30 Sep
Blog

Lenovo ThinkPad P15 Gen 2 Review: A Dying Breed

Lenovo ThinkPad P15 Gen 2 sits on a table.

Lenovo ThinkPad P15 Gen 2

RRP $ 5,445.00

"The Lenovo ThinkPad P15 is a dying species, but remains relevant because of its expandability."

advantages

  • Long-lasting workmanship

  • High quality entry display

  • Great keyboard

  • Superior expandability

  • Solid performance

disadvantage

  • Not much faster than cheaper laptops

  • Touchpad is too small

  • Expensive

We don't normally review mobile workstations, but a significant trend has emerged in laptops aimed at YouTubers. These thin and light laptops, like the Dell XPS 15, are surprisingly good at speeding up demanding tasks like video editing. In addition, they have brilliant, color-true OLED displays.

When Lenovo offered us the ThinkPad P15 Gen 2 with a Core i9-11950H CPU and an Nvidia Quadro RTX A5000 GPU for testing, we took the opportunity to see how a more traditional approach to a mobile workstation would fare.

Is the ThinkPad P15 proof that old school workstations are a thing of the past? In a way, yes. But because of its unique features, the audience remains very limited for this expensive laptop.

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The ThinkPad P15 looks exactly like a ThinkPad should – only it's incredibly thick and heavy. There's the usual black aesthetic with just a few hints of red, including the iconic LED “i” in the ThinkPad logo on the lid. There is also the same soft-touch surface and the usual red TrackPoint knob in the center of the keyboard.

The most noticeable difference in look and feel to the typical ThinkPad is the additional ventilation openings on the sides and back, which indicates a different ThinkPad P15. Oh, that, and the massive bezels around the display that look like a laptop from 10 years ago.

Lenovo ThinkPad P15 Gen 2 sits on a table.Mark Coppock / Digital Trends

Then there is this size. Where modern ThinkPads, at least the more upscale consumer and business models, are thin and light, the ThinkPad P15 is simply huge. It is 0.96 inches at its thinnest point and 1.24 inches at its thickest point and weighs 6.32 pounds. I thought the ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 4 was a bit bigger than it should be, but the ThinkPad P15 dwarfs its 0.70 inches thick and 3.99 pounds. It's a little weird to put the two side by side – they're almost identical in width and depth, and look similar, but the ThinkPad P15 looks like a balloon version that someone has inflated with extra air.

Not that there is anything wrong with any of this. The ThinkPad P15 is a workstation-class notebook and does not pretend to be a very portable, relatively fast notebook like the ThinkPad X1 Extreme or the Dell XPS 15. Instead, it's supposed to offer plenty of room inside to move air around and store things cool and fast, along with additional expandability. In fact, this expandability is what sets this laptop apart the most.

You can configure up to 128 GB of RAM via four SO-DIMM slots (and you can choose error-correcting RAM for sensitive applications), which makes creative types of power users happy. There are also three SSD slots inside – one PCIe 4.0 and the other two PCIe 3.0 – that support up to 16 TB of storage. And the laptop is user upgradeable, which means you can start with, for example, 64GB of RAM and a single SSD, and then add two 32GB RAM modules for 128GB of RAM and one or two more SSDs for more storage. All of that just can't be packed into a thin and light device, and the ThinkPad P15 is not intended for road warriors.

Lenovo ThinkPad P15 Gen 2 sits on a table.Mark Coppock / Digital Trends

In terms of durability, the ThinkPad P15 comes close to the usual ThinkPad standards. An internal magnesium frame holds the lower chassis together, with a plastic and fiberglass material covering it for added protection and a soft feel. The keyboard deck and the lower chassis make a fairly robust impression. The lid is made of plastic and fiberglass and is a little more flexible than I'd like to see. The ThinkPad P15 doesn't quite meet the standards of the ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 4 or the XPS 15, but it feels robust enough. Of course, it passed Lenovo's usual MIL-STD 810G tests, which provides additional security.

Connectivity is a strength as you can imagine with this class of machine (and given so much room for ports). On the left is a full-size HDMI 2.1 port, a USB A 3.2 Gen 1 port, a nano SIM slot for optional 4G WWAN support, and a 3.5mm Audio jack. On the right is a USB-A 3.2 Gen 1 port, a full-size SD card reader (which developers will appreciate), and an optional smart card reader.

Finally, on the back there is an Ethernet port, a connection for the 230 watt power supply, two USB-C ports with Thunderbolt 4 support and a USB-C 3.2 Gen 2 port. Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.2 offer wireless connectivity.

HDMI port, USB port, and headphone jack on the left side of the Lenovo ThinkPad P15 Gen 2 laptop.

Mark Coppock / Digital Trends

SD card reader and USB port on the right side of the Lenovo ThinkPad P15 Gen 2 laptop.

Mark Coppock / Digital Trends

Ethernet cable connector, charging port and three micro-USB ports on the back of a Lenovo ThinkPad P15 Gen 2 laptop.

Mark Coppock / Digital Trends

Ethernet cable connector, charging port and three micro-USB ports on the back of a Lenovo ThinkPad P15 Gen 2 laptop.

Mark Coppock / Digital Trends

power

This is not a cheap laptop. As configured by the dealer CDW, the ThinkPad P15 I tested costs a whopping 5,445 US dollars – frightening when you consider that my test device “only” 32 GB of RAM, a 1 TB solid-state drive (SSD) and a small 15 , 6-inch full HD (1,920 x 1,080) display. The laptop can be configured with up to 128 GB RAM, 6 TB SSD storage and a UHD OLED panel (3840 x 2160).

With all this upgradeability, the ThinkPad P15 promises unbelievable performance for demanding creative tasks. We recently tested several developer laptops, but these were in the usual thin-and-light consumer-centric class. The ThinkPad P15 has the components and thermal design to blow these laptops out of the water.

The ThinkPad P15 is fast, but not as dominant as you might expect. It did very well in Geekbench 5 and got the highest score for a laptop in our test database. But it's not as far ahead as I expected, because the Asus Vivobook Pro 16X OLED is quite close behind thanks to its AMD Ryzen 9 5900HX CPU, especially in the multi-core part of the test. Even the Dell XPS 17 with its Core i7-11800H was in the same stadium (surprisingly faster than the Vivobook Pro 16X).

In our Handbrake test, which encodes a 420 MB video as H.265, the ThinkPad P15 was again the fastest laptop we tested – and again the Vivobook Pro 16X was almost as fast. In fact, the ThinkPad P15 wasn't much faster than the other laptops in our comparison group – certainly not for a laptop that's at least twice as expensive. Cinebench R23 told a similar story, with the ThinkPad P15 leading our database, but not far behind with the Vivobook Pro 16X. And again, several other notebooks from our comparison group are in close proximity to the ThinkPad P15. So far, the workstation hadn't blown away the thinner, lighter, and much cheaper machines.

The ThinkPad P15 doesn't do well enough to justify its incredibly high price tag.

You probably won't be surprised to hear that the ThinkPad P15 was again the fastest in another test, PCMark 10, and that another thin and light laptop was close by – this time the MSI Creator Z16. This applied to the essentials, productivity and even the content creation part of the test, where the ThinkPad P15 was fast again, but not that much faster.

I thought PugetBench running in Premiere Pro would surely make the ThinkPad P15 glow. After all, the laptop has Independent Software Vendor (ISV) certifications from several developers, including Adobe. ISV certification means that hardware and software have been designed to work together for the best performance and reliability. However, the ThinkPad P15 scored 724 points, less than the 738 of the MSI Creator Z16 and not much faster than the 692 of the Dell XPS 17. Once again, the ThinkPad P15 had shown no real advantage over laptops that cost and weigh only half as much.

I'm not sure if it's a blow to the ThinkPad P15 or proof of how powerful thinner and lighter laptops have become, but the workstation failed in our benchmarks. You can upgrade it to a Xeon processor which would surely make it faster, and 128GB of RAM which the creators can use to work with the largest of videos and which is likely to offer a significant speed boost. But in the configuration I tested, the ThinkPad P15 doesn't do well enough to deserve its incredibly high price.

Underdog bench 5
(Single / multiple)		 Cinebench R23 (single / multiple) Handbrake (seconds) PCMark 10 Pugetbench Premiere Pro 3DMark time spy
Lenovo ThinkPad P15 (Core i9-11950H) 1691/9250 1596/12207 84 6866 724 9045
MSI Creator Z16 (Core i7-11800H) 1540/7625 1444/9615 102 6486 738 6322
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 4 (Core i7-11800H) 1520/7353 1519/10497 106 6251 432 6691
Dell XPS 15 (Core i7-11800H) 1556/7692 1513/9979 103 6024 509 4540
Dell XPS 17 (Core i7-11800H) 1568/8801 1525/10145 109 6209 692 7039
Asus Vivobook Pro 16X (Ryzen 9 5900HX) 1544/8299 1486/11478 90 6486 571 4601

You're not buying a workstation-class laptop to play games, but that doesn't mean you won't play occasionally. So I ran the ThinkPad P15 through some of our benchmarks to see how it fares against the Nvidia Quadro RTX A5000. This isn't a gaming GPU, but it's still pretty powerful and should be able to run modern titles at decent resolutions and frame rates. According to 3DMark Time Spy, it is about as fast as a GeForce RTX 3070.

It might not be intended as a gaming laptop, but it does act like one.

