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Lenovo just unveiled its new line of Aura Edition laptops in partnership with Intel, and they’re full of features that, if nothing else, are attention-grabbing. One of the most noteworthy is the new auto-rotating laptops that open and close on their own , something I tried out first-hand at a recent demo.

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On the software side, Lenovo’s Aura Edition laptops also come with a host of AI-infused “smart modes.” The ability to set your laptop in different modes isn’t anything new, but Lenovo’s smart modes use AI to go beyond “battery saver” or “performance mode” for some pretty clever features.

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So, how do these work? Essentially, each “mode” houses a handful of features you can toggle on or off. If you turn the mode on, those features will work in the background and prompt an alert if its needs are met. For example, if Wellness Mode is active, and you have posture alerts enabled, the device uses the camera to alert you if it senses you’re slouching.

Here are some of the most interesting features I saw during my hands-on briefing with two new Lenovo Aura Edition laptops: the ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 13 and the Lenovo Yoga Slim 7i.

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Smart Share

One of the more immediately useful features I saw is the new Smart Share function. Simply giving your laptop a good whack with your phone activates a window that brings up a handful of your most recent photos that you can simply drag and drop onto your computer.

Kyle Kucharski/ZDNET

It’s… funny and kind of strange, but useful. Being able to drag-and-drop a photo you just snapped – no AirDrop needed – is sweet. And yes, it works with both iPhones and Android phones: all you need to do is download the Intel Unison app on your phone and then pair it with your laptop.

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During a demo of this feature, I found there might still be some kinks to work out with the sensor, as sometimes it worked better than other times. I’m assuming that the Elliptic Labs AI virtual sensor detects proximity to the paired device with a good bonk.

Kyle Kucharski/ZDNET

Besides the Smart Share features, there are four different “modes” that activate various features. You can toggle each feature on or off individually, to avoid being bombarded with different prompts. Here are the most impactful ones I saw during my time trying the new laptops.

Shield Mode

• The Privacy Alert setting uses the camera to notify you if someone is looking at your laptop screen over your shoulder. Additionally, you can have it automatically blur the screen or turn it off altogether in case someone is detected snooping.
• The VPN auto-launch feature will start your preferred VPN automatically upon connecting to any public Wi-Fi network, a handy function if you spend a lot of time working in coffee shops.

Attention Mode

• In order to mitigate distractions, you can temporarily shut off notifications and set timers to help you get your work done.

Kyle Kucharski/ZDNET

Collaboration Mode

• Designed mostly for virtual meetings, activating this mode enables your preset camera features, such as background blur, low light enhancer, or touch ups.

Wellness Mode

• Activating this mode uses the camera to sense if you’re slouching, and then prompts you to sit up straight. Additionally, the eye strain feature reminds you to take breaks if you’ve been staring at the screen for too long.

All in all, the different modes each have features that are useful, and I will say that it’s nice to be able to toggle them on or off individually. I can see the usefulness of having your laptop give you a posture check or smart privacy alerts, but these features also come with some pretty obvious security concerns.

Also: I demoed Lenovo’s auto-swiveling ThinkBook at IFA 2024, and it’s as bizarre as it sounds

I’d be wary of having my laptop’s camera sensors on me at all times, watching my activity to detect whether I’m slouching or whether my eyes look tired, regardless of the fact that everything is supposed to be local to the device.

We’ll definitely be doing some additional testing of the smart modes when we get our hands on some of the new Aura Edition laptops to see how they fare in practice.

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