Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Fold specs
Value: $2,499 (beginning); $2,799 (reviewed at)
CPU: Intel Core i5-L16G7
RAM: 8GB
Storage: 256GB
Show: 13.3-inch, 2048 x 1536-pixel
Battery: 6:03
Measurement: 11.8 x 9.3 x 0.45 inches (unfolded); 6.2 x 9.3 x 1.1 inches (folded)
Weight: 2.2 kilos
Sorry Lenovo, you proved me unsuitable. I did not count on to see the X1 Fold this 12 months. Heck, I even doubted a 2021 launch. There have been good causes for my suspicions. Microsoft indefinitely delayed Window 10X, the OS we anticipated the X1 Fold to run. Then COVID-19 occurred and provide chains suffered. And let’s not overlook the backlash Samsung confronted after the Galaxy Fold debacle.
And but, right here I’m, gazing a panoramic versatile OLED show housed inside what may be greatest described as a flowery leather-based pocket book. No, Lenovo did not want additional time to craft this novel machine — the construct high quality of this versatile pill is beautiful, the show is gorgeous, and the keyboard and stylus equipment work moderately properly.
However like most first-generation merchandise, the X1 Fold wants refining earlier than I can suggest it. Maybe its largest offense (moreover the worth) is the poor battery life. Mix that with sub-par efficiency and irritating bugs and it is exhausting to ascertain utilizing this versatile 2-in-1 as a day-to-day machine. Then we get to the worth: $2,500 with none of the equipment. That speaks for itself — the X1 Fold is made for the elite and keen early adopters, who I believe will fall in love with it. For everybody else, avoid wasting cash and follow one of many best 2-in-1 laptops.
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Fold value and configurations
Earlier than I get into the numbers, keep in mind that this the primary of its sort, the potential begin of a brand new period. OK, sufficient of that — the X1 Fold is very costly. The bottom mannequin prices — maintain onto your wallets — $2,500 and comes with an Intel Core i5-L16G7 CPU, 8GB of RAM and a 256GB SSD.
For $2,749, you get the identical config bundled with the Mod Pen (stylus) and Fold Mini Bluetooth keyboard. An additional $50 improve will get you our evaluate unit, which runs Home windows 10 Professional as an alternative of Home windows 10 House.
The one different improve accessible is expanded storage; a 512GB SSD brings the worth to $2,899 whereas a 1TB SSD mannequin goes for $3,099.
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Fold design
Pocket book by day, pill by evening. The ThinkPad X1 Fold seems like one thing from a luxurious stationery retailer from the surface. Crack the quilt open and your eyes are handled to a stunning 13-inch versatile OLED show.
For those who’ve ever owned a flowery pocket book — perhaps a Moleskine or Leuchtturm — then you understand how satisfying they’re to carry. Take into consideration the splendid leather-based on these journals then mix it with glass accents and a magnesium alloy body and you have the outside of the ThinkPad X1 Fold.
Imprinted within the leather-based cowl is a well-known ThinkPad X1 emblem, missing solely the illuminated “i”. On the entrance is a skinny glass panel; when the X1 Fold is opened, the leather-based from the backbone stretches to cowl that shiny floor. The black glass is a intelligent design aspect that provides a contact of sophistication to the pill when closed and vanishes so you possibly can get pleasure from a totally leather-based again in pill mode. It is a wonderful mixture of supplies and the match and end is great.
That stated, the actual magic occurs while you open the X1 Fold to discover a versatile OLED show. When unfolded, the flat display screen is 13.3 inches, or the scale of a typical moveable laptop computer panel. Bordering the display screen are thick bezels, saved chunky to be able to shield the show and provide you with one thing to grip in pill mode. The soft-touch rubber materials Lenovo used for the borders is a pleasant contact.
On the rear of the X1 Fold is a kickstand, enabled by a hinge that runs diagonally alongside the again cowl. Prying your finger between the leather-based and steel opens the flap, revealing an opulent pink felt on the within of the kickstand. The stand is stiff sufficient to carry the pill in each vertical and horizontal orientations, however lapability is a serious problem.
By that, I imply that the X1 Fold is not sensible to make use of on any non-flat floor. The pill will wobble or sit off-kilter in your lap or any uneven furnishings, like a sofa. We’ve got this similar downside with the Floor Professional sequence though the kickstand on these fashions is best at balancing the display screen.
