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Scharon Harding - Jul 8, 2022 7:01 pm UTC
The Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga, now in its seventh iteration ($1,870.03 MSRP as tested, as of writing), continues its modern take on the business-focused ThinkPad. It has the durability expected of a business machine, as well as smooth navigation underscored by a thoughtfully programmed keyboard fit for frequent typists, and, of course, that famous red nub.
However, the laptop doesn't necessarily outperform high-end consumer laptops, even some with slightly cheaper price tags. And similar to other ThinkPads we've tested, heat in its Best performance mode is so much of an issue that even light workloads will run the machine so warm that you won't want to touch it in certain areas.
Naming tells you this machine is part Lenovo ThinkPad, part Lenovo Yoga, but the styling and tough build lean more toward the former. Yes, there's the same 360-degree hinge found on Lenovo Yoga 2-in-1s, as well as a modern, thin-and-light build in a dark gray that's more fun than the more traditional ThinkPad black. But the density and tough feel of the aluminum chassis combined with the deep keyboard, advanced trackpad, and famous red rubber nub all scream ThinkPad.
The ThinkPad X1 Yoga's chassis meets the US Military's MIL-STD 810H standard, which puts it through 20 test procedures around areas including exposure to extreme temperatures, mechanical shock, vibration, humidity, solar radiation, and sand and dust. It carries the carvings of ThinkPad logos on the lid and deck. The lid's logo has a watchful red light over the "i," letting anyone facing you know that the system is running. The deck's logo, meanwhile, sometimes scratched against my palm as I typed.
The ThinkPad X1 Yoga is 0.61 inches thick and starts at 3 lbs, making it thinner and lighter than some ThinkPads without Yoga heritage, like the ThinkPad X1 Extreme, which is available with a discrete GPU, is 0.72 inches thick with a touchscreen and weighs about 4.1 lbs.
But if thin and trim is what you're after, there are other options with similar specs, like the latest Acer Swift 5 (0.59 inches thick, 2.65 lbs).
And similar to those laptops, the ThinkPad X1 Yoga meets my minimum port requirements for avoiding immediate aggravation. The left side has two Thunderbolt 4 USB-C ports, a USB-A port, and HDMI 2.0b. The right side has a 3.5 mm jack and another USB-A jack. If I had the 4G LTE version of this laptop, I'd also have a slot for a Nano SIM card.
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