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When it comes to home security, video quality is more than just a luxury—it’s a necessity. Clear, detailed footage can make all the difference in identifying potential threats and ensuring your home is well-protected. Ring offers a range of customizable video settings designed to enhance the clarity, usability, and effectiveness of its cameras. Whether you’re a seasoned Ring user or just getting started, understanding these settings can help you get the most out of your system. We’ll explain the key video settings currently available on Ring devices. Each feature plays a critical role in improving your security footage, and we’ll guide you on when and how to use them for the best results. Additionally, we’ll provide step-by-step instructions on how to find and enable each setting. Enable High Dynamic Range (HDR) One of the most significant improvements you can make to the quality of your security video is to enable High Dynamic Range (HDR). If you’ve ever struggled with footage that’s too dark in some areas and too bright in others, HDR could be the solution you’ve been looking for. HDR works by balancing the contrast between the lightest and darkest parts of the image, making it easier to see important details that might otherwise be lost. For example, if your camera is pointed towards a bright street, HDR can help ensure that both the brightly lit area and any shadows are clearly visible. Several Ring devices support HDR, including the Ring Video Doorbell Pro 2 and the Ring Floodlight Cam Wired Pro. (You can find a complete list of HDR-supported cameras at the preceding link.) If you own one of these devices, enabling HDR can significantly improve the quality of your recordings, especially in challenging lighting conditions. However, HDR isn’t always necessary. In some cases, such as in evenly lit environments, turning off HDR can save battery life without sacrificing video quality. It’s all about finding the right balance based on your specific setup. How to access and enable HDR: Open the Ring app on your mobile device. Select the device you want to adjust from the Dashboard. Tap on “Device Settings.” Choose “Video Settings.” Toggle the HDR option to “On.” Opt in to Color Night Vision Night vision is a staple of home security cameras, but traditional night vision often leaves much to be desired when it comes to detail. Color Night Vision takes nighttime footage to the next level by capturing images in full color, rather than the usual black and white. This feature is particularly useful in situations where color details matter, such as identifying the color of a car or a person’s clothing. By using ambient light from sources like street lamps, porch lights, or integrated spotlights/floodlights on the device itself, Ring’s Color Night Vision provides more context to what’s happening after dark. Devices like the Ring Spotlight Cam Pro and the Ring Video Doorbell Elite include Color Night Vision, making them ideal for users who want more than just basic night-time surveillance. (You can find a complete list of Color Night Vision-supported cameras at the preceding link.) While it’s important to note that this feature relies on some level of external lighting, the difference in detail can be substantial compared to standard night vision. Color Night Vision helps in situations where color details matter, such as identifying the color of a car or a person’s clothing. Color Night Vision helps in situations where color details matter, such as identifying the color of a car or a person’s clothing. Michael Ansaldo/Foundry Color Night Vision helps in situations where color details matter, such as identifying the color of a car or a person’s clothing. Michael Ansaldo/Foundry Michael Ansaldo/Foundry How to access and enable Color Night Vision: Open the Ring app on your mobile device. Select your Ring camera from the Dashboard. Tap on “Device Settings.” Go to “Video Settings.” Toggle the “Color Night Vision” option to “On.” TechHive has in-depth reviews of all the best home security cameras and the best video doorbells. Configure Standard Night Vision Michael Brown/Foundry Michael Brown/Foundry Michael Brown/Foundry While Color Night Vision is a compelling upgrade, it’s important not to overlook the tried-and-true standard night vision that most Ring devices still offer. This feature uses infrared light to illuminate the scene in black and white, providing visibility even in complete darkness. One of the main advantages of standard night vision is its consistency. Since it doesn’t rely on external light sources, it can be effective in any dark environment, whether you’re monitoring a dimly lit hallway or an unlit backyard. Additionally, because it’s less power-intensive than Color Night Vision, it’s often the preferred choice for battery-powered devices. Standard night vision is available on almost all Ring cameras, including older and budget-friendly models like the Ring Stick Up Cam and Ring Indoor Cam. How to access and enable standard Night Vision: Standard night vision is the default night vision setting for Ring video doorbells and cameras. To ensure it’s enabled on Ring devices that support Color Night Vision, simply follow the instructions detailed above and toggle the