One of the best ways to make use of the X1 Fold in your lap is with the keyboard on the decrease half of the X1 Fold and the display screen folded in a 90-degree angle, much like a clamshell laptop computer. The issue with this methodology is that your display screen actual property will get lower in half, and it is advisable to depend on the undersized accent.
One other problem I’ve with the X1 Fold is that the realm between the display screen and bezel, in addition to the seam between the bezel and outer body, acquire particles. These tight areas are troublesome to scrub and my compulsive self struggled to miss the grime.
The primary good thing about a foldable show is to scale back the footprint of the pill. The X1 Fold achieves that, measuring 9.3 inches tall and solely 6.3 inches vast when folded versus 11.8 inches vast when unfolded.
The draw back? The X1 Fold is thick. At 2.2 kilos and 0.5 inches in pill mode, the Fold is already thicker than the Apple’s iPad Pro (12.9-inch) (11 x 8.4 x 0.2 inches, 1.4 kilos), the Microsoft Surface Pro 7 (11.5 x 7.9 x 0.3 inches, 1.7 kilos, and the Dell XPS 13 (11.6 x 7.8 x 0.6 inches, 2.8 kilos). Shut the pocket book and the thickness goes to 1.1 inches, or gaming laptop territory.
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Fold sturdiness
The ThinkPad promise of military-grade sturdiness stays uncompromised. Regardless of being a first-gen product, the X1 Fold survived 12 MIL-STD-810G-rated tests. In layman’s phrases, this factor can take a punch.
I am actually impressed by the construct high quality of this foldable machine, particularly after seeing different failed first-attempts at making foldables. The X1 Fold was silent after I opened and closed it — no creaking, cracking or different cringe-inducing noises, solely the candy snapping sound when the 2 halves meet.
Opening the machine reveals an engineer’s dream — the mechanisms discovered inside appear able to launching a spacecraft. After testing six totally different designs, Lenovo landed on a multi-link torque hinge mechanism that manages stress while you fold the PC. Preserving the display screen from completely creasing or scratching are carbon-fiber-reinforced plates which have gone via “intensive sturdiness testing” to make sure the pill can face up to exhausting faucets and even drops.
It is clear Lenovo did not simply make the world’s first folding PC dependable, it made it down-right sturdy. If Samsung had put as a lot painstaking element into the primary Galaxy Fold, perhaps foldables would not have had such a rocky begin.
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Fold ports
There are two USB-C ports on the X1 Fold. One is situated on the underside of the entrance cowl, or the bottom-left edge when opened.
The opposite USB port is on the appropriate fringe of the quilt towards the underside, or the lower-left fringe of the pill when opened and considered within the horizontal orientation.
An non-obligatory SIM card slot is situated on the appropriate fringe of the entrance cowl beneath the speaker grille. Sadly, there isn’t any headphone jack or SD card reader.
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Fold show
It is one factor to dazzle at the great thing about an OLED TV from the opposite facet of your lounge. It is a completely totally different expertise to carry this breathtaking display expertise within the palm of your hand and work together with it by contact.
I have been utilizing the X1 Fold for a couple of week and every thing I’ve watched on the 13-inch, 2048 x 1536-pixel versatile OLED show has blown me away. Cheering on FC Bayern towards Atletico Madrid in a UCL sport was fairly the expertise; I felt like I used to be holding the pitch in my hand. Home windows 10 icons and graphics burst from the display screen with vivid colours and textual content seemed crisp even when zoomed in.
Now, in regards to the crease. It does exist. It has to in any other case the plastic will completely fold. However as a result of the multi-link hinge retains the OLED display screen completely flat, the crease is so delicate that I by no means observed it when the pixels beneath illuminated. Put the X1 Fold to sleep and you may spot two traces working vertically as much as the display screen the place they fold on the backbone.
Crease or not, the display screen is completely mesmerizing. The Lasso of Fact pierced my corneas because it zipped throughout the display screen like a golden lightning bolt within the trailer for Surprise Girl 1984. The superhero’s pink chrome armor was as vibrant as a freshly painted automotive whereas the pastel blues and pinks in a cool t-shirt worn by Chris Pine gave me nostalgia for the fearless trend of the mid-’80s. The panel can also be detailed; I might see particular person leaves in miniature timber lining the pink carpet at a complicated occasion, and noticed veins bursting from Gal Gadot’s neck as she hurled her lasso.
What’s extra problematic than any creasing is the panel’s shiny end. The plastic shimmers towards any mild supply, so though it will get shiny and has unequalled distinction, utilizing the ThinkPad X1 Fold exterior underneath the Texas solar wasn’t best. I might nonetheless see the attractive colours, and webpages have been nonetheless legible, however my portrait was staring proper again at me from the shiny laminated layer.
