03 Jul
Blog

Lenovo Legion 5 Pro Review: Move Aside Thin Gaming Laptops

lenovo legion 5 pro rating 01

"The display quality and performance make the Lenovo Legion 5 Pro a fantastic mid-range gaming laptop."

  • Excellent gaming performance

  • Beautiful 1440p display

  • Satisfactory, accurate keyboard

  • Good cooling

  • Inexpensive touchpad

  • Thick and chunky

Gaming laptops are getting thinner and thinner. Still, there's plenty of room in the market for gaming laptops that don't forego unbridled performance on the altar of portability.

The Lenovo Legion 5 Pro is one such gaming laptop. Its design is nothing spectacular, nor is the strain you will feel as you lug around.

But for a decidedly old-school gaming laptop, the Legion 5 Pro brings the basics together in a way that will make many performance-minded PC gamers very happy. The affordable entry-level price of $ 1,700 will put a smile on your face too.

design

The front of the Lenovo Legion 5 Pro with the lid open.

The Legion 5 Pro is not an eye-catcher. The oversized Legion logo on the lid isn't exactly subtle, and the sleepy, storm gray color and keycap font come straight from Lenovo's business laptop designs. Add in the ThinkPad-like keyboard and black vent pieces that seem glued on, and it's a bit of a Frankenstein design.

I have no problem with a stealth gaming laptop that hides its gaming roots – like the Predator Triton 500 SE or even the Razer Blade 15. But the Legion 5 Pro seems torn between the two identities. The name itself seems a bit confusing, as it can be found both in the Legion gaming line and as a "Pro" laptop. It's less of a mix and more of a mishmash.

The design has its strengths. For example, the super thin bezels around the screen look amazing. Even the lower bezel is relatively small, which makes for a modern design that puts the screen in the foreground. This is thanks to the 16:10 aspect ratio, which is a new trend in gaming laptops. Extra vertical screen space may seem unnecessary when gaming, but it's sure to come in handy when you need to get some work done. Again, 16:10 makes a lot of sense because the Legion 5 Pro hits the line.

The back of the lid of the Lenovo Legion 5 Pro.

The Lenovo Legion 5 Pro when closed.

The screen is also larger than the average 15-inch gaming laptop that is 16 inches diagonally. That's the same as the Predator Triton 500 SE, but it's still an unusual screen size for gaming laptops. But here, too, thanks to its small bezels, it does not add any additional size to the overall print.

And that's important because the Legion 5 Pro is by no means small. It weighs 5.4 pounds and is 1.1 inches thick – clunkier than your average 15-inch laptop and most high-end gaming laptops out there. As we'll see later, this extra size makes for excellent thermal performance, especially when compared to the Razer Blade 15, MSI GS66 Stealth, or even the Alienware m15 R4.

Ports

The ports are on the back of the Lenovo Legion 5 Pro.

The Legion 5 Pro offers an increasingly popular port placement option: the back of the device. This makes the laptop's footprint even bigger, but it does a good job of keeping messy cables out of the way.

On the back you will find HDMI 2.1, RJ-45 Ethernet, a power jack, three USB-A 3.2 Gen 2 ports and a USB-C port that supports both USB 3.2 Gen 2 and DisplayPort 1.4.

This leaves only ports on the sides that you really need to access quickly. On the left you will find a headphone jack and another USB-C. There is a single USB-A port on the right.

In terms of connectivity, the Legion 5 Pro supports Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.1.

display

The Lenovo Legion 5 Pro with Cyberpunk 2077 is played.

The Legion 5 Pro offers an excellent screen for both gaming and standard work. Native resolution is 2560 x 1600 to support 16:10 aspect ratio and can be scaled down to 1920 x 1200 for lower resolution games.

According to my colorimeter, the Legion 5 Pro has one of the best displays I've ever tested on a gaming laptop. First of all, it's unusually bright, reaching a brightness of 550 nits. That's even brighter than the latest MacBook Pro or Razer Blade 15. It's also a decently color-accurate panel that hits 77% of the AdobeRGB color space.

The Legion 5 Pro has one of the best displays I've ever tested on a gaming laptop.

It's rare to see such a bright, vibrant, and well-calibrated screen on a gaming laptop. Like the Predator Triton 500 SE, the Legion 5 Pro offers that great picture quality alongside a fast refresh rate, although 165Hz isn't as high as the 360Hz panels you can get in 1080p gaming laptops. But let's face it – unless you're a professional esports gamer, you probably wouldn't notice the difference while gaming anyway. The gameplay feels very responsive and fast, especially since you are running most of your games in the native resolution.

The increase in resolution is worth the tradeoff, especially with such a large screen. Pixels are disappearing thanks to the sharpness that matches what you get on the MacBook Pro. And thanks to the power you will use the full range of 165 Hz even with native resolution.

performance

As I mentioned earlier, the Legion 5 Pro is a chunky gaming laptop that offers better cooling. The result is pretty amazing gaming performance.

My configuration came with an AMD Ryzen 7 5800H, Nvidia RTX 3070, 16 GB of RAM and two 1 TB PCIe SSDs. Lenovo also offers an identical configuration with the exception of the RTX 3060. This saves 150 euros, but the RTX 3070 option should offer a noticeable increase in frame rates. It's not currently available, but Lenovo reportedly also has a confusing mid-tier model with just 1TB of storage but 32GB of RAM. Most gamers will choose more memory and less memory.

Laptop 3DMark time spy 3DMark fire strike Assassin's Creed Valhalla (1080p Ultra High) Battlefield V (1080p Ultra) Fortnite (1080p Epic) Civilization VI (1080p Ultra)
Lenovo Legion 5 Pro (RTX 3070) 9175 21033 61 fps 73 fps 101 fps 114 fps
Asus ROG Strix G15 (RX 6800M) 10504 26800 77 fps 109 fps 108 fps 150 fps
MSI GS66 Stealth (RTX 3080) 9097 19175 70 fps 117 fps 140 fps 149 fps
Razer Blade 15 (RTX 2080 Super) 7637 16895 58 fps 98 fps 110 fps 134 fps

I included the benchmarks in 1080p in the table above to level the playing field between these different laptops that include both 1080p and 1440p resolutions. The Legion 5 Pro masters all games with over 60 frames per second (fps), including the tough assassin Creed Valhalla. As for the lighter esports tariff, the Legion 5 Pro averaged over 100 fps in Fortnite, with room to use the full 165 Hz range in lower settings.

At native resolution, which is the number of people who will likely be using the Legion 5 Pro, you'll still get over 60 fps in most games. Battlefield V was right on the line at 60 fps, while Fortnite played fantastic at 83 fps. The system slowed to 52 fps at 2560 x 1600 in Valhalla, so you should probably stick to lower resolutions for heavier titles like this one.

The Legion 5 Pro offers an excellent price-performance ratio.

Although the Legion 5 Pro with RTX 3070 consistently beat the MSI GS66 Stealth with RTX 3080 (and 1440p screen) in 3DMark runs, the MSI device was well ahead in every recent game I have tested. Of course, newer configurations of the GS66 Stealth aren't widely available right now – and if so, they'll get quite a bit more expensive. The same goes for the Razer Blade 15, which will easily cost you at least $ 1,000 more.

All of this makes the Legion 5 Pro an excellent price-performance ratio for the performance it offers. The only problem is the Asus ROG Strix G15, which offers a base configuration for a similar $ 1,650. It's a more powerful laptop, no doubt about it. It's a strength of AMD's new Radeon RX 6800M graphics card that beats the RTX 3070 in every way and challenges the RTX 3080 in some. The performance of the ROG Strix G15 is undeniable. I prefer the design and screen of the Lenovo Legion 5 Pro, but it's hard to beat the ROG Strix G15 in terms of price.

Cyberpunk 2077 plays on the Lenovo Legion 5 Pro.

During my tests, the Legion 5 Pro turned out to be a well-cooled device. The GPU temperatures never rose above 86 degrees Celsius, while the CPU temperatures were even cooler. The surface temperatures got warm at times, but never quite as hot as on slimmer laptops like the MSI GS66 Stealth or the Razer Blade 15.

All configurations of the Legion 5 Pro feature the AMD Ryzen 7 5800H. It's a powerful 45-watt chip with eight cores and 16 threads. This gives you improved CPU performance over the 35-watt processors found in something like the ROG Zephyrus G14. The Legion 5 Pro had a particularly impressive single-core score of 1430 in Cinebench R23. It also does a lot better than Intel-powered laptops such as the MSI GS66 Stealth.

I also tested the CPU-based video encoding in HandBrake, and the Ryzen 7 was an absolute runabout. In comparison, the GS66 Stealth was 24% slower in the same test. That ensures the Legion 5 Pro is just as good a machine for content creation and heavier CPU-based workloads as it is for gaming.

Still, it's not quite as fast as the Ryzen 9 5900HX that you can find in the ROG Strix G15 or ROG Zephyrus G15.

battery

The Lenovo Legion 5 Pro doesn't have great battery life. Other gaming laptops have made strides in this area, like the Asus ROG Zephyrus G14, but the combination of the RTX 3070 and G-Sync panel is a recipe for frequent use of the charging port. The 80-watt-hour battery isn't quite as big as some of the 99-watt-hour batteries you'll find in premium gaming laptops.

Still, the battery life isn't nearly as bad as a laptop like this one has been for years, probably thanks to the efficient Ryzen processor inside. A little more than seven hours of light surfing on the internet isn't a bad thing. However, the second you boot up the discrete GPU, you'll find that it drops off pretty quickly. On the other hand, you probably shouldn't be playing without being plugged in anyway.

I should also mention the massive 300 watt power brick that comes with this thing. It's a tank and adds some weight to the backpack if you plan on traveling with the Legion 5 Pro.

Keyboard and touchpad

The illuminated keyboard of the Lenovo Legion 5 Pro.

The Legion 5 Pro uses a precise, ThinkPad-style keyboard. It's an odd look for the keycaps on a gaming laptop, but it offers one of the best typing experiences you will find. The key travel of 1.5mm is luxurious and the layout is perfect. The backlight is pretty limited with only four adjustment zones (including the number pad) and a disappointing software experience with Lenovo Vantage. The joy of typing more than makes up for the lack of a stylish backlight.

The quality of the touchpad was all the more disappointing. It's the kind of quality you'd find on a $ 400 Chromebook, not a powerful gaming laptop. It's a big touchpad which I appreciate. But the surface isn't very smooth, which means that clicking and dragging, pinch-to-zoom, or other gestures that require close tracking can skip or feel awkward. It's frustrating, especially on a laptop doing so many things right.

There is a 720p webcam above the screen, which Lenovo fortunately included. It's still omitted from Asus' ROG gaming laptops to allow for a thinner top bezel. However, the laptop does not contain any security features, but it lacks both a Windows Hello IR camera and a fingerprint reader. These have become more common lately even on mid-range gaming laptops, so it's a shame to see Lenovo force you to rely on passwords and PINs to log in.

Our opinion

The Lenovo Legion 5 Pro is the real deal. If you're done with gaming laptops trying to be too thin at the expense of the right cooling and performance, the Lenovo Legion 5 Pro is what you've been waiting for.

Are there alternatives?

Most gaming laptops at this price point cannot be compared to what the Legion 5 Pro has to offer. The Predator Triton 500 SE corresponds to the screen size, but is limited to an RTX 3060.

The Legion 5 Pro's two biggest competitors come from Asus. The all-AMD ROG Strix G15 is the gaming laptop with the ultimate price-performance ratio, while the ROG Zephyrus G15 corresponds to the Legion 5 Pro in almost all specifications for the same price. It doesn't have such a good screen, but the Zephyrus G15 has a sleeker design and options for up to an RTX 3080.

How long it will take?

The Lenovo Legion 5 Pro should last at least five years. It's a powerful gaming laptop that can handle the latest AAA games for many years.

Should you buy it?

Yes. The Lenovo Legion 5 Pro isn't the most stylish gaming laptop in the world, but its performance and display more than make up for the difference.

Editor's recommendations



04 May
Blog

Lenovo ThinkBook 13s Gen 2: A Small Business Laptop

lenovo thinkbook 13s gen 2 review gen2 1

Lenovo ThinkBook 13s Gen 2

"The Lenovo ThinkBook 13s Gen 2 offers solid performance at a solid price."

  • Fast productivity performance

  • Good battery life

  • Solid build quality

  • A few welcome security extras

  • Attractive aesthetics

  • Flat keyboard

  • The touchpad could be bigger

  • Bad graphics performance

Lenovo's first attempt at building a laptop specifically for small businesses – the ThinkBook 13s – stalled a bit. It was a serviceable 13-inch machine, but it didn't have many tangible benefits for the target market. Now it's the second round that the company is releasing the ThinkBook 13s Gen 2, which aims to bring the laptop up to date.

I have a mid-range configuration of the ThinkBook 13s Gen 2 priced at $ 819 with an 11th Gen Intel Core i5-1135G7, 16GB of RAM, a 256GB PCIe solid-state drive (SSD), and a 13.3-inch model tested 16:10 IPS display with WQXGA resolution (2560 x 1600).

Lenovo managed to iron out some of the obvious shortcomings of the original, making the ThinkBook 13s a solid option for buyers buying a laptop under $ 1,000.

design

The original ThinkBook 13s was a very conservatively designed laptop that lacked outstanding aesthetic features – and it looks more like Lenovo's consumer line than the business-minded ThinkPads. The Gen 2 model looks similar, but Lenovo has made some important changes. First, the bezels are much thinner and look more modern when the lid is open. Second, the lid now has an anodized aluminum area that creates a slight two-tone effect on top. It looks great and spices up what is otherwise an ordinary looking silver laptop. It's not as sharp as non-business laptops like the Dell XPS 13 or the HP Specter x360 14, but it has its own laid-back charm.

These thinner bezels make for a laptop that, despite its larger display that tends to make a laptop deeper, is smaller in all dimensions than its predecessor. It's not as small as the XPS 13, which has even smaller bezels, but it's a good size for a 13-inch laptop. This time it's also thinner at 0.59 inches compared to 0.63 inches and lighter at 2.78 pounds compared to 2.9 pounds. That's almost identical to the 0.58-inch, 2.8-pound XPS 13. While the ThinkBook 13s Gen 2 feels bigger than the XPS 13, it's still a fairly small and lightweight laptop for the class.

Another improvement over the previous model is the longevity feel of the ThinkBook 13s Gen 2. Both passed the Mil-spec 810G test, but the newer model has fewer bends in the lid and bends in the keyboard deck. This time everything is aluminum, too, while the original uses aluminum in the lid and an aluminum-magnesium alloy in the bottom. I find the ThinkBook 13s Gen 2 to feel just as sturdy as the XPS 13, which is kudos as the latter is a standard for well-built laptops.

Lenovo Thinkbook 13s Gen 2 Review Gen2 3

Lenovo Thinkbook 13s Gen 2 Review Gen2

After all, connectivity is a strength with a caveat. There is only one USB-C port with Thunderbolt 4 support. While this is a good thing, it is also used to power the laptop and therefore cannot be used to connect a peripheral without a dock. You can, however, connect an external display thanks to the full-size HDMI 2.0b port, also on the left. There is also a 3.5 mm audio jack next to it. On the right side there is a Kensington lock port and two USB-A 3.2 ports.

Overall, this is an improvement over the two USB-C ports on the XPS 13 that support Thunderbolt 4. It is noticeable that there is no SD card reader, which is a surprise in view of such an excess of connectivity. Wireless connectivity is cutting edge with Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.1.

performance

The ThinkBook 13s Gen 2 equips an Intel Core i5-1135G7 quad-core CPU of the 11th generation with eight threads. It was a solid performer when we tested it a few times, and the ThinkBook 13s Gen 2 continues that tradition.

As of GeekBench 5, the ThinkBook 13s Gen 2 is exactly where you'd expect it to be, slightly below the laptops with the faster Core i7-1165G7 and significantly below the Ryzen 7 5800U and the Apple M1. Note that all of the results here are obtained with performance optimization utilities set to "normal" mode. None of the laptops in the comparison group benefited much from their "performance modes" in which such a utility was available (with the exception of the XPS 13 in a test). This is a common feature that in many cases makes me wonder why such utilities all exist.