Color Night Vision option to “Off.” Tap Camera Preview for Live View In a potential security incident, every second counts. Ring’s Tap Camera Preview for Live View feature is designed with this in mind, allowing users to jump directly into a live feed with a single tap on the camera preview. This can be particularly handy when you receive a motion alert and want to quickly assess the situation. Most of Ring’s newer models come equipped with this feature, making it easier than ever to keep an eye on your property in real time. It streamlines the user experience, ensuring you’re always just a tap away from seeing what’s happening at your front door or in your backyard. The Tap Camera Preview for Live View feature  allows you to jump directly into a live feed with a single tap on you camera’s preview tile. The Tap Camera Preview for Live View feature  allows you to jump directly into a live feed with a single tap on you camera’s preview tile. Michael Ansaldo/Foundry The Tap Camera Preview for Live View feature  allows you to jump directly into a live feed with a single tap on you camera’s preview tile. Michael Ansaldo/Foundry Michael Ansaldo/Foundry How to access and enable Tap Camera Preview for Live View: Open the Ring app on your mobile device. Select your Ring camera from the Dashboard. Tap on “Device Settings.” Go to “Video Settings.” Toggle the “Tap Camera Preview for Live View” option to “On.” Set up Pre-Roll or Advanced Pre-Roll Typically, motion-triggered cameras begin recording the moment movement is detected, but that often means you miss the crucial few seconds leading up to the event. Pre-Roll changes this by capturing a few seconds of footage before the main recording begins. This feature is particularly useful for those times when you want a complete picture of what’s happening around your property. Whether it’s a delivery person approaching your door or an unexpected visitor lurking in the shadows, Pre-Roll ensures you’re not left guessing about the moments leading up to the alert. Michael Brown/Foundry Michael Brown/Foundry Michael Brown/Foundry There are two types of Pre-Roll available on some Ring devices: Pre-Roll and Advanced Pre-Roll. While both provide valuable context by recording footage before motion is detected, they differ in terms of video quality and functionality. The standard Pre-Roll feature captures four seconds of low-definition black-and-white video without sound before the motion event. Notably, it does not work in low light. It’s available on Video Doorbell 3 Plus, Video Doorbell 4, Battery Video Doorbell Pro, Spotlight Cam Pro Battery/Solar, and Stick Up Cam Pro Battery/Solar models. Advanced Pre-Roll expands on that basic functionality by capturing six seconds of pre-motion footage in full color and high resolution and functioning in all lighting environments, making it easier to identify key details even before the main recording starts. It’s only available on Ring’s wired devices. How to access and enable pre-roll: Open the Ring app on your mobile device. Select the device that supports Pre-Roll from the Dashboard. Tap on “Device Settings.” Go to “Video Settings.” Toggle the “Pre-Roll” option to “On.” Use Picture-in-Picture mode Some Ring cameras have a picture-in-picture mode that can display either camera pre-roll or–if the camera supports it as well–Bird’s Eye View in a small window overlaid on the larger one. This smaller window can be repositioned by dragging it with your fingertip. You can also swap the two video streams by tapping on the picture-in-picture window. Michael Brown/Foundry Michael Brown/Foundry Michael Brown/Foundry How to access and enable Picture-in-Picture: Open the Ring app on your mobile device. Select the device that supports picture-in-picture from the Dashboard. Tap Device Settings. Tap Video Settings. Tap Picture in Picture. Toggle picture-in-picture mode on and then select either Bird’s Eye View or Pre-roll (you can’t choose both). Set Recording Length Another critical aspect of Ring’s video settings is the ability to customize the recording length for each motion event. This feature, which requires a Ring Protect subscription, lets you choose how long your Ring camera will continue recording after detecting motion, which can be crucial for capturing all the necessary details. Adjusting the recording length is particularly important for users with battery-powered devices. Longer recordings can provide more context and ensure you don’t miss anything important, but they also drain the battery more quickly. Conversely, shorter recordings help conserve battery life but might cut off before the entire event has unfolded. Wired devices receive a continuous power supply, so recording length won’t impact battery life. When deciding on the optimal recording length, consider the typical activity in the area your camera monitors. For high-traffic areas, shorter clips might suffice, whereas quieter zones might benefit from longer recordings to capture any unexpected activity fully. It’s also important to remember that longer recordings require more storage, whether saved locally or in the cloud. You should regularly review your storage options and adjust recording lengths accordingly to avoid running out of space. Most Ring devices allow for adjustable recording