In accordance with our colorimeter, the X1 Fold’s show covers 104% of the DCI-P3 color gamut, making it far more colourful than the panels on the XPS 13 (81%), Floor Professional 7 (69%), the iPad Professional (87%) and the class common (86%).
As beautiful as it’s, the OLED show would not get very bright, reaching solely 301 nits. The XPS 13 (469 nits), iPad Professional (559 nits) and Floor Professional 7 (395 nits) all outshone the Lenovo, which did not even attain the 387-nit common.
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Fold audio
Twin audio system are positioned on the entrance cowl, or on the left edge when opened within the horizontal orientation. They sound positive, however I hope the subsequent mannequin consists of an reverse pair for a quad setup.
The X1 Fold was positive for listening to soccer commentary, however you may need a Bluetooth speaker when jamming to your favourite tunes. Ben Howard’s reside efficiency of “Empty Corridors” sounded skinny and frail on the X1 Fold. The vocals and acoustic guitar selecting have been ethereal, however there was an annoying fuzziness when the vocals overlapped the instrumentation.
Jessie Reyez & 6LACK’s “IMPORTED” sounded higher, however did not have the depth I wanted for chest-thumping bass or toe-tapping rhythms. And after I jammed out to Leisure’s “No one (feat. Gold Hyperlink),” the refrain was blanketed at most volumes. The audio system get loud sufficient to fill a small room, however you will not be dancing at a celebration to this pill.
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Fold keyboard and touchpad
I cannot stand on-screen keyboards. You need to pray they pop-up on the proper instances then awkwardly faucet away at a vertical piece of glass (or plastic, on this case).
Happily, Lenovo created a {custom} keyboard only for this machine known as the Fold Mini Keyboard. There are many professionals and cons, however general, it is a helpful accent that might use some fine-tuning.
I will begin with the great, and that is how the keyboard allows the X1 Fold for use as a laptop computer. Cleverly positioned magnets permit the keyboard to stay suspended on one half of the display screen whereas the opposite acts as a main show when the system is folded at a 90-degree angle. The hinge is robust sufficient that you just needn’t use the kickstand to maintain the show portion from falling down.
Furthermore, the keyboard nests properly contained in the folded pill, filling the hole between each shows whereas wirelessly charging its battery. If you need to use the total 13.3-inch show, you possibly can detach the Fold Mini from the display screen and use it as a daily Bluetooth keyboard. Pairing the keyboard to the X1 Fold is easy, and the keys themselves have a nice clickyness.
Now for the not-so-good. Naturally, the keyboard is small and can really feel cramped if in case you have bigger arms. Additionally, there are a couple of undersized keys and, as you may count on, no backlighting. The largest offense of all? The keyboard is bought individually for $299. Ouch. It is an insult to harm for a pill that’ll already run you $2,500.
After which there’s the touchpad. It is cute, however not so sensible. The miniature rectangle has room for less than two fingers, making it tough to make use of for something past transferring the cursor. And whereas the sleek, soft-touch materials feels nice and even responds rapidly, there is no level in making an attempt any fancy Windows 10 gestures.
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Fold Mod Pen
The opposite custom-build accent bought alongside (not included with) the ThinkPad X1 Fold is the Mode Pen. Yep, Lenovo (not like Samsung) discovered stylus assist on a versatile show. The pen is comfy to carry, however I had hassle drawing straight traces in 3D Paint.
I am unsure if it was my very own inventive deficiencies (of which there isn’t any finish) or the imperfectly flat display screen. Regardless, a drawing of my morning doughnut and cup of Joe had jagged edges and unintentionally squiggly traces. On a optimistic observe, the pen, which makes use of Wacom’s protocol, saved up with my actions and helps tilt for various line widths.
On the facet of the stylus are two buttons that may be personalized within the Lenovo Pen Settings app. I saved the underside button as a fast method to get to the eraser (a software I used very often) and the highest button for undo (which I wanted equally as usually).
Eradicating the cap reveals a USB-C charging port, which will get you 250 minutes of use from quarter-hour of cost or a month of drawing from a 2-hour cost. If you’re achieved utilizing the Mod Pen, a loop within the keyboard accent acts as a helpful storage spot. I want the loop have been on the precise pill (the place it was on prototypes we examined) however at the very least there’s a spot to retailer it.
