If not for the ThinkPad brand, the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Fold could be classified as an experimental model. However, ThinkPad is a kind of guarantee of product quality and reliability. Thus, we have a super-premium business laptop, the original target audience of senior managers and business owners.
Another category of users is fans of new technologies. Smartphones with flexible screens have done their job. Several users have tried the idea and reasonably wondered how cool it would be if laptops had flexible screens.
The Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Fold is, in a sense, a trial balloon that users and other manufacturers alike are watching, trying to figure out if there is a craving for such a product on the market or the consumer is not ready yet.
The main selling advantages of the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Fold:
- The world’s first laptop with a flexible screen;
- OLED screen with business aspect ratio and stylus support;
- New form factors – mini-laptop, open screen + keyboard, work as a tablet;
- Reliability typical of the ThinkPad brand;
- Wi-Fi 6 + optional 5G;
- Full Windows 10 Pro.
Specifications
- Processor: Intel Core i5-L16G7 with Intel® Hybrid Technology
- Graphics: 11th Gen Intel Integrated UHD Graphics
- Screen: 13.3-inch 4: 3 OLED touchscreen with 2K resolution (2048×1536), 300 nits brightness, DCI-P3 color space 95% coverage
- RAM: 8GB LPDDR4X 4267 MHz
- Storage: SSD PCIe-NVMe M.2 2242 512 GB (1 TB maximum)
- OS: Windows 10 Pro
- Battery: 50 W * h, up to 10.5 hours of video playback, 65 W adapter
- Communication: Wi-Fi 6 802.11 AX + Bluetooth 5.1 (optional WWAN CAT20 (5G / LTE))
- Webcam: infrared and HD 5 MP
- Ports: 2 x USB Type-C 3.2 Gen 2 (10Gbps) ports (one of them can be used as DP connector)
- Keyboard: Separate Lenovo Fold Mini keyboard, micro USB rechargeable
- Other: stylus included, charged via Type-C
- Dimensions:
- Folded 27.8 x 158.2 x 236 mm
- Unfolded 11.5 x 299.4 x 236 mm
- Weight: 999 grams
Features
The design and the materials of execution of the ThinkPad X1 Fold are not simple, so it will not be possible to describe the appearance in short.
Basically, the ThinkPad X1 Fold is a large tablet bent in the middle. The screen has large bezels that are comfortable to hold. The frames and the surface of the case are made of slightly rubberized soft-touch material.
On the outside, there is a flexible leather case (it smells a little leather and is tactilely pleasant to the touch) that completely covers the entire surface when the ThinkPad X1 Fold is opened. But it leaves a glossy glass streak when the computer is folded.
When folded, the ThinkPad X1 Fold is more like a thick leather diary. If you fold the laptop, then, of course, there will be a gap between the halves. However, as planned, there should be a mini-keyboard.
We cannot remove the leather case; it will not replace it simply by buying a new one in the store. It was a little surprising that the cover on the front side (where the gloss is) does not firmly adhere to the body; that is, you can slightly bend it, see what is inside. There is nothing special to watch, but dust and dirt can, in theory, get clogged there. The cover folds down on one side to create a stand that helps the ThinkPad X1 Fold stand firmly when fully extended.
The body bends and unbends tightly, but not too much. You can’t open it with one hand, but you don’t need to make any special efforts. There are only 2 USB Type-C ports on the case, which are located in a rather funny way. If you fully open the ThinkPad X1 Fold and put it in front of you so that the webcam is on top, then one port is at the very bottom on the left side, and the second is in the center of the base of the left flap, on which the laptop is now standing. And if you fold the ThinkPad X1 Fold in half, placing the keyboard on one of the halves, then yes, one of the Type-C connectors will be conveniently located on the side, but the other will move to the top end.
Despite the strange arrangement of the ports and the peculiar fit of the leather case, there are no complaints about the build quality and materials. As a device for consuming content, the ThinkPad X1 Fold is awesome. By folded the screen a little, you hold it like a book, much more convenient than any tablet or smartphone.
Keyboard
It turns out that the keyboard is an optional item for the set, that is, there are configurations that are sold without a keyboard. In our opinion, the keyboard is not optional, but mandatory, as it fills the gap between the two halves of the screen when folded.
If not for the keyboard, there would always be such a gap between the halves.
With a keyboard, the view is immediately better.
The keyboard connects to the laptop via Bluetooth. It is attached to the body with magnets. Actually, thanks to the magnets, the position of the screen changes. The point is that when you put the keyboard on one of the halves, the ThinkPad X1 Fold turns into a netbook.
The funny thing is that the micro USB port is used to charge the keyboard. Given the thickness of the keyboard, apparently, it was not possible to insert Type-C. Considering the price of the device Although, of course, it’s funny to imagine a situation when a particularly zealous engineer quietly plugged in micro USB, what is it, as many as three Type-C ports per device, too much!
The key travel is short, but somehow Lenovo managed to give the proper elasticity so that when typing, the fingers do not get tired.
The touchpad measures 6.5 by 3.5 cm. Accordingly, the operation algorithm is as follows: you poke at the screen, you steer point-wise from the touchpad.