lengths, but the availability and flexibility of this feature can depend on whether you have a Ring Protect subscription. Without a subscription, you may be limited to shorter recording times, while subscribers can customize recordings to last up to several minutes. The Recording Length setting lets you choose how long your Ring camera will continue recording after detecting motion to ensure you capture all the necessary details. The Recording Length setting lets you choose how long your Ring camera will continue recording after detecting motion to ensure you capture all the necessary details. Michael Ansaldo/Foundry The Recording Length setting lets you choose how long your Ring camera will continue recording after detecting motion to ensure you capture all the necessary details. Michael Ansaldo/Foundry Michael Ansaldo/Foundry How to access and adjust recording length: Open the Ring app on your mobile device. Select the camera you want to adjust from the Dashboard. Tap on “Device Settings.” Choose “Video Settings” “ Choose “Recording Length” and select the duration of the recording based on your preference. Your home, your security Ring’s video settings offer a powerful toolkit for enhancing home security, but the real power lies in how you use them. Whether you’re monitoring a busy front porch, a secluded backyard, or an entire property, these settings provide the flexibility and control needed to keep your home safe. With a little experimentation and attention to detail, you’ll be able to maximize the effectiveness of your Ring devices and enjoy greater peace of mind knowing your home is well-protected. Read...

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I swear to you that I’m not pirating software, movies, or TV shows. Nor am I downloading anything “adult” while I’m working. But I’m still an unabashed fan of Windows Sandbox, which remains the killer selling point of Windows 11 Pro. get windows 11 pro for cheap Windows 11 Pro You probably don’t even know whether you have a laptop with Windows 11 Home or Pro on it. Both versions look exactly the same, and it’s been years since Microsoft released any new Pro-specific features. It’s not even clear whether Microsoft intends to retain the Pro version of the software, for which Microsoft charges $100 more per copy (unless you can find Windows licenses cheaper elsewhere). Our article on the best features of Windows 10 (and now 11) Pro continues to molder, primarily because nothing ever changes. But Windows Sandbox still justifies the upgrade to Windows 11 Pro, because it’s a big, simple airbag to prevent you from colliding with the bad parts of the web. Sandbox, as the name suggests, creates a sandbox, a walled-off version of Windows within Windows. Even if you introduce malware into Sandbox, it will remain there, sequestered from your system, and not infect your PC. And you can eliminate Sandbox (and everything inside of it) with just a click. Windows Sandbox is an optional feature that, even with Windows 11 Pro, you must manually install. The easiest way to do it is to tap the Windows key, to open the search menu, then search for “Windows features.” You’ll see the Control Panel app to “turn Windows features on and off.” Click it, then scroll down the list of checkboxes until you hit the “Windows Sandbox” checkbox and toggle it on. If you don’t have Windows 11 Pro, you may see features like Sandbox grayed-out. Otherwise, toggle it on. If you don’t have Windows 11 Pro, you may see features like Sandbox grayed-out. Otherwise, toggle it on.PCWorld If you don’t have Windows 11 Pro, you may see features like Sandbox grayed-out. Otherwise, toggle it on.PCWorld PCWorld (If you don’t see the Windows Sandbox checkbox, you may not have Windows 10 Pro or Windows 11 Pro. Open the Windows Search menu again, then type “winver.” The small winver (Windows Version) box should report that you have Windows 10 Pro or 11 Pro.) If you’ve enabled Sandbox, Windows may need to download some files and then restart, so make sure you’ve saved your work beforehand. Once Windows reboots, the OS will have enabled Sandbox. Windows is testing out a feature where Sandbox will be considered an app, moving along on its own development cycle. For now, I find it the easiest to simply open Windows Search and search for Sandbox itself. Sandbox is essentially a virtual machine, dedicated to Windows. Launching it will likely take a few seconds or longer. When Sandbox launches, you’ll see a small window with a generic Windows desktop inside of it, like the image at the top of this page. This is important, since it’s essentially a new installation of Windows. You can personalize it, but the strength of Sandbox is that you don’t: It’s just an anonymous version of Windows, without any specific ties to you. So why use Sandbox? Because from here, you can do pretty much anything you can on Windows: surf the web, download apps, and more. If you subscribe to a VPN, you can download the VPN, install it, and gain yet another layer of anonymity. Sandbox is essentially a floating window with Windows inside of it. Here, you can add apps like this VPN for added security. Sandbox is essentially a floating window with Windows inside of it. Here, you can add apps like this VPN for added security.Mark Hachman / IDG