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Fold modes and switcher
Lenovo sees the ThinkPad X1 Fold as being able to changing not simply your pill, but additionally your laptop computer.
You should use the X1 Fold as a typical pill with the machine unfolded totally and the display screen stretched flat. For those who’re studying a e-book or a number of paperwork, you possibly can bend the X1 Fold to create a left and proper half.
In fact, to get probably the most out of the versatile display screen, you may want the keyboard. The plain setup is having the X1 Fold propped up with the kickstand whereas in pill mode with the exterior keyboard positioned in entrance of it.
As beforehand defined, the X1 Fold makes use of intelligent software program and strategically positioned magnets to acknowledge when the keyboard is positioned on high of the decrease half of the display screen. On this place, content material will get pushed to the highest display screen and you need to use the X1 Fold as a laptop computer. Once more, this cuts your valuable show actual property in half, so it feels much like utilizing a netbook.
Serving to you keep productive in every of those modes is Lenovo’s {custom} Mode Switcher software program. It really works much like the split-screen function in Home windows 10, besides that it acknowledges the fold within the heart of the display screen and considers every half a separate show. This fashion, you possibly can place one window on the highest half and one other on the underside, or one on the appropriate and the second on the left.
Mode Switcher labored properly in my testing. I acquired a immediate the second I began folding the show that allow me select my most popular structure. I went with my digicam app on the appropriate and Paint 3D on the left. Once I rotated the pill, the home windows adjusted accordingly with 3D Paint transferring to the highest and my mugshot dropping beneath.
You needn’t bend the X1 Fold to make use of the Mode Switcher — tapping a small icon in your toolbar brings up the immediate.
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Fold efficiency
What’s an Intel Core i5-L16G7 CPU, you may ask? Probably the most premium of Intel’s Lakefield household, this chip is the smallest x86 processor round. A hybrid chip, it makes use of a singular “Foveros 3D stacking” approach that stacks two logical dies and two layers of DRAM. Doing the heavy lifting is a single 10-nanometer core whereas 4 low-power cores work within the background for effectivity throughout much less intensive duties.
The objective? Give the X1 Fold sufficient efficiency to run a number of apps, however with an environment friendly chip that ensures the pill can ship lengthy battery life. In apply, the Core i5-L16G7 does moderately properly with efficiency, however struggles with endurance.
The X1 Fold, paired with 8GB of RAM did job in my real-world testing. I loaded two dozen RAM-hungry Google Chrome tabs, two of which streamed Twitch movies whereas one other pair performed YouTube clips. The pill did not freeze or crash, even after I loaded 10 extra residence listings throughout my not possible search to purchase my first residence. Graphics and textual content took a couple of additional measures to completely render, however I used to be happy with the efficiency.
Extra annoying than how slowly some apps loaded was the sluggishness of Home windows 10 Professional. Switching from portrait to panorama mode takes a full 3 seconds, and I discovered that the show sometimes defaulted to portrait mode even after I was holding it horizontally. I additionally observed some display screen flickering and the rare however infuriating bug when pulling up the search bar or Start Menu. There have been instances after I could not click on on my app’s toolbar to exit out or downsize it, and at one level, the Mode Switcher put two apps I had open in a small window in the midst of the display screen as an alternative of splitting them on both sides (see the above photograph). I am unable to attribute all of those faults to the X1 Fold, however they bitter an in any other case satisfying expertise.
Whereas it is quicker than earlier Y-series CPUs we have examined previously, the Core i5-L16G7 CPU is not any match for U-series processors in at this time’s high laptops or the A-series chips in Apple’s slates. The X1 Fold scored a 1,794 on the Geekbench 5 overall performance check, coming nowhere close to the XPS 13 (5,254, Intel Core i7-1165G7), Floor Professional 7 (4,443, Intel Core i5-1035G4), iPad Professional (4,720, A12Z) and the class common (4,102).
That subpar rating translated to our video transcoding check wherein the X1 Fold wanted 33 minutes and 31 seconds to transform a 4K video to 1080p decision. XPS 13 (18:22) house owners can nearly accomplish that job twice in the identical period of time, whereas the class common (17:38) is even quicker than the Dell. For what it is value, the Floor Professional 7 (32:47) additionally struggled on this benchmark.
Lenovo outfit the X1 Fold with a comparatively speedy 256GB SSD, which duplicated a 5GB multimedia file in 11 seconds at a charge of 444.6 megabytes per second. That outpaces the Floor Professional 7 (267.9 MBps, 256GB SSD) however lags behind the XPS 13 (729.3 MBps, 512GB M.2 PCIe NVMe SSD) and the typical (810.4 MBps).
