Lenovo unveils ThinkSmart One Pro for smarter hybrid meetings

Lenovo has announced the ThinkSmart One Pro, an all-in-one collaboration bar designed for small meeting spaces and home offices.

The ThinkSmart One Pro is marketed as the world's first collaboration bar to run Windows 11 IoT Enterprise, featuring an embedded Intel Core i5 processor alongside Intel vPro technology. According to the company, the solution supports widely used video conferencing platforms, including Microsoft Teams Rooms and Zoom Rooms, aiming to enhance the productivity and effectiveness of compact meeting environments.

This device integrates compute functions, artificial intelligence-powered audio, and smart camera technology within a wall-mountable bar. The design intention is to ensure clear visual and audio engagement for all conference participants, whether present in the room or joining remotely.

Collaboration features

The ThinkSmart One Pro features a high-resolution camera that enables AI-driven dynamic composition and intelligent zoom, allowing the camera to automatically frame participants during calls. Another function, video fencing, blocks out unwanted background areas, sustaining a professional look and feel for remote meeting attendees.

Audio is delivered via eight built-in microphones, which provide 180-degree wide-range coverage. Integrated Digital Signal Processing handles echo cancellation, noise suppression, and audio level balancing. Lenovo states that these features are intended to ensure everyone is audible, regardless of volume. In addition, stereo speakers with a 15-watt typical power output are included to offer enhanced audio coverage throughout the meeting space.

The device also incorporates a Bring-Your-Own-Device mode, enabling users to connect their Lenovo laptops and utilise the bar's built-in audio-visual hardware across various conferencing platforms, including Microsoft Teams, Zoom, Webex and Google Meet. This flexibility aims to cater to organisations with diversified software environments.

User experience and security

LED indicator lights on the device provide participants with information regarding power, mute status, and camera activity. A manual privacy shutter on the integrated camera is included to address security and privacy concerns during meetings.

Knowledge workers everywhere highly value well-equipped spaces enabling the latest AI-powered features and applications for meeting and collaborating. With the ThinkSmart One Pro, Lenovo is providing technology that's ubiquitous, equitable and seamless so more rooms can be transformed to smarter collaboration spaces and more team members can get more done.

These are the words of Marcus Kennedy, General Manager, Commercial Solutions at Lenovo, who emphasised the needs of today's knowledge workers and the company's aim to facilitate improved collaboration experiences.

Support and management

For the first three years, Lenovo offers virtual deployment installation and integration support, as well as remote check-ins and assistance with security updates to keep ThinkSmart devices functioning optimally. Users can manage meeting experiences through either the ThinkSmart Controller or the Lenovo IP Controller, both of which are equipped with a 10.1-inch, 10-point touch display. The familiar Microsoft Teams Rooms interface is preloaded, enabling intuitive meeting control, content sharing, and communication. The Lenovo IP Controller addresses demand for HDMI on-table connectivity and offers Power over Ethernet (PoE) support.

ThinkSmart Manager is pre-installed to provide IT teams with the capability to remotely deploy, monitor, manage, and update multiple ThinkSmart devices from a single platform. The ThinkSmart One Pro purchases include a ThinkSmart Premium licence for the initial year.

Availability and specifications

The ThinkSmart One Pro will be available in selected global markets starting in the third quarter of the year. EMEA pricing is set at EUR €3,038 (excluding VAT) for the ThinkSmart One Pro with a USB Controller, and EUR €3,430 (excluding VAT) for the version with an IP Controller.

Key technical specifications include an Intel Core i5 processor 1145G7E, 16GB DDR4 memory, 256GB PCIe Gen 4 SSD storage, and Intel Iris Xe Graphics. The 10.1-inch controller display offers 1280×800 resolution with a 16:10 aspect ratio. Audio features include stereo speakers and eight microphones with 180-degree coverage, while video is managed through a Full HD camera with 100-degree horizontal and 68-degree vertical field of view.