The ThinkPad P15 did well in Assassin's Creed Valhalla, achieving 76 frames per second (fps) with 1080p and high graphics and 67 fps with ultra-high graphics. The gaming laptop Lenovo Legion 5 Pro was slightly behind with 67 fps and 61 fps, while the Razer Blade 14 (also with an RTX 3070) was behind with 67 fps and 60 fps. In Battlefield V, the ThinkPad P15 achieved 106 fps at 1080p with medium graphics and 59 fps with ultra graphics, compared to the Legion 5 Pro at 82 fps and 73 fps and the Blade 14 at 115 fps and 96 fps. Finally, in Fortnite, the ThinkPad P15 did well with 138 fps at 1080p and high graphics and 104 fps with epic graphics, while the Legion 5 Pro performed well at 120 fps and 101 fps and the Blade 14 at 114 fps and 96 fps.

I also ran Civilization VI and saw 218 fps on 1080p and medium graphics and 155 fps on ultra graphics. The next fastest laptop in our database is the Lenovo Legion 5 Pro with a Ryzen 7 5800H and an RTX 3070, which achieved 127 fps and 114 fps, respectively. The ThinkPad P15 clearly excels in this CPU and GPU intensive game.

So yes, you can play with the ThinkPad P15 and play modern titles with high graphics. It might not be intended as a gaming laptop, but it can fulfill that role if needed.

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Close-up of the Lenovo ThinkPad P15 Gen 2 screen.Mark Coppock / Digital Trends

You can configure the ThinkPad P15 with multiple displays, all 15.6-inches in the old-fashioned 16: 9 aspect ratio. There's Full HD (1,920 x 1,080) anti-glare, Full HD with Dolby Vision (which my test unit had), UHD (3840 x 2160) IPS with HDR400 and Dolby Vision, and UHD OLED with Dolby Vision options. Developers will be drawn to the UHD panels, which are likely to offer better colors and contrasts – especially the OLED panel. The Full HD display on my review unit was very bright and delivered good colors that seemed accurate to me, along with a decent contrast ratio. I found it good for the productivity work during my review.

According to my colorimeter, this is a good premium display, not a great one, and it isn't aimed at creative types. The brightness was excellent at 542 nits (we like to see 300 nits or better), and the contrast ratio topped our 1,000: 1 threshold at 1,040: 1. With 76% AdobeRGB and 100% sRGB, the colors were close to the premium display average with a color accuracy of DeltaE 1.49 (less than 1.0 is considered excellent). These are all good results, in line with laptops like the MSI Creator Z16 (although this laptop offers wider AdobeRGB) and the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 4. Of course, an OLED panel like that of the latest Dell XPS 15 offers far superior colors (99% of AdobeRGB and 100% of sRGB) and higher accuracy (0.46) with exceptional contrast and inky blacks.

Again, I have to say: this is a fine display, but not for the price. Yes, it's great for productive work, but when you're spending over $ 5,000 on a laptop that's at least partially designed for creative work, you want wider, more accurate colors. You should go for the OLED panel, which can probably compete with the other OLED panels we tested, which offer outstanding colors and contrasts across the board. Given Lenovo's current prices, you could probably find a model with the OLED panel for less than you are currently spending on my review unit.

The sound was faint, at a low volume, even when turned all the way up. The mids and highs were clear enough and there was zero bass. There's not much to say here – sound quality was clearly not a priority on the ThinkPad P15, and you'll need headphones or bluetooth speakers for anything but system sounds and the occasional YouTube video.

Keyboard and touchpad

Illustration of the Lenovo ThinkPad P15 Gen 2 keyboard.Mark Coppock / Digital Trends

Like all ThinkPads, the ThinkPad P15 has the same keyboard with outstanding spring travel (1.8 mm), a nimble mechanism and a spacious layout with large, molded keys. Interestingly, I found the ThinkPad P15's keyboard lighter than the ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 4's, which I liked a lot. The ThinkPad P15 took less force to press the keys, reduced fatigue, and kept me at my usual speed of around 90 words per minute. I would rate this keyboard as my favorite, the HP Specter range, which I can't say about the ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 4.

The touchpad is small given the overall size of the laptop and loses space for the TrackPoint buttons. It works well and supports Microsoft's Precision touchpad drivers (pretty much taken for granted in recent years) – it's just too small. TrackPoint is there when you want it to, and it works as usual. It's standard on ThinkPads, but I sometimes wonder how many people actually use it. Note that if you opt for an OLED display, you get a touch panel and active pen support.

Windows 10 Hello support is provided by both a fingerprint reader and an infrared camera with facial recognition. I tried both methods and they were consistently quick and accurate. No complaints there. The typical ThinkPad ThinkShutter privacy screen is there to block the webcam when you don't want anyone to spy on you.

Close-up of the Lenovo ThinkPad P15 Gen 2 webcam.Mark Coppock / Digital Trends

Battery life

If there's one area I had low expectations from the review, it was battery life. In no way did I expect the ThinkPad P15 to show almost a full day's lifespan even for simple productivity tasks. Suffice it to say, I was a little surprised.

The huge chassis houses 94 watt hours of battery, and that helps. Likewise the full HD display. Still, I was surprised when the ThinkPad P15 lasted 9.5 hours in our web browsing test. That's half an hour longer than the Dell XPS 15 and more than two hours longer than the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 4. In our video test, which repeats a local Full HD Avengers trailer, the ThinkPad P15 lasted around 11.5 Hours through, not a great score, but better than the XPS 15 by six minutes and the ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 4 by more than two hours (again). That's not bad for a workstation.

The PCMark 10 Applications Benchmark, the best test of productivity longevity, didn't do quite as well. The ThinkPad P15 lasted almost 6.5 hours here, less than the eight hours of the XPS 15 and the ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 4 with 8.7 hours. And the ThinkPad P15 only lasted 56 minutes in the PCMark 10 gaming test, which demands the CPU and GPU. This is the lowest score in our database, with the XPS 15 and ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 4 both holding out about half an hour longer. Obviously, the ThinkPad P15 maintains its performance when it is switched off.

Overall, these are better results than I expected. You will surely have to carry the bulky 230 watt power brick around with you when working at the workstation level. But if you've planned an easy day of typical productivity tasks, you will likely make it through most of the day. That's not bad for a workstation.

Our opinion

In the configuration I tested, the ThinkPad P15 feels outdated. It's not that much faster than the fastest thin-and-light laptops that either its price or size is justified. Then why would you buy this laptop? The answer is simple: you are a real power user and you need a machine that can support 128GB of RAM, you need error correcting RAM, you need a Xeon processor, and / or you need the flexibility and growth of three SSD Slots with RAID support and up to 16 TB of storage.

That's a special kind of person, and that's what this workplace is all about. We were curious to see how it would compare to the typical laptops we test and the answer is that it really doesn't. If you are a typical home or business user, or even a creative who can live with the performance of an XPS 15 or 17 or a ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 4, then the ThinkPad 15 is not for you. We only mentioned developers in this review, but the ThinkPad P15 will appeal to users who use sophisticated 3D CAD, scientific applications, and AI. Workloads.

Are there alternatives?

If you need to meet the high-end specs of the ThinkPad P15, you need to look at other workstation-class laptops. In the high-end area, the Dell Precision 7760 can keep up with the ThinkPad P15, but with a 17-inch display.

The WS65 Mobile Workstation from MSI also comes close. It also supports Quadro RTX A5000 graphics, but only up to 64GB of RAM, and it doesn't have the same expandability as the Lenovo. However, it is thinner and lighter.

When you don't really need a workstation, you have a lot more choice. The Dell XPS 15 has enough performance for everyone but the most demanding developers, it's relatively thin and light, and incredibly well built, and costs around half that.

How long it will take?

The ThinkPad P15 is tough enough to carry around for years. It also has modern components and incredible expandability. It's crazy, however, that a laptop that costs over $ 5,000 should have a one-year warranty.

Should you buy it?

Yes, but only if you have to maximize it. This laptop is for extreme power users who are unlikely to be satisfied with the configuration of my test device.

Editor's recommendations



23 Sep
Blog

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 4 Review: Fast, But Flawed

Opened Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 4 sitting on the floor.

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 4

RRP $ 2,095.00

"The Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 4 is not a perfect performer, but there is a lot to like."

advantages

  • Excellent workmanship

  • Superior entry-level display

  • Solid performance

  • Good keyboard and touchpad

  • Very powerful configuration options

disadvantage

  • Performance was inconsistent

  • Battery life was average

Lenovo's most powerful non-workstation ThinkPad is the ThinkPad X1 Extreme, an earlier 15-inch laptop that served as a strong competitor to the Dell XPS 15 and other high-performance laptops in its class. The fastest components and the most aggressive thermal designs can be found in the ThinkPad X1 Extreme, something Lenovo took to extremes with the fourth generation.

Not only has the ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 4 increased performance, but it has also joined the movement of the larger displays and features a slightly larger 16-inch 16:10 display, while at the same time being roughly the same size as the previous generation fits.

I tested a ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 4 with an Intel Core i7-11800H and Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060, which costs $ 2,095. You can also choose up to a Core i9-11950H with vPro and an RTX 3080, which further improves the laptop's theoretical performance and even outperforms the impressive Dell XPS 17 in terms of pure performance. As I found out in this review, the ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 4 is a fast premium notebook – but according to my tests it has some performance weaknesses that take away some of its clout.

