A Road Warriors Laptop of Choice
This list of the Best ThinkPad travel accessories highlights how the road warriors favourite laptop can become a portable office.
During its illustrious 25 year history the ThinkPad, at times, may not have been the most desirable laptop but its pedigree never wavered.
Today, nearly 3 decades on from when IBM first released it, Lenovo is now at the helm and taking the ThinkPad brand to new heights. The new X1 Carbon is a testament to that fact! With #CES2019 and #MWC2019 now over, and after plenty of new hardware from Lenovo, I thought I’d ask the question… What are the must-have ThinkPad Accessories for travelling?
ThinkVision M14 Monitor
Announced during Mobile World Congress 2019, and due on sale later this year, the M14, a second monitor for travelling, already looks to be a hit with ThinkPad owners.
During a post-MWC meeting with Matt Bereda (Lenovo Vice President of Consumer Marketing) and Kevin Beck (Lenovo Worldwide Competitive Analyst), they both talked about the hype and sheer volume of enquiries after the announcement.
Before the M14 has even gone on sale it has earned a place on the Best ThinkPad Travel accessories list!
The 14″ HD IPS Ultra-slim display weighs less than 600g and is only 4.6mm thick. There is no need for a wall socket as both, power and video, are delivered via a single USB-C cable.
To achieve such a slim display, Lenovo has placed the working parts into the monitor stand, putting most of the weight low down, providing a better balance. The stand is adjustable to just over a 90º swing and is accompanied by an adjustable foot to provide the best possible viewing angle wherever you may be working.
The ThinkVision M14 Mobile Monitor will be available later in 2019. Price TBC.
ThinkPad Pen Pro
If the Yoga line is what you prefer then the ThinkPad Pen Pro is a must-have addition to your workstation. Designed for digital creatives, the Pen Pro and a folded Yoga deliver a near-real ink writing experience. No more notepad and biro!
With over 2,000 levels of pressure sensitivity, the Pen Pro enables artistic minds to realise their ideas into a digital form, and with action buttons on either side, it’s perfect for left and right-handers!
The Pen Pro is supported on the following ThinkPad models:
- X1 Tablet
- P50
- P70
- Yoga 460
- P40
- Yoga 260
- X1 Yoga 2nd Gen
- S1 Yoga 12”
- ThinkPad Yoga 14”
- ThinkPad Yoga 15”
- 11e
- ThinkPad 10
- Helix
The ThinkPad Pen Pro is £39/$38 direct from Lenovo.
ThinkPad X1 ANC Headphones
Most frequent travellers will already own a pair, or two, of decent headphones, but none would complement their ThinkPad quite like these! The new ThinkPad inspired X1 ANC Headphones were released during Mobile World Congress 2019 and will have already piqued the interest of any power users.
A clear focus has been placed on conference calls as the main need for the X1s. There are six microphones along with Active Noise Cancelling (ANC) and Environmental Noise Cancellation (ENC) technologies all built-in, online calls should always be clear and sharp!
The On-ear aluminium finished cups form part of a fold-flat design for easy storage. You can expect up to 20 hours of usage from a single charge that takes under 2 hours from flat!
ThinkPad X1 ANC Headphones will be around $149 and go on sale in June.
Lenovo USB-C 6 Port Hub
Ports are a hot topic when it comes to modern-day laptops. Do you go for an Ultra-Slim notebook with no ports or a full-bodied version with ports? And then, does it have the right amount you need! Nowadays, many of us need a hub!
The Lenovo 6-in-1 USB-C hub has been one of the better hubs I’ve trialled in recent months, and despite only being branded as Lenovo but sold via 3rd party retailers; it still earns a place on this list!
Finished in a dark Grey aluminium casing, it looks great when paired with your ThinkPad. The 6 Ports are:
- Gigabit Ethernet (RJ45)
- SD Card Reader
- 2 x USB 3.0
- 1 x USB-C
- HDMI
Add this to your ThinkPad whilst on the road and you’ll have a mobile office wherever you are!
The Lenovo USB-C 6-in-1 Hub is sold via Amazon for £44.99.
ThinkPad Professional 15.6-inch Backpack
This wouldn’t be a {Tech} for Travel list without some luggage to protect your tech! The Pro Backpack is the perfect companion for all your ThinkPad hardware and would comfortably fit everything on this list in, along with your laptop, with room to spare!
The very slick looking backpack has a padded notebook pocket that can handle up to a 15.6″ device and has a separate tablet pocket for that new M14 monitor. At the front is a quick access pouch with just a hint of TrackPoint Red finishing just under the ThinkPad logo.
The ThinkPad Professional 15.6-inch Backpack is $89/£82.80, but with code ANNUALSALE10 and an included instant savings discount, it is currently $64.79 (while offers last).
Join the Conversation
Are you a ThinkPad user? What would you add to the Best ThinkPad Travel accessories list? Are you a non-ThinkPad road warrior? If so, what is your choice in laptop and why?
Leave a comment below, or join the conversation on Twitter.
Visit Lenovo.com for more information.