In our handbrake test, which encodes a 420 MB video in H.265, the ThinkBook 13s Gen 2 performed very well for a Core i5 and beat the Dell XPS 13 equipped with a Core i7 (the ThinkBook result in performance mode corresponded). The Asus ZenBook 13 UM325UA took the lead in this test thanks to its Ryzen 7 5800U, which is incredibly fast in multi-core processes. In Cinebench R23, a test that drives the CPU for a longer distance, the ThinkBook 13s Gen 2 again outperformed its class, outperforming the XPS 13 and the Porsche Design Acer Base RS, which was another fast Core i5 machine.

Next, I ran the PCMark 10 Complete benchmark, where the ThinkPad 13s Gen got a good overall score. The XPS 13 wouldn't complete this test, and the ThinkBook fell behind the Acer Swift 3X with its Core i7-1156G7. However, the Acer Swift 3X also came with Intel's Iris Xe Max graphics, which it could improve on on machines with the standard Intel Iris Xe graphics (including the ThinkBook 13s Gen 2). As with many Tiger Lake laptops, the ThinkBook did much better in the essentials and productivity areas of the PCMark 10 suite than in the content creation area. The ZenBook 13 UM325UA with its Ryzen chip was the champion here.

Geekbench
(single / multiple)		 Handbrake
(Seconds)		 Cinebench R23
(single / multiple)		 PCMark 10 3DMark Time Spy
Lenovo ThinkBook 13s Gen 2
(Core i5-1135G7)		 1406/5379 178 1357/5502 4668 1511
Dell XPS 13 (Core i7-1165G7) 1540/5432 201 1449/4267 N / A 1589
Lenovo Yoga 7i (Core i5-1135G7) 1357/4246 207 N / A 4565 913
Asus ZenBook 13 UM325UA
(Ryzen 7 5800U)		 1423/6758 124 1171/7824 6034 1342
Porsche Design Acer Base RS
(Core i5-1135G7)		 1415/5364 181 1380/4973 4682 1504
Acer Swift 3X (Core i7-1165G7) 1551/5847 158 1485/5944 5117 1889
Apple MacBook Air M1 (Apple M1) 1727/7585 N / A 1479/6880 N / A N / A

Overall, the ThinkBook 13s Gen 2 is a quick productivity workhorse that should keep up with all but demanding creative workflows. Lenovo meets the performance needs of small business owners and a few others.

In terms of games, the ThinkBook did well in the 3DMark Time Spy benchmark. However, this didn't result in my real test with Fortnite. The ThinkBook 13s Gen 2 ran at 1920 x 1200 (I couldn't get 1920 x 1080 as an option) and only managed 18 frames per second (fps) in high graphics and 14 fps in epic graphics. Most Tiger Lake laptops achieve at least 30 fps or 23 fps. I ran the test a few times to confirm my results and I have no idea why the ThinkBook does so badly in this game.

display

The original ThinkPad 13s used a 13.3-inch 16: 9 Full HD IPS display (1920 x 1080) that was below average in brightness, colors and contrast. For the second generation, Lenovo improved its game with a larger 13.3-inch 16:10 IPS display with a WQXGA (2560 x 1600) resolution that is more productive for productivity and significantly sharper than the original in a few others improves main areas.

The brightness was not particularly high at 274 nits. We prefer 300 nits or more for good indoor visibility. For example, the Dell XPS 13 4K display has 420 nits. The ThinkPad 13s Gen 2 had wider colors than the original at 77% AdobeRGB (about five percentage points above average) and 100% sRGB. The original was 70% of AdobeRGB and 93% of sRGB, while the XPS 13 4K was slightly better with 79% of AdobeRGB and 100% of sRGB. The ThinkBook 13s Gen 2's color accuracy was good with a DeltaE of 1.65 (less than 1.0 is excellent) compared to the original at 1.4 and the XPS 13 4K at 1.21.

The new model also had a higher contrast ratio of 920: 1, close to our preferred 1000: 1. That beats the 710: 1 of the original, which was disappointing and well below average, but the Gen 2 models still couldn't match the 1360: 1 of the XPS 13 4K. Gamma came into play at 2.1, just a bit brighter than the perfect 2.2.

All in all, this was a pleasant representation. It's bigger and better for long web pages and Word documents, and its colors were pleasant without being oversaturated. The contrast was high enough that black text appeared on a white background, and with excellent support for Dolby Vision HDR, Netflix's high dynamic range (HDR) content was vastly improved. This isn't a display for creative professionals who need wide and accurate colors, but it's great for everyone else.

The sound was surprisingly loud, and the two down-facing speakers pumped out a serious volume. Unfortunately, at 100% there was some bias that detracted from the experience. If you turn the settings down a bit, you'll still get enough volume to watch Netflix without distortion, and you'll enjoy solid mids and highs, but no bass. A pair of headphones or bluetooth speakers is recommended.

Keyboard and touchpad

Another area where the ThinkBook 13s Gen 2 cannot be confused with a ThinkPad is the keyboard. You can find a version here that is much closer to Lenovo's consumer-grade machines like the Yoga line, as it offers a lot less travel and a fairly jarring basic action. The key switches are very light. So if you don't want to use as much pressure to press a key you will like it, but it's almost too easy for me. I didn't find it nearly as precise as the much better keyboards found on the Dell XPS 13 and the HP Specter 2-in-1 series. The keyboard has a few special keys, including keys to start and stop video calls and a special key to access support options. You can also press a button to turn off the microphone, a plus for privacy.

Despite the larger display and relatively small bezels, the ThinkBook 13s Gen 2 doesn't have as much keyboard deck space as the XPS 13. This is because Lenovo needs more space above the keyboard for the hinge and power button. That said, the touchpad is a decent size, roughly the same as the XPS 13, and it's a Microsoft Precision touchpad that has reliable and precise support for Windows 10 multi-touch gestures. It's a good touchpad that matches the best you'll find in premium laptops – a plus as the ThinkPad 13s Gen 2 is significantly cheaper. In addition, my test device had an attractive touch display, which was welcome.

Windows 10 Hello support is provided by a fingerprint reader built into the power button and worked well. This is a much better solution than a standalone fingerprint reader. With the ThinkBook 13s Gen 2, you can simply press the power button to wake the device and log in. For extra privacy, you can also find Lenovo's ThinkShutter privacy panel for the webcam.

Battery life

The ThinkBook 13s Gen 2 has a 56-watt-hour battery, which is significantly larger than the 45-watt-hour battery of the previous model, which only has an average battery life. Our benchmarks have changed since we checked the original, but we can make some comparisons.

First, the ThinkBook 13s Gen 2 lasted just over nine hours compared to the original's eight hours in our web benchmark, which runs through a number of popular websites. The newer model's score is above average, beating the 6.3 hours on the Dell XPS 13 4K. The Asus ZenBook 13 with the Ryzen 7 5800U lasted almost 16 hours with an OLED display. In our video test of repeating a Full HD Avengers trailer until the battery runs out, the ThinkBook 13s Gen 2 achieved almost 13.5 hours, which is slightly above average and 2.5 hours longer than the original. The XPS 13 4K lasted 10.5 hours, while the Asus ZenBook 13 lasted 15.5 hours.

I would rate the battery life of the ThinkBook 13s Gen 2 as very good.

I also tested using the PCMark 10 battery test which puts a strain on the CPU and GPU (we didn't use PCMark 10 with the original model). The ThinkBook 13s Gen 2 barely got it over two hours, which is below several other Tiger Lake laptops, including the XPS 13 4K, which got it almost three hours. We did not test the Asus ZenBook 13 in this test. Finally, I ran the PCMark 10 application test, which is the best indicator of productivity longevity, and the ThinkBook 13s Gen 2 held up for 11.5 hours, the fourth highest score we've ever seen. The XPS 13 4K lasted around 8.5 hours, and we again didn't test the Asus ZenBook 13.

I would rate the battery life of the ThinkBook 13s Gen 2 as very good. It takes a full day of productivity work when you are not using the CPU and GPU, and you may still have some time to do some evening work. This is a significant improvement over the original ThinkBook 13s, and makes the newer model much better suited for small business owners who may need to work remotely.

Our opinion

The ThinkBook 13s offers largely the same security and support as the original model, which is a definite plus for the target small business market. On top of that, however, it's also faster, has better battery life, and feels better built, which makes it a more compelling business option.

It's not thin or light enough to beat rivals like the Dell XPS 13, but it's also significantly cheaper – another boon for small business owners with cash shortages. In fact, at this price point, it's a compelling option for any laptop buyer, including consumers, who could benefit from a machine that is made to last, be fast, and have a long life.

Are there alternatives?

The Dell XPS 13 is the obvious alternative, offering the same 16:10 display in a smaller package. Performance is similar for both, and the ThinkBook offers better battery life thanks to the lower resolution display. However, Dell does offer a Full HD option which is more competitive here. The XPS 13 is hundreds of dollars more expensive, too.

If you're looking to consider a 2-in-1, the HP Specter x360 14 is a great choice. It's faster, looks better, is just as well built, and features a spectacular OLED display with incredibly deep blacks, high contrast, and wide and precise colors. It's also significantly more expensive than the ThinkBook 13s Gen 2.

How long it will take?

The ThinkBook 13s Gen 2 is tough enough to provide years of productive service. It helps that the components are all up to date. You immediately receive a 1 year guarantee. However, Lenovo offers enhanced services for small business owners who need longer coverage and more durability.

Should you buy it?

Yes. The ThinBook 13s Gen 2 doesn't necessarily have more business-centric features than the original model, but it does offer improvements in key areas that small business owners will appreciate.

Editor's recommendations




27 Apr
Blog

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Titanium Yoga Review: Cool to the Touch

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Titanium Yoga

ThinkPad X1 Titanium Yoga

"The ThinkPad X1 Titanium Yoga is the best 2-in-1 convertible if you want to use it as a tablet."

  • Attractive and innovative chassis

  • Insanely thin and light

  • Solid performance

  • Excellent battery life

  • Great display for productivity users

  • The touchpad is too small

  • Expensive

Remember when Lenovo's ThinkPad line was the old standby, a collection of well-built and highly functional, but often boring, laptops? Well not anymore.

That's a good thing because what has been replaced is a far more dynamic line-up that keeps surprising. The latest example is the ThinkPad X1 Titanium Yoga, an exciting addition to the convertible 2-in-1 category that – at least on paper – promises to rival some of the best laptops you can buy.

I received a midrange version of the laptop with a Core i5-1130G7, 16 GB of RAM, a 512 GB PCIe solid-state drive (SSD) and a 13.5-inch display in the productivity-friendly 3: 2 aspect ratio and with a high QHD resolution (2,256 x 1,504). This is the only display option available, a potential vulnerability we'll discuss later. The price for this configuration is $ 1,685 after the e-coupon (list price is a crazy $ 3,369) which makes it a very top notch 2-in-1 device indeed. Let's find out if the ThinkPad X1 Titanium Yoga has what it takes to achieve the best.

design

Let's start with that: Titanium is a really cool metal that is used in aircraft, among other things. Using it in a laptop is even cooler. What if it's only used in the lid of the ThinkPad X1 Titanium Yoga? It's there and while it gives the laptop a cumbersome name, I like it. It has a nice texture that plays with the ThinkPad's usual soft-touch material. At least I'm assuming this is the titanium I'm touching as the lid is made from both titanium and carbon fiber.

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Titanium YogaMark Coppock / Digital Trends

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Titanium Yoga lid openMark Coppock / Digital Trends

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Titanium Yoga TopMark Coppock / Digital Trends

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Titanium Yoga logoMark Coppock / Digital Trends

The rest of the case is made of a magnesium-aluminum alloy, which is supposed to make it both light and durable. While it's very light at just 2.54 pounds, there is a bit of sag in the lid and keyboard deck when some pressure is applied.

The HP Specter x360 14, the ThinkPad's most direct competitor, weighs 2.95 pounds and feels more solid – and both differences are noticeable. The difference in thickness is also noticeable, as the ThinkPad X1 Titanium Yoga is only 0.45 inches thick compared to the relatively bulky Specter at 0.67 inches. The Specter x360 14 is smaller than the ThinkPad X1 Titanium Yoga – in particular, thanks to the smaller upper and lower bezels, it is not as deep and almost as wide. The Dell XPS 13, the best clamshell competition, comes in at 2.8 pounds and 0.58 inches thick. It also feels sturdier than the ThinkPad.

The ThinkPad would have benefited from smaller bezels all around, although the top bezel needed an extra size for some additional components (see the Security section below for details). The XPS 13 is the smallest model, but it doesn't have to mess with a more complex 2-in-1 hinge. Speaking of the hinge: The ThinkPad X1 Titanium Yoga is a bit stiff. Two hands are required to open, but the lid stays where it belongs in clamshell, tent, media and tablet modes. Note that tablet mode on the ThinkPad X1 Titanium Yoga is more comfortable than many other convertibles thanks to its thin case and 3: 2 aspect ratio, which is closer in size to a piece of paper.

What does this thin and light laptop look like? First of all, it hardly resembles its all-black ThinkPad siblings. It's a pleasant silver-gray color that eschews all embellishments except the logos. Even these are different than usual as the ThinkPad logo on the lid is more of a silver embossed version than the norm. white, although the "i" dot remains a flashing LED that shows information about the status of the laptop. Directly below it is a more pronounced X1 logo, which is a mixture of red and black and looks sharp against the ThinkPad logo. There is a barely visible Lenovo logo on the back.

Open the lid and you'll find a similar logo on the keyboard deck, the usual red TrackPoint studs, and the recognizable ThinkPad keyboard. The TrackPoint buttons above the touchpad skip the red accents, which I think works here. Overall, this is a very modern, yet conservative design that I really like, much like the gemstone design of the Specter x360 14 and the sleeker appearance of the XPS 13.

Lenovo Thinkpad x1 Titan Yoga Review Side View v2Mark Coppock / Digital Trends

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Titanium Yoga HingeMark Coppock / Digital Trends

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Titanium Yoga side viewMark Coppock / Digital Trends

Unsurprisingly, with a machine this thin, connectivity is minimal. You get two USB-C ports with Thunderbolt 4 support, one of which is used to power the ThinkPad X1 Titanium Yoga, a Kensington lock port and a 3.5 mm audio jack. This means that if you need to connect multiple devices at the same time, you'll need dongles for older devices and a docking station. Wireless connectivity is state of the art with Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.1, and there is an option for 5G or 4G LTE WWAN.

security

The ThinkPad X1 Titanium Yoga has the usual ThinkPad security features like the ThinkShutter privacy switch for the webcam and the fingerprint reader for the sensor. This also includes the HPD (Human Presence Device) technology and the software that I tested on the ThinkPad X1 Nano and found to be fast and reliable.

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Titanium Yoga - fingerprint readerMark Coppock / Digital Trends

Basically, HPD, configured in the Intelligent Security section of Lenovo's Commercial Vantage utility, uses radar to detect when a user is in front of the laptop and when that user is leaving. In the latter case, the technology first dims the display and finally – as quickly as it can be configured by the user – puts the laptop into sleep mode (especially into modern standby mode). As soon as the user returns within a 60-degree arc from the front of the laptop, the device wakes up and logs the user back in using Windows Hello. Once the infrared camera and face recognition are set up, the process is seamless. Go away, the laptop goes to sleep; When you return, your face will be scanned and you can go back to work.

The feature works well and is great except when you're running a long process that shouldn't be interrupted. For example, I had to turn off HPD during my lengthy benchmarks and battery tests unless I wanted to stay locked in front of the laptop. Otherwise my tests would be interrupted. Imagine a long video rendering session and you will get the idea. I tested the same technology on the Dell Latitude 7400 2-in-1 and found Lenovo's solution to be more reliable and seamless.

performance

My test device used the Core i5-1130G7, a version of the Tiger Lake Core i5 of the 11th generation with a lower thermal design output (TDP) of seven to 15 watts instead of the usual 12 to 28 watts of the Core i5-1135G7 and a maximum turbo frequency of 4.0 GHz versus 4.2 GHz. It contains Intel Iris Xe graphics with the full 80 execution units, but with a slower clock rate of 1.1 GHz compared to 1.3 GHz. All of this is to indicate that Lenovo has opted for a slower and cooler CPU for the Thinkpad X1 Titanium Yoga, which makes sense given the laptop's thin case. Note that the same CPU equipped the ThinkPad X12 detachable tablet I tested, which, as you can see in the table below, was slightly slower than the ThinkPad X1 Titanium Yoga in most of our tests.

