculation, forming a very natural background blur effect in the picture.
Although the original CPU can achieve similar functions, while computing through the NPU can bring better results, the higher energy efficiency of the NPU itself can also greatly reduce the power consumption of the laptop during video conferencing, which indirectly brings longer battery life.
In addition to the built-in AI function of Windows, Zhaoyang X7 is naturally also equipped with a new generation of LenovoAIThe personal agent - Lenovo Xiaotian Commercial Edition。
By introducing AI personal agents, the computer can be transformed from a trusted tool to an AI assistant that truly understands you and can help you improve your work efficiency.
Xiaotian's AI capability has two large modules, one is based on local personal information for summarization and analysis, helping to generate summarized content, improve work efficiency, and regulate some settings of the computer itself, and the other is a cloud general module, which can achieve more and more complex operations by uploading a part of the information to the cloud large model, which can achieve more extended applications. For example, a simple outline can be used to quickly generate a PPT, or a detailed corporate annual report can be used to quickly analyze the current business status of a company
At the same time, Xiaotian commercial version is also specially customized for the characteristics of commercial users, and the data that needs to be accessed will be repeatedly confirmed before uploading, and the security of the data will be ensured after uploading, so as to meet the special needs of enterprise users in an all-round way.
For example, in the daily office, Lenovo Xiaotian Commercial Edition provides four main functions:
First of all, for the documents in the daily work of individuals, they can be added to the knowledge base with one click, so as to achieve efficient security management of massive personal and work data;
The second is the advanced search function, whether you search for images by keywords or just need to remember the general content of the document, you can quickly find it
The third is to directly read the information in the knowledge base, answer the questions you ask, evolve from a search engine to an answer engine, and run locally all the way
Finally, there is a super document summary function, after handing over the ultra-long document to Xiaotian, Xiaotian can summarize it himself and output a summary document in different formats according to different needs, and we only need to modify it on the basis of it
In addition to the super functionality, I personally think that the two more important points are, firstly, these functions are all based on local and have been encrypted at the chip level, so there is no need to worry about data leakage, which is very sensitive for business users; Secondly, such a powerful ability is completely free, does not require additional long-tail expenses, and can also reduce a large financial burden for enterprises, which can be described as very intimate;
In remote meetings, which are also very common in daily office, Lenovo Xiaotian Commercial Edition also provides a lot of practical functions:
If you want to do some physical demonstrations at the same time as video conferences,Then dual cameras are a very practical function,Lenovo Xiaotian can intelligently fuse the images of the two cameras
If you suddenly have an emergency in a video conference, but you don't want to turn off the camera and lose your etiquette, you can use Xiaotian's temporary clone function, which allows your image to continue to remain in the picture while you can temporarily leave the computer
Last but not least, you can turn on the meeting minutes function with one click, quickly generate meeting minutes, and view the content of the meeting in the form of text in the future
Finally, for many computer novices, Lenovo Xiaotian also supports the use of text forms for daily communication, and direct interaction with the computer, such as setting performance mode, changing wallpapers, turning on the computer fast charging and other functions, can be completed directly with the computer;
At the same time, it also supports querying the configuration, serial number, system version, BIOS version and other information of the computer, which is convenient for IT personnel to quickly locate the problem for maintenance.
Generally speaking, if you want to become a truly powerful AIPC, super hardware strength is indispensable, but it is also essential to use an AI agent that is ready-to-use, fully functional, secure and private, on the one hand, it can help us bring more inspiration, and on the other hand, it can free us from tedious daily work. We can even say that only AI capabilities with both software and hardware can be regarded as a real AIPC.
Appearance/screen > customizable
The design of the A-side of the fuselage is very simple, without any patterns and patterns at all, and only the stainless steel nameplate of Lenovo is arranged in the lower right corner of the A-side. The whole machine uses the primary color of aluminum alloy, which Lenovo calls "space-time silver". In fact, the design of the complete primary color + blank space on the A side not only makes the whole machine look spiritual, but also related to the customizability of the machine, which is convenient for purchasing companies to put their own patterns on it.
The B-side is naturally also a four-sided narrow bezel design, and the bezel is treated with bite flowers. The width of the chin is 11.48mm, which is slightly larger, and the left and right bezels are 3.16mm, and the upper bezel is 5.5mm, so the screen-to-body ratio of this unit has also come to the level of 90%+, which can be said to be very good. One of the slots is that this screen has rounded corners, which will slightly block some of the usable area when in use.