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View of the lid of an opened Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 4.Mark Coppock / Digital Trends

The ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 3 was 14.24 "x 9.67" x 0.72 "and weighed 3.75 pounds. The new Gen 4 model is 14.13 inches by 9.99 inches by 0.70 inches and weighs 3.99 pounds. Aside from adding a tiny bit of depth thanks to the taller display and a quarter pound of weight, Lenovo did what it set out to do: a 16:10 16-inch display the same size as the previous 15.6 – Pack inch display. Inch generation.

The thing is, it's still a lot bigger than the Dell XPS 15, which comes in at 13.57 "x 9.06" x 0.71 "and a slightly heavier 4.22 pounds. If you put the two next to each other, the ThinkPad looks huge in comparison. This is mainly due to the larger bezels of the ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 4, which also give it an old-school look with the modern, higher display. A new competitor, the MSI Creator Z16, also has a 16:10 16-inch display and measures 14.13 inches by 10.08 inches by 0.64 inches and weighs 5.07 pounds. Its bezels are a bit smaller than the ThinkPad's, but it's still deeper – just imagine.

All in all, the ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 4 looks like a large laptop, but it doesn't feel like it thanks to its light weight. It's made of an aluminum alloy on the lower chassis (with some plastic parts) and contains four layers of reinforced carbon fiber in the lid. I'm not sure how Lenovo kept the weight down without using a magnesium alloy, but they succeeded and the laptop sits comfortably in the hand. It has the usual soft-touch coating on the ThinkPad and is extremely comfortable to hold.

The ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 4 looks like a ThinkPad.

It's also pretty stiff, with just the slightest flexing of the lid if you try hard enough, and without giving way to the keyboard deck or the bottom of the case. The Dell XPS 15 is all around stiff, which makes it feel more solid, but there is no significant difference. The Gen 4 model is at least as robust as the Gen 3, making it one of the class leaders in terms of build quality – and it offers the usual MIL-STD 810g certification for robustness.

Aesthetically, the ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 4 looks like a ThinkPad. It is completely black with just a few red accents in the X1 logo on the lid, the red LED dot on the "i" in the ThinkPad logo, the red TrackPoint stud in the middle of the keyboard and accents on the edges of the TrackPoint buttons. My test device came with a display with WQXGA resolution (2,560 x 1,600), so the lid was simply black.

Choose one of the 4K + WQUXGA (3840 x 2400) displays and you get a carbon fiber fabric to add some pizzazz to the lid. Overall, the ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 4 has an attractive and bold look, and if you like the ThinkPad aesthetics, this is your one for sure. The XPS 15 looks more modern and slimmer overall, and overall more attractive, especially with the white fiberglass keyboard deck, but the ThinkPad aims at and achieves its own appearance.

The MSI Creator Z16 has a more straightforward aesthetic in the case. Nevertheless, it integrates RGB lighting into the keyboard, making it the exact opposite of the conservative ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 4, at least when you open the lid and switch on the keyboard lighting.

Charging connector, 2 micro USB ports, HDMI port and headphone jack on the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 4.

Mark Coppock / Digital Trends

Hinges on the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 4 Aptop.

Mark Coppock / Digital Trends

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 4 ports: SD card slot and 2 USB ports.

Mark Coppock / Digital Trends

Connectivity remains a strength, with a proprietary power port (that supports a 230 watt power adapter), two USB-Cs with Thunderbolt 4 ports, a full-size HDMI 2.0 or 2.1 port (depending on the model), and a 3, 5mm audio jack on the left and two USB-A 3.2 Gen 1 ports and a full-size SD card reader on the right. Wireless connectivity is provided by the latest and fastest Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.2, and you can configure WWAN support through an optional nano-SIM slot.

power

Lenovo didn't mess around when developing the ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 4's performance profile. You can configure up to a Core i9-11950H with vPro in the CPU department and up to an Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 Max-Q in the GPU department. There is no other 15- or 16-inch laptop that I know of that is as powerful outside of slot machines.

My test device was equipped with a Core i7-11800H and an RTX 3060 and thus more powerful than the Dell XPS 15 and identical to the MSI Creator Z16. Unfortunately, Lenovo sent me a machine with only one 16 GB RAM stick installed, which limits the memory to single-channel performance. As we shall see, this had effects that were not immediately apparent.

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 4.Mark Coppock / Digital Trends

In Geekbench 5, the ThinkPad does well enough, just behind the MSI Creator Z16 and the Dell XPS 15. It beats the MSI and Dell by a few in our Handbrake test, which encodes a 420 MB video as H.265 Seconds. And it was also clearly ahead of the XPS 15 and the Z16 in Cinebench R23. So far, so good. Only the Lenovo Legion 5 Pro with its Ryzen 7 5800H – a fast processor for compute-intensive tasks – stood out in our comparison group.

The ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 4 was in the midfield in PCMark 10, faster than the XPS 15, but slower than the Z16. It was able to keep up in the areas of essentials and productivity of the test, but lagged behind the MSI Creator Z16 in content creation (but before the Dell XPS 15). Again, according to the benchmarks reported so far, there were no red flags in terms of performance.

If you buy this laptop, make sure you tick Dual Channel RAM in the configurator.

However, when I switched to the Pugetbench benchmark running in Adobe Premiere Pro, things got a little strange. The ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 4 achieved an extremely low value of 432 in this test, which uses both CPU and GPU. The Dell XPS 15 with Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050 Ti achieved 509 in standard mode (and 590 in performance mode), the MSI Creator Z16 was faster at 732, only reaching 54.5 compared to the 119.1 from MSI and 74.8 from Dell.

It turned out that the single-channel RAM caused such a low score in this benchmark. Lenovo tested an identical device with two 16 GB RAM sticks and dual-channel storage and gave it 642 points. To be honest, that's still low for the CPU and GPU, especially with 32 GB of RAM, well below the MSI Creator Z16 (also with 32 GB) and only a bit better than the XPS 15 in performance mode. But it's better than my test device. If you buy this laptop, make sure you tick Dual Channel RAM in the configurator.

I was happy with the performance of the ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 4 until I hit the Pugetbench results. This laptop is intended for developers running CPU and GPU intensive applications like Premiere Pro, and the ThinkPad didn't do as well as I expected even when configured with faster RAM performance. I have no idea how well the Core i9 version might do, and you can increase the overall performance in these apps by opting for an RTX 3070 or 3080. The ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 4 will likely be the fastest laptop in this comparison group when it is at full capacity. Note, however, that if configured similarly, it won't be the fastest laptop when compared to the competition. Note that if you choose to mirror, you can add a second solid-state drive (SSD) to the machine for additional storage or redundancy.

Laptop 3DMark time spy Cinebench R23 Underdog Bench 5 Handbrake
(Seconds)		 PCMark 10 Fourteen days
(1080p epic)		 Civilization VI (1080p Ultra)
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 4 (Core i7-11800H) 6691 1519/10497 1520/7353 99 6251 85 fps (1920 x 1200) Wouldn't run
Dell XPS 15 OLED 2021 (Core i7-11800H) 4540 1513/9979 1544/7692 101 6024 50 fps 73 fps
MSI Creator Z16 (Core i7-11800H) 6322 1444/9615 1540/7625 103 6486 59 fps (1920 x 1200) 92 fps
Dell XPS 17 (Core i7-11800H) 7039 1525/10145 1568/8801 n / A 6209 78 fps 104 fps
LG gram 16 (Core i7-1165G7) 1390 1394/4137 1573/5454 213 4827 13 fps n / A
Lenovo Legion 5 Pro (Ryzen7 5800H) 9175 1430/11195 1460/7227 99 n / A 101 fps 114 fps

Considering the RTX 3060 and the fast CPU, the ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 4 should be a good entry-level gaming device. That's how my tests went for the most part. Unfortunately, the ThinkPad Civilization VI would not run without a crash, so I am unable to report any results for this game. In Assassin's Creed Valhalla, the ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 4 hit 53 frames per second (fps) in 1080p and high graphics, much slower than the MSI Creator Z16's 82 fps, but that gap narrowed as I went up in resolution and graphics. At 1600p and ultra-high graphics, the ThinkPad managed 39 fps compared to 45 fps on the Z16.

I saw similar results with Battlefield V, where the ThinkPad achieved 69 fps at 1080p and medium graphics compared to the MSI at 81 fps. Then the ThinkPad was faster at 1600p and ultra graphics at 56 fps versus 43 fps. Finally, the ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 4 massacred the MSI Creator Z16 in Fortnite, reaching 85 fps at 1200p and epic graphics versus 59 fps. The same discrepancy was shown for the rest of the tested resolutions and graphics settings.

You will find that the ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 4 is a competent, but not class-leading gaming laptop for modern titles at reasonable resolutions and graphics settings. You can probably play most games at 1600p with medium to high graphics, as long as you are willing to accept lower frame rates or turn things down a bit, and you get very playable performance. You may find some inconsistencies like I did, but overall you will be able to play along with your work.

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The display of the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 4 laptop.Mark Coppock / Digital Trends

Lenovo offers several 16:10 16-inch displays for the ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 4, WQXGA (2,560 x 1,600) IPS, WQUXGA (3,840 x 2,400) with Dolby Vision and WQUXGA touch display with Dolby Vision. My test device equipped the entry-level WQXGA display, which is better for battery life, but not as sharp. When I used the laptop during the test, I found the display a delight, with lots of brightness and contrast, and colors that pop but didn't seem inaccurate. It's not an OLED, but it was excellent for an IPS display.