As you can see in the graphic, the ThinkPad keeps up in Geekbench 5, but falls behind in the other benchmarks. In the 3DMark Time Spy GPU test, it particularly outperformed the Lenovo Yoga 7i and its faster Core i5, but this was not reflected in real games. Otherwise, the ThinkPad X1 Titanium Yoga did exactly the performance you can expect given its CPU.

Note that where a machine offered switchable performance modes, I recorded results from the "normal" setting. In most cases – including the ThinkPad X1 Titanium Yoga – there is only a slight difference between the "Normal" and "Performance" modes. An outlier is the HP Specter x360 14, which led the field in performance mode while its normal mode is a bit slower.

Geekbench
(single / multiple)		 Handbrake
(Seconds)		 Cinebench R23
(single / multiple)		 PCMark 10 3DMark Time Spy
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Titanium Yoga (Core i5-1130G7) 1353/4852 251 1274/3705 4498 1339
Lenovo ThinkPad X12 detachable
(Core i5-1130G7)		 1352/4796 185 1125/3663 4443 926
HP Specter x360 14 (Core i7-1165G7) 1214/4117 236 1389/3941 4728 1457
Dell XPS 13 (Core i7-1165G7) 1540/5432 201 1449/4267 N / A 1589
Lenovo Yoga 7i (Core i5-1135G7) 1357/4246 207 N / A 4565 913
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Nano
(Core i7-1160G7)		 1466/5139 180 1377/4550 4600 1549

The PCMark 10 results of the ThinkPad X1 Titanium Yoga were particularly interesting. It was slightly behind on the main score shown in the graph, but more importantly, it was particularly slow in the area of ​​content creation of the benchmark. This was carried over to our handbrake test, which encodes a 420 MB video as H.265, in which the ThinkPad X1 Titanium Yoga was even significantly slower than the ThinkPad X12 Detachable. Overall, this laptop performs well for typical productivity apps, web browsing, media usage, and the like, but you don't want to use it to edit videos. I haven't included Apple laptops with their fast M1 chip or AMD Ryzen machines lately – these would have significantly outperformed the ThinkPad and wouldn't really be in the same class of laptops in terms of performance.

This laptop should not be chosen based on its gaming capabilities. I ran Fortnite at 1080p (in a window as the only full screen option was the display's full resolution where the performance would have been awful) and it has 23 frames per second (fps) in high graphics and 17 fps in epic graphics managed. That's about 10 fps slower than most other Tiger Lake laptops.

display

Lenovo built the ThinkPad X1 Titanium Yoga on a 13.5-inch IPS display with a productivity-friendly aspect ratio of 3: 2 and a high QHD resolution (2,256 x 1,504). As mentioned earlier, the 3: 2 aspect ratio makes this thin and light laptop a superior tablet compared to most other convertible 2-in-1s – including the HP Specter x360 14, which has the same aspect ratio.

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Titanium Yoga screenMark Coppock / Digital Trends

But a display also has to look good, and this is where my colorimeter comes in. According to this device, the display of the ThinkPad X1 Titanium Yoga corresponds to the modern premium average in some respects and surpasses it in other respects. For example, it's pretty bright at 431 nits, well above our preferred 300 nit threshold and better than most of the others. The OLED display of the Specter x360 14 was “only” available at 374 nits, while the 4K display of the Dell XPS 13 was 420 nits. At 1,010: 1, the contrast of the ThinkPad display just exceeded our desired 1000: 1 ratio, which is less than that of the XPS 13 with 1,360: 1 and that of the HP with an incredible 374,200: 1.

The display on the ThinkPad X1 Titanium Yoga was less impressive in terms of color. It managed 71% of AdobeRGB and 96% of sRGB, which is just average for premium displays. The XPS 13 4K display achieved 79% of AdobeRGB and 100% of sRGB, which is slightly better, while the Specter x360 14 had professional quality with 96% of Adobe RGB and 100% of sRGB. The ThinkPad's color accuracy was a DeltaE of 1.62 (less than 1.0 is excellent) compared to the Dell's 1.21 and the HP's 0.69. Gamma was just a bit too bright at 2.1 (2.2 is perfect).

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Titanium YogaMark Coppock / Digital Trends

In practice, I find that it is a pleasant display to work on thanks to the high contrast that creates dark blacks on a white background and a lot of brightness. Creative professionals who crave wide and precise colors won't be satisfied, but productivity workers will love it. Dolby Vision support ensures that HDR (High Dynamic Range) content such as that provided by Netflix is ​​displayed. This is an excellent display for media consumption.

The audio quality was mixed. The volume of the two downward facing speakers was just loud enough and there was little distortion. However, the highs were blown out a bit, so the midrange could fight for attention. As always, there was no bass. The sound quality is fine for the occasional YouTube video. However, if you want to binge or listen to Netflix music, good headphones or bluetooth speakers are recommended.

Keyboard and touchpad

The ThinkPad X1 Titanium Yoga shares the same basic keyboard as the rest of the ThinkPad lineup, with identically shaped keycaps and excellent spacing. It's a bit flatter, with good travel, but not quite as deep as on larger ThinkPads. This is an improvement: I find that some other ThinkPad keyboards take too much force to register a click. Here the feeling is light, crisp and very precise, with a confident floor effect. It can't quite live up to my favorites, HP's Specter keyboards and Apple's latest Magic keyboard, but it's close.

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Titanium Yoga pen, keyboard, and trackpadMark Coppock / Digital Trends

The typical ThinkPad TrackPoint sits in the middle of the keyboard and works as usual if you're into that sort of thing. The main disadvantage is that it requires a number of buttons that take up space on the touchpad. That's a bummer, because one of the advantages of a larger display is more keyboard deck space for a larger touchpad. Lenovo didn't take advantage of that space, leaving behind a touchpad that is much smaller than it could be. For example, the touchpad on the Specter x360 14 is much larger. And this is no ordinary touchpad. It uses haptic feedback rather than physical buttons to register clicks. While it doesn't work as naturally as the Apple version, it is a decent solution. There's the usual Microsoft Precision touchpad support, so Windows 10 multi-touch gestures are well supported. Overall, it's an attractive touchpad – it's just too small.

The display is of course touchable and also reacts. It supports the Lenovo Active Pen that is included and supports 4,096 levels of pressure sensitivity and tilt assistance. The pen is magnetically attached to the right side of the display. While it's not like other Lenovo pens that slide into a port for storage and charging, it's a full-size pen well worth the tradeoff.

Windows 10 Hello is supported by both a fingerprint reader and facial recognition. Both were quick and accurate. As mentioned earlier, you'll want to use face recognition to get the most out of its human presence detection features.

Battery life

The thin frame of the ThinkPad X1 Titanium Yoga only contains 44.5 watt hours of battery, which is not much for a laptop with a high-resolution display of this size. Given the general tendency of the ThinkPad to have a battery life that was above average, I wasn't confident that it would achieve impressive longevity.

As it turned out, the battery life wasn't great, but it was also terrible. In our web browser test, the ThinkPad managed 9.45 hours, an above-average performance, and exceeded both the seven hours of the Specter x360 14 and the slightly more than six hours of the XPS 13 4K. In our video test, which ran through a Full HD movie trailer, the Thinkpad X1 Titanium Yoga managed a strong 15.75 hours, 5.5 hours longer than the HP and five hours longer than the Dell.

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Titanium YogaMark Coppock / Digital Trends

I also ran the laptop through the PCMark 10 gaming battery test, which put a strain on the CPU and GPU, and it lasted three hours, much like the Specter x360 14 and about half an hour less than the XPS 13 4K. In the battery test for PCMark 10 applications, which gives the best indication of the productivity of the laptop, the ThinkPad was at the top of our database with almost 11 hours, about two hours longer than HP and Dell.

The net result is that the ThinkPad X1 Titanium Yoga gives you likely a full day of battery life, and a few more. That's not too shabby for a machine with a high-resolution display and decent productivity performance.

Our opinion

The ThinkPad X1 Titanium Yoga is a superior 2-in-1 convertible that offers the best of the HP Specter x360 14. It's thin and light, so it works well as a tablet, a rarity in this class of machines. It has a great keyboard and pen, solid security options, and a case that feels very modern and sturdy.

You won't love the performance when you're doing more than the usual productivity tasks, but if you don't want to get on with demanding tasks, the ThinkPad X1 Titanium Yoga is for you. And it's partly made of titanium, which again is pretty cool.

Are there alternatives?

The HP Specter x360 14 is the most logical alternative. It's faster, slightly smaller, thicker, and heavier, and has a superior OLED display. The HP is also close to the same price as the ThinkPad, just with a Core i7-1185G7 and the OLED display, which makes it a far better value for money.

If you want a detachable tablet instead of a 2-in-1 convertible tablet, the Lenovo ThinkPad X12 Detachable is a great option. You get slightly slower performance and battery life, but the best detachable tablet available right now. It's also several hundred dollars cheaper.

If you don't need the flexibility of a 2-in-1, the excellent Dell XPS 13 is, as usual, a great choice. It remains the best overall notebook and offers better performance, a higher resolution display option in a 16:10 aspect ratio, and a chassis that is more robust and slightly smaller.

How long it will take?

The ThinkPad X1 Titanium Yoga is tough enough to withstand years of hard work and has the latest components. You should make a lot of productive work out of it. They also suffer from the inadequate, but industry standard, 1-year guarantee.

Should you buy it?

Yes. The ThinkPad X1 Titanium Yoga is the best 2-in-1 convertible that can be used as a tablet and offers solid battery life due to its attractive, thin and light design.

Editor's recommendations




04 Apr
Blog

Lenovo Smart Frame Review: Simple With Google Photos in Mind

Lenovo Smart Frame Review Subseries Gallery 2

"No Distraction Here: The Lenovo Smart Frame is about sharing your favorite memories."

  • Photo-realistic display

  • One of the largest picture frames ever

  • Convenient organization with Google Photos

  • Easy wall mounting

  • It is expensive

  • Does not support other photo services

Digital photo frames are nothing new. They've been around almost as long as the first commercial digital cameras. Over the years, arguably, the greatest innovation in digital photo frames has centered on smart displays – how smart displays effectively serve as photo frames and add value to them.

In Lenovo's view, the Photo Frame is again a stand-alone product with the power and help of Google Photos. Unlike other photo frames you've come across, the Lenovo Smart Frame wants to make its presence known with its huge 15 x 24 inch digital canvas. Compared to today's smart displays, it's an undeniable Goliath.

Realistic picture quality

I loved the first digital photo frame I bought in the early 2000s, but when I look back now, it was total rubbish. Not only was it low resolution, but the colors were bleeding through the sides and corners like no other. Of course, with today's digital photo frames, you won't have these worries.

The sheer size of the Lenovo Smart Frame dwarfs the vast majority of digital photo frames in circulation. While most are largely reserved for coffee tables, bedside tables, end tables, and cramped counters, the Lenovo Smart Frame yearns to be wall-mounted – or at least deserves to be propped up on its own pedestal or shelf. This is due to the sizeable 21.5-inch IPS panel. Not only is it significantly larger than other picture frame displays, but its realistic look is enhanced by its anti-glare coating. When viewed directly, this can be confused with a normal picture frame.

While the 1080p resolution works decently from a distance, I can see less detail in the images on closer inspection. This is obviously expected and is not a complete distraction. As long as the original image was captured correctly, it is still pleasing to the eye. The colors are also displayed well, and the viewing angles are excellent and do not distort at wide angles.

Thanks to Google's Ambient EQ technology, the Nest Hub smart displays are among the best for lifelike results. I have to admit, however, that the Lenovo Smart Frame's matte finish makes the display more realistic. Aside from the lack of a higher resolution display, it does it justice when it comes to presenting photos.

Google photos is a must

In order for photos to appear on the Wi-Fi connected Lenovo Smart Frame, you need to set up Google Photos – this is mandatory and the only option. This is a bit limiting and I would have liked wider support for other image services like Shutterfly. However, since this is Google Photos, it comes in handy that I can quickly fill an album to present on the Lenovo Smart Frame by selecting familiar faces. (This works on pets too.) Better to have to go through all of my albums manually.

In addition to showing my Google Photos, which can be shuffled in chronological order or via the Lenovo Smart Frame app, you can set up other “channels” to show other things besides photos. The only other options are the Art Gallery and Clock channels, which show curated graphics and the time, respectively. The latter only have a handful of clock widgets to choose from, but I really wish they could show other important information – like weather and temperature.

Although the Lenovo Smart Frame automatically flips through photos, it has a built-in motion sensor that makes it easy for anyone to scroll through them and the various channels. You have to be patient with these hand gestures because if you're like me and want to scroll through a set in a hurry, it can't keep up.

There are two ways to assemble the frame. I opted for the easy way of putting it on a wall with the power chord behind it, but later I used the included wall mount to mount it properly. While it's still heavier than other frames at 8.26 pounds without the metal frame mount, you don't need to find pins in the wall to attach it to the wall. Once it's on the wall, you can easily remove it by pulling on the switches on the back of the unit. If you have younger children who may be attracted to the power cord, a child-resistant clip is provided to make the cord easy to detach from the device.

Stick to what it does best

We have high expectations for displays these days, especially considering how smart displays are the command centers of some households. One can expect that the Lenovo Smart Frame can do more, e.g. B. Play videos, possibly act as a second screen, or even provide voice control with the Google Assistant. There was also a point where I wished I could have broadcast a video that I was watching on my smartphone. But, you know what? It doesn't do any of them. And who knows if it ever will.

This may be hard to swallow for some, but I understand Lenovo's intent. The company already makes its own line of Google Assistant-based smart displays (like the Lenovo Smart Display 7, which I love). The Smart Frame therefore serves only one purpose: A picture frame that inspires you with some of your favorite memories.

Our opinion

What can also be difficult to accept for some people is the $ 400 cost of the Lenovo Smart Frame. It's way above what you can find anywhere else, even for fancy smart displays that serve as frames for your photo memories and cost around $ 250.

Its size is undoubtedly its greatest asset. Few are ever as tall as 10 inches. So it's a picture frame worth mounting in a high-traffic area of ​​your home for family members and visitors to see. With the integration of Google Photos, you can no longer organize your favorite memories and move them into a picture frame.

How long it will take?

The Lenovo Smart Frame is mainly made of plastic and is solidly built. Since this is a heavy side, extra care should be taken where you place it if you don't plan to mount it on the wall. It comes with a one year limited warranty.

Is there a better alternative?

As mentioned earlier, smart displays like the Google Nest Hub are actually a better investment as they double as picture frames. Therefore, if you want to fill smaller spaces, these are the better option. Conversely, you won't find many picture frames larger than 10 inches. This is one of the few options to consider – especially those over 20 inches.

Should you buy it?

Yes, for its presentation style as the right photo frame that is easy to manage thanks to Google Photos.

Editor's recommendations




31 Mar
Blog

Lenovo ThinkPad X12 Detachable Review: Better Than Surface?

Lenovo ThinkPad X12 detachable

Lenovo ThinkPad X12 detachable

"The detachable ThinkPad X12 is a worthy business-oriented alternative to the Surface Pro 7."

  • Excellent detachable tablet design

  • Solid build quality

  • Excellent (and included) detachable keyboard

  • Good battery life

  • Better than the average ad

  • Mediocre productivity performance

  • Fully featured inking is of paramount importance

Microsoft Surface Pro has dominated the detachable tablet category since the Surface Pro 3. There was competition, but none, that could dethrone the Surface Pro as the best 2-in-1 there is. Even fewer direct competitors have been introduced in recent years.

However, Lenovo hasn't been deterred from introducing its first detachable tablet in nearly three years, the ThinkPad X12 Detachable. The company sent me a well-configured test device with an 11th generation Intel Core i5-1130G7 CPU, 16 GB RAM, a 512 GB solid-state drive and a 12.3-inch Full HD + display (1,920 x 1,280) for a retail price of 2,229 US dollars but available with an "eCoupon" for 1,337 US dollars. Other options are available, including CPUs with Intel's enterprise vPro functionality.

