Lenovo ThinkCentre X1
Arguably the most handsome all-in-one we’ve seen, and the most professional, but don’t expect a powerhouse
SCORE ✪✪✪✪✪ PRICE lenovo.com/uk
T£1,057 (£1,269 inc VAT)
from
he all-in-one desktop PC scene has been dominated by Apple so comprehensively, and for so long, that the rest of the industry must wonder if it’s worth bothering to produce their own. There remain a steady trickle of other manufacturers producing machines, though, and Lenovo’s 24in ThinkCentre X1 is the most interesting to have rolled into the PC Pro Labs in quite some time.
Approached from the front, you’d think there wasn’t much in the way to worry Apple. In typical Lenovo fashion, the ThinkCentre X1 is finished in black, and the wireless keyboard and mouse supplied with the machine are equally plain in appearance. There’s the signature red highlight or two – the dot above the “i” on the ThinkCentre logo in the bottom-left corner of the front bezel, and a red scrollwheel on the wireless mouse – but that’s as far as visual flair goes.
Or so it seems. Have a look around the chassis, and it’s a different story. From front to back, the X1 measures an improbable 11.8mm at its thinnest point; and instead of aping the flat Apple foot, Lenovo offers a refreshingly different approach to the design of the stand.
The ThinkCentre X1 is supported by a 13mm steel bar protruding from a heavy circular base, and it’s positioned such that the screen appears to float above the desk. It’s far more elegant than the lumpen Asus Zen AiO ( see issue 258, p66).
It’s also a practical design. Instead of positioning all the ports and slots at the back, a pair of USB ports, one SD card slot and the system’s 3.5mm headphone jack live on the left side of the X1, so you don’t have to reach around the side or stand up and peer over the top to plug in peripherals.
There’s a sliding cover on the webcam for those concerned with protecting their privacy. And Lenovo is keen to promote the durability of the ThinkCentre X1, claiming it has been tested to withstand ten years of office dust while still running “error-free”. Another excellent feature: this PC comes with a threeyear on-site warranty as standard, with four-year next-business-day available for an extra £40 inc VAT.
Missed opportunities
However, it’s the finishing touches that make the iMacs so good, and this is where the X1 falls behind. Those wireless peripherals, while usable, are uninspiring when it comes to the overall design and feel. To be brutal, they feel cheap and nasty; the matte black plastic from which they’re made
“Lenovo is keen to promote the durability of the X1, claiming it has been tested to withstand ten years of office dust”
is a far cry from the slick peripherals Apple supplies with its iMacs.
That stand, thin though it is, wobbles dramatically if you so much as nudge the screen, and Lenovo misses a trick by not specifying a touchscreen. Although its smooth and flush anti-glare screen looks as if you should be able to prod and poke it, the only result you’ll get if you touch it is a mess of greasy fingerprint marks.
The quality of the screen continues that theme of practicality with a dose of disappointment. It’s a 1,920 x 1,080 resolution IPS panel, and it’s coated with a semi-matte finish that’s remarkably efficient at reducing glare from overhead office lights. Even angled directly up so it catches the light directly, it’s possible to see the onscreen image clearly through the reflections.
However, it can’t live up to the iMac or the Asus Zen AiO for brightness, crispness and colour performance. The first item on this list isn’t too problematic. In an office environment, the ThinkCentre X1’s 194cd/m2 maximum brightness is ample; in fact, you should probably be dialling it down to avoid eyestrain.
The Full HD resolution, on the other hand, simply isn’t sufficient to