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Fold graphics
As you may need guessed, you will not be enjoying any AAA video games on the ThinkPad X1 Fold. Apps will run positive however avid gamers will need a correct gaming laptop or console to play Cyberpunk 2077 at any time when it lastly arrives.
We struggled to run Sid Meier’s Civilization VI: Gathering Storm (1080p, Medium) on the X1 Fold, which puttered at a glitchy 9 frames per second. The XPS 13 performed the identical sport at 55 fps, which is way smoother than the 27 fps common.
In our artificial benchmark check, the X1 Fold reached a 3D Mark Fireplace Strike rating of 1,184, properly beneath the XPS 13 (2,837) and the premium laptop computer common (4,120).
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Fold battery life
In relation to battery life, the X1 Fold has rather a lot going towards it. OLED show? Sure. Skinny, compact type issue? Sure. Full Home windows 10? Sure.
So when the X1 Fold lasted for six hours and three minutes on our battery check, I wasn’t stunned though I am unable to say I wasn’t a bit dissatisfied. Even the Floor Professional 7 (7:30) lasted longer on a cost whereas the iPad Professional (10:16) and Dell XPS 13 (12:39) stayed powered for a number of further hours.
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Fold webcam
There aren’t any rear-facing cameras on the X1 Fold, solely a 5-megapixel digicam for selfies and video conferencing.
It is the identical ol’ story with this digicam. In less-than-ideal lighting, pictures and movies look poor. Transfer to a well-lit setting and issues drastically enhance. I took two selfies on the identical day. One taken underneath regular lighting circumstances has a layer of visible noise and obscures my beard right into a singular weblog. The opposite (see above picture), taken close to a window on a sunny day, seems far more clear and captures particular person hairs (I do know, this quarantine hasn’t been sort to me). For what it is value, the colours are good in each pictures.
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Fold software program and guarantee
Past the Mode Switcher and Pen Settings apps, the X1 Fold comes with a couple of Lenovo-branded instruments.
Industrial Vantage is the place you may get the newest driver and BIOS updates together with assist, system well being and guarantee information. It is a visually pleasing one-stop-shop utility software program. There may be additionally a show optimizer app that permits you to alter the panel to totally different presets (native, customary, Picture Professional, Film Professional, Blue Gentle Reduce) and pair apps to {custom} show settings. It is an ideal software for photograph or video enhancing.
Lenovo Digicam Settings is fairly self-explanatory. It is a fundamental app that permits you to change the orientation of your digicam preview and allow noise discount software program in low mild (the outcomes are nothing to write down residence about). And lastly, Lenovo Voice is a voice translator that did a stable job of translating my rusty German into English.
Lenovo ships the X1 Fold with a one-year guarantee. See how the corporate fared in our Best and Worst Laptop Brands and Tech Support Showdown particular reviews.
Backside line
This was all the time going to be a tricky product to guage. I actually like having the ThinkPad X1 Fold round. Its small type issue would not take up a lot house and the beautiful OLED panel superbly showcased my favourite reveals and films. Additionally, the wonderful construct high quality, crafted with a mixture of high-end supplies, earns Lenovo some hearty applause.
However as a lot as I’d like to personal the X1 Fold, I’ve a tough time recommending it. Whereas the X1 Fold works properly as a pill, I am unable to justify spending $2,500 on a tool with so many shortcomings as a laptop computer substitute. Battery life, at 6 hours, is a serious setback, software program quirks get in the best way of productiveness, and the X1 Fold’s efficiency cannot compete with different laptops on this value vary.
Talking of value, the ThinkPad X1 Fold is extraordinarily costly. I do not blame Lenovo — that is merely a consequence of being a first-gen product — however the overwhelming majority of shoppers will not look previous the $2,500 asking value. What I do blame the corporate for is charging additional for the stylus and keyboard, each of that are mandatory if you need the Fold as your main computing machine.
Given these gripes, the ThinkPad X1 Fold is not sensible for most individuals. Slightly, it is a machine I can see CEOs flaunting in board conferences. And the few individuals who do purchase this PC will most likely actually get pleasure from utilizing it. All through my time with the X1 Fold, I struggled to reply the query: “Does this even work as an idea?” Effectively, the rising dread I really feel about having to ship this again to Lenovo says rather a lot, and I am desperate to see what comes subsequent.