Sandbox is essentially a floating window with Windows inside of it. Here, you can add apps like this VPN for added security.Mark Hachman / IDG Mark Hachman / IDG Sandbox isn’t particularly useful for something that’s usually safe and secure, like opening Microsoft 365 and writing an email. If you do have an untrusted attachment within an email, however, you can open Outlook, download the email, and then check it out within Sandbox. Say you receive a suspicious link, too: If it does harbor malware or a rootkit, Sandbox is designed to keep it within its walls, rather than spreading to your actual Windows install. That malware can theoretically attack anything within Sandbox, however, which is another reason for maintaining anonymity within Sandbox. Sandbox isn’t 100 percent secure; nothing is, really. But to attack your “main” version of Windows, a hacker would have to break out of your VPN (assuming you’re running one), break out of a sandboxed browser like Chrome or Edge, then break out of Sandbox itself to attack Windows. Possible, of course, but unlikely. And Windows’ own security mechanisms will work within Sandbox. One risk that you do run, however, is when you move a file from within Sandbox to the primary version of Windows. Sandbox allows you to do this. However, if there’s malware attached to that file, such as a PDF, you do run the risk of infecting your PC. I always think of Sandbox as a infectious disease laboratory, where scientists work with waldos and other mechanisms to interact with diseases inside of a secure environment. to get windows sandbox, you need win11 pro. get it cheap here! Windows 11 Pro You’ll probably find that it takes a bit of time and effort to set up a Sandbox environment with whatever protections you wish to add, so a persistent instance of Sandbox might make sense at times. Closing Sandbox, however, is as easy as closing the Sandbox window. You’ll receive a warning: Closing Sandbox erases everything inside of it, including downloaded files and apps. But if a virus starts playing havoc with your Sandbox, you can also shut it down and it will/should all disappear, too. The only thing I don’t like about Sandbox is that most PCs these days ship with a Windows 11 Home license, which makes a Windows 11 Pro machine so much more valuable. It’s basically worth the price of the upgrade itself! Read...

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Microsoft has released a white paper of sorts outlining what the company is doing to secure user data within Windows Recall, the controversial Windows feature that takes snapshots of your activity for later searching. As of late last night, Microsoft still hasn’t said whether they will release Recall to the Windows Insider channels for further testing as originally planned. In fact, Microsoft’s paper says very little about Recall as a product or when they will push Recall live to the public. Recall was first launched back in May as part of the Windows 11 24H2 update and it uses the local AI capabilities of Copilot+ PCs. The idea is that Recall captures periodic snapshots of your screen, then uses optical character recognition plus AI-driven techniques to translate and understand your activity. If you need to revisit something from earlier but don’t remember what it was or where it was stored, Recall steps in. However, Recall was seen as a privacy risk and was subsequently withdrawn from its intended public launch, with Microsoft saying that Windows Recall would later re-release in October. Microsoft latest post, authored by vice president of OS and enterprise security David Weston, details how the company intends to protect data within Recall. Though journalists previously found that Recall was “on” by default with an opt out, it will now be opt in for everyone. Users will be offered a “clear” choice on whether they want to use Recall, said Weston, and even after Recall is opted into, you can later opt out or even remove it entirely from Windows. What you’ll see as part of the “out of the box experience” with Windows 11 and Windows Recall. What you’ll see as part of the “out of the box experience” with Windows 11 and Windows Recall.Microsoft What you’ll see as part of the “out of the box experience” with Windows 11 and Windows Recall.Microsoft Microsoft The post goes into more detail about how data is stored within Windows, which has become one of the focal points of Recall’s controversy. In May, cybersecurity researcher Kevin Beaumont tweeted that Recall stored snapshots in “plain text,” and he published screenshots of what the database looked like within Windows. Beaumont has since deleted his tweet and removed the image of the database from his blog post outlining his findings. Alex Hagenah then published “TotalRecall,” a tool designed to extract information from the Recall stored files, as reported by Wired. That tool, stored on a GitHub page, still includes screenshots of the Recall database, or at least what was accessible at the time. Microsoft never publicly confirmed Beaumont’s findings, and doesn’t refer to them in its latest post. The company’s representatives also did not return written requests for further comment. Microsoft now says that Recall data is always encrypted and stored within what it calls the Virtualization-based