Display
The entire computer is, in fact, one solid OLED screen with a resolution of 2048×1536 pixels. Of course, the main thing is that it is a flexible touchscreen. It doesn’t feel like glass, but it’s not your typical plastic either. Apparently, some oleophobic coating, as the fingers slide easily, and the screen remains pretty clean even after a whole day of work.
There are two points of bending, due to which the overall angle of bending is not so sharp, so the so-called “fold,” which is still easy to notice on smartphones with flexible screens, is practically absent here, and it is not felt to the touch. And visually, there are no image distortions or highlights on the fold.
In the lower right corner, you can see that the laptop offers several scenarios. Work as one large screen or place an open window on one of the halves—a handy thing when you work with two windows at once.
The claimed color gamut is 95% DCI-P3, which is, in principle, a standard value for an OLED screen. However, designers, as well as everyone who cares about high color accuracy (this is not about connoisseurs of beauty, but about those who know that Coca-Cola has not just red color, but specifically # F40009), it should bear in mind that delta E here, according to my measurements, it deviates as much as 10 (, by the way, in the case of red), the average value is 6.37, that is, the deviation from the original color is noticeable even to the greatest professional. On the other hand, black and contrast are definitely on top.
OLED displays are perceived as brighter due to their high contrast ratio. If we talk about standard lighting in an apartment, then the brightness of an OLED screen of 200 nits will be enough, and on IPS, you would have to expose about 400 nits. Accordingly, 300 nits OLED is quite enough for working on a bench in a cafe. But for beauty, they could, of course, put a 400 nits screen in the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Fold. Then there would be no questions at all.
One of the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Fold strengths is the ability to mount the screen both horizontally and vertically.
We did not find a protective film on the screen (although, maybe, it is just cleverly hidden under the frames?). But there are no scratches on the screen. Obviously, if street dust fell on the leather case, then it settled on the screen. Lenovo knows the secret of how to make flexible screens well and correctly.
The stylus is good too. It feels like a regular pen, and because the screen in the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Fold is not glass but rather plastic, there is a feeling that you are writing on paper.
The stylus is equipped with buttons for easier drawing, erasing, and so on. To use all the stylus functions, you need to download the application from the Microsoft Store.
The stylus is good for everyone. Except that from time to time, it needs to be charged through the Type-C port. Yes, and this is normal; the way the stylus is organized is bad. The advantage of the Type-C connector is that it can insert either way. In the stylus, they came up with grooves, into which you also need to hit a certain side. The only good news is that you will do this no more than once a month (with active use).
Performance
The performance issue in the case of the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Fold is not an acute one. Nobody expects this laptop to edit 8K video. It should perform just as well as the classic ultraportable ThinkPad.
The laptop has a 5-core Intel Core i5-L16G7 processor with an integrated 11th generation Intel UHD graphics card. This is a rather modest but energy-efficient solution. The processor works stably even under maximum load. And the temperature during the stress test did not rise above 90 degrees. At the same time, the laptop remains steadily silent (it cannot be otherwise since there is no fan here).
RAM 8 GB, storage 512 GB. There is no need to talk about the upgrade since it is not provided. As an SSD, a Toshiba drive is installed, which has rather modest performance indicators. Top SSDs work exactly 2 times faster. The choice of Toshiba is probably due to the energy efficiency of the drive.
The laptop copes with office applications perfectly; you can open as many tabs in the browser as you like. Of course, you can’t play games.
Battery
Lenovo says “up to 10 hours of video playback” and up to 8.5 hours in the MM8 synthetic test with a screen brightness of 200 nits in promotional materials.
In real tasks, Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Fold is 4-6 hours of operation on a single charge, 5 hours at maximum brightness. These are typical office tasks – Microsoft Word, Excel, Microsoft Edge browser, occasionally YouTube, instant messengers.
For charging, the kit included a 65 W adapter with a hint of compactness.
If you approach the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Fold like a laptop, the battery life is quite good. If you look abstractly, like a mobile gadget, the battery life is poor. Although it takes some Galaxy Note 20 Ultra, it is generally a smartphone, and the screen time is only 4 hours with a cap. People buy and are happy.
Conclusion!
The temptation is great to smash the device, to poke Lenovo’s nose into all the flaws, and most importantly, from the height of your experience to explain to these idiots how to make laptops.
The strange prefabricated design of the stylus, the location of the ports, the tiny keyboard require habit and a certain amount of intelligence.
However, in the same way, this is a great, completely commercial device. Not a prototype. At the current stage, it will be chosen by technology enthusiasts. These people do not need to be told what and how to use it. They themselves will find suitable scenarios for them.
The Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Fold, among other office matters, is most convenient for holding a laptop in your hands without fully unbending the screen. This way, you can reach almost everywhere with your thumbs, except for the center of the screen.
Perhaps we can say that Lenovo fell victim to their quest to make a compact device. For example, if the laptop were larger, it would give a 16-inch screen when unfolded; then, a more comfortable keyboard could be attached. At the same time, it is unlikely that portability would be greatly affected, and the possibilities in terms of productivity would only increase.
Speaking about gadgets like Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Fold, agitating for or against buying is an empty matter. Those who like the laptop decided not to pay attention to reviews and “opinions” of experts.