The price includes both the detachable keyboard and an active pen. Both are optional (and cost extra) on the slightly more expensive Surface Pro 7 when it's not on sale. Does the detachable ThinkPad X12 take advantage of its relatively low price point and ThinkPad design to pose a legitimate challenge to the clear market leader?

design

Lenovo applied the usual ThinkPad design formula to the detachable ThinkPad X12. First, it retains the line's most common all-black aesthetic with subtle red accents. On the front logo is the usual LED dot above the "i", and on the detachable keyboard there is the red TrackPoint knob and the red striped keys. You'll recognize this from afar as a ThinkPad, and you can't confuse it for the Surface Pro 7, which is similar in shape but has a bright silver color that looks a bit more modern.

Lenovo ThinkPad X12 detachableMark Coppock / Digital Trends

Lenovo ThinkPad X12 detachableMark Coppock / Digital Trends

Lenovo ThinkPad X12 detachableMark Coppock / Digital Trends

Second, the detachable ThinkPad X12 is made from a magnesium alloy that is meant to be both lightweight and durable. Military-grade durability testing is a trademark of ThinkPad. Interestingly, the Surface Pro 7 is also made from a magnesium alloy, although it couldn't feel more different. This is thanks to the soft-touch surface of the ThinkPad, which is warmer and more inviting than the colder metal feel of the Surface Pro 7. However, both tablets exude quality and both are equally well made.

The detachable ThinkPad X12 is almost the same size as the Surface Pro 7 and is available in every dimension within a few millimeters. For example, the ThinkPad is 0.34 inches thick and weighs 1.67 pounds while the Surface Pro 7 is 0.33 inches thick and 1.7 pounds. The bezels are also about the same size – larger than modern clamshell and convertible laptops like the Dell XPS 13 and HP Specter x360 14. These dimensions apply to the tablets only – add the ThinkPad's detachable keyboard and the Type Surface Pro 7 cover is still very tight and a bit thicker.

Lenovo ThinkPad X12 detachable side viewMark Coppock / Digital Trends

Lenovo ThinkPad X12 Detachable connectorsMark Coppock / Digital Trends

Lenovo ThinkPad X12 detachable side viewMark Coppock / Digital Trends

Lenovo has also leaned generously on the design of the Surface Pro in its stand, which, just like the Microsoft tablet, extends at various angles from the center of the back of the tablet to almost flat. The mechanisms feel identical and they hold every tablet smoothly and reliably in the desired position. If you want to copy, as the detachable ThinkPad X12 shows, you can copy from the best too.

The detachable ThinkPad X12 benefits from its 11th generation Intel CPU by offering a USB-C port with Thunderbolt 4 support as well as a second USB-C 3.2 port, a 3.5 mm audio jack and a nano WWAN offers SIM slot to support the optional 4G LTE. This is comparable to the USB-C port on the Surface Pro 7 (no Thunderbolt support), the USB-A port, the Surface Connect port, and the microSD card reader. The wireless connectivity of the ThinkPad (like that of the Surface Pro 7) is based on Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.0.

performance

The Core i5-1130G7 CPU in the detachable ThinkPad X12 is a lower-performance version of the chip that operates at 4 GHz compared to 4.2 GHz in the more common Core i5-1135G7 and with a lower thermal design output (TDP) of between 7 and 15 watts. Hence, it can be expected to run a little slower and cooler. The fan spun occasionally during my tests, but it was very quiet. Note that with the ThinkPad X12 Detachable, Lenovo implemented a performance mode that uses the Windows 10 slider. I've tested in both standard and performance modes and found only minor differences between the two in most of the tests.

It's difficult to directly compare the ThinkPad X12 Detachable's performance with that of the Surface Pro 7, as we've changed some of our benchmarks since looking at Microsoft's 2-in-1 system. The Surface Pro 7 we tested used a custom version of Intel's 10th generation Ice Lake CPU, the Core i5-1035G4, making it a generation older than the Tiger Lake-based ThinkPad. We can compare Geekbench 4 results, where the Surface Pro 7 scored 4,957 in the single-core test and 17,145 in the multicore test, compared to 5,719 and 18,385 for the ThinkPad X12 Detachable, respectively. We can also look at Handbrake 1.0.7, an older version of the benchmark that we use to test the speed of a laptop encoding a 420MB video into H.265. Here the ThinkPad took a little over three minutes, compared to almost five and a half minutes for the Surface Pro 7. The ThinkPad is clearly the faster tablet, although Microsoft has released a Surface Pro 7+ for business users that is equipped with the 11th generation Intel -CPUs and should be more competitive.

Lenovo ThinkPad X12 Detachable Keyboard and ScreenMark Coppock / Digital Trends

The ThinkPad X12 Detachable performed roughly as expected in our current benchmarks. For most of the tests, it was only slightly slower than other comparable systems. In Geekbench 5, the ThinkPad achieved 1,352 points in the single-core test and 4,796 points in the multi-core test. With this, the Lenovo Yoga 7i with a Core i5-1135G7 could be beaten with 1,357 and 4,246 points. Another system with the faster Core i5, the Porsche Design Acer Book RS, scored 1,415 and 5,364 points. Laptops with Intel Core i7 CPUs were typically significantly faster.

The ThinkPad X12 Detachable did surprisingly well in our latest Handbrake 1.3.1 test. The test again lasted a little over three minutes. The Yoga 7i took another 20 seconds, while the Porsche Design Acer Book RS ended four seconds faster. Most Tiger Lake laptops finished the test in about three minutes, although some – like the HP Specter x360 14 and the Dell XPS 13 – required performance modes to achieve these speeds. In another video coding test, Cinebench R23, the ThinkPad did not do that well and only achieved 1,125 points in single-core mode and 3,663 points in multi-core mode. The Porsche Design Acer Book RS scored 1,380 and 4,973 points, while the HP Specter x360 14 scored 1,404 and 4,847 points in performance mode. Most of the other Tiger Lake laptops passed 1,300 and 4,400 in this test, so the ThinkPad X12 Detachable remains on the back of the package.

If you're a gamer, definitely take a pass on the ThinkPad.

In the PCMark 10 Complete test, the ThinkPad finally achieved 4,443 points in the overall test, 9,763 points in the Essentials test, 5,865 points in the productivity test and 4,157 points in the creation test. This is the slowest score we've seen on Tiger Lake laptops, and the ThinkPad was particularly lagging behind in the Creation test. The conclusion from this series of benchmarks: The detachable ThinkPad X12 is fast enough for general productivity and basic computing, but it shouldn't be asked to put too much effort into editing videos or photos.

Overall, the ThinkPad X12 Detachable is a tablet that is fast enough for productivity users and is likely to be faster than the older Surface Pro 7. It won't compete with today's fastest clamshells and convertible 2-in-1s, however. More than just a good enough productivity performance, you might want to consider a different form factor.

If you're a gamer, definitely take a pass on the ThinkPad. Even with the Intel Iris Xe graphics, Fortnite could only record 13 frames per second (fps) with 1080p and high graphics. Most Tiger Lake laptops with the same GPU achieve 30 fps or faster at the same settings.

display

The detachable ThinkPad X12 has a 12.3-inch IPS display that is the same size as the Surface Pro 7. However, it's a lower resolution, Full HD + (1,920 x 1,280), compared to the much higher 2,736 x 1,824 of the Surface Pro 7. This makes Microsoft's display significantly sharper, although some users won't mind the difference on such a small display.

According to my colorimeter, the ThinkPad X12 Detachable can hold its own against the display of the Surface Pro 7 (except for the resolution). It has a brightness of 364 nits compared to the 377 nits of the Surface Pro 7 and a contrast ratio of 940: 1 compared to 1140: 1 on the Surface Pro 7. (We'd like to see this metric at 1000: 1 or more, but that ThinkPad is close enough.) The ThinkPad X12 Detachable has 97% sRGB and 72% Adobe RGB (roughly average for premium laptops), a wider gamut than the Surface Pro 7 (roughly average for premium laptops) compared to 93% and 70%, respectively. The ThinkPad's display is far more accurate with a DeltaE of 1.59 (less than 1.0 is considered excellent) compared to the dim 3.51 of the Surface Pro 7.

Lenovo ThinkPad X12 Detachable Keyboard ScreenMark Coppock / Digital Trends

When compared to some other laptops, the ThinkPad's display is competitive. The Dell XPS 13 Full HD display is way ahead with 458 nits of brightness, a contrast ratio of 1350: 1, 98% and 75% color gamut and a color accuracy of 1.35 – but this is the exception. The Lenovo Yoga 9i 14, for example, lagged behind with 341 nits, 95% and 71% color gamut and a color accuracy of 3.74 in most measurements. Only the contrast ratio of 1060: 1 was higher. The OLED display of the HP Specter x350 14 blows all of these laptops out of the water in every metric except brightness (374 nits), with 100% and 96% color bars, a contrast ratio of 374,200: 1 and a color accuracy of 0.69.

The ThinkPad X12 Detachable may not have the same resolution as the Surface Pro 7, but it does have wider and more accurate colors and almost the same contrast. It's better than the premium laptop average overall, and on my daily test, I found it to be a comfortable display. And I didn't really miss the additional resolution of the Surface Pro 7.

The front loading dual speakers were overwhelming. They're very small in volume, and while highs and mids were okay, some laptops didn't even have the touch of base. You want headphones or external speakers to binge Netflix or listen to your favorite music.

Keyboard and touchpad

As mentioned earlier, Lenovo included the detachable keyboard. It's smaller than the typical ThinkPad keyboard, of course, but it offers the same sculpted keys, inverted Fn and Ctrl keys (a bummer, but they can be toggled in Settings), and a superior ThinkPad mechanism. There's a lot of wiggle room, though less than the larger ThinkPad keyboards, and I actually prefer the button switches – they're lighter than full-size ThinkPad keyboards, much like the keyboard on the ThinkPad X1 Nano, which I really liked. This makes the keyboard sharper and more precise, and while it doesn't match the HP Specter keyboards or the Magic keyboard on the latest MacBooks, it's available in seconds. And I like it better than the optional $ 130 cover on the Surface Pro 7.

Lenovo ThinkPad X12 Detachable KeyboardMark Coppock / Digital Trends

Perhaps just as impressive, although the Lenovo keyboard connects to the tablet area via pogo pins like the Type Cover and is at a similar angle, it is much more solid than what Microsoft is offering. There is far less sag when typing on the keyboard of the ThinkPad X12 Detachable, which gives it a more solid feel than the Type Cover. It's not much different from typing on a “normal” laptop keyboard, except of course with the same difficulty as on the Surface Pro 7 when the combination is used on a lap.

The keyboard also includes the TrackPoint nubbin in the center, a ThinkPad staple that works well for those who still use it. The TrackPoint buttons take up space from the touchpad as usual, making the latter smaller than it could be. Thanks to the support for Microsoft Precision touchpads and a comfortable wiping surface, the touchpad works well with the multi-touch gestures of Windows 10 and corresponds to the Microsoft Type Cover touchpad. In fact, it's as good as clamshell and convertible laptops like the Dell XPS 13 and HP Specter x360 13, albeit smaller.

Lenovo also includes an Active Pen with the detachable ThinkPad X12, a $ 100 add-on to the Surface Pro 7. The pen offers 4,096 levels of pressure sensitivity, the same as the Surface Pen. You'll need to upgrade to Lenovo Precision for $ 59, however, pen for tilt detection and magnetic attachment to the tablet (also compatible with the Surface Pen). I found the inking smooth and effective, although my (bad) drawings weren't as sharp on the lower resolution of the display as they were on the higher resolution display on the Surface Pro 7.

Lenovo ThinkPad X12 Removable "class =" m-carousel - image dt-lazy-no "src =" https://img.dtcn.com/image/digitaltrends/olympus-digital-camera-1067-640x640.jpg "srcset = "https://www.digitaltrends.com/data:image/gif;base64,https://www.digitaltrends.com/R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP//yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7Mark Coppock / Digital Trends

Lenovo ThinkPad X12 Detachable Camera "class =" m-carousel - image dt-lazy-no "src =" https://img.dtcn.com/image/digitaltrends/olympus-digital-camera-1063-640x640.jpg "srcset = "https://www.digitaltrends.com/data:image/gif;base64,https://www.digitaltrends.com/R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7Mark Coppock / Digital Trends

Lenovo ThinkPad X12 Detachable Camera "class =" m-carousel - image dt-lazy-no "src =" https://img.dtcn.com/image/digitaltrends/olympus-digital-camera-1068-640x640.jpg "srcset = "https://www.digitaltrends.com/data:image/gif;base64,https://www.digitaltrends.com/R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7Mark Coppock / Digital Trends

Finally, Windows 10 Hello support is provided by both an infrared camera for facial recognition and a fingerprint scanner on the keyboard deck. I found both methods to be quick and reliable for logging into Windows 10 without a password. Lenovo has integrated the physical ThinkShutter switch to block the webcam for privacy reasons.

Battery life

Lenovo has a battery capacity of 42 watt hours in the small frame of the ThinkPad X12 Detachable. That's a reasonable amount of battery for the tablet – the Surface Pro 7 has a 45-watt-hour battery, but it also has a higher-resolution display. I was expecting decent battery life given the lower performance CPU.

Lenovo ThinkPad X12 detachableMark Coppock / Digital Trends

For the most part, the ThinkPad X12 Detachable was shipped. For example, in our web browser test, the ThinkPad lasted about eight hours, which is about 30 minutes less than the Surface Pro 7. The Dell XPS 13 with a Full HD display (1920×1080) also lasted about 30 minutes longer than the HP Specter x360 14 with its OLED display lasted exactly one hour less. That's not a great result, but it's not terrible either. In our video test, which ran through a Full HD Avengers trailer, the ThinkPad X12 Detachable lasted almost 11 hours, compared to the Surface Pro 7, which was shut down about three hours earlier. The XPS 13 ran about an hour longer and the Specter x360 14 about an hour less.

The detachable ThinkPad X12 should last most of the day depending on the workload.

I also ran the PCMark 10 gaming battery test to see how fair the tablet is when it comes to CPU and GPU stress, and it did about 2.75 hours. We didn't test the Surface Pro 7 in PCMark 10, but the XPS 13 lasted about 70 minutes longer and the Specter x360 14 lasted just as long as the ThinkPad. To test the longevity of productivity, I used the battery test for PCMark 10 applications, where the detachable ThinkPad X12 lasted just over 10 hours, which is a respectable result. The XPS 13 lasted about 10.75 hours and the Specter x360 14 failed after just over nine hours.

The detachable ThinkPad X12 should last most of the day depending on your workload – which we could say for many of the laptops we have recently tested outside of slot machines. Overall, I would rate the tablet's battery life as good, but not great.

Our opinion

The ThinkPad X12 Detachable is a viable competitor to the Surface Pro 7 and outperforms it in several key areas. It offers better performance, a more detachable keyboard, and a higher quality display, even at a lower resolution. It could be said that the detachable ThinkPad X12 is better than the Surface Pro 7, and it might require the Surface Pro 7+ to keep the line at the top.

When looking for a 2-in-1 detachable tablet, you have a tough decision ahead of you. However, don't let the Surface Pro 7's dominance in the past fool you into looking beyond the detachable ThinkPad X12.

Are there alternatives?

The Surface Pro 7 is obviously the clear alternative. As mentioned throughout the review, the ThinkPad X12 Detachable offers several advantages over the Microsoft tablet, including price. The Surface Pro 7 costs $ 1,400 (not on sale) for a Core i5, 16GB of RAM, and just a 256GB SSD. t include the $ 100 Surface Pen or $ 130 Cover. That makes the ThinkPad a few hundred dollars cheaper.

If you haven't opted for the detachable tablet format but still want a 2-in-1 format, the HP Specter x360 14 is a good choice. It's priced around the same and has a spectacular 4K, 13.5-inch OLED display option. It's a bigger and heavier device and doesn't do nearly as well for coloring. However, if that's not your primary application, the HP is a good choice.