My colorimeter agreed. It's incredibly bright at 468 nits, well above our 300 nit threshold, which is better than the 385 nits of the MSI Creator Z16's IPS WQUXGA panel and the 381 nits of the Dell XPS 15's 3.5K OLED display The contrast of the ThinkPad was very good for an IPS display at 1,240: 1 (above our preferred contrast ratio of 1000: 1), whereas the MSI was disappointing at 800: 1 and the Dell was spectacular at 381,130: 1 (typically OLED) .

The ThinkPad also stood out among the entry-level IPS displays with a color width of 82% AdobeRGB and 100% sRGB. You probably get better colors with the WQUXGA options, but those numbers are good enough that developers could use this display. The MSI was better with 91% AdobeRGB and 100% sRGB, and thanks to its OLED technology, the Dell again did excellent with 99% AdobeRGB and 100% sRGB. The colors of the ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 4 were also very accurate with a DeltaE of 0.81 (less than 1.0 is excellent), with MSI achieving 0.76 and Dell 0.46.

Loudspeaker on the right of the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 4.Mark Coppock / Digital Trends

The ThinkPad's two upward-facing speakers on either side of the keyboard produce a lot of volume when turned all the way up, and there was no distortion. The mids and highs were clear and there was a hint of bass. The Dell XPS 15's quad speakers are better, but the ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 4's audio system is sufficient for Netflix on its own. However, you will need headphones for the best quality music.

Keyboard and touchpad

Open the lid and you will find the typical ThinkPad keyboard. It has a lot of travel at 1.8mm, molded keys with large keycaps and good key spacing, and switches that are snappy and precise. It feels like most ThinkPad keyboards, and my only complaint is that the keys take more pressure than I want to press. I find it more tiring during long typing sessions than the lighter keyboard on the Specter range from HP or the Dell XPS 15, and I found that the keyboard on the ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 9 also has a lighter stroke than I preferred. If you don't mind, or maybe even prefer, a stiffer mechanism, then this keyboard will appeal to you.

The keyboard of the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 4.Mark Coppock / Digital Trends

The TrackPoint knob in the middle of the keyboard works well as usual, but the keys take up the same space on the touchpad. You'll be happy if you like this cursor control method, but I'd rather skip it and have a bigger touchpad. Speaking of which, the touchpad is a decent size, but nowhere near the massive version of the Dell XPS 15. It was sleek and responsive, with Microsoft Precision touchpad support, but I wish it was bigger given all the palm rest space.

Windows 10 Hello passwordless login is provided by a fingerprint reader built into the power button that works quickly and logs you in immediately when you turn on the device. There is an optional infrared camera for facial recognition that my test device did not have. There's also the Lenovo ThinkShutter physical webcam privacy slider, which is old-fashioned compared to some electronic versions you'll find on some other laptops like the HP Specter, but it works.

Close-up on the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 4 webcam.Mark Coppock / Digital Trends

Battery life

The ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 4 has a 90 watt hour battery, which is a lot. The 16-inch WQXGA display should have better battery life than the UHD + version, but the components aren't particularly energy efficient. In addition, except for the ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 9, the battery life of the ThinkPad was disappointing and I wasn't expecting too much.

The ThinkPad managed just under 7.5 hours in our web browser test, well below the 10 hours we like to see. Nevertheless, the MSI Creator Z16 (also with a WQXGA display and 90 watt hour battery) only lasts 5.3 hours. The Dell XPS 15 with its 3.5K OLED display and 84 watt hours was more powerful with nine hours. In our video looping test, which played a local Full HD movie trailer, the ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 4 lasted just over nine hours, again better than the eight hours of the MSI, but behind the 11 hours of the XPS 15.

If you keep your workload low, you might make it by evening, but I wouldn't count on that.

I also ran the PCMark 10 Applications battery test, which is the best indicator of productivity battery life. The ThinkPad lasted 8.75 hours, a low score compared to the average laptop that lasted 10 hours or more in this test. The XPS 15 was worse at eight hours, and we didn't run the MSI through this test. In the PCMark 10 gaming battery test, the ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 4 managed just under 90 minutes, compared to the XPS 15 with three minutes less (again we did not run this test on the MSI Creator Z16). In my experience, this test shows how hard a laptop works on battery rather than absolute longevity, and the ThinkPad is one of those laptops that seem to maintain speed even when switched off.

Overall, the ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 4 was not a bad battery performance in view of the 16-inch WQXGA display and the high-end components. It's unlikely to get you through a full day of work on a single charge, and the Power Brick is pretty big to take with you, but that's the price you pay for so much power. If you keep your workload low, you might make it by evening, but I wouldn't count on that.

Our opinion

The Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 4 lives up to its title. It's the most powerful ThinkPad you can buy, and in a completely different class from most ThinkPads designed for standard productivity performance. Since you can configure it with a Core i9 and an RTX 3080 Max-Q, there is no other non-gaming laptop in the same class that can compete with bare specs.

At the same time, the performance is less than it should be, at least in the one benchmark that provides the best example of the laptop's performance in creative apps from practice. And its gaming performance is inconsistent. If you can live with these limitations, you'll love the look and feel and build quality, probably love the keyboard and touchpad, and even the entry-level display is excellent. You will just be a little unsure how the laptop will work in your given workflow.

Are there alternatives?

A solid alternative in terms of its aesthetics and build quality, the Dell XPS 15 offers good performance and a stunning 3.5K OLED display option. It's about the same price as configured, so you're sacrificing some performance for the XPS 15's superb design.

The MSI Creator Z16 is another option that has better performance in most tests (except for some games), but not as good battery life. With a similar configuration, it's more expensive at $ 2,549, but you get better Premiere Pro performance that creators will like.

After all, the Apple MacBook Pro 16 is a solid choice in the 16-inch class, but the Intel version won't keep up with the ThinkPad, especially if you configure the Lenovo to the maximum. The rumored M1X MacBook Pro might be worth considering, however.

How long it will take?

The ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 4 is well built and should be in use for years. The components are up to date and should keep Windows 10 (and 11) running. However, the 1 year warranty is very disappointing for this class of notebooks.

The one-year warranty is disappointing for such an expensive notebook, but it still offers on-site service.

Should you buy it?

Yes sir. If you're a ThinkPad fanatic and looking for the fastest model you can buy, the ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 4 won't disappoint. If you're not a ThinkPad fan, your decision will be a little tougher – but in the end, this is a viable option compared to the competition.

Editor's recommendations



16 Aug
Blog

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 9 Review: New and Improved

A look at the opened ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 9.

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 9 in the test: A great laptop made even better

RRP $ 1,865.00

"The Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon, now in its ninth generation, is still one of the best high-end business laptops."

advantages

  • Elegant look and feel

  • Solid productivity performance

  • Incredibly long battery life

  • Excellent keyboard

  • Long list of business-friendly features

disadvantage

  • Expensive

  • A bit flexible

When a laptop reaches the ninth generation, you expect it to be refined. This applies in particular to Lenovo's ThinkPad X1 series, which is one of the best business laptops with entries. The ThinkPad X1 Carbon is the flagship of the series, and the ninth generation promises to keep that refinement while making some significant design changes – including a switch to a 16:10 display aspect ratio.

I tested a configuration of the ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 9 for $ 1,865, with an Intel Core i7-1165G7 CPU 11th HD + display (1920 x 1200). The spec improvement, 16:10 screen, and great battery life are all welcome changes that make the ThinkPad X1 Carbon one of the best business laptops you can buy.

design

Aside from the resizing necessary to accommodate the taller display, Lenovo hasn't changed much in the design of the ThinkPad X1 Carbon. It's still made from a carbon fiber top and a magnesium alloy in the rest of the case, which makes it lightweight while also giving it a certain amount of lid flex and a keyboard deck curve. It's durability isn't that much in doubt, but it doesn't feel as rock solid as aluminum alloy laptops like the Dell XPS 13 and HP Specter x360 14. Lenovo has the ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen. Tested as usual 9 to a variety of military-spec tests, so there's reason to be confident in the laptop's long-term viability. The same soft-touch texture makes the ThinkPad comfortable to hold and type, which I always enjoy.

The logo on the palm rests of the ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 9.

In fact, I should point out that the ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 9 feels great in the hand. It's light at 2.49 pounds and thin at 0.59 inches. The XPS 13 comes in at 2.64 pounds and 0.58 inches, but it's a 13-inch laptop of course, so it feels a bit denser. Closer to the ThinkPad, the Specter x360 14 is 0.67 inches thick and weighs 2.95 pounds. However, there is something beyond these technical specifications that makes the ThinkPad X1 Carbon so comfortable to wear – it's a well-executed combination of weight, thinness, and a soft feel. Put simply, the laptop exudes quality. One small complaint is that the top and bottom display bezels are bigger than they could be, which adds slightly to the overall size of the laptop. It's not a huge problem, but some other modern laptops benefit from smaller bezels all around.

Lenovo updated the hinge on the latest model, creating a single hinge design that integrates the wireless antennas inside. I really liked the hinge, which allows the lid to be opened with one hand and at the same time prevents the display from wobbling when typing. It competes with the XPS 13's sleek hinge, one of the best in a couple of generations.