Compared with the previous generation,In fact, this generation of ZhaoyangX7The changes on the C side are still quite large,Replaced with a new keyboard,With 1.5mm long key travel,Full-size arrow keys and partition function keys。 But one thing that is different from ThinkBook is that the color of the keyboard keycaps of this machine still maintains the classic pure black, compared to the gray on TB, not only is it more textured, but it is also a lot less oiled, which I personally think is a big advantage.
Because the body size has come to 14.5 inches, the touchpad area below is also very large. A detail that can highlight the positioning of the machine is that the power button of the machine and the edge of the touchpad have highlighted CNC trimming edges, which is not available in the Zhaoyang X5, which has a lower positioning. As for the Lenovo nameplate, it is still placed in the lower right corner.
The design of the D-side is still the traditional Lenovo commercial design, with a wedge-shaped appearance scheme, with a large-size, fully penetrating double-row air inlet window and no filter design in the middle. The foot mat still maintains one length and two shorts to prevent hot air reflux, but this time the brand name is not put in the middle. The two plastic parts on the left are the foldable RJ45 and the cover of the retractable USB2.0 interface for the wireless mouse receiver. Compared to the previous generation, the number of D-side screws has been reduced in this new mold, so it will be much easier to disassemble and upgrade.
As a high-end business flagship, Zhaoyang X7 can be said to be where many functions and sensors are gathered in this notch. These include dual microphones, an IR+TOF sensor for face recognition login + leave auto-lock, an ALS light sensor for controlling screen brightness and a backlit keyboard, and the most reliable 1080P camera with a physical shield.
And in terms of keyboard,This time, ZhaoyangX7It can also be said to be far ahead of similar products,Equipped with a 1.5mmLong key travel,With full-size arrow keys and independent page turning keys,The top function key has a full-size keyboard with partitions。 As for the features that other Lenovo business laptops will generally carry, such as splash-proof and keyboard air intake, this keyboard is naturally also supported.
Comprehensive use,The performance of this keyboard is still very good,Rebound is favorable,Clear trigger,So the feel of input is good,There is a long key travel that helps to slow down long-term input fatigue,The key layout has been blown above without going into details,The quality of the keyboard backlight can also be seen from the above figure is very good,There are basically no breakpoints and it is very uniform。 In my opinion, this keyboard is basically the best laptop keyboard for non-gaming laptops at this stage (after all, gaming laptops have monsters like low switches) and non-ThinkPad. The slot is actually to keep the height of the touchpad, and the portrait of this keyboard is not full size. But compared with friends, the keyboards of these two are still far ahead.
On the left side of the fuselage, from left to right, there is a full-featured USB-C (10Gbps), a USB-A that supports shutdown and charging, a USB-A (5Gbps), an HDMI 2.1 TMDS, a Thunderbolt 4, a 3.5mm headphone jack, and an external graphics dock interface.
In addition to this, it is worth mentioning that the two indicators on the left side of the fuselage have been retained. The power indicator next to the USB-C on the far left can quickly determine whether the model is charging and the battery level, and the indicator on the right side of the graphics dock port has the same effect as the indicator next to the power button, indicating the power/sleep status of the unit.
On the right side of the fuselage, from left to right, there is a hidden USB2.0 interface, a TF (14+)/SD (16+) card slot, a USB 3.2 Gen1 rate USB-A port, a foldable rj45 and a lock hole. To tell the truth, the foldable RJ45 network port is more easily damaged than the fixed one, but in today's world where the thickness of the fuselage is so limited, providing a network port is a commendable thing in itself.
In terms of screen quality, this machine uses a 2.5k 90hz 350nit 100%sRGB matte high-quality IPS screen, taking into account the resolution, brightness, color gamut, eye protection, outdoor use experience, life and other parameters, which is a very good quality in a business notebook. Of course,If you have extremely high requirements for screen quality,Then ZhaoyangX7It also provides a 3k 120hz 400nit 100%DCI-P3Wide color gamut,Support factory color correction and ACM color management screen for users to choose。
Even such a boot page,Zhaoyang X7 can be fully customized。
As a commercial laptop, ultra-high customizability is naturally a major feature of X7. With the help of Lenovo's CTO customized system, this machine can realize the combination of dry hardware, with a minimum order of 1 unit. At the same time, in terms of appearance customization, there are various forms such as inkjet/light engraving/silk screen printing, and you can also customize the boot LOGO/BIOS password/BIOS settings/shielding device ports, etc., and operations such as custom asset tags/RFID tags, hard disk partitions/designated hard disks, installation software/deletion software, image installation/image customization, etc.