Security Enclave, or VBS Enclave. That VBS Enclave can only be unlocked via Windows Hello Enhanced Sign-in Security, and the only data that ever leaves the VBS Enclave is whatever the user explicitly asks for. (PIN codes are only accepted after the user has added a Windows Hello key.) A technical diagram of how Recall stores data, according to Microsoft. A technical diagram of how Recall stores data, according to Microsoft.Microsoft A technical diagram of how Recall stores data, according to Microsoft.Microsoft Microsoft “Biometric credentials must be enrolled to search Recall content. Using VBS Enclaves with Windows Hello Enhanced Sign-in Security allows data to be briefly decrypted while you use the Recall feature to search,” Microsoft said. “Authorization will time out and require the user to authorize access for future sessions. This restricts attempts by latent malware trying to ‘ride along’ with a user authentication to steal data.” Weston also strove to make it clear that if you use “private browsing,” Recall never captures screenshots. (It’s not clear whether this applies only to Edge or to other browsers as well.) Recall snapshots can be deleted, including by a range of dates. And an icon in the system tray will flash when a screenshots is saved. What we don’t know is whether Recall will store deeply personal data (like passwords) within Recall. “Sensitive content filtering is on by default and helps reduce passwords, national ID numbers, and credit card numbers from being stored in Recall.” (Emphasis mine.) Microsoft said they have designed Recall to be part of a “zero trust” environment, where the VBS Enclave can only be unlocked after it’s deemed secure. But trust will be an issue for consumers, too. It appears that Microsoft is at least offering controls to turn off Recall if users are worried about what the feature will track. Further reading: The various ways Windows 11 collects your personal data and how to opt out Read...

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At a glanceExpert`s Rating Pros Windows and Android in one device A better “2-in-1” experience than the average 2-in-1 Decent PC performance with good build quality cons Expensive Attaching the screen feels a little clunky Very few ports A separate Windows laptop and Android tablet may be more convenient Our Verdict This machine combines a Windows laptop and Android tablet. It’s expensive, but there’s nothing else like it. Price When Reviewed This value will show the geolocated pricing text for product undefined Best Pricing Today Best Prices Today: Lenovo ThinkBook Plus Gen 5 Hybrid Retailer Price Lenovo $3518 View Deal Price comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwide Product Price Price comparison from Backmarket The Lenovo ThinkBook Plus Gen 5 Hybrid (Station & Tab) is truly a 2-in-1 laptop, combining a 14-inch Windows laptop and an Android tablet in one unusually interesting form factor. You can detach this laptop’s screen and use it as an Android tablet. Or you can press a button on the keyboard to instantly swap between Windows laptop and Android laptop modes. Yes, this really is two computers in one. You can even plug the base of the laptop (aka the Station) into an external monitor and use it separately from the screen while the screen (aka the Tab) functions as an independent Android tablet. Plus, Lenovo includes a stylus and an easel stand for this machine. There’s a lot going on here. I’m happy this machine exists – it feels like the type of product I’d see at a tech show like CES or IFA, where the hardware manufacturer would say it’s an experimental device that isn’t planned for a real release. But this is a real machine that Lenovo is selling today and that’s awesome, even if the $3,500 price point will be more than many people will want to spend. Further reading: Best laptops 2024: Premium, budget, gaming, 2-in-1s, and more Lenovo ThinkBook Plus Gen 5 Hybrid: Specs The Lenovo ThinkBook Plus Gen 5 Hybrid includes an Intel Core Ultra 7 155H CPU. This is one of Intel’s Meteor Lake CPUs. With Lunar Lake on the horizon, it’s important to note that this machine doesn’t have a fast enough NPU to get Copilot+ PC features, if that’s important to you. Lunar Lake-powered systems will also likely have much better battery life and performance – if you believe Intel’s promises. (We haven’t had a chance to benchmark them yet). You’re also getting 32GB of RAM along with Intel Arc graphics. It’s a reasonable setup, although people who want more powerful discrete graphics for gaming or content creation work will need to look elsewhere. I’ve included the specs of the base station – the Intel Windows PC — in the below list. The ThinkBook Plus G5 Tab has its own hardware: A Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 processor, Qualcomm Adreno GPU, 12GB of RAM, and 256GB of storage. It also has its own 38.7 Watt-hour battery. CPU: Intel Core Ultra 7 155H Memory: 32GB LPDDRX5 RAM Graphics/GPU: Intel Arc graphics Display: 2880×1800 OLED display with 60Hz refresh rate Storage: 1 TB SSD Webcam: 1080p webcam with physical shutter switch on the front, 13MP autofocus camera on the back Connectivity: 2x USB Type-C (Thunderbolt 4 / USB4), 1x combo audio jack Networking: Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.3 