Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga (3rd-gen)
The ThinkPad X1 Yoga qualifies for yet another upgrade.
Lenovo’s ThinkPad range has always been about high-end performance, resilience and reliability and this third-generation ThinkPad X1 Yoga is no exception. It combines the latest Intel silicon and NVMe storage with a 2-in-1 design that offers laptop and tablet functionality in a flexible package.
The price we quoted above will get you a Core i5 CPU, a less impressive display and SATA storage. The headline cost of $2,999 for the high-end model puts it in direct competition with the Microsoft Surface Pro, HP Spectre x360 and Dell Latitude 7285.
For the money, you get an elegant machine with a slick matte black or silver finish plus the signature red dot motif. The case is made from a carbon-fibre hybrid material that offers durability and strength while remaining lightweight at 1.4kg.
Opening the lid presents you with a very clean working space, dominated by a touchpad.
The ‘Wave’ keyboard cleverly retracts the keys when the laptop is closed, and they also do this when the hinge passes 190° for tablet use. The ‘ Wave’ design makes the keys stand proud of the base, giving extra travel when typing.
Thanks to its ultra-slim 2-in-1 design, Lenovo has also arranged the active ports along the sides of the machine. Two USB Type-C Thunderbolt 3 ports sit on the left hand side, offering both peripheral connection and laptop charging. A slimmed-down WAN port with an included adapter for connecting to wired networks is also included. Behind a thin removable cover on the rear, you’ll find the phone SIM and microSD card slots.
Since this is a 2-in-1 laptop with tablet use in mind, the ThinkPad X1 Yoga also comes with a Wacomdesigned active stylus.
As you’d expect given the price, the ThinkPad X1 Yoga is fully kitted out with Intel’s new Kaby Lake R-series CPUs, which offer four cores and eight threads, yet have a maximum power profile of just 15W.
Booting Windows and launching apps is practically instantaneous, and the only time the X1 Yoga isn’t highly responsive is when Windows has initiated some background upgrade exercise without asking.
Indeed, this hybrid’s only weakness is the integrated Intel UHD Graphics 620 GPU, which doesn’t contribute enough, considering the raw computing power that is pushing it.
The drive is a Samsung PM981, an NVMe PCIe unit which pumps out solid read and write speeds of around 2,200MB/s and 1,100MB/s respectively..
A calibration test also revealed that the exceptionally crisp 2,560x1,440 IPS display could represent the full 100% of sRGB and AdobeRGB colour gamuts. Combine that with a static contrast ratio of over 1,000:1 and 463-lumens brightness, and you have a quality display
So it’s a shame,then, that battery life isn’t quite as stunning as Lenovo likes to claim.
Our PCMark 8 benchmark revealed that the X1 Yoga lasted just 4 hours 18 minutes in our highperformance Work test; and 6 hours 24 minutes in power-saving mode — a country mile short of the 15 hours of battery life quoted by Lenovo. Unless you never stop work and never answer the phone, the longevity you’ll get is probably a working day, but only just.
Still, at least it recharges very quickly, having RapidCharge technology that can get the device back to 80% capacity in just 60 minutes.