The disassembly of this machine is very simple, as long as you unscrew all the screws at the bottom to open the back cover, compared with the previous generation, the ease of maintenance of this machine has risen a step, mainly reflected in two points, first of all, the number of screws on the back cover has been reduced from 9 to 6 in the previous generation, and secondly, the screws support the anti-loss design, to give great praise.
After dismantling, the internal structure of the fuselage is still relatively clear at a glance, this machine uses a heat dissipation module with dual fans and double heat pipes, the heat pipes are blackened, and you can see that the surface of the fan/heat pipe is made of strip-shaped foam as a wind guide wall, this is because this machine also adopts an internal blowing design, which can effectively reduce the surface temperature of the fuselage under high load, and can also strengthen heat dissipation.
In terms of the specific motherboard layout, the core on the left is the GPU, the right is the CPU, and above the CPU are four onboard memory particles, which are covered by a shielding cover, which is also a manifestation of the pursuit of stability in commercial products.
Directly below the GPU is the vertically placed WLAN bit, and on the left is the main hard drive bay. The secondary drive bay is below the fan on the right. On the left side of the fan is the interface board of the machine,The indented hidden USB-A port is still very eye-catching,You can also see that in fact, this machine really has no place to put a full-size SD card slot,Unless the speaker is sacrificed or the USB port is hidden。 In the lower left and right corners of the SSD are the speaker units of the unit, and at the bottom is a huge 85wh battery.
The whole machine can be said to be full, and there is no gap at all. It reflects the extremely high level of design of this machine.
High-performance release + excellent hardware configuration brings large computing power in the AI era
The high-end version of the Zhaoyang X7 in my hand is the first batch to be equipped with an Ultra7-155H processor from Intel. In this year's CPU sequence, the Ultra7-155H processor is in the mid-to-high-end positioning of the H28 series that inherits the original P28/H45, that is, as a descendant of both i7-1360P and i7-13700H, with 6P 8E 2LPE, 16 cores and 22 threads. The lower-end Ultra 5 CPU partially castrates two P-cores, while the higher-end Ultra 9 is identical in the core specs of the CPU. In fact, this kind of high-performance machine,Ultra 9It is also logical,ZhaoyangX7Naturally, there is also this option,If you have budget needsU9,The performance of this machine can be taken to the next level。
Next, let's move on to the performance measurements
In the latest CineBench 2024 test, the 155H on the ThinkBook 14+ scored 107 points for single-core and 1029 points for multi-core. In the R23 test, which we are familiar with, the single/multi-core scores of this machine are 1779/18266 points, respectively, and in the R20, they are 683/7057 points, which can be said to be very good.
And in terms of independent display,The Zhaoyang X7 in my hand is equipped with a RTX4060 independent display that is rare in a small-sized business notebook,AD107 core,have3072CUDA core,Equipped8GB 128bitGDDR6Video memory,Maximum power consumption85w。
The performance of the graphics card part is also very good, TS 9617 points, FS 25151 points, compared with the previous generation score is almost doubled, which is inseparable from the ultra-high energy efficiency ratio of this year's RTX40 series graphics cards and the excellent heat dissipation of this machine.
In the performance measurement part, this machine also obtained a single baking CPU 70w, a single baking graphics card 85w, and a double baking machine 95w super heat dissipation results. This achievement is already a very good result even if it is placed in a consumer-grade small steel cannon notebook, not to mention a business book that focuses on stability and restraint?
Summary:
2024 is the first year of AIPC, and there are many products on the market that claim to be AIPC, but in fact, in such a blue ocean market, the performance of each company can be said to be mixed. There is no hardware, but there is no software to cooperate with AIPC is undoubtedly empty, and it is difficult to bring actual efficiency bonuses to users. At this point in time, Lenovo's commercial AIPC has undoubtedly become a leader in commercial notebooks at this stage through its own excellent hardware design and the blessing of its self-developed agent AI Xiaotian.
If you also want to change to a flagship-level commercial AIPC during the 618 period, then I think the Zhaoyang X7 with excellent performance and rich optional configurations is definitely a choice not to be missed.