Biometrics: IR camera for facial recognition, fingerprint reader (in the power button) Battery capacity: 75 Watt-hours for Station, 38.7 Watt-hours for Tab Dimensions: 0.63 x 12.3 x 9.2 inches combined (0.37 x 12.3 x 9.2 inches for Station and 0.26 x 12.3 x 8.8 inches for Tab) Weight: 3.87 pounds combined (2.14 pounds for Station and 1.73 pounds for Tab) MSRP: $3,518 as tested The Lenovo ThinkBook Plus Gen 5 Hybrid is a very cool machine. I’m glad Lenovo is creating interesting and unique experiences like this one and bringing them to market. Lenovo ThinkBook Plus Gen 5 Hybrid: Design and build quality IDG / Chris Hoffman IDG / Chris Hoffman IDG / Chris Hoffman The Lenovo ThinkBook Plus Gen 5 Hybrid has a smart design. It’s incredibly solid, made out of silver and gray aluminum with a very dense feeling. At 3.87 pounds, it’s heavier than the average “thin-and-light” 14-inch laptop. That’s no surprise, as this machine includes two separate computers. There’s much more weight in the screen than there is in an average laptop – that has to be the case, as the screen can function as an Android tablet when detached from the device. I’m a big fan of the design overall. The average 2-in-1 laptop simply has a hinge that can rotate 360 degrees. So sure, you can rotate it back, but then you’re using an incredibly heavy tablet and you feel the keyboard’s keys on the back of the tablet. With this machine, you just pop the display off: Rotate the screen so that it’s at a 90-degree angle relative to the keyboard, and then pull the screen up and away from the base station. The mechanism that attaches the screen to the base station of the laptop is incredibly solid, and the hinge works smoothly while it’s attached. The weight of the screen isn’t a problem for the hinge. This is a more solid hinge than you’ll find on the average laptop. IDG / Chris Hoffman IDG / Chris Hoffman IDG / Chris Hoffman Still, there’s a problem I have to highlight: The display-attaching process doesn’t quite feel like I think it should. When I received the laptop, I attached the screen to the base station by snapping it into place. The screen didn’t stay fully closed. Lenovo informed me that this was because the display wasn’t securely attached to the base station. To attach the display to the base station, I had to press down much harder than I expected until it snapped into place. The mechanism did seem to break in over time, becoming easier to attach — and with less force — than it was the first time I used it. But, weeks later on my review unit, I still had to press down separately on the right side of the screen and then on the left side to make each side snap securely into place. It’s not a huge problem once I got a feel for how to attach it, but ideally it would work more smoothly. That being said, I still prefer this detachable screen to a 2-in-1 experience that requires your fingers are resting on a keyboard on the back of a screen. Unlike other 2-in-1 machines like Microsoft’s Surface Pro, you’re also getting a full Android environment when the screen is detached. That’s a big deal – while I love Windows, we all know that Android is a more touch-optimized environment that has more touch-first tablet applications. The main issue with using this machine as an Android tablet is the screen size. That 14-inch 16:10 screen is great in laptop mode. However, in tablet mode, it’s unusually large and perhaps a little unwieldy. Lenovo also includes an easel-style stand for this machine along with an active pen, however. That’s a hint that this machine is more designed for content creation, even in tablet mode. Lenovo ThinkBook Plus Gen 5 Hybrid: How does the Android integration work? IDG / Chris Hoffman IDG / Chris Hoffman IDG / Chris Hoffman You can detach the ThinkBook Plus Gen 5 Hybrid’s screen to have it function as an Android tablet. (You can’t use the screen as a separate Windows tablet, though: The Windows PC hardware is in the base of the laptop while the Android hardware is in the display). You can also use this machine as an Android laptop. The keyboard has a special function key where the Insert key is. Marked by a sticker that comes on the laptop, this key will swap between Windows mode and Android mode. It takes one or two seconds to swap between environments, like if you were flipping an internal KVM switch to switch between devices. I’ve never used a laptop that ran two operating systems at once and let me switch between them at the press of a key. It’s a neat idea. Lenovo also bundles software that lets you access the Android environment in a window on your Windows desktop. You’re able to run Android software in a window without emulation – it’s running right on the hardware in the display part of the machine. A Hybrid Center application included with the PC provides one place to set things up and learn how to use these hybrid features. The Windows PC and Android system have separate storage. To ease file transfers, Lenovo bundles Hybrid Folder software. Once you pair the Windows and Android sides of the laptop, changes you make to this folder – including files you add and remove – will by synced to the other machine. It can even sync wirelessly if the Gen 5 Hybrid’s screen is removed. It works pretty well, but it’s once again a reminder that