If you aren't into 2-in-1 features, the Dell XPS 13 is an obvious choice. It's the best laptop out there, and it has a chassis that is almost as small but offers better performance and a much better display.

Of course, I should mention that the iPad Pro is an increasingly serious competitor to Windows 10 tablets. If you haven't decided on Windows 10 or its legacy apps, the iPad Pro is a viable option.

How long it will take?

The detachable ThinkPad X12 is durable and equipped with the latest components. It should give you years of service, but unfortunately only the first year is covered by a warranty. However, Lenovo has several expanded service offerings to consider.

Should you buy it?

Yes. The detachable ThinkPad X12 is a fine 2-in-1 device with which the Surface Pro 7 gets its money's worth.

Editor's recommendations




12 Mar
Blog

Lenovo Tab P11 Pro Review: Great Hardware Can’t Save Android

lenovo tab p11 pro review 5

Lenovo Tab P11 Pro Tablet

"It's probably the best Android tablet in its price range, but the Tab P11 Pro seriously disappoints with a sub-par software experience."

  • Breathtaking design

  • Excellent accessories

  • Solid performance

  • Excellent battery

  • Below average software experience

  • Android apps on tablets are terrible

  • Medium camera

It's difficult to decide on Android tablets these days, especially when they cost more than a few hundred dollars. Sure, some companies make stylish tablets with beautiful displays and top-notch performance, but Android is still holding them back – which is fantastic on phones but not so great on tablets. However, Lenovo believes it cracked the code with the new Lenovo Tab P11 Pro.

It cannot be denied: The Lenovo Tab P11 Pro is madness. It's thin, has a gorgeous edge-to-edge display, and offers solid performance thanks to the Snapdragon 730G. At first glance, it's a slightly cheaper alternative to the Samsung Galaxy Tab S7, which is our first choice for Android tablets.

Ultimately, however, the Android experience is best for the smartphone, and Lenovo cannot change that. Here are our thoughts on the device.

Design and display

Lenovo seems to have gotten to the heart of the design aspect of its tablets. The Lenovo Tab P11 Pro is elegant and elegant, looks modern thanks to its borderless display and is made of high-quality materials. It reminds me a lot of the Samsung Galaxy Tab S7, which is a good thing – I liked the general design and feel of the Tab S7, and while the Tab P11 Pro can reasonably be called a design copy, it still looks great.

As is the trend these days, the tablet has nicely rounded corners with a metal unibody structure. There is a slate gray color scheme on the back, reminiscent of Apple's Space Gray, with an antenna line at the top and a dual-sensor camera. The camera module sticks out quite a bit from the back of the tablet, but with the included back cover, it's no big deal. We'll go into the included accessories a little later.

When you hold the tablet in portrait orientation, the on / off switch (with integrated fingerprint sensor) is on the top right and the volume rocker right next to it on the right. There is a USB-C port at the bottom. There is no headphone jack on the Tab P11 Pro.

On the right there are also a number of sensors and cameras that can be used for face recognition. Unfortunately, in my experience, facial recognition doesn't work that well, and you should opt for the fingerprint sensor instead. The face recognition worked exactly. It only took a few seconds for the device to actually unlock. The fingerprint sensor worked quickly and accurately most of the time.

With a thickness of only 6.9 mm, the Tab P11 Pro fits comfortably in the hand. At just over a pound, it's not overly heavy and the bezels are the perfect size – they leave just enough room to hold the device without accidentally touching the screen. You don't want them to get tighter.

Speaking of the screen, it's a sucker. The Tab P11 Pro has an 11.5-inch OLED display with a resolution of 1,600 x 2,560 and a brightness of up to 500 nits. It is wonderful. The text is nice and sharp, the colors are vivid and bright, and the tablet is perfect for watching movies and games. But it's not perfect. As someone who regularly uses an iPad Pro, I would have liked a high refresh rate here, but it's hard to reckon that the tablet won't have a high refresh rate due to its price range.

Our first Tab P11 Pro immediately had a screen burn-in issue, and Lenovo quickly replaced the review unit. If you experience a similar problem, it should be under the manufacturer's limited warranty.

Power, battery and camera

The Lenovo Tab P11 Pro is slightly cheaper than the Galaxy Tab S7, and one way to cut costs is with a slightly cheaper processor. However, this does not mean that the tablet does not have enough power. Still, thanks to the Snapdragon 730G processor, which comes with 4GB or 6GB of RAM and 128GB of storage, it can do most of the tasks that you can.

In all honesty, it's more than powerful enough. No, the Snapdragon 730G isn't as powerful as the Snapdragon 865, but it can handle multitasking, gaming, and more. Playing Call of Duty: Mobile was a good experience with few jumps and good load times. The tablet generally handled multitasking well, including surfing the web, sending emails, using Microsoft Word, and so on.

That doesn't mean it's a performance beast. It still has its limits. If you want to use it as a replacement for a laptop, for example, you will reach these limits. We recommend the 6GB RAM model if you can afford it and if you don't want to use your tablet just for media consumption. It's only $ 50 more and makes for a smoother experience.

In all honesty, it's more than powerful enough. No, the Snapdragon 730G isn't as powerful as the Snapdragon 865, but it can still handle solid multitasking, gaming, and more.

The battery life of the Lenovo Tab P11 Pro is excellent. The tablet comes with a massive 8,600 mAh battery that is more than enough to last for days of use. If you charge it and don't use it for a few days, you can expect over 90% of the battery remaining. If you use your tablet frequently, it should be a few days before you need to charge it.

Unlike a smartphone, the tablet's rear-facing camera isn't as important as the front-facing camera, as you will likely use your tablet more for video chatting than for taking photos. Unfortunately, none of the P11 Pro's cameras work great.

On the back of the device is a dual camera setup with a 13-megapixel main camera and a 5-megapixel ultrawide. There are two 8-megapixel cameras on the front, one for photos and one for face recognition. Both of them do their job in adequate lighting, but they add complexity to your photo or video and you are likely to run into problems.

software

The Lenovo Tab P11 Pro has a stunning design, display and battery life. Ultimately, however, it doesn't matter how good the hardware is if the software isn't up to the task. Unfortunately, this is not the case in this case.

It's not all Lenovo's fault. Android is a great operating system, but it's not really tablet-friendly, and even the Samsung Galaxy Tab S7's software experience isn't the best. It really is a shame and frustrating that, despite its mature operating system, Android still isn't the productivity powerhouse it could be.

Not to mention the fact that Android apps aren't really optimized for use with tablets. Twitter on the tablet is basically just an expanded version of the smartphone app, and it looks terrible. In comparison, the iPad app is divided into columns that really take advantage of the large screen's footprint. That's Twitter's fault, of course, but it underscores the fact that Android tablets have really been forgotten – and Android tablet makers look bad because of it.

As you'd expect, Lenovo is building its own features into the Tab P11 Pro's software. The tablet can be used in two different modes – a normal Android tablet mode and a so-called “productivity mode”. Productivity mode is activated by default when you connect the device to the supplied keyboard. However, you can also turn it on without a keyboard.

Productivity mode is similar to Lenovo's in terms of Samsung DeX, but without years of refinement. Apps are displayed with windows instead of the full screen. A number of the latest multitasking apps are displayed at the bottom of the screen. It's a good approach, but it feels very unfinished. For example, apps don't snap to the edge of the screen and load in a tiny window the first time they are opened. It's really not very well implemented, and you might be more productive in normal mode.

But I wouldn't turn to the Tab P11 Pro primarily for productivity gains, or at least not for its primary purpose. The device works well for casual jobs and, given the solid keyboard, can also be useful for things like replying to emails or writing in a word processor without the need for multitasking. However, don't expect to be more productive and still keep your sanity.

All of this is made worse by the fact that the tablet ships with Android 10, which is now over a year old. Given Lenovo's track record with Android updates, it's entirely possible that the tablet will never get Android 11 or even Android 12. However, I would be happy if I turned out to be wrong.

Keyboard and pen

The Lenovo Tab P11 Pro comes with a number of accessories that support different uses, and these accessories are really beautiful. That said, it's a shame the tablet's software wasn't really designed with productivity in mind.

To protect the tablet, there is a back cover and a keyboard that can be used separately. In the end, I just kept the back cover of the tablet the whole time. It has a nice textile appearance and the stand makes it easy to put a tablet on the table when needed. The stand is infinitely adjustable so you can adjust it to the angle you want. The only frustration I have with the back cover is that the hinge creates a bump in the middle, which means it can't lie flat on its back.

The keyboard corresponds to the design of the back cover and is magnetically attached to the underside of the tablet. Once attached, it works pretty well. It's not the keyboard with the best feel, but it's not bad for a free, included accessory. Keys could use a little more travel to see them, but that's a minor complaint and I still generally enjoyed typing on it … but only on a table. The kickstand design means this isn't the best device for your lap.

The tablet also comes with a pen. While it's not bad, I haven't used it much. In contrast to the Galaxy Tab S7, the pen is not magnetically attached to the tablet itself. Instead, a sleeve is supplied that you can attach to the device with an adhesive. However, this is a pretty permanent approach. Alternatively, you can attach the sleeve to a keychain. Neither is a good solution.

Price and availability

The Lenovo Tab P11 Pro starts at $ 500. However, as mentioned earlier, if you want to use the tablet for any kind of productivity or multitasking, I recommend upgrading to the $ 550 6GB RAM model. It is available directly from the Lenovo website.

Our opinion

The Lenovo Tab P11 Pro is a tough sell. It's probably the best Android tablet in its price range thanks to its great hardware and the fact that there isn't a lot of competition – unless the Galaxy Tab S7 goes on sale. In this case, it's a better option. Unfortunately, the Tab P11 Pro is seriously disappointed with a sub-par software experience, making it difficult to recommend to anyone who wants to achieve more than just basic media usage and very basic productivity.

Is there a better alternative?

If you want to stay in the Android ecosystem, there are a few alternatives you should consider. Perhaps the most notable is the Samsung Galaxy Tab S7, which was available for $ 550 at the time of this writing. The Tab S7 software experience is still not perfect, but it is better than the Lenovo Tab P11 Pro and offers improved performance thanks to the Snapdragon 865+.

If you're not keen on Android, the iPad Air is our top pick for the best tablet out there – and for good reason. It also has a stunning modern design and great performance, as well as a premium software experience for work or leisure. It's a far better product in almost every way except you have to pay extra for accessories like a keyboard and pen. Even the entry-level iPad is worth considering, and while it doesn't look as premium, it still offers a better overall experience than the Tab P11 Pro.

How long it will take?

The Lenovo Tab P11 Pro is made of metal and should be able to be used for at least two years without physical damage or major slowdowns. If you take good care of it, you might be able to use it for three or four years. Be aware, however, that the software slows down and the software feels pretty out of date.

Should you buy it?

Get an iPad Air or Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 instead.

Editor's recommendations




25 Feb
Blog

Lenovo ThinkPad C13 Yoga Chromebook Review: Chrome at Work

Lenovo Thinkpad C13 Yoga Chromebook Review Company

ThinkPad C13 Yoga Chromebook (13 inch) 2-in-1 laptop

“The ThinkPad C13 Yoga Chromebook fits well into the company and offers a high level of security and manageability. But consumers should look elsewhere. "

  • Solid build quality

  • Good full HD display

  • Comfortable keyboard, touchpad and pen

  • The performance is strong

  • Mediocre battery life

  • Expensive

Chromebooks have made a name for themselves in the education world. In business? There is still a lot to be done.

Part of the problem is the lack of high-end options for those who want something with a premium finish. Bringing the popular ThinkPad brand to Chromebooks should do the trick, especially if you add a powerful AMD Ryzen processor to the mix.

This is the ThinkPad C13 Yoga Chromebook Enterprise, a long winded name for a laptop that emphasizes security and performance for high-end users.

My test device was equipped with the new Chromebook-specific AMD Ryzen 5 3500C CPU, 8 GB RAM, a 256 GB PCIe solid-state drive (SSD) and a Full HD IPS anti-glare display (1,920 x 1,080). There were also a few add-ons, including a hybrid active capacitive pen and a 5MB camera with a view of the world, at a post-coupon price of $ 859 ($ 1,321 as configured).

Does the extra security and specialized AMD processor give the ThinkPad C13 Yoga Chromebook a head start?

design

Mark Coppock / Digital Trends

The ThinkPad C13 Yoga Chromebook follows the same general aesthetic pattern as the rest of the ThinkPad lineup. It's completely black with only a few embellishments (although the black isn't quite as deep and looks grayer) like the blinking LED "i" in the ThinkPad logo on the lid and the red accent on the keyboard provided by the TrackPoint nubbin .

Interestingly, Lenovo skipped the red stripes along the TrackPoint buttons, which made the keyboard deck a bit simpler than usual. The chassis lines are also a bit more complex than the ThinkPad X1 Nano, for example, with rounded backs on the lower case and lid and a more forward-facing design.

A Chromebook looks good, and I find it more noticeable than the Dell Latitude 7410 Chromebook Enterprise, which is a pretty direct competitor – though the Latitude is a clamshell while the ThinkPad is a convertible 2-in-1.

Like all ThinkPads, the ThinkPad C13 Yoga Chromebook made of aluminum has a robust construction. The lid, keyboard deck or lower case must not be twisted, bent or bent, and the 2-in-1 device provides a high level of safety when lugging around. You don't need to spoil this laptop.

The bezels make the ThinkPad C13 Yoga Chromebook bigger than it needs to be.

It's easily the equivalent of the Latitude 7410 Chromebook. In fact, the ThinkPad C13 Yoga Chromebook is as well built as its Windows 10 competitors including the HP Specter x360 13 and Dell XPS 13. I notice that the hinge is pretty stiff and requires both hands to open the lid. However, the display is held in place by the four modes of clamshell, tent, media and tablet.

One area where the ThinkPad C13 Yoga Chromebook falls behind is the frames. They are thin on the sides but quite large on the top and bottom and have quite a massive chin. Part of the chin size is for the 2-in-1 hinge, but overall it looks a lot less modern than the ThinkPad X1 Nano and Dell XPS 13.

The Latitude 7410 Chromebook falls somewhere in between. The bezels make the ThinkPad C13 Yoga Chromebook bigger than it needs to be. It's bigger than the ThinkPad X1 Nano, though that's no big surprise given the laptop's smaller 13-inch 16:10 display, and it's much larger than the Dell XPS 13 with a 13.4-inch 16: 10 display.

Lenovo Thinkpad C13 Yoga Chromebook Review Company "class =" m-carousel - image dt-lazy-no "src =" https://icdn2.digitaltrends.com/image/digitaltrends/olympus-digital-camera-1015-640x640. jpg "srcset =" https://www.digitaltrends.com/data:image/gif;base64,https://www.digitaltrends.com/R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP//yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7Mark Coppock / Digital Trends

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At 0.70 inches thick, it's also a bit chunky compared to the XPS 13's 0.58-inch and the Specter x360 13's 0.67-inch. The XPS 13 and Specter x360 13 weigh 2.8 pounds, compared to the ThinkPad C13 Yoga Chromebook at 3.3 pounds. The Latitude 7410 Chromebook is 0.67 inches thick despite its 14-inch display and weighs almost the same as the Lenovo at 3.36 pounds.

The ThinkPad C13 Yoga Chromebook includes a few features that are of interest to corporate customers. First, there are some security features like the ThinkShutter slider that covers the webcam if you want to protect your privacy and a fingerprint scanner that provides a secure (and in my experience fast and reliable) way to log in without a password.

The Google H1 security chip works with Chrome OS to prevent software and firmware version resets, log transitions between developer and normal mode, protect user encryption keys and much more. These functions could of course also be attractive to consumers.

The 2-in-1 system can also host Google Enterprise, which offers a variety of resources for securing and managing a fleet of Chromebooks. Google Enterprise features include a managed Google Play Store that allows organizations to control which apps users can install, Microsoft Active Directory integration, managed Chrome browsers and extensions, single sign-on, and more. Google Enterprise is free to configure for the ThinkPad C13 Yoga Chromebook, but comes with an annual fee of $ 50.