The aesthetics of the ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 9 remain the same, with the usual ThinkPad black-on-black design with some red accents in the LED above the “i” in the ThinkPad logo, the “X” in the X1 logo, the red TrackPoint nubbin in the middle of the keyboard and on the lower edges of the TrackPoint buttons. It's an iconic look and feel that ThinkPad enthusiasts should be familiar with, and one that offers everyone else a sleek, yet conservative aesthetic. The XPS 13 and Specter x360 14 offer more complex and colorful designs, while the Dell Latitude 7420 has another conservative look that business users might like.

The new single-hinge design of the ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 9 and the USB / Micro-USB ports.

Mark Coppock / Digital Trends

The new single-hinge design of the ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 9.

Mark Coppock / Digital Trends

The USB / Micro-USB and HDMI ports of the ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 9 on the left side of the laptop.

Mark Coppock / Digital Trends

Connectivity is strong for a laptop this thin. On the left side there are two USB-C ports with Thunderbolt 4 (one of which is for charging the laptop), a USB-A 3.2 port and a full-size HDMI 2.0 port. On the right side there is another USB-A 3.2 port and a 3.5 mm audio jack. Unfortunately there is no SD card reader. When you configure the optional 4G / 5G WWAN connection, you have a nano SIM card slot. Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth provide wireless connectivity 5.2.

perfomance

The ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 9 can be configured with different CPUs of the 11th generation of the U-series, from the Core i5-1135G7 to the Core i7-1185G7, optionally with Intel vPro. My test unit was equipped with the Core i7-1165G7, which is a competent processor that usually offers excellent productivity performance. You can use Windows 10's power slider to enable Lenovo's standard and performance modes, but I didn't see much of a difference in our benchmarks. In fact, the performance mode caused some slower results, possibly because the laptop's thermals couldn't keep up. The only noticeably improved score was Geekbench 5's single-core score, which came in at 1,556 versus 1,327 in standard mode.

Compared to a comparison group of identically configured laptops, the ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 9 was fast. It led the field or was near the top in all of our benchmarks. For example, it got the fastest score in our Handbrake test, which encodes a 420MB video as H.265, and took second place in Cinebench R23. It also did well in the PCMark 10 Complete test, where it had the second highest major score in this group and was one of the faster laptops we tested in the essentials, productivity, and content creation areas of the test.

I found that the ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 9 lives up to these benchmark results in real use. It was a fast laptop during my tests no matter what I threw at it – if my duties were productivity oriented. As with all laptops using Intel's U-series CPUs, you won't get the best performance in demanding creativity applications where AMD's latest Ryzen CPUs shine. Most people won't buy the ThinkPad for this type of job, however, and so it fulfills the needs of the target audience and more.

Geekbench 5 (single / multiple) Handbrake (seconds) Cinebench R23 (single / multiple) PCMark 10 3DMark time spy
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 9 (Core i7-1165G7) 1327/5201 170 1469/4945 5147 1776
Frame laptop
(Core i7-1165G7)		 1432/4725 176 1444/5373 5054 1641
Dell XPS 13 (Core i7-1165G7) 1540/5432 201 1399/4585 3859 1589
HP Specter x360 14 (Core i7-1165G7) 1214/4117 236 1389/3941 4728 1457
Samsung Galaxy Pro 360
(Core i7-1165G7)		 1554/5603 N / A 1308/4062 5159 1800
Razer Book 13 (Core i7-1165G7) 1548/5374 210 1508/4519 4878 1776

The ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 9 scores well in the 3DMark Time Spy test and is faster than most Intel Iris Xe laptops. That meant a few extra frames per second (fps) in Fortnite, the game we test integrated graphics with. The ThinkPad hit 28 fps at 1080p and high graphics, more than the 25 fps average for the class, and managed 20 fps with Epic Graphics turned on. These aren't good results, of course, showing that, like other laptops with Intel Iris Xe graphics, the ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 9 is best for older games or newer games with lower resolutions and reduced graphic details.

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According to my colorimeter, Lenovo has chosen a good display that does not achieve very great things.

The shift to larger displays with 16:10 and 3: 2 aspect ratios versus the old school 16: 9 continues, with most premium laptops adopting one or the other ratio. The ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 9 has a 14-inch 16:10 display that comes in a variety of configurations, including touch and non-touch low power Full HD + (1920 x 1200), a full HD + privacy panel and a UHD + (3840 x.). 2400) screen with High Dynamic Range (HDR) support. My test device uses the entry-level non-touch Full HD + panel, which has the advantage of the best battery life. I find the resolution just sharp enough on a 14-inch panel, although I prefer UHD displays.

Enlarged view of the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 9 screen.Mark Coppock / Digital Trends

According to my colorimeter, Lenovo has chosen a good display that does not achieve very great things. It just passed our 300 nit brightness threshold at 306 nits, which means it's bright enough for anything but direct sunlight. The colors were quite wide at 76% AdobeRGB and 96% sRGB. That is slightly higher than the premium average for the former and average for the latter. The color accuracy was excellent with a DeltaE of 0.99 (less than 1.0 is imperceptible to the human eye).

These results are mixed when compared to some other premium laptops. For example, the Dell XPS 13 Full HD + display delivers an excellent brightness of 458 nits and achieves 75% of AdobeRGB and 98% of sRGB with a color accuracy of 1.36. The ThinkPad X1 Titanium Yoga achieved 431 cd / m², but only 71% of AdobeRGB and 96% of sRGB with a color accuracy of 1.62. The contrast ratio of the ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 9 was 970: 1, just below our preferred 1,000: 1. The XPS 13 managed a significantly higher 1,350: 1, while the ThinkPad X1 Titanium Yoga was slightly higher with 1,010: 1.

My subjective analysis was consistent with these objective results. I found the display bright and colorful without being oversaturated, and the contrast was high enough that black text popped out on a white background. This is a great display for productive use, but it won't meet the needs of creative professionals who need wider colors. The larger aspect ratio is welcome, but I missed the touch support.

Speakers on the right side of the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 9.Mark Coppock / Digital Trends

Audio is provided by two speakers to the left and right of the keyboard, along with two downward facing woofers that are designed to add bass and expand the dynamic range of the sound. The support of Dolby Atmos promises improved spatial effects. I found the sound to be more than loud enough with no distortion at maximum volume. Mids and highs were crisp and clear, and there was only a hint of bass. The audio wasn't up to the standard of the Apple MacBook, but it was better than many other premium laptops I've tested. It's good enough to enjoy Netflix with a friend, although I would still be using headphones for music.

Keyboard and touchpad

Keyboard and trackpad on the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 9.Mark Coppock / Digital Trends

The ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 9 has the typical ThinkPad keyboard with molded keys, excellent spacing and large travel. I usually find the ThinkPad's switch mechanisms a little stiff for my taste as they require too much pressure to press a button and lead to fatigue over time. This one was softer and more comfortable – I don't know if that's a change to the mechanism or just how this particular keyboard turned out. I would love if this was something new that we will see on other ThinkPads because I like this keyboard a lot better. It's close to the keyboard on my favorite Windows 10 laptops, the HP Specter line, and that is kudos.

In the middle of the keyboard is the usual ThinkPad TrackPoint knob, and it works as usual. If you like this type of cursor control, you will love this one. The disadvantage of the TrackPoint is that it requires an additional set of buttons that takes up space from the touchpad. Lenovo increased the width of the ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 9's touchpad by 10%, but it's still smaller than it could be. However, it's a Microsoft Precision touchpad, so it's smooth and precise.

Security and privacy

The ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 9 is a business class notebook that also appeals to private users. Hence, it includes several features that make it attractive to businesses looking to improve the security, privacy, and manageability of their laptop fleets.

First, there is support for Intel's vPro, a CPU feature that provides additional security and management features, including Intel Hardware Shield and advanced remote management. Next up, the ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 9 includes Lenovo's ThinkShield suite of security features, including the ThinkShutter webcam privacy switch, the match-on-chip fingerprint reader for passwordless login under Windows 10 Hello, and a self-healing BIOS that can help prevent system failure in the event of attack or corruption.

The ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 9 also supports the Human Presence Detection (HPD) function from Lenovo. This uses an optional infrared camera (which is also used for Windows 10 Hello support via face recognition) and pulse radar to detect when a user is in front of the laptop or is away. In the latter case, the laptop will be put to sleep and when the user returns they will wake up and log in. My test device didn't come with HPD, but I've used it on other ThinkPads and it worked reliably and quickly.

Overall, the ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 9 continues Lenovo's excellent support for business users. Neither of these features detracts from the consumer appeal of the laptop, but they do make the laptop a much more enticing option for larger businesses.

Battery life

A look at the opened ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 9.Mark Coppock / Digital Trends

The tested display is not only Full HD +, which promises a better battery life, but also an energy-saving display. Combined with the jump in the ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 9 from 51 watt hours of battery capacity to 57 watt hours, I was given the hope that Lenovo will finally produce a ThinkPad with a good battery life. Our experience with previous ThinkPads has not been the best in this area.

Lenovo took advantage of the extra battery capacity and the power-saving display to achieve excellent battery life.

My expectations were exceeded. In our web browsing test, the ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 9 lasted just over 11.5 hours, a strong figure that beats the 10 hours, which we consider to be very good. The Dell XPS 13 Full HD + only lasted 8.5 hours, while the ThinkPad X1 Titanium Yoga lasted just over 9.5 hours. In our video test, which repeats a local Full HD Avengers trailer, the ThinkPad achieved a phenomenal 20.5 hours, one of the best values ​​we have ever recorded, compared to the XPS 13 with 12 hours and the X1 Titanium Yoga with 15.75 hours.

The ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 9 also scores exceptionally well in the PCMark 10 Applications battery benchmark with 17.25 hours. That is the second longest result in our database after the additional half an hour of the LG Gram 16. The ThinkPad also does well in the PCMark 10 gaming battery benchmark with 4.75 hours. That's again the second longest score we've only seen behind the LG Gram 16, which lasted just 11 minutes longer.

Obviously, Lenovo took advantage of the extra battery capacity and the power-saving display to achieve excellent battery life. Finally, we can report that a ThinkPad not only lasts for a whole working day, but also well into the evening. Depending on your workload, you may even have some energy left for the next day. This is a refreshing result that we hope will carry over to the rest of the ThinkPad lineup.

Our opinion

The ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 9 is the best version of this laptop yet. As always, it exudes quality and is a pleasure thanks to its soft-touch feel and a great keyboard. But thanks to the 16:10 aspect ratio display, solid productivity performance, and the best battery life we've seen in a ThinkPad, Lenovo has made some significant improvements to this year's model as well.

It's expensive, but you get your money's worth. It's great for business, but don't miss it if you're a consumer. It's a great laptop for everyone.

Are there alternatives?

The Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Titanium Yoga is a great alternative if you're not the biggest fan of the typical ThinkPad aesthetic. The battery life isn't that good, but the build quality is better and has its own charm.

If you want a detachable tablet, Lenovo's ThinkPad X12 Detachable is a solid choice. It's not that fast or that it's durable, but it's the best detachable tablet you can buy.

Finally, if you don't need the business features and want a slightly smaller laptop, the Dell XPS 13 is always a good option. It's still the best laptop you can buy overall, and it has the same performance and the option of a great 16:10 OLED display.

How long it will take?

The ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 9 is well built enough to last for years as its military certification tests promise. It is up-to-date in its components and should keep up with the performance demands of everyone for just as long. The one-year warranty is disappointing for an expensive business-class notebook.

Should you buy it?

Yes. The ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 9 is an excellent laptop that both home and business users will love.

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




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.

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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




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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Lenovo Thinkpad C13 Yoga Chromebook Review Company "class =" m-carousel - image dt-lazy-no "src =" https://icdn5.digitaltrends.com/image/digitaltrends/olympus-digital-camera-1024-640x640. jpg "srcset =" https://www.digitaltrends.com/data:image/gif;base64,https://www.digitaltrends.com/R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP//yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7Mark Coppock / Digital Trends

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




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




30 Oct
Blog

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 3: The Same, Only Faster

Lenovo Thinkpad X1 extreme Gen 3 review

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 3: The same, just faster

"The ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 3 is particularly fast because of its components and strikes against laptops with faster processors."

  • Gorgeous OLED display with the best HDR

  • Great keyboard and touchpad

  • Solid build quality

  • Excellent performance

  • Disappointing battery life

  • Expensive

The Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 2 made my list of favorite laptops that I checked for digital trends – and for good reason. It was fast, well built, and featured an outstanding OLED display. Now Lenovo has released the third generation model of the laptop and increased the performance to 11.

Lenovo equips this new model with 45-watt CPUs of the 10th generation from Intel to replace the 9th generation options of the previous version. My ThinkPad x1 Extreme Gen 3 tester wasn't quite as well equipped as my Gen 2 model – it has a Core i7-10850H with vPro this time around compared to a Core i9-9880H – but it still had 32GB of RAM and so on beautiful OLED display.

Note that the Core i9-10885H is still an option and the GPU has been upgraded from an Nvidia GeForce GTX 1650 Max-Q to a GTX 1650 Ti Max-Q. The price? A whopping $ 2,404, though this starts at a retail price of $ 4,007. That's a lot of money. Does Lenovo's Gen 3 design still deserve my recommendation?

design

My test device still has a carbon fiber lid, which is part of the optional 4K display. Not only does this add structural integrity, but it also looks more noticeable. The bottom of the case is made of aluminum, with the usual soft-coated ThinkPad plastic for the keyboard deck, making it extremely comfortable to use.

In other words, the ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 3 is outwardly identical to the Gen 2. There is nothing wrong with that. No need to mess around with a good thing as the ThinkPad X1 Extreme has the same ThinkPad aesthetic as always. It's all black with just a few red accents, including the iconic blinking LED above the “i” in ThinkPad on the lid, the TrackPoint nubbin, and the edges of the TrackPoint buttons.

Mark Coppock / Digital Trends

ThinkPad fans will be very satisfied. It's not as modern as the new Dell XPS 15, however, as the ThinkPad has fairly large bezels. The XPS 15 has tiny bezels that disappear around the 16:10 aspect ratio. The HP Specter x360 15 is at the other end of the aesthetic spectrum. Its gem-cut design calls for attention, while the ThinkPad likes to sit quietly in the shade.

The build quality of the laptop is consistently first class, with a lid that doesn't warp under pressure, very little keyboard flex and a lower case that doesn't bend or twist. It exudes strength and endurance and inspires confidence that it can withstand a blow. My only complaint is that the hinge is stiff and requires two hands to break it open. However, there is no premium laptop that feels more durable than the ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 3.

Mark Coppock / Digital Trends

The ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 3 is 0.72 inches thin, almost identical to the 0.71 inch of the XPS 15 and slightly thinner than the 0.79 inch of the Specter x360 15. The ThinkPad weighs 4.0 with the touch display Pounds (3.75 pounds with a non-touch display) compared to the Dell's 4.5 pounds and the HP's 4.23 pounds.

Connectivity remains a strength: a proprietary power port (135 watts), two USB-C ports with Thunderbolt 3, and a full-size HDMI 2.0 port on the left. On the right side you'll find two USB-A 3.2 ports and a full-size SD card reader (a welcome touch for creative professionals). The wireless connection is provided via Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.1.

I will also find that the ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 3 is upgradeable. The back cover is relatively easy to remove. You can swap out the RAM and use a second SSD slot.

performance

I can't directly compare Gen 3 to Gen 2 due to the differences between the CPU and GPU, but the Dell XPS 15 and HP Specter x360 15 are good comparison devices. The XPS 15 we tested ran with a Core i7-10875H, an 8-core CPU compared to the 6-core Core i7-10850H in the ThinkPad X1 Extreme. The Specter x360 15 is equipped with a 6-core Core i7-10750H, which is clocked a little lower than the CPU of the ThinkPad.

The ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 3 ran as expected or better. In Geekbench 5, for example, 1,299 points were achieved in the single-core test and 6,372 points in the multi-core test. The XPS 15 scored 1,314 and 7,549 points, while the Specter x360 15 scored 1,237 and 5013 points, respectively.

Mark Coppock / Digital Trends

In our handbrake test, which encodes a 420 MB video in H.265, the ThinkPad took a little more than two minutes. That was surprisingly close to the XPS 15, which ended up only nine seconds faster despite two more cores and four more threads. The Specter x360 15 was finished in just over 2.5 minutes, making the ThinkPad significantly faster than the difference in clock speed suggests.

In Cinebench 20, the ThinkPad achieved 486 points in the single-core test and 2,888 points in the multi-core test. The XPS 15 was much faster with 488 and 3582 respectively, while the Specter x360 15 held its own against the ThinkPad with 469 and 2523. In this test, Dell's additional cores seem key.

It's worth noting that AMD's Ryzen 4000 chips also compete well with Intel's 45-watt CPUs. For example, the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7 with the Ryzen 7 4800U took just two seconds longer to complete the handbrake test than the ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 3, and it scored 482 and 3,255 in Cinebench 20 – it beat the ThinkPad and competed with that XPS 15.

Mark Coppock / Digital Trends

Finally, I ran the ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 3 through our Premiere Pro review, which rendered a two-minute 4K video. It took four minutes and 52 seconds to complete. The XPS 15 finished in five minutes and the Specter x360 15 took more than seven minutes to complete the test. The ThinkPad excelled here and beat the XPS 15 despite the slower CPU and GPU (the XPS 15 uses the non-Max-Q version of the GTX 1650 Ti). My working theory is that Lenovo outperformed Dell in developing a thermal design that can sustain the combined CPU and GPU performance over a long period of time.

In short, the ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 3 is a fast laptop that can meet the demands of the most demanding creative. If your needs lead to more mundane productivity tasks, this is excessive – but is it ever a bad thing to have too much power? I do not believe that.

Play

The ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 3 can also handle games and competes strongly with the XPS 15 and Specter x360 15. In the 3DMark Time Spy test, the ThinkPad scored 3572 points, compared to the XPS 15 with 3860 and the Specter x360 15 with 2963 Points.

The ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 3 achieved Civilization VI with an average of 124 frames per second (FPS) with 1080p and medium graphics and 68 FPS with ultra graphics. The XPS 15 managed 114 FPS and 64 FPS, respectively, while the Specter x360 15 ran at 89 FPS and 60 FPS. Again, the ThinkPad outperformed its weight class, beating a laptop with a faster CPU and GPU in a game that relies on both to get the best performance. The same applies to 4K, where the ThinkPad averaged 66 FPS with medium graphics and 36 FPS with ultra graphics, compared to the XPS 15 with 51 FPS and 30 FPS and the Specter x360 15 with 55 FPS and 30 FPS.