this Hybrid machine is two separate computers: A Station and a Tab. For example, if you’re connecting to a Wi-Fi network, you’ll need to enter the network’s passphrase in both Windows and Android to use it in each environment. Settings like this don’t sync between each system. Lenovo ThinkBook Plus Gen 5 Hybrid: Keyboard and trackpad IDG / Chris Hoffman IDG / Chris Hoffman IDG / Chris Hoffman The full-size keyboard on the Lenovo ThinkBook Plus Gen 5 Hybrid works well, both in Windows laptop mode and Android laptop mode. It’s a high-quality keyboard. I feel like I’ve used snappier laptop keyboards with crisper key action, but I had no problem sitting down at the laptop and accurately typing at a high speed. This machine’s trackpad also works well. It’s plenty large, the click action feels pleasantly clicky, and the surface is smooth to the touch. Palm rejection worked well while I was typing. It’s not quite as nice as new haptic touchpads found on machines like Microsoft’s Surface Laptop 7, but those aren’t widespread yet. Lenovo also includes a pen with this package. It works in both Android and Windows, and it can attach magnetically to the lid of the laptop. Lenovo ThinkBook Plus Gen 5 Hybrid: Display and speakers IDG / Chris Hoffman IDG / Chris Hoffman IDG / Chris Hoffman The Lenovo ThinkBook Plus Gen 5 Hybrid has a 14-inch 2880×1800 OLED display with a 60Hz refresh rate. Naturally, this is a touch screen and the touch screen functions in both Windows and Android modes. The screen looks beautiful, which is no surprise for a 2.8K OLED display. However, some displays do have higher refresh rates than 60Hz. Though it’s a glossy display, it had enough brightness to work well outside on a sunny day. The Station and Tab have separate speaker systems here. In laptop mode, you’re getting the best speaker setup — no surprise there. This machine can output a surprising amount of volume while the audio remains clear, and it has decent bass for a 14-inch laptop, too. Lenovo ThinkBook Plus Gen 5 Hybrid: Webcam, microphone, biometrics The Lenovo ThinkBook Plus Gen 5 Hybrid has a 1080p webcam integrated into the Tab portion – the screen, in other words. It’s a solid webcam that produces a good picture. You also get access to the AI-powered Windows Studio Effects for features like background blur and faked eye contact in any application. There’s also a physical shutter switch above the webcam that blocks the webcam, which is always a nice privacy feature. This machine also has a dual-camera array on the back, just like a smartphone would. It’s a 13MP auto-focusing camera along with a 5MP wide camera with a flash. This feature doesn’t just work in Android – it’s also accessible in apps like the Camera app on Windows. It probably won’t replace your smartphone camera – modern high-end smartphones have cameras with more megapixels. But it’s nice to have and it’s the kind of feature included with tablets. The microphone sounds good and picked up my voice well even in an environment with a good amount of background noise. Between that and the webcam, this is a great machine for online meetings. The Lenovo ThinkBook Plus Gen 5 Hybrid includes both an IR camera for facial recognition and a fingerprint reader. The fingerprint reader is part of the power button at the right side of the laptop. Both worked well — and the machine also offers facial recognition for signing into the Android tablet environment. Lenovo ThinkBook Plus Gen 5 Hybrid: Connectivity IDG / Chris Hoffman IDG / Chris Hoffman IDG / Chris Hoffman The connectivity options on the Lenovo ThinkBook Plus Gen 5 Hybrid are somewhat minimal. You’re getting two USB Type-C ports – one on the left, and one on the right. You’ll use one of these ports to charge the laptop. You’re also getting a combo audio jack port on the left. That’s it. When the screen is detached from the base station and functioning as an Android tablet, you’ll get one USB Type-C port on the screen. This provides a way to charge the tablet and connect devices to it even while it’s not connected to the base station. There’s no way around it: Many people are going to want additional ports on a $3,500 laptop, including USB Type-A ports, microSD card slots, HDMI out ports, or even just more USB Type-C ports. This machine includes Wi-Fi 6E hardware, and it worked well. Wi-Fi 7 would be nice to see – especially at this price point – and it should be standard on future laptops that move beyond Intel’s Meteor Lake hardware. Lenovo ThinkBook Plus Gen 5 Hybrid: Performance While the Lenovo ThinkBook Plus Gen 5 Hybrid may include Android hardware, the PC hardware in the Station is no slouch. The Lenovo ThinkBook Plus Gen 5 Hybrid performed well in day-to-day Windows PC productivity applications. We’d be shocked if it didn’t thanks to its capable Intel Core Ultra 7 155H CPU, 32GB of RAM, and high-end-for-integrated-graphics Intel Arc graphics. As always, though we ran the Lenovo ThinkBook Plus Gen 5 Hybrid through our standard benchmarks to see how it performs. Note that we focused on benchmarking the Lenovo ThinkBook Plus Gen 5 Hybrid as a Windows laptop. IDG / Chris Hoffman IDG / Chris Hoffman IDG / Chris Hoffman First, we run PCMark 10 to get an idea of overall system performance. In this benchmark, the Lenovo ThinkBook