Lenovo Thinkpad C13 Yoga Chromebook Review Company "class =" m-carousel - image dt-lazy-no "src =" https://icdn2.digitaltrends.com/image/digitaltrends/olympus-digital-camera-1009-640x640. jpg "srcset =" https://www.digitaltrends.com/data:image/gif;base64,https://www.digitaltrends.com/R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP//yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7Mark Coppock / Digital Trends

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The ThinkPad C13 Yoga Chromebook offers solid connectivity. On the left side of the laptop there is a USB-C 3.2 Gen 1 port, two USB-A 3.2 Gen 1 ports, a 3.5 mm audio jack and a microSD card reader. On the right side there is another USB-C 3.2 Gen 1 port and a full-size HDMI 2.0 port. Wireless connectivity is cutting edge with Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.0.

Finally, my test unit came with an optional ($ 20) second camera on top of the keyboard deck, a 5-megapixel model that can be used as a camera with a view of the world in tablet mode. Selecting this option will reduce the number of microphones to just one from the dual microphones that are not equipped with the 5 megapixel camera add-on.

performance

Mark Coppock / Digital Trends

For the ThinkPad C13 Yoga Chromebook, in this case the Ryzen 5 3500C, Lenovo opted for the latest Ryzen CPU from AMD, which is directly geared towards Chrome OS. This is the midrange CPU between Ryzen 5 3250c and Ryzen 5 3700C. The CPU is a quad-core CPU with eight threads that run up to 3.7 GHz. It is actually an APU with integrated AMD Radeon graphics with eight graphics cores.

According to AMD, the Ryzen 5 3000C series offers double to triple the performance of the previous AMD Chrome OS offering, the Athlon A6 series.

The only benchmark in our suite that we can run on Chromebooks is Geekbench 5, and the ThinkPad C13 Yoga Chromebook scored 907 in the single-core test and 2,739 in the multi-core test. This is very close to the 1,025 single-core and 2,712 multi-core rates achieved by the 10th generation Intel Core i5-10310U of the Latitude 7410 Chromebook.

The ThinkPad C13 Yoga Chromebook was very fast in everyday use.

That's also roughly half the performance you'll find on most Windows 10 laptops with core processors, but Chrome OS is of course far lighter than Windows 10 and doesn't require anywhere near the processing power to get a good experience.

Probably thanks to the generous 8 GB of RAM (for Chrome OS) and the fast PCIe SSD, the ThinkPad C13 Yoga Chromebook was very fast in daily use. I was able to open some tabs and Chrome OS apps while running some Android apps in the background without any noticeable slowdown. As with the Latitude, fans have occasionally dabbled with the ThinkPad C13 Yoga Chromebook, but that's not too high a price for great performance.

I also played a few games on the ThinkPad C13 Yoga Chromebook, including the Asphalt 9, and found the performance a little underperforming. Asphalt 9 in particular was surprisingly choppy. You will be fine with the occasional Android game, but GPU-intensive titles seem to put a little strain on the APU beyond its capabilities.

display

I couldn't test the 13.3-inch Full HD IPS display on the ThinkPad C13 Yoga Chromebook with my colorimeter. Below are my subjective results. Lenovo rates my review unit's display at 300 nits of brightness, and I would guess it comes close to that number.

It's a glare-free screen too, so working in bright environments wasn't a problem for me – although I didn't bring it outside, where direct sunlight would likely turn out to be too much for the display. Lenovo also offers a 4K display along with higher specs (16GB of RAM and a Ryzen 5 3700C CPU) for about $ 100 more.

Mark Coppock / Digital Trends

The colors looked well balanced without being oversaturated, and they seemed accurate enough. I compared some images to some other color accurate displays (e.g. the Dell XPS 13) and they looked similar on the ThinkPad C13 Yoga Chromebook. I would rate colors as good for a premium laptop, but I can't quite say exactly how wide the color gamut is and if it's suitable for creative types. The gamma also seemed spot on, as the Netflix video didn't look too light or too dark.

The two speakers weren't something to write home about. The sound was just average, with medium volume but no distortion. Highs and mids were clear, but there is no bass to speak of. The audio works well for video conferencing and the occasional YouTube video. However, for Netflix binging or tones, I use headphones or a bluetooth speaker.

Keyboard and touchpad

The keyboard of the ThinkPad C13 Yoga Chromebook corresponds exactly to that of the ThinkPad X1 Nano. This means that it has the same ThinkPad keycaps, the same spacing and the same spring travel and is even splash-proof thanks to the liquid drainage channels on the bottom of the case.

However, when I used the two keyboards side by side, I noticed a small difference in the mechanisms. The version of the ThinkPad C13 Yoga Chromebook was a little less fluid and had a slightly harder base than that of the ThinkPad X1 Nano.

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Maybe these are the same keyboards and all I saw was a normal manufacturing variance, but I found the Chromebook version to be a little less accurate. It's a good keyboard, don't get me wrong, and better than the one on Dell's Latitude 7410 Chromebook but not as good as the one I enjoyed on the ThinkPad X1 Nano.

It's also a step below the HP Specter line of keyboards and the Dell XPS 13, but a step above most (much cheaper) Chromebooks.

The touchpad is smaller than it could be as the two buttons support the usual ThinkPad TrackPoint node in the middle of the keyboard. The surface of the touchpad was comfortable and all the usual Chrome OS multitouch gestures worked well.

The TrackPoint worked just as well as it did on other ThinkPads and provided another way to control the cursor for those who like things like that.

Lenovo C13 Yoga Chromebook EnterpriseMark Coppock / Digital Trends

The touch display was responsive and precise. Lenovo includes a docked hybrid "active capacitive" pen that does not require an active layer, making the display thinner and less complex.

The pen supports 2,048 levels of pressure sensitivity, and I found it to be good for scribbling and the occasional handwritten note. Chrome OS doesn't offer the same color support as Windows 10, but whatever support works there works just fine with the optional pen (a $ 44 add-on).

Battery life

Mark Coppock / Digital Trends

Lenovo packed 51 Wh of battery life into the ThinkPad C13 Yoga Chromebook's case, and that's a decent amount for a 13.3-inch Full HD device. We don't have any other experiences with the AMD Ryzen 5 3500C, so I was excited to see how long the 2-in-1 battery would last.

In our web browser test, which ran through a number of popular websites, the laptop lasted 7.25 hours, which is about 40 minutes less than the Dell Latitude 7410 Chromebook and Lenovo Chromebook Flex 5 with an Intel Core i3-10110U.

As the best measure of laptop productivity longevity, this promises to be almost a full working day, but not quite. It's significantly less than many newer Windows 10 laptops that will last a few hours.

Many Chromebooks have significantly longer battery life.

In our video test, which ran through a Full HD Avengers trailer, the ThinkPad C13 Yoga Chromebook lasted about 7.5 hours. That's two hours longer than the Latitude 7410 Chromebook, but not very competitive with the Windows 10 field, where 10 hours or longer is the norm.

Finally, I ran the 2-in-1 test through our most demanding test, the Basemark web benchmark (which for some reason doesn't run on Intel Tiger Lake laptops) and it took almost exactly three hours. This is an average score, but again 40 minutes less than the Latitude 7410 Chromebook.

Overall, I found the battery life to be a disappointment. Many Chromebooks last much longer thanks to the overall efficiency of Chrome OS. Either the AMD CPU is not very energy efficient, or Lenovo has tuned it more to performance than battery life. In any case, you want to have your power supply with you for longer working days.

Our opinion

The ThinkPad C13 Yoga Chromebook has a target group and for this target group its strengths. However, it's not the best performing Chromebook we've used, nor is it the most durable on a single charge of the battery. It's as well built as ThinkPads always and takes on the Latitude 7410 Chromebook – the other enterprise Chromebook we tested – with the added flexibility of a convertible 2-in-1 device.

However, being Google Think-enabled is the ThinkPad C13 Yoga Chromebook's only real claim to fame. That explains the relatively high price, which is well above what a typical Chromebook buyer should pay.

Are there alternatives?

We've mentioned the Dell Latitude 7410 Chromebook a few times, and it's a comparable computer that isn't a clamshell. It's also significantly more expensive, costing $ 1,900 for a computer with a Core i5, 16GB of RAM, 256GB SSD, and a 4K display.

You can also consider the HP Pro c645 Chromebook Enterprise if it ever releases. The Acer Chromebook Enterprise Flip 13 is available now, offering the same Google Enterprise features in a 2-in-1 format for $ 1,300 – though you only get one 8th Gen Core i7 CPU. You will likely appreciate the 2,256 x 1,504 3: 2 display.

If you don't need the business features, then chances are you'll be looking at the Google Pixelbook Go, our pick as the best Chromebook you can buy. It's cheaper too, but it's also only for consumer use. As such, corporate buyers should consider one of the other machines on this list of alternatives.

How long it will take?

The ThinkPad C13 Yoga Chromebook is built to last for years, and its components should keep Chrome OS running for just as long.

However, the one-year warranty is disappointing for an enterprise-class laptop.

Should you buy it?

For the average Chromebook buyer, no. It's a decent option for the corporate Chromebook user, but there are better Chromebooks out there for the average person.

Editor's recommendations




13 Feb
Blog

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Nano Review: Small, Light, and Excellent

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Nano

"The ThinkPad X1 Nano is an extraordinary addition for small laptops."

  • Solid productivity performance

  • Extremely light

  • Good keyboard and touchpad

  • Excellent battery life

  • Very nice 16:10 display

Lenovo has been working on its legendary ThinkPad line for several years and is breaking away from the tried and tested. With the great ThinkPad X1 Extreme and a 2-in-1 tablet form factor with the detachable ThinkPad X12, it got big and powerful. Let's not start with the craziness of the ThinkPad X1 Fold.

Now Lenovo has made the ThinkPad X1 Nano the smallest and lightest ThinkPad of all time. Don't think that this means it's cheaper as the configuration of the ThinkPad X1 Nano review unit that Lenovo sent me costs a cool $ 1,847. This gives you an 11th generation Intel Tiger Lake Core i7-1060G7, 16 GB RAM, a 512 GB PCIe solid-state drive (SSD) and a 13.0-inch 2K IPS display (2,160 x 1,350 ) in the increasingly popular 16:10 aspect ratio.

The ThinkPad X1 Nano has jumped into a very competitive area (Hello, Dell XPS 13). Does the ThinkPad X1 Nano live up to its potential?

design

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Nano

Lenovo may have made the ThinkPad X1 Nano smaller than any other ThinkPad, but it didn't detract from the aesthetics. The ThinkPad X1 Nano is just as black as most ThinkPads – no visible carbon fiber like the ThinkPad X1 Extreme or a titanium cover like the one in the new ThinkPad X1 Titanium Yoga.

You'll find the same subtle red cues as the “i” LED on the ThinkPad Yoga and the red TrackPoint nubbin and red key accents. It's a super conservative look that can only be found in the ThinkPad. The simple design neither corresponds to the slim lines of the Dell XPS 13 nor the elegant elegance of the HP Specter x360 13.

The X1 Nano is built like other ThinkPads, with a mix of materials resulting in a robust chassis. In this case, it is a carbon fiber hybrid material that makes up the lid with a magnesium-aluminum alloy in the bottom of the case. These materials contribute to the ThinkPad X1 Nano's low weight of just 1.99 pounds compared to the XPS 13 and Specter x360 13, both at 2.8 pounds. And the ThinkPad X1 Nano feels just as rugged as the two, which are some of the toughest we've tested.

For a device in its class, the X1 Nano is the lightest laptop you can buy.

Note that 1.99 pounds is really, really light. For a laptop of this type, the X1 Nano is the lightest laptop you can buy – even lighter than the LG Gram 13, whose entire purpose is to be as light as possible. It's almost as light as the Acer Swift 7 (1.96 pounds) and lighter than the Samsung Galaxy Chromebook (2.3 pounds), neither of which are in this CPU class.

Is such a lightweight laptop such a big deal? They are certainly a joy to use and carry around. When you add the materials of the ThinkPad X1 Nano that are cool to the touch, you get an extremely attractive and comfortable laptop.

If – like some lightweight laptops – it felt weak to the touch, it would diminish the benefit of being so light. However, the ThinkPad X1 Nano feels just as solid as any ThinkPad. The lid, the keyboard deck or the housing must not be bent, twisted or bent. The XPS 13, however, has the ThinkPad X1 Nano-Beat when it comes to the hinge – the latter is a bit stiffer and requires both hands to open.

The ThinkPad X1 Nano is not quite as thin as it is light and has a taper of 0.55 to 0.66 inches. The XPS 13 is only 0.58 inches, while the Specter x360 13 is slightly thicker at 0.67 inches. Since the ThinkPad X1 Nano's top and bottom bezels are slightly larger than those of the XPS 13, it's a bit deeper, but not by much, even with the smaller display (13 "versus 13.4").

Thanks to the larger 16:10 display (just like the XPS 13), the ThinkPad X1 Nano offers more space for the palm rest than the Specter x360 13, which is still 16: 9.

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Nano

Connectivity is one area where the ThinkPad X1 Nano is affected by its size. There are only two USB-C with Thunderbolt 4 ports on the left, mating with a 3.5mm audio jack. The Specter x360 13 can insert both a USB-A port and a microSD card reader, which the ThinkPad X1 Nano lacks.

However, with Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.0, the Lenovo is at the cutting edge of wireless connectivity. Support for 4G or 5G WWAN is optional via a SIM slot on the back.

security

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Nano

I'm adding a special section to this review to take into account some pretty cool technologies that Lenovo has built into the ThinkPad X1 Nano. None of this is new, but the software in particular has been perfected – at least compared to the last time I tried it.

The ThinkPad X1 Nano has the usual ThinkShutter physical slider that covers the webcam. So this is nothing special when it comes to ThinkPads. What is special, however, is the HPD (Human Presence Detection) technology and software that uses radar to detect when a user is in front of the laptop and when this user leaves. As long as the user is in front of the ThinkPad X1 Nano, it will stay awake and function normally.

However, move outside of a 60-degree arc and the laptop will turn off the display, lock it, and go into modern standby mode to save battery life. As soon as the user returns within that 60-degree arc, the ThinkPad X1 Nano is activated and automatically logs in again if Windows Hello is set up for facial recognition.

It works very well and is a real convenience – when you're not doing a task, that is. I noticed that my lengthy benchmarks were interrupted when the software put the ThinkPad X1 Nano to sleep. Therefore, the utility must be turned off if the computer is to continue running. I couldn't find a setting to turn off the step of switching to Modern Standby which is a bit of a stupid thing to do.

Overall, however, I found Lenovo's solution to be faster and more reliable than the similar utility found on Dell's Latitude 7400 2-in-1.

performance

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Nano

The ThinkPad X1 Nano uses a previously unusual version of the latest 11th generation Tiger Lake CPU from Intel, the Core i7-1160G7. In contrast to the more popular Core i7-1165G7 with an output of up to 4.7 GHz and a TDP (Thermal Design Power) range of 12 to 28 watts, the Core i7-1160G7 achieves a maximum output of 4.4 GHz and a lower TDP range from seven to seven watts 15 watts. That makes it less power hungry and cooler – a good fit for the tiny X1 Nano.

Although the CPU is theoretically slower, it didn't do particularly well in our benchmark tests. The ThinkPad X1 Nano didn't show up in Geekbench 5, where it could only manage 5,139 in multi-core mode and 1,466 in single-core mode. Other Tiger Lake laptops typically exceed 5,400 and 1,500. In Handbrake, where we encode a 420 MB video as H.265, the ThinkPad X1 Nano did surprisingly well and finished in exactly three minutes. That outperforms some laptops with faster Tiger Lake chips, like the Dell XPS 13 with a Core i7-1185G7, which takes about 20 seconds longer. The HP Specter x360 14 with a Core i7-1165G7 took 10 seconds longer.

The ThinkPad X1 Nano also did relatively well in Cinebench R23, where it achieved 4,550 points in multi-core mode and 1,377 points in single-core mode. This beats the XPS 13 (4,267 and 1,449) again, but fell behind the Specter x360 14 in performance mode (4,847 and 1,404). The ThinkPad X1 Nano is not the fastest Tiger Lake laptop in this test, but it is not as far behind as the CPU specs suggest.