Mark Coppock / Digital Trends

In Fortnite, the ThinkPad averaged 83 FPS with 1080p and medium graphics and 60 FPS with epic graphics. The XPS 15 achieved 74 FPS and 60 FPS, respectively, and the Specter x360 15 achieved 67 FPS and 47 FPS. Each of these laptops fell below 30 FPS at 4K, so I don't need to report the results at that resolution. Fortnite stays best at 1080p on laptops with discrete GPUs in the mid-range.

Next up is Assassin's Creed Odyssey, where the ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 3 reached 52 FPS at 1080p and medium graphics and 30 FPS at ultra-high graphics. The XPS 15 achieved 47 FPS and 26 FPS, respectively, while the Specter x360 15 achieved 40 FPS and 25 FPS. Again, none of the machines exceeded 30 FPS at 4K. It's noteworthy to see that the X1 Extreme Gen 3 averages 30 FPS at ultra high in this game as Odyssey is extremely demanding.

In Battlefield V, the XPS 15 took the lead at 60 FPS at 1080p and medium graphics and 50 FPS at ultra graphics, while the ThinkPad was at 56 FPS and 44 FPS, respectively, and the Specter x360 15 managed 55 GPS and 44 FPS. Once again, 4K was south of at least 30 FPS that we consider playable.

Overall, the ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 3 offers very good performance for a laptop in this category. The fact that it outperformed the XPS 15 in all but one game is impressive. While 4K gaming is not recommended, you'll be happy to use modern 1080p titles with the right graphics settings. Those looking for better gaming performance must consider a gaming laptop.

display

I love OLED displays. They are bright, colorful and without contrast. The ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 3's OLED is no different, although it isn't the best OLED display we've tested.

The display of this ThinkPad is not as bright as some OLED panels and reaches 369 nits compared to the 426 nits of the HP Specter x360 15. Both laptops have anti-reflective glass, so that the HP looks a bit brighter. Additionally, the contrast on the Specter was 426,180: 1 compared to 369,390: 1 on the ThinkPad – a meaningless difference in real world usage, but a significant numerical difference nonetheless.

Mark Coppock / Digital Trends

Dell's XPS 15 doesn't use OLED and instead opts for a more traditional IPS display. The brightness was 442 nits, and the contrast ratio reached 1480: 1 (which is excellent for an IPS display). The contrast gap isn't as noticeable in real life as the numbers suggest. Still, the OLED panel in the ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 3 is superior to the Dell XPS 15 when you are viewing movies or high quality photos in a dark room.

Note that according to the specs, Lenovo increases the brightness when running high dynamic range (HDR) content. I noticed this in my tests.

The color gamut is another area in which the ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 3 fell short. It covered 100% of sRGB and 96% of AdobeRGB. This is comparable to the Specter at 100% and 98% and the XPS 15 at 100% of both color bars. It's not a huge difference, but for a creative professional looking for the best AdobeRGB support, these few percentage points might matter.

However, the ThinkPad's color turned out to be accurate with a DeltaE of 0.91 (lower is better in this benchmark). The XPS 15 was 0.65 and the Specter x360 15 was 1.21. All three displays work fine, but the XPS 15's excellent accuracy makes it instantly ready for color-critical work.

Mark Coppock / Digital Trends

None of this should detract from the ThinkPad's display. It's great in practice. Movies and pictures have a high-contrast, vivid look that slopes off the screen, and the darkest scenes in HDR are clear thanks to the panel's support for Dolby Vision. As with the Gen 2 model, the ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 3 is one of the best devices you can find for watching Netflix in HDR, and it's way better than the other laptops I didn't enable for Dolby Vision.

If OLED isn't your thing, Lenovo has three alternative display options. There are two full HD options with 300 or 500 nits and a 4K IPS panel with 600 nits to choose from. We generally assume they all perform well for their respective prices, but OLED is our favorite.

Audio was a strong point as two downward facing speakers pumped out lots of volume without distortion. The mids and highs were clear and there was even a hint of bass. You can watch Netflix and YouTube videos fine alone or with a few friends, but good headphones are recommended for music as usual.

Keyboard and touchpad

ThinkPad fans are picky about their keyboards, but the X1 Extreme Gen 3 should satisfy. It has nicely shaped keycaps that are just the right size with excellent clearance. Personally, I find the mechanism a bit stiff, but it gives a lot of feedback and a very precise ground effect. If, like me, you like a lighter touch, the HP Specter keyboard might be more your style. However, if you want more feedback while you type, the ThinkPad's keyboard is for you. Oh, and it's leak proof if that matters to you.

Mark Coppock / Digital Trends

The usual TrackPoint node is in the middle of the keyboard and works as expected. However, it forces a pair of buttons, which takes away some space from the touchpad. Speaking of which, the touchpad is a glass-covered Microsoft Precision touchpad that's great for swiping and using Windows 10's multi-touch gestures.

The display on this model is touch sensitive and precise and responsive. Fortunately, it has an anti-wipe coating that resists fingerprints. In this respect, this corresponds to the display of the HP Specter x360 15.

Windows 10 Hello support is provided by a fast and responsive fingerprint reader and an infrared camera with facial recognition support. There is a privacy lock that deactivates the latter. As a result, you may want to configure both methods to log on without a password.

Battery life

Here you pay the price for all this performance and the power-hungry OLED display. Simply put, the battery life of this ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 3 configuration isn't a forte.

In our demanding Basemark Web benchmark test, the ThinkPad managed about 3.5 hours, which is not terrible for a 45 watt CPU. The XPS 15 lasted 16 minutes less, while the Specter x360 15 didn't even last three hours.

In our web browser test, which is the best indicator of overall productivity longevity, the ThinkPad just exceeded 5.5 hours, which is 80 minutes less than the XPS 15 and 32 minutes less than the Specter x360 15. And in our video test, which is repeated over a Full HD Avengers trailer, the ThinkPad was 6.5 hours, 50 minutes less than the XPS 15, and 11 minutes longer than the Specter x360 15.

These aren't great results, but they are expected. If you want longer battery life, go for one of the Full HD display options. Otherwise you should be prepared to carry the Power Brick around.

Our opinion

Lenovo kept the best of the ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 2 and made it faster. That makes the Gen 3 model an incremental, yet meaningful, upgrade that simply improves on what was already an excellent 15-inch laptop.

Granted, it's most appealing to ThinkPad fans, and there's nothing wrong with that. If you are looking for a laptop that is as powerful as any other in its class, the ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 3 is a great choice.

Are there alternatives?

The Dell XPS 15 is the ThinkPad's most obvious competitor. They are both powerful, thin, and light, and well-built 15-inch machines that appeal to the same type of users. The XPS 15 gives you a 16:10 display and a more modern look and feel, but the ThinkPad has the better performance.

If you're a 2-in-1 gamer, the Specter x360 15 is an excellent choice. It's not that fast, but it has a sleeker look, a slightly better OLED display (unless you're watching Netflix in HDR), and the flexibility of a 2-in-1 device. The Specter is also several hundred dollars cheaper, though it isn't as powerfully configurable as the ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 3.

Finally, you might consider the HP Envy 15, a 15-inch laptop that offers lots of power for little money. It can't quite compete with the ThinkPad, but it has a great OLED display of its own and costs hundreds of dollars less.

How long it will take?

The ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 3 is extremely durable, well configured and will provide many years of productive service. We'd like more than a year of warranty at these prices, but Lenovo offers a variety of warranty upgrade options.

Should you buy it?

Yes. Not only is the ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 3 the most powerful ThinkPad you can buy, it's also one of the most powerful 15-inch consumer laptops out there.

Editor's recommendations




30 Aug
Blog

Lenovo ThinkPad X13 Yoga Review: Falling Behind Rivals

Lenovo Thinkpad X13 Yoga review 06

"Lenovo ThinkPad X13 Yoga"

"The ThinkPad X13 isn't small, fast or durable enough to keep up with its toughest competitors."

  • Solid build quality

  • Great keyboard and touchpad

  • Good corporate support

  • Short battery life

  • Not as small as many rivals

  • Expensive

The traditional ThinkPad uses a 14-inch screen. However, with the trend towards thinner bezels and smaller laptops, Lenovo has started to downsize the old ThinkPad design a bit.

That was exactly the goal of the ThinkPad X390 Yoga, and now Lenovo has introduced its replacement, the ThinkPad X13 Yoga. The basic form factor of this laptop is kept while the internals are updated.

I got a configuration for $ 1,275 (on sale from $ 2,126) with a Core i5-10310U vPro CPU, 16 GB of RAM, a 256 GB solid-state drive (SSD), and a Full HD IPS Display viewed. Is the X13 keeping up with the rapidly evolving competition, or has this design fallen behind?

design

The ThinkPad X13 looks identical to its predecessor, the ThinkPad X390 Yoga, but there is one big difference: The materials used in the case. The X390 uses a carbon fiber hybrid material for the lid and magnesium for the lower part. The ThinkPad X13, on the other hand, is made entirely of a mixture of carbon fiber, nylon fiber and glass fiber, which is said to be both light and durable.

However, this change of material has a disadvantage in terms of processing quality. I found the lid to flex a little too much. There is a certain amount of keyboard flex and even the bottom of the case is under pressure. It's not the toughest ThinkPad I've ever used. It has always been a hallmark of the brand.

If you're a fan of the ThinkPad look, you're a lucky camper.

Lenovo says it put the X13 through its usual extreme ritual of military certifications and torture tests, and assures us that it is "one of the toughest in its class." With 13-inch laptops, both the HP Specter x360 13 and Dell XPS 13 feel more solid. When considering other business-class laptops like the Dell Lattitude 7400 2-in-1, I'm not sure the X13 lives up to Lenovo's expectations. However, the keyboard is splash-proof, which is a plus and isn't very common.

