Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Tablet Review: Elegant In Its Design

Tablets are our traveling companions, from helping us with our work to helping us unwind. The versatility of the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Tablet makes it an invaluable ally in both ventures.

LENOVO THINKPAD X1 REVIEW

The latest ThinkPad X1 continues directly from its predecessor, maintaining the same features and aesthetics. The hardware line has long been favored by business users, although this new incarnation can also appeal to more casual users.

If you’re familiar with the prior model, you’ll immediately be right at home. If not, the device is accessible, even if it isn’t the strongest performer in the market. The 12-inch screen displays a clear image spanning a 2,160 x 1,440 resolution. A seventh generation Intel Core i5Y or i7Y CPU powers the device, with an Intel HD Graphics 615 card. Lenovo claims the battery should last around ten hours, although CNET’s review noted how it maintained its charge for just over six-and-a-half hours in her experience. Windows 10 serves as the operating system.

Speaking of the screen, a ThinkPad Pen Pro is also bundled in the package. This handy tool is compatible with the standard Office 2016 apps, allowing you an easy medium to display your artistic talents. Despite how the stylus is built more for writing than for drawing, CNET’s reviewer affirmed how it worked admirably for both. There was little to no delay which was further embellished with the screen’s strong palm rejection.

One highlight of the X1’s keyboard is that it’s detachable. Other benefits housed in this corner of the computer are Lenovo’s famed red TrackPoint, as well as three buttons to substitute for a mouse. These buttons enable you to left click, right click or scroll. The keys are responsive and provide nice feedback, continuing Lenovo’s tradition of quality keyboards. (Should the keyboard go missing or get damaged, replacements are sold for $149. These can come in black, silver or red.)

OPTIONAL THINKPAD X1 ADD-ON MODULES

Just as with last year’s ThinkPad, this one can also be augmented with optional add-on modules. While they’re not required to enjoy the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Tablet, they are worth looking at. Both modules attack to the ThinkPad through its underside.

The Productivity Module, $149, is an attractive enhancement as it bestows the laptop with five more hours of battery life. Moreover, it also grants a port extender, an HDMI port, a OneLink docking port and one more USB 3.0 port.

The other flagship module is the Presenter Module for $299. This grants the X1 a pico projector capable of spreading a 854 x 480 pixel display up on a screen or wall up to 60 inches away. This piece hosts its own two-hour battery along with an HDMI input and output.

Ultimately, Lenovo’s ThinkPad X1 Tablet is a capable, sturdy machine even if it doesn’t reinvent its legacy.