Finally, I ran the PCMark 10 Complete test, where the ThinkPad X1 Nano got a total of 4,684 and then 9,295 in the Essentials, 6,413 in Productivity, and 4,678 in the Creation subtests. These values ​​are a little further behind the faster CPUs, in which the Specter x360 14 scored 4,796, 9,760, 6,340 and 4,837 points in the various tests. This is the only test in which the lower CPU of the ThinkPad X1 Nano couldn't quite keep up.

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Nano

In general, however, the ThinkPad X1 Nano was fast enough for productivity tasks. I've never seen slowdowns happen, and I've used it just as hard as any other laptop I've checked. Lenovo did a great job of packing just the right amount of performance into the small and lightweight chassis.

In terms of gaming, the ThinkPad X1 Nano, which came with the usual Intel Iris Xe that you'll find in Tiger Lake machines, was also competitive. In the 3DMark Time Spy test, which is located in the middle of the field, 1,549 points were achieved. The XPS 13 managed 1,589 while the MSI Prestige 14 Evo (otherwise a very fast laptop) only managed 1,465. The Specter x360 14 scored a glowing 1,709 in performance mode.

I also ran Fortnite which was running on the ThinkPad X1 Nano at 1920 x 1200 and I saw 31 frames per second (fps) in 1080p and high graphics and 23 fps in epic graphics. This is comparable to the XPS 13 with 29 fps and 22 fps and the Specter x360 14 with 36 fps and 23 fps. Some Tiger Lake laptops are faster and some are slower, but in general they approach the discrete Nvidia MX350 performance of a very small and light laptop.

display

The ThinkPad X1 Nano has a brand new display with an aspect ratio of 16:10 (13.0 inches). It has a 2K (2,160 x 1,350) resolution which is very sharp, although I've noticed that the color temperature is a little warm (yellowish).

According to my colorimeter, this is a good display for a premium laptop, but not a great one. The color gamut was of average width at 74% of AdobeRGB and 98% of sRGB, and color accuracy was good at DeltaE 1.31, with 1.0 or less being considered excellent. The XPS 13 Full HD + display was similar at 75% AdobeRGB and 98% sRGB and a color accuracy of 1.36. The Specter x369 13 I tested used an OLED display with much wider and more accurate colors, so this isn't the best comparison.

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Nano

The ThinkPad X1 Nano's display was very bright at 414 nits, which was nice to see (no pun intended). That made it bright enough to overwhelm a lot of ambient light. The contrast was 980: 1 and thus just below our preferred threshold of 1000: 1 for premium laptops. The XPS 13 was brighter at 458 nits and had a much better contrast at 1350: 1. Here, too, the OLED panel of the Specter x360 13 was superior in its almost infinite contrast, although it was not as bright at 405 nits.

I enjoyed the display, especially the 16:10 aspect ratio. After getting used to the color temperature being a little warm, I made myself comfortable and enjoyed the panel for all the work I threw on it. Creative guys in need of large bezels of color will want to look elsewhere, but for most people this is a very good indicator.

Audio was very good, with tons of volume for such a small laptop, and no distortion. This is possible thanks to quad speakers, two downward-facing woofers and two upward-facing tweeters. You get great highs and mids and just a little bit of bass. It's enough for Netflix and the occasional music, though it can't lose sight of the best laptop speakers out there, the MacBook Pro's. I also find that the speakers are a little less pleasant than the HP Specter x360 14's quad speakers, which are just a little more powerful.

Keyboard and touchpad

According to Lenovo, the keyboard of the ThinkPad X1 Nano is the same as that of other ThinkPads, with "similar" travel. This certainly seems to be the case – they're the same shaped buttons with plenty of spacing, and the mechanism is almost identical to other ThinkPads. I think the trip is a little less, which I think is a good thing – I find the "normal" ThinkPad keyboard a little too much effort.

I like the lighter keyboards on the Dell XPS 13, the HP Specter range, and Apple's Magic Keyboard on the latest MacBooks. Ultimately, the ThinkPad X1 Nano's keyboard feel is the best I've seen on a ThinkPad, unless it's my imagination.

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Nano

The touchpad is a Microsoft Precision version that enables a precise tracking experience and functional multi-touch gestures under Windows 10. You lose some space on the buttons for the TrackPoint nubbin in the middle of the keyboard, which has always bothered me about ThinkPads. Really, the touchpad is too small where the extra space could make for a larger wipe surface thanks to the larger display.

Speaking of the display: Touch is not supported, which is also negative. I find touchless laptops annoying after I get used to scrolling long web pages with my thumb and tapping fast on-screen buttons with my finger.

Finally, Windows 10 Hello support is provided by both a fingerprint reader directly to the right of the touchpad and an infrared camera above for facial recognition. With the human presence detection function, the face recognition method is particularly useful and works perfectly.

Battery life

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Nano

When I saw that the ThinkPad X1 Nano only had 48 watt hours of battery, I expected it to compete with other ThinkPads in a mediocre battery life. I suppose the smaller display and lower power consumption CPU made a real difference, as the ThinkPad X1 Nano definitely outperforms the ThinkPad trend.

First, I ran our web browser test, which gave a passable indication of the productivity of the battery life. Here, the ThinkPad X1 Nano managed 10.25 hours, which is a very good score, which probably means the laptop meets or exceeds Intel Evo certification of nine hours of typical use.

It also outperformed the XPS 13 Full HD + and the 4K OLED-equipped Specter x360 13 (with a 60 watt hour battery) by almost two hours. In our video test, which ran through a Full HD Avengers trailer, the ThinkPad X1 Nano lasted 18 hours – an extraordinary result. That's six hours longer than the XPS 13 and eight hours longer than the Specter x360 13.

I also ran the PCMark 10 gaming battery test which was draining the CPU and the ThinkPad X1 Nano lasted almost four hours. This is the second longest score we've ever seen, just a second behind the XPS 13 Full HD +. I tried running the PCMark 10 Application battery test which is the best indicator of productivity longevity. Unfortunately the test failed several times. However, I imagine that the ThinkPad X1 Nano would have done well in the test and, overall, should have offered the typical productivity user more than a full day of battery life.

Our opinion

The ThinkPad X1 Nano is a highly competent player in the market for small laptops. It offers solid productivity performance, great battery life, and a solid build with a good keyboard and usable human presence detection technology. Thanks to the 16:10 panel, it's up to date with the move to a higher display.

The ThinkPad X1 Nano doesn't have much to like. It doesn't quite have the glitz of the XPS 13, and it doesn't have the standout looks or flexibility of the Specter x360 13, but as far as 13-inch laptops go, this is a good one.

Are there alternatives?

The HP Specter x360 14 is a solid alternative and offers its own taller display with a 13.5-inch 3: 2 OLED panel that is miles ahead of the ThinkPad's display. Depending on the configuration, the price roughly corresponds to that of the ThinkPad X1 Nano, but is characterized by its 2-in-1 flexibility.

The Dell XPS 13 9310 is perhaps the most logical competitor with a slightly larger 16:10 display and an optimized design. Performance is similar between the two, but the ThinkPad has better battery life. The XPS 13 is just as well built, has a superior display, and can handle more storage and RAM than what Lenovo is offering.

When you're ready to switch operating systems, Apple's MacBook Pro 13 M1 is another great option. It's extremely fast, maybe better built, has a better display, and has the best keyboard and audio quality on any laptop. It's also several hundred dollars cheaper than the ThinkPad X1 Nano.

How long it will take?

The Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Nano is well built and should have useful productivity for years. The components are state-of-the-art. It is covered by the one-year guarantee that is customary in the industry and that is too short.

Should you buy it?

Yes. The ThinkPad X1 Nano is a very well built, very light and very durable laptop with some additional security features and a modern display.

Editor's recommendations




22 Jan
Blog

Lenovo Yoga 9i 14 Review: An excellent 14-inch convertible

Lenovo Yoga 9i 14 review featured picture

Lenovo Yoga 9i 14 "2-in-1 laptop

"The Yoga 9i 14 is a fast and efficient 2-in-1 convertible that only suffers from a too short 16: 9 display."

  • Very solid build quality

  • Competitive productivity performance

  • Excellent battery life

  • Superior audio quality

  • Pen is included in the scope of delivery and docks comfortably

  • The keyboard remains a bit flat

  • 16: 9 display is yesterday's technology

  • The colors are a bit muted and inaccurate

Lenovo's Yoga 9i 14 – the replacement for the Yoga C940 – is an incredibly innovative 2-in-1 convertible that comes in two different flavors that stand out for much more than just color.

The Shadow Black Leather Edition contains a continuous glass palm rest, a haptic touchpad and an ultrasonic fingerprint reader, which is combined with a leather cover on the lid. The mica-colored model has a traditional palm rest and touchpad, as well as a simple metal lid. And they cost the same. A more direct replacement for the Yoga C940, the Mica version offers a more traditional 2-in-1 experience that begs the question: should you consider the Mica version without the added innovations?

We tried a well-configured Mica device with a top-notch 11th generation Intel Tiger Lake Core i7-1185G7 CPU, 16 GB of RAM, a 512 GB PCIe solid-state drive (SSD), and a Full HD (1,920) x 1,080) IPS display. This configuration is $ 1,380 at Best buy, Pricing next to the best 2-in-1 laptops, but competitive with similar machines.

design

Lenovo Yoga 9i 14 designMark Coppock / Digital Trends

As with most mid-range and better Lenovo laptops, the Yoga 9i 14 feels solidly built. I couldn't get anything bend or bend, including the lid, keyboard deck, and case bottom. Seriously, this laptop is rock hard and in the same class as the HP Specter x360 14, Dell XPS 13, and Apple MacBook Pro 13. The Yoga’s stiff hinge requires two hands, but does a great job of holding the 2-in. 1 in the desired mode, be it clamshell, medium, tent or tablet.

Aesthetically, the Yoga 9i 14 follows Lenovo's recent preference for simple, clear designs without any gloss. The aluminum housing in the color "Mica" (light gray-silver) looks banal apart from two outstanding features: the notch on top of the display for the webcam and the Dolby Atmos soundbar integrated in the hinge (more on this later). Compared to the Specter x360 14 and the XPS 13, the Yoga 9i 14 is not noticeable. However, that's fine as it still looks attractive and I'm sure there are many users out there who prefer a simpler design. Let's call it "reserved elegance" and leave it at that.

The Yoga 9i 14 has small bezels at the top and on each side, but the chin is a bit big – as is often the case with 2-in-1 models that require more complicated hinges. That makes it a smaller 14-inch laptop, but certainly not the smallest you will find. The MSI Prestige 14 Evo, for example, is only slightly smaller in depth and width (although this is a fraction of an inch), but it's also thicker than the Yoga 9i 14 at 0.63 inches versus 0.57-0.61 Inch. The yoga is slightly heavier at 3.02 pounds than it is at 2.84 pounds. Compare that to the HP Specter x360 14, which is available at 0.67 inches and 2.95 pounds.

Connectivity is quite poor for a 14-inch laptop. You get two Thunderbolt 4 ports, a USB 3.2 port, and a 3.5mm audio jack, all of which are on the left side of the laptop. Many 14-inch laptops have multiple USB-A ports, a full-size HDMI port, and a microSD card reader, but not here. You get Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.0 so your wireless connection is up to date.

performance

Lenovo Yoga 9i 14 performanceMark Coppock / Digital Trends

My test device was equipped with the fastest Tiger Lake CPU, the quad-core Core i7-1185G7, and ran accordingly. All along the line, the Yoga was competitive with our current Tiger Lake laptop database, which also puts it at the top of the list of Intel U-series processors.

In Geekbench 5, the Yoga 9i 14 achieved 1,532 points in the single-core test and 5,415 points in the multi-core test. The Dell XPS 13 9310 and the MSI Prestige 14 Evo with the same CPU scored 1,549 and 5,431 and 1,593 and 5,904 points, respectively. Note that each of these machines is faster than Intel 10th generation laptops, but far behind the AMD Ryzen 4000 series and Apple Silicon M1.

The Yoga 9i 14 performed better in our handbrake test, which encodes a 420MB video as H.265. I've used the Yoga's performance utility, which has battery saving, smart cooling (default), and extreme performance modes, to see how much tuning is available, and switching from smart cooling to performance has made a significant difference. In Standard mode, the Yoga took 3.45 minutes to complete the test compared to 2.85 minutes in Performance mode. That's faster than the Dell XPS 13 in performance mode (the Dell was a few seconds faster in standard mode) but slower than the MSI Prestige 14 Evo, which took 2.7 minutes. These values ​​are also much faster than 10th generation Intel laptops, but slower than AMD Ryzen and Apple M1 when a version of Handbrake optimized for this processor is used.

The Yoga 9i 14 managed 1,441 in single-core mode and 4,988 in multi-core mode in Cinebench R23, both with the performance activated. It again outperformed the XPS 13, but couldn't compete with the MSI Prestige 14 Evo. 10th generation Intel CPUs lagged, while the Apple M1 was significantly faster. We did not test the AMD Ryzen chips with this version of Cinebench.

I ended up running the PCMark 10 Complete benchmark suite and the Yoga 9i 14 got 4,836 points in performance mode (4,800 in smart cooling mode, so not a huge difference). The Dell XPS 13 9310 with Tiger Lake CPUs wouldn't complete the test, and the MSI Prestige 14 Evo came in at just under 4866. The Essentials (web browsing, video conferencing, app launch), productivity (spreadsheet and word processing), and creation (photo editing, video rendering and playback, and video editing) parts of the test were similar, with the Yoga 9i 14 outperforming Intel 10-laptops a fair head start and keeping up with the rest of the Tiger Lake class.

Overall, the Yoga 9i 14 performed solidly in our tests and will meet any productivity requirement. It won't be able to compete with either AMD Ryzen or the Apple M1, especially on content creation tasks, but the performance was above average for everything else.

The gaming was the same: The Yoga 9i 14 scored 1,774 points in the 3DMark Time Spy test in performance mode, compared to the Dell XPS 13 9310 with 1,657 points and the MSI Prestige 14 Evo with a surprisingly low 1,465 points. In Fortnite, both Yoga and MSI hit 40 frames per second (fps) or faster at 1080p and high graphics, with the XPS 13 only managing 29 fps. None of the laptops could exceed 30 fps with Epic Graphics enabled. As with other Tiger Lake laptops with Intel Iris Xe, you can expect performance on par with an entry-level discrete GPU like the Nvidia GeForce MX350, allowing casual gaming at reasonable frame rates, as long as you meet your expectations for resolution and graphical detail.

display

Lenovo Yoga 9i 14 displayMark Coppock / Digital Trends

Lenovo equipped the Yoga 9i 14 with a Full HD IPS display (1,920 x 1,080) with an increasingly archaic aspect ratio of 16: 9. Many, if not most, of the new machines unveiled today have taller screens (16:10 or 3: 2). The HP Specter x360 14 is an example with its impressive 3: 2 OLED display that is a joy to use. Directly behind the gate is the yoga behind the market.

According to my colorimeter, this is mostly just an average display for a premium laptop. It was pretty bright at 341 nits, above our 300 NIT threshold, but below 458 nits the Dell XPS 13 with its own Full HD display could manage. The MSI Prestige 14 Evo suffered from an exceptionally low brightness of just 228 nits, which made the Yoga 9i 14 significantly better. The contrast exceeded our threshold of 1,000: 1 at 1060: 1. This is a good thing that blew black text on a white background. The XPS 13 Full HD managed 1350: 1, while the MSI fell below our threshold with 940: 1. By these standards, the display of yoga was excellent.

This is probably the best audio system on a Windows 10 laptop.

However, when it came to colors, yoga fell behind. It managed only 71% of AdobeRGB and 95% of sRGB, which is below the averages of 73% and 96%, respectively. The XPS 13 was stronger with 75% by AdobeRGB and 98% by sRGB, while the Prestige Evo 14 scored 73% and 97%. Worst of all, however, was the Yoga’s color accuracy, which was a poor DeltaE of 3.74 compared to 1.36 on the XPS 13 (less than 1.0 is considered excellent) and 1.3 on the MSI.

I found the Yoga display good for productivity work where brightness and contrast were most important, but I wouldn't recommend it for creatives looking for wider gamuts and more accurate colors.

