The best laptops to power your favorite hobbies

Technology has opened up the world of the hobbyist. Our devices give us access to a wide — and sometimes wonderfully weird — world of niche interests alongside pastimes like gaming, working out, and traveling.

These downtime activities can actually help with productivity. Learning a new skill fosters problem-solving and critical-thinking. Exercise supports better time management and mindfulness helps build resilience. Building your own furniture — there’s probably some neuroscience there, too, but it’s also just plain impressive.

But even those screen-free hobbies usually require some form of screen — to read a recipe, follow a how-to video, or jump into a dance class. Tech designed to balance work and life can help you keep the boundaries you set — and set a reminder for your midday yoga class. Here are the best Lenovo laptops and tablets for powering your hobbies of choice.

Discover your inner artist or author

You’ve got everything you need at your fingertips and across-the-room talking-distance with a built-in Alexa voice assistant in the Yoga 9i (14") 2-in-1 Laptop. Stay on top of your to-do list, or switch it up to take a break. The 14-inch touchscreen is nearly 90% surface area, giving you plenty of room to write, draw, and sketch. For added flexibility, you can use it like a tablet, prop it up like an easel, or rotate the soundbar. Any way you flip it, having interests outside of work is good.

Whether you’re illustrating a graphic novel, journaling, or composing haiku poetry, the pen has an elastomer point to mimic the friction of paper (there’s also a convenient garage for parking the pen and not losing it). Even just doodling can help your brain reset when your attention starts to wane after a long team meeting.

Travel more and push your PTO to the limit

Worried about a screeching parrot blowing your WFH (work from hotel) cover? The ThinkPad L14 Gen 2 Laptop makes it easy to fly the coop and stay connected. This rough-and-tumble business machine is road-ready — even on bumpy dirt roads. It has been tested to meet 12 military-grade requirements, and has a powerful processor, pro-level graphics, and hefty memory for your most extreme business needs.

It's tooled to work in up to 98% humidity and altitudes up to 15,000 feet, and resist sand and dust, among other conditions. When you’re traveling, take advantage of noise-cancelling for VoIP calls and highly underrated function keys (F10 to answer and F11 to hang up). With it, you’re good to climb mountains, tour foreign cities, or hang in the park. Heck, it’s even zero gravity proof if you’ve been shortlisted for the next space-sightseeing flight.

Stream fitness classes for your mind and body

Sitting less and moving more makes those sitting hours even more productive, and you don’t need to be running marathons or powerlifting to benefit. On the ThinkPad P1 Gen 4 Mobile Workstation, the same tech that makes virtual conference calls go smoothly enables glitch-free virtual workouts thanks to 5G connectivity and a 16-inch UHD+ or QHD+ display. The 1080p FHD webcam is also handy for working out remotely with a one-on-one trainer.

The same way mindfulness activities build resilience, Lenovo has bulked up the security from the inside out with ThinkShield security. On days when you’re crushing it, you can kick up the intensity with Ultra-Performer mode optimized for speed and efficiency, and there’s low blue light technology for reducing eye fatigue. After your workout, PCI Gen4 storage and graphics powered by NVIDIA will make unwinding with a game — or any software, really — a snap, not to mention a beautiful sight. Round it all out with built-in ThinkShield security features for peace of mind — the perfect complement for that relaxing post-workout feeling.

Practice self-care

The internet can teach you the basics of pretty much anything, from cooking to assembling a bookshelf. The 11-inch Lenovo Tab P11 Tablet is the ideal size for scrolling through recipes or streaming a movie on the HD display. Or, it’s easy enough to sink into the couch with a digital page-turner or tune into a podcast.

Both reading and listening to music reduce stress. Music also promotes active listening and other hobbies require focus, which are skills you can take into your workday. For getting immersed in a playlist, this tablet packs four-speaker stereo sound. But, when you do need to fire off a few work emails, it can handle laptop-level tasks with an optional ultrathin keyboard with built-in trackpad and shortcut keys. Whatever your hobby, Lenovo’s got the tech to keep you busy — and loving it.