Otherwise, X390 and X13 are roughly identical. They are the same size, 0.63 inches thick and 2.76 pounds in weight. That's better than the Specter x360 13, which is 0.67 inches thick and weighs 2.88 pounds, but it's slightly thicker and heavier than the 0.58-inch XPS 13, which weighs 2.65 pounds. In terms of width and depth, however, the X13 is quite large compared to some of the other current 13-inch clamshells and 2-in-1 models.

Take another look at the Specter x360 13 and the XPS 13 – both are tiny compared to the X13 as the bezels are much smaller and are almost an inch smaller in each dimension. The X13 is the smallest ThinkPad, but it has relatively large bezels at the top and bottom, which give it a little more size than the new normal.

Aesthetically, the X13 is a ThinkPad through and through. It is completely black, has the usual ThinkPad logo in the corner of the lid with the red LED battery indicator above the “i”, the obligatory red TrackPoint nubbin in the middle of the keyboard and red accents on the TrackPoint keys. That's it for Bling, and it remains a good look that is both attractive on its own and holds almost the entire ThinkPad line together. If you're a fan of the look, you're a lucky camper.

Connectivity is excellent for such a thin and light laptop. You get two USB-C 3.1 ports (one with Thunderbolt 3 support), two USB-A 3.1 ports, a full-size HDMI 1.4 port, an Ethernet expansion port (which of course requires a dongle), and a microSD Card reader. Wireless connectivity is cutting edge with Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.0.

performance

In reference to its business customers, Lenovo equips the ThinkPad X13 with Intel vPro processors, which enable connection to company systems to improve security, manageability and stability. My test device was equipped with the 10th generation quad-core Core i5-10310U vPro, which turned out to be a competent but unspectacular performer.

In Geekbench 5, for example, the X13 achieved 1,041 points in the single-core test and 2,781 points in the multi-core test. This is a bit behind other laptops with Core i5 CPUs, such as the Acer Aspire 5 with its Core i5-1035G1 (1,129 and 2,899) and the Dell Inspiron 14 5000 with the same processor (1,169 and 3,197). When I searched our rating database, I didn't find a single 10th generation Core i5 that the X13 beat in this benchmark.

In our handbrake test, which converts a 420MB video to H.265, the X13 took almost five and a half minutes to complete. The Aspire 5 was 15 seconds faster and the X13 40 seconds slower than the Inspiron 14 5000. The Acer Spin 3 with the same Core i5 was over a minute faster. Once again, the X13 was at the bottom of the pile of similarly equipped laptops.

That doesn't mean the X13 is a slow laptop. It's not – it's more than fast enough for productivity tasks and media consumption. It's not as fast as the non-vPro competition, however, which means you'll pay more for extended enterprise support than you would for extra performance.

The X13 also has the basic Intel UHD graphics, which means it is not a slot machine. You'll want to stick to older titles with lower resolutions and graphical detail if you want to gamble at all or play the occasional Windows 10 games.

display

My test device was equipped with a 300 nit Full HD IPS display (1,920 x. 080). According to my colorimeter, it's almost the average for premium displays today. As I mentioned earlier, this is a good thing as today's average display is exceptional for productivity work and multimedia consumption. Only creatives who need extremely wide and precise colors will be disappointed with most premium displays.

The brightness was a bit low at 274 nits (we want to see premium displays with 300 nits or more) and the contrast was 860: 1 (1,000: 1 or more marks a higher quality display). There aren't any terrible results either, but they're a little below average. You have a little trouble in bright environments and black text on a white background doesn't show up as often, which is important to me as a writer.

Note that we did not test the Full HD displays on the HP Specter x360 13. Instead, we tested the HP with an AMOLED display, which was very bright and with incredible contrast. However, our Dell test unit was Full HD, albeit in a 16:10 aspect ratio, and it was also very bright and had much higher contrast.

The colors of the X13 display were average at 96% sRGB and 72% AdobeRGB. Again, both HP and Dell exceeded those numbers, with the Specter x360 13 reaching 100% and 98% and the Dell 97% and 77%. Most premium laptops fall in the same range as the X13, however. The X13's color accuracy was 1.45, close to 1.0, which is considered excellent. This is better than the Dell 1.53, but not as good as the HP 1.29. You'll find plenty of premium laptops that are over 2.0, which makes the X13 a reasonably accurate display.

I didn't have any issues using the laptop screen during my review. This usually involves writing most of the copy on the verification device. I also watched Netflix and found the experience pleasant enough. This is a good display, but not a great one, although Lenovo does offer some other, brighter displays as upgrades that may offer better overall performance. The high-end display offers the privacy guard function from Lenovo, with which the display can be made illegible from the sides.

The display features Lenovo's ThinkShutter that moves to physically block the webcam. However, this is no longer a unique feature. For example, the Specter x360 13 has an electronic version that removes the webcam from the system.

The sound was surprisingly good, with enough volume and no distortion at full force. There's little bass, which is normal on all Apple MacBooks, but the mids and highs were crisp and bright. The two downward-facing, Dolby-tuned speakers are good enough for watching Netflix alone. However, for the best audio quality, you will need good headphones or a solid bluetooth speaker.

Keyboard and touchpad

The ThinkPad keyboard is another icon of the line and has long been one of the best on the market. The X13 has the standard version and offers the usual large buttons, generous spacing and a consistent and controlled mechanism that is very precise. It does have a bit of strength, however, and requires a little more pressure to activate a keystroke than some other keyboards.

I like a lighter feel, so I prefer the latest MacBook Magic Keyboard, as well as HP's Specter keyboard (and recently Envy) on the Windows 10 side. However, if you like a bit of pressure, or are just a fan of the ThinkPad keyboard in general, you will love the X13.

The touchpad is a bit smaller than it could be due to the buttons on top that operate the TrackPoint nubbin. Microsoft's Precision touchpad drivers are available, making the touchpad responsive and providing excellent support for Windows 10 multi-touch gestures. The TrackPoint is there for those who prefer it too, and it works as smoothly as ever.

The display is touch sensitive and precise. No complaints there. And it supports the Lenovo ThinkPad Pen Pro with 2,048 levels of pressure sensitivity (other laptops like Microsoft's Surface line and the Specter x360 support 4,096 levels). The Pen Pro slides into a port on the side of the X13, which not only provides convenient storage, but also doubles as a charger. The main disadvantage of the Pen Pro is its size – it's smaller than a "real" pen and doesn't feel as natural when you write and draw. Without the spring mechanism, the pin cannot be removed from the slot even on a flat surface.

Windows 10 Hello login support without a password is provided on my test device by a fast and responsive fingerprint reader that offers the additional security of storing all fingerprint information on a chip. The other display options add an infrared camera for facial recognition.

Battery life

The X13 has 50 watt hours of battery life, which is not as much as some others (the Specter x360 13, for example, has 60 watt hours) but isn't terrible for a 13-inch laptop with a Full HD display. I would expect decent, if not very good, battery life.

I didn't get that. In fact, the battery life was downright disappointing.

Starting with our most demanding Basemark web benchmark test, which put a strain on the CPU and GPU, the X13 lasted a little over three hours. That is way below average, but not a terrible score. The Dell XPS 13 lasted almost five hours, while the Specter x360 13 with its power-hungry AMOLED display lasted almost four hours.

The battery life was downright disappointing.

In our web browser test, which best mimics the longevity of productivity, the X13 failed in just under six hours. That's a bad score. The XPS 13 ran for almost 12 hours, while the Specter x360 13 was almost the same as the X13 despite its display. In our video test, in which a local Full HD Avengers trailer is looped, the X13 didn't quite make it to eight hours. The XPS 13 lasted 14.5 hours and the Specter x360 lasted about 10 hours.

In short, the X13's battery life is hard to figure out. It should take longer, but it doesn't. You might spend an entire day doing very light productivity tasks, but you will likely need to carry your charger with you.

Our opinion

The ThinkPad X13 is the smallest ThinkPad you can buy, and that's all it has to offer. If you're looking for a ThinkPad that won't weigh you down or take up a lot of space in your backpack, this is the best option. But its performance, build quality, battery life, and display lag behind the competition. It's also relatively expensive at $ 1,275, and starts at a retail price of $ 2,126.

Is there a better alternative?

The HP Specter x360 13 is a great choice if you are sold with a 2-in-1 device. It looks better, is just as solidly built, if not more, and offers a spectacular display option. When you choose a low-power display, you get incredible battery life that dwarfs the X13. It's also $ 1,200 with a Core i7 CPU and 512GB SSD, which also makes it a cheaper choice.

If you're not sold with a 2-in-1, the Dell XPS 13 is a great alternative. It looks better too, is solidly built, has better performance, and has much better battery life. With the same configuration as the X13, you save about $ 175.

When you need the added security and manageability features of vPro, the HP Elite Dragonfly is a more modern and feature-rich commercial laptop.

How long it will take?

The ThinkPad X13 is designed to last as long as you possibly need the laptop. The components – especially Thunderbolt 3 and Wi-Fi 6 – are up to date and will keep you connected for years. The one-year warranty is disappointing, especially for a business-class machine.

Should you buy it?

No. The ThinkPad X13 doesn't have much going for it unless you're a die-hard ThinkPad fanatic.

Editor's recommendations




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