However, the Yoga 9i 14 featured a Dolby Atmos soundbar integrated into the hinge. The two tweeters are located in the soundbar, while the system also uses two subwoofers in the housing for deeper bass. Volume was significant with no distortion, and mids and highs were great with an above average bass touch. This is probably the best audio system on a Windows 10 laptop and is only surpassed by the superior sound on Apple's MacBook Pro computers. You can use the laptop for Netflix bingeing and listening to music without unplugging your headphones – unless you want to keep your audio to yourself.

Keyboard and touchpad

Lenovo Yoga 9i 14 keyboard and touchpadMark Coppock / Digital Trends

Lenovo's yoga keyboards traditionally suffer from shallow depth and a squishy feel. The Yoga 9i 14, on the other hand, uses the company's new TrueStrike keyboard, which is as slim as it was before, but slightly faster. It's a much better experience, though it's still not as good as the HP Specter x360 14, Dell XPS 13, and best of all, the Magic Keyboard on the latest MacBooks. The keyboard offers two levels of backlighting that I found consistent and effective under different lighting conditions.

The touchpad is a decent size and has a smooth surface that is easy to slide over. It's a Microsoft Precision touchpad, so Windows 10 multi-touch gestures work as expected. The touch display responds equally and supports the included active pen from Lenovo, which parks and charges in its built-in silo on the back of the case. My only complaint about the pen is its size – it's quite small and doesn't mimic the feel of an ink pen.

A fingerprint reader in the upper right corner of the palm rest provides support for logging in without a Windows 10 Hello password. It worked well and logged me in quickly and efficiently without a lot of errors. The ThinkShutter privacy webcam cover remains a manual affair – you physically slide it over when you want to keep your video to yourself. Compare this to the competing Specter x360 14, whose keyboard has a button that instructs the device to electronically close the shutter.

Battery life

Lenovo Yoga 9i 14 battery lifeMark Coppock / Digital Trends

The Yoga 9i 14 has a battery capacity of 60 watt hours, which is not much for a 14-inch laptop. And as far as I can tell, there is no specific technology like a low-power display that will keep it running for a long time with such limited battery power. How did it take so long during my tests?

First, I ran our web browsing test, which iterated over a number of popular (and complex) websites until the battery ran out. In this test, the Yoga 9i 14 lasted just over 10 hours, which leads the Tiger Lake class. The closest competitor is the Asus ZenBook 14 UX425EA with a Core i7-1165G7 that lasted almost 10 hours. The rest of the field averaged nine hours or less, which gave the Yoga 9i an impressive performance.

This is a 2-in-1 convertible that you can work with for a full day.

Next, I ran our video test going through a Full HD Avengers trailer. Here the Yoga 9i 14 lasted 18.25 hours, which is incredibly impressive for a laptop without a power-saving display. That's hours longer than the other Tiger Lake laptops I tested. The closest is the MSI Prestige 14 Evo with the same CPU (and a low-power display) that managed it to last 16.25 hours.

Finally, I ran two PCMark 10 tests. The first, the Gaming Battery Benchmark, emphasizes that the CPU and GPU must mimic demanding tasks while using the battery. The Yoga 9i 14 lasted a little over two hours, which is roughly the average of all the laptops we tested. The XPS 13 9310 Full HD lasted almost four hours and was much more efficient at balancing CPU and GPU usage against battery life, while the MSI Prestige 14 Evo lasted about 30 minutes less than the Yoga. In the PCMark 10 Applications battery test, which mimics a typical productivity load, the Yoga 9i 14 lasted the longest of all the machines we tested at 14.45 hours. The closest machine was the XPS 13, which took just under 11 hours.

The Yoga 9i 14 makes the most of its 60 watt-hour battery life and exceeds the Evo certification requirements of nine hours of typical use. This is a 2-in-1 convertible that you can work with for a full day.

Our opinion

The Lenovo Yoga 9i 14 Mica version is an excellent 2-in-1 convertible with solid productivity performance, great build quality, and great battery life. The keyboard has been improved over previous iterations, and a hand-held pen is parked in the case.

The only weakness is the 16: 9 display which is suddenly old school compared to the newest machines hitting the market today. Most of these are 16:10 or 3: 2 and have more vertical information, less scrolling, and better productivity. Many people are not (yet) interested in the difference, and so the Yoga 9i 14 still has its place. But his time window is closing.

Are there alternatives?

The HP Specter x360 14 is a great alternative with a 13.5-inch 3: 2 OLED display that significantly improves its suitability for productivity work. It's a little more expensive than the Yoga, depending on the configuration, but it's worth it.

The Dell XPS 13 9310 is also a solid competitor, albeit with a smaller display in the productivity-friendly 16:10 aspect ratio. The XPS 13 is equally well built, offers a superior display, and can be configured with more RAM and storage.

How long it will take?

The Lenovo Yoga 9i 14 is built like a tank and should last just as long. It comes with the latest components and should meet your computing needs for several years. It is subject to industry standards and a one-year warranty that is too short.

Should you buy it?

Yes. The Yoga 9i 14 offers great performance and battery life in a solid and attractive design. However, the 16: 9 display holds it down from its size, and you should seriously consider whether a taller display is better for you before buying it.

Editor's recommendations




04 Jan
Blog

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Fold Review: Dual-Screen Fever Dream

Lenovo Thinkpad x1 Fold Review Center

  • Innovative design

  • Feels robust

  • Nice OLED screen

  • Very portable

  • Tight keyboard and touchpad

  • Chunky performance

  • Accessories cost extra

This should be the year of the foldable dual screen laptop. With Microsoft Surface Neo in the pipeline and a specially developed version of Windows, we felt we were entering a new era of PC design innovation.

Then happened in 2020. Like many things we have been looking forward to, all of this has either been delayed or canceled entirely. Microsoft itself seems to be bowing out of the running.

Lenovo's ThinkPad X1 Fold is still the only laptop that can be brought to market with a flexible screen. It's one of the most unique PCs ever made, and allows for some new experiences that feel really fresh. But is the ThinkPad X1 Fold, as a first-generation product, now with no competitors, too strange to look at by itself?

design

When everything is folded up, the ThinkPad X1 Fold resembles a Folio notebook. With its synthetic leather casing and small footprint, you'd never guess that it could fold into a full PC – including a keyboard and 13.3-inch screen. The professional aesthetic fits right into the ThinkPad X1 line, which was designed for a discerning and modern businessman.

All of the elements of the X1 Fold hold tightly together and it is possibly the most impressive design feature. The screen closes just as well with the keyboard as it does without. This is important because the $ 2499 base model doesn't include it.

You don't have to worry about space either. The ThinkPad X1 Fold is half the size of a standard 13-inch laptop and fits easily in a handbag or small pocket. This is the first perk of a bendable screen laptop that Lenovo uses many of them.

As a problem with many foldable devices, the ThinkPad X1 Fold cannot be as thin as other tablets or laptops when folded. It is 1.09 inches thick, closed and 0.45 inches open. Portability is the main selling point of this device and it weighs only 2.2 pounds. This makes it one of the lightest laptops you can buy.

The real magic, of course, is when you bend the screen back and see the design in all its glory. The X1 fold uses a silicone hinge and many layers of plastic to ensure that the screen can "fold" without damaging the glass. Using leather to cover the unsightly hinge on the back is awesome. The Galaxy Z Fold 2's aluminum hinge looks classy, ​​but the ThinkPad X1 Fold makes you forget it's there itself.

The foldable screen enables a number of different “modes” for using the ThinkPad X1 Fold. The first is like a Windows tablet. You can open it flat and use it as a large screen or, easily folded, as a book. This is probably the mode I have least preferred. Windows just isn't a great platform for app-driven touch-only experiences. A bendable screen won't change that. We'll have to wait for Windows 10X to support a more rugged tablet experience.

The device has a built-in leather stand that lets the screen stand on its own and offers some helpful angles for things like zoom and YouTube. I've found that I don't use it any differently than a Surface Pro or iPad, except that the ThinkPad X1 Fold can be folded in half. The kickstand still feels a bit weak, however, and the 720p webcam above isn't as good as the 1080p options found on many tablets.

All in all, Windows software limitations would be a deal killer if only tablet use were good for the ThinkPad X1 Fold. There's even more to the story thanks to the innovative keyboard implementation.

Keyboard, touchpad and pen

The keyboard is important in making the ThinkPad X1 Fold a working product. The implementation itself is pretty clever. First, it can be magnetized to fit in the bottom half of the foldable screen, mimicking a mini laptop. The magnets feel strong enough to hold the keyboard in place but loose enough to be easily removed. With just half a 13-inch screen, it comes as close to a netbook as any laptop that hit the market in the past 10 years.

The wireless keyboard connects easily via bluetooth and charges the keyboard while it is at the top of the screen. Once the keyboard is in place, the system will automatically darken half of the lower screen and resize the screen to the upper half. It's a pretty fluid transition, switching between the different modes and orientations. Lenovo also created a manual mode switch in Windows. However, if everything is working correctly, you shouldn't have to use it.

The keyboard layout is downright strange.

When developing the keyboard, it was clear that Lenovo was careful to keep the QWERTY distance known. My hands, of course, fell right on the size and shape of the keycaps, as opposed to some smaller layouts like the Surface Go 2 Type Cover. I am happy for that. The layout, however, has a major tradeoff.

For example, your right little finger lands on the Enter key instead of the semicolon. The colon, semicolon, apostrophe, and quotation mark are blocked by the P key, which requires many keystrokes. It took some getting used to, and I would have preferred a shortened Enter key instead. It is similar with the hyphen and the plus keys.

The biggest culprit is the question mark key. It no longer has its own key, which is very inconvenient and difficult to get used to. Again, I'd be happier with a shorter shift key.

Beyond the layout, the keyboard is surprisingly easy to type. The trip is very flat but it's about what I would expect from a device like this. After all, keeping it as thin as possible is of the utmost importance. It feels a bit thick to type as a laptop because the palm rests are almost non-existent. This also means that the touchpad is very small. That is unfortunate. It's going well enough, but it feels tight.

Fortunately, once you pull the keyboard away from the screen, the device thickness problem is resolved. This is my preferred way of using the ThinkPad X1 Fold. With the screen fully open and supported by the stand, you can sit back with the keyboard and use it however you want. This is an attitude that even the Surface Pro cannot replicate. I found it ideal for getting work done thanks to the 4: 3 13-inch screen.

Of course, you'll still face the limitations of the keyboard, but the freedom of movement is excellent. If only the ThinkPad X1 Fold could act as a secondary monitor! You can of course use one of the USB-C ports to connect to an external display while the other is used for charging.

The second problem with both the keyboard and the pen, however, is that none of them are included. As with other Windows 2-in-1 devices, I would be very disappointed if I only bought the ThinkPad X1 Fold without a keyboard. This is a bummer, especially when the keyboard feels like such an essential aspect of the device.

Adding both peripherals costs an additional $ 250. This is more than what Microsoft charges for the Surface Pen and Type Cover.

Display and speaker

The foldable OLED display is the star of the show. It's a 13.3-inch screen with a resolution of 2048 x 1536. This is an aspect ratio of 4: 3 and makes the screen so different from your standard 16: 9 or 16:10 laptop. The square shape makes for a better tablet and a wonderfully large work area. Lots of space to distribute apps and display the entire length of the web pages.

The screen has a pleasantly warm tint and the color accuracy is not the strength of this laptop. Thanks to the performance limitations, you shouldn't be doing much beyond basic photo editing here anyway. With the large color spaces (100% sRGB and 97% AdobeRGB) and the striking contrast of the OLED, the ThinkPad X1 Fold is a great device for watching videos and films on the go.

The folding aspect of the screen cannot be pulled off as seamlessly as on the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2. In contrast to the single fold of this device, the ThinkPad X1 Fold has a double fold. This is especially noticeable when the brightness is lowered or when the touchscreen is used, similar to the Motorola Razr folding phone in this regard. Lenovo has got off to a good start with this technology, but the creases and the obvious layer of plastic on the screen feel a little cheap under your fingers. Samsung's implementation still feels higher quality. The ribs along the ThinkPad X1 Fold's bezels along the hinge don't help, and are highlighted by some of the thickest bezels you'll ever find on a product released in 2020.

But none of that takes away the cool factor of the ThinkPad X1 Fold. It feels futuristic every time you unfold this screen and it is sure to delight your friends. Do I wish Lenovo had cut off some fat and cleaned up the bezels? Sure. If we ever get a second generation of this, there is certainly room for improvement.

The speakers suck. They're labeled Dolby Atmos, but that doesn't mean much these days.

Many tablets have fantastic audio, like the iPad or the Pixel Slate. These benefit from the fact that the speakers are located at the front next to the display. The ThinkPad X1 Fold's speakers are on the sides, which is not ideal. In addition, they sound terribly thin. Unfortunately, you get richer audio with an iPhone.

performance

The ThinkPad X1 Fold is unique beyond its form factor. The processor inside is also an experiment. It is one of the first devices to run on Intel Lakefield chips. These are hybrid processors that combine elements from the mobile and desktop architecture. One “big” core for laptop-like performance and five “small” cores for tablet-like efficiency. The ThinkPad X1 Fold manages that, but in the end it feels more like a low-performance laptop.

Using PCMark 10 as a benchmark, the ThinkPad X1 Fold is about 25% slower than a standard laptop for basic tasks such as surfing the Internet and word processing. This has been tested on laptops like the HP Specter x360 and the Dell XPS 13, which are your standard class of Intel U-series Ultrabooks.

In Geekbench 5, it even loses to Core m3 laptops like Microsoft Surface Go 2 or Windows to ARM laptops like Lenovo Flex 5G. This applies to both single-core and multi-core processing. For a device valued at $ 2,499, that's not too promising.

The chunky performance was definitely felt when I used the ThinkPad X1 Fold for my daily work with web apps, multitasking, and productivity. Heavier tasks like 3D gaming or content creation are not allowed as this Lakefield chip does not benefit from Intel's improved Iris Xe graphics in 11th generation Tiger Lake.

The performance limitations seem reasonable when using the X1 Fold as a netbook or simple tablet. You probably don't want to do more than one task at a time with such a small screen. But when I was working with the keyboard unfolded, I wanted a faster processor.

My test unit came with 8GB of RAM and 256GB of SSD storage, though you can upgrade that to 1TB for a whopping $ 3,099.

Battery life

The ThinkPad X1 Fold does not have a long battery life. Thanks to Android tablets and iPads, I always expect devices like the X1 Fold to have long-lasting batteries. You always disappoint.

It pales in comparison to an iPad, but also an average laptop. The ThinkPad X1 Fold lasted six hours and 13 minutes on a single charge when surfing the Internet very lightly – but with a full display and no keyboard. Get an hour and a half more in laptop mode. That's better, but still not quite as good as similar laptops or tablets.

The X1 Fold is used for a maximum of nine hours, which the device lasted for local video playback.

Our opinion

The ThinkPad X1 Fold is the kind of laptop I want to love. There were moments while using the device that I experienced the spark of innovation that makes it so unique. It remains one of the most exciting PCs to hit in 2020.

But between these exciting experiences lie moments of frustration, confusion and disappointment. Too many to make this one that can be recommended to everyone except the most adventurous early adopters.

Are there alternatives?

The ThinkPad X1 Fold is the first of its kind. However, the experience of using it is most similar to a 2-in-1 device like the Surface Pro 7, Surface Go, or even an iPad Pro. The ThinkPad X1 Fold is by far the most expensive of these devices – and the slowest.

But once you include its foldable screen, it stands alone. On the smartphone side, however, devices like the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2 or Motorola Razr could cause the same pliable screen scratch.

How long it will take?

Durability is an open question about the ThinkPad X1 Fold and not one that I can currently answer. You open and close it much less than on a smartphone, that's for sure. For what it's worth, the hinge feels sturdy enough for years to come.

The bigger problem is performance and software. The X1 Fold already feels chunky and that won't improve over time. With Microsoft's lighter Windows 10X operating system coming out next year, you might want to too

Should you buy it?

No. It's expensive, first-generation hardware that doesn't have the software support to be successful.

Editor's recommendations




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