IT Pro is supported by its audience. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Learn more
Reviews

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 review: First Look

We take a sneak peek at Lenovo's new super slender ThinkPad X1 ultraportable laptop to see whether it can rival the MacBook Air.

Price
£1,118

No matter what you think about Apple and its MacOS X operating system, that company's influence on computer design is undeniable. Lenovo's sleek and slender new ultraportable ThinkPad laptop, the X1, may look unchanged from older classic ThinkPads but some Apple-esque details have been incorporated into its design.

The X1 may look unchanged from older classic ThinkPads but some Apple-esque details have been incorporated into its design.

Lenovo claims the X1 is just 16mm thick and weighs just 1.7kg, achieved in part by the absence of an optical drive. Although it's certainly very thin, it feels heavier than 1.7kg due to its uneven weight distribution much of the heft seems to have been shifted towards the rear of the laptop. Like an increasing number of laptops the battery is sealed and isn't designed to be user-replaceable. External batteries that snap into a bottom-mounted port will be available, but will also add to the weight.

Although slender, the base of the X1 felt rigid and sturdy, but the screen flexed under pressure far more than we'd like. The 13in screen looks far brighter than previous Lenovo displays. This is at least partially due to the glossy finish which may dismay office workers who prefer matte anti-glare screens. We'll have to wait for a finished production unit to judge just how reflective the screen is in ITPRO's own fluorescent-lit offices.

The screen has a resolution of 1,366 x 768 pixels, but we were hoping for a 1,440x900 pixel option which was available on the older ThinkPad X301 and is currently available on the MacBook Air. Higher resolution screens make multitasking and working on larger documents much easier.

Featured Resources

IT best practices for accelerating the journey to carbon neutrality

Considerations and pragmatic solutions for IT executives driving sustainable IT

Free Download

The Total Economic Impact™ of IBM Spectrum Virtualize

Cost savings and business benefits enabled by storage built with IBMSpectrum Virtualize

Free download

Using application migration and modernisation to supercharge business agility and resiliency

Modernisation can propel your digital transformation to the next generation

Free Download

The strategic CFO

Why finance transformation propels business value

Free Download

Most Popular

The big PSTN switch off: What’s happening between now and 2025?
Sponsored

The big PSTN switch off: What’s happening between now and 2025?

13 Mar 2023
Why Amazon is cutting staff from AWS
Cloud

Why Amazon is cutting staff from AWS

21 Mar 2023
Why – and how – IP can be the hero in your digital transformation success story
Sponsored

Why – and how – IP can be the hero in your digital transformation success story

6 Mar 2023