Plus Gen 5 Hybrid delivered a very respectable score of 7,398 and beat out other Intel Core Ultra 7 155H-powered systems. IDG / Chris Hoffman IDG / Chris Hoffman IDG / Chris Hoffman Next, we run Cinebench R20. This is a heavily multithreaded benchmark that focuses on overall CPU performance. It’s a quick benchmark, so cooling under extended workloads isn’t a factor. But, since it’s heavily multithreaded, CPUs with more cores have a huge advantage. With an average score of 5,181, the Gen 5 Hybrid falls behind some similar laptops here, including the HP Omen Transcend 14 gaming laptop, which is also a 14-inch laptop and has a similar CPU. IDG / Chris Hoffman IDG / Chris Hoffman IDG / Chris Hoffman We also run an encode with Handbrake. This is another heavily multithreaded benchmark, but it runs over an extended period. This demands the laptop’s cooling kick in, and many laptops will throttle and slow down under load. The ThinkBook Plus Gen 5 Hybrid completed the encode process in 1,707 seconds, which is about 28 and a half minutes. That’s a rather low score compared to other laptops with the same CPU and suggests thermal throttling under load here. This machine likely isn’t the ideal workhorse system if you’re performing CPU-heavy tasks and need sustained high CPU performance. (On the other hand, the PCMark 10 score suggests it’s better than similar systems for general desktop productivity performance). IDG / Chris Hoffman IDG / Chris Hoffman IDG / Chris Hoffman Next, we run a graphical benchmark. This isn’t a gaming laptop, but it’s still good to check how the GPU performs. We run 3Dmark Time Spy, a graphical benchmark that focuses on GPU performance. With a score of 3,916, this machine falls behind because of its Intel Arc graphics. The chart here shows how much more performance you can expect if you go for discrete Nvidia graphics in a laptop. However, unless you’re playing games on this laptop or using professional applications that need a GPU, you won’t notice a difference and the Intel Arc graphics will do the job well. Overall, the Lenovo ThinkBook Plus Gen 5 Hybrid delivers fine overall application performance on par with many other Intel Meteor Lake-powered laptops. It’s not the ideal gaming laptop thanks to its CPU. And, due to the thermal throttling, it’s not the ideal system for people who need to perform demanding CPU-heavy tasks for long periods of time. But the day-to-day desktop application performance is very solid, as the PCMark 10 score highlights. Lenovo ThinkBook Plus Gen 5 Hybrid: Battery life The Lenovo ThinkBook Plus Gen 5 Hybrid includes a 75 Watt-hour battery. In day-to-day desktop use, it delivered similar battery life to many other Intel Core Ultra 7 155H laptops I’ve used. Battery life was reasonable — although, like most Intel Meteor Lake-powered PCs I’ve used, it didn’t quite deliver “all-day battery life” when using basic productivity applications like Microsoft Word, OneNote, Slack, and Google Chrome. IDG / Chris Hoffman IDG / Chris Hoffman IDG / Chris Hoffman To benchmark the battery life, we play a 4K copy of Tears of Steel on repeat in the Movies & TV app on Windows 11 with airplane mode enabled until the laptop suspends itself. We set the screen to 250 nits of brightness for our battery benchmarks. This is a best-case scenario for any laptop since local video playback is so efficient, and real battery life in day-to-day use is always going to be less than this. Also, this machine has an advantage in this benchmark because it has an OLED display, which means it uses less power to display the black bars beside the video during playback. The Lenovo ThinkBook Plus Gen 5 Hybrid lasted for an average of 806 minutes in our battery life benchmark. That’s nearly 13 and a half hours. Of course, you won’t get that much battery life in real use. It’s worth noting that Lenovo says you’ll get better battery life when using the laptop as an Android laptop instead of a Windows laptop. So, when the battery is getting low, you could switch to an Android experience to prolong your usage. Lenovo ThinkBook Plus Gen 5 Hybrid: Conclusion The Lenovo ThinkBook Plus Gen 5 Hybrid is a very cool machine. I’m glad Lenovo is creating interesting and unique experiences like this one and bringing them to market. (I was also impressed by the dual-screen Lenovo Yoga Book 9i laptop, which I reviewed earlier this year). The elephant in the room is the price. $3,518 is a lot of money for a laptop. For that much money, you could get both a capable Windows laptop and a high-quality Android tablet. You could use both devices at once. In fact, you’d probably spend less than $3,518 on that dual-device setup – even if you splurged. Many people looking at a machine like this one may prefer a 2-in-1 that runs Windows in both modes, like Microsoft’s Surface Pro. Other people may want a separate Windows laptop and Android tablet. Or, if you just want a laptop that runs Android apps, you may want to get a Chromebook. I wish the mechanism for attaching the display worked more smoothly and didn’t feel so clunky to use. But I got used to it, and some people are going to love this machine. There’s nothing else like this on the market. If you want a two-in-one Windows and Android experience like this one, there’s no substitute. Read...