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(CNN) –
The Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Fold is one of the most futuristic devices of the year – the world’s first foldable PC. But like so many other first-generation products, it’s not for everyone.
Who it is for: As the world’s first foldable PC, the ThinkPad X1 Fold is aimed at early adopters and those who use an imperfect machine. Lenovo has the right design and since it’s a ThinkPad, we don’t have a lot of durability issues. However, Windows 10 is not optimized for foldables and it shows up on the X1 Fold.
What would you like to know: At $ 2,499 without a keyboard and $ 2,749 with this accessory, it’s the cheapest. Add to that its buggy software, mid-range performance, and not-so-good battery life, that holds it back. The ThinkPad X1 Fold isn’t for most people, and you probably shouldn’t buy it unless you really mind splurging for a cutting-edge but niche device.
How it compares: The ThinkPad X1 Fold is as durable as any other ThinkPad. It has the classic black color and is built tough. We also have no qualms about opening and closing it several times a day. Problems start to arise with Windows 10; the operating system as a whole isn’t ready for a device like this, and in use it lags behind other laptops and 2-in-1s like the Surface Pro 7 You’ll also find that while it can handle light tasks, it’s not the best for things like Photoshop, video editing, or gaming.
Dating back to the IBM era and still true today, Lenovo ThinkPads are tanks in the computer world. They are neither fragile nor fragile; they are quite strong and can be beaten.
The ThinkPad X1 Fold packs that durability into a foldable. Unlike the Galaxy Z Flip 5G, Motorola Razr, or Galaxy Z Fold 2, we don’t have an immediate issue with opening and closing the X1 Fold.
The physical frame of the X1 Fold is a combination of carbon fiber and magnesium alloy. It is also available in one color: black. What’s different with the X1 Fold, when it comes to materials, is a fairly high-end leather back that gives the PC a luxury look. It’s really nice, and when the X1 Fold is closed it looks like a laptop or a sleek case.
This leather back has a part that can unfold, essentially allowing you to support the X1 Fold when it is fully open. That way, it can act as a screen and you can use it as a desktop – although, frankly, the experience is more like a Windows tablet, like a Surface Pro 7. After all, it’s not. is only a 13.3-inch screen.
When closed, you’ll see the glossy finish of the X1 Fold on top, as the leather itself recedes when folded. But when fully opened, the leather extends to the back of the device. There are only two USB-C ports on the X1 Fold, and both can handle the charging of the device. You won’t find many buttons either – just a power button with an LED indicator and a volume rocker.
It’s best to think of this as a 13.3-inch clamshell Windows tablet that can be folded completely in half. You can use it unfolded in a vertical or horizontal position. It can be folded at a 90 degree angle, like the Z Flip, and used as a netbook or mini laptop with the optional keyboard. However, let’s be blunt: if you buy the X1 Fold, get the keyboard. It just doesn’t make sense not to.
The design of the X1 Fold is both futuristic and functional. It is relatively compact at just over 2 pounds. For comparison, it’s lighter than a MacBook Air but heavier than an iPad Air. And it’s a design highlighted by the hinge, which allows this device to be multimode in a radically different way from a conventional laptop.
You’ll know exactly where the hinge is, thanks to the larger bezels around the screen. The hinge is physically open on the sides. It’s a bit of a concern, but we also didn’t experience any issues with the crease or items lodged in the small opening.
And if you go for the keyboard, you can leave it on the screen when the PC is folded. It will actually fill in the crease where a paperclip or sharp object could potentially slip and puncture the screen.
When unfolded, the screen stretches to fill the 13 inches and creates tension. This is by design and makes the display stronger in this position. Remember, this is an OLED polymer display, not glass. You also don’t have to be gentle when opening or closing the X1 Fold – that’s a noticeable difference from foldable phones. However, when using it in a laptop-like format, we noticed some discoloration as the bottom half of the screen is noticeably darker.
The ThinkPad X1 Fold’s display is a 13.3-inch OLED with a resolution of 1536 x 2048. Images are reproduced accurately, but lag behind other laptops with a full 4K display. The plastic nature of the screen increases the gloss factor because it is super reflective. It’s really hard to use it in direct light or outdoors – especially if you add the fact that it can’t be that bright.
The ThinkPad X1 Fold has two big shortcomings: Windows isn’t optimized for foldables, and Lenovo’s customization doesn’t do much. Intel’s Lakefield stacked processor delivers the performance you expect, but doesn’t shine in efficiency or track for high-powered tasks.
Lenovo’s answer to going from a big screen to a clamshell is a mode dial. When it works, it detects when you fold or twist the X1 Fold through the accelerometer. With this you can select which app is where based on your orientation. It’s an easy way to set yourself up for success, and it was handy for staying in two apps. But too often, it ended up not engaging when we needed it to.
You will also find that many apps are not optimized to work in these smaller scenarios or in mini-shell mode. Essentially, you snap the keyboard to the right side of the X1 fold (or the bottom half), and it turns that part of the screen off, leaving you with the top half. It allows you to use the X1 Fold as a mini laptop. You can use the keyboard and trackpad to navigate on a 7-inch screen. This was handy for quickly sorting an email inbox, but not much else.
More importantly, for apps that worked with it, the keyboard worked fine. You’ll also find that the keyboard, which attaches magnetically and charges wirelessly, uses a lot of power. In this mode, we suggest to be plugged in, which takes away the convenience of using it on the go.
And when it’s working properly, the X1 Fold recognizes that the keyboard is there within seconds. The dock will be moved and you will be ready to tip. And although instances not recognizing the keyboard were more visible before several updates, this sometimes happens during the activation of the X1 Fold or after a restart.
It all comes down to the fact that Windows 10 isn’t designed for a device like this. Windows 10X, an optimized version of Windows 10 for foldables, would likely fix a lot of issues, but it’s lagging behind. It was teased alongside the Surface Neo, a foldable Surface device, which is also delayed. A lot of updates are falling on Lenovo and it has tried to fix as many issues as possible. The other half is up to individual app developers to enjoy a design like this.
When the X1 Fold is working, namely the mode dial, it’s great. But when it doesn’t, it really looks like a first gen product. And when it comes to the processor, the X1 Fold performs well for an Intel mobile architecture chip. To be precise, this is an Intel hybrid processor – the i5-L16G7 – with 8 GB of RAM. And for most tasks, that will be enough to power them; web browsing, word processing, large spreadsheets, and even the occasional photo editing worked well on the X1 Fold.
It just can’t scale, but then again the X1 Fold is designed like a business laptop. We tried games on it and The Sims 4 was playable. However, any high powered title would either crash or just not work when we tried. We also found that for some titles, auto orientation would cause the app to crash or close, so be careful with your movements while using this PC.
To put performance in perspective, we ran the ThinkPad X1 Fold through Geekbench 5, which tests a machine with actual use cases. The ThinkPad X1 Fold scored 822 in the single-core test and 1738 in the multi-core test. It’s in the middle of the road and lags behind a number of devices, including the Intel MacBook Air, M1 MacBook Air, and Surface Laptop Go.
It’s just not a very efficient processor in its current state. Efficiency issues also affect battery life. In everyday use, we have found that the keyboard consumes a lot of power and reduces our working days. And when we used the X1 Fold for a full working day, we needed a charger nearby.
It scored behind all of the aforementioned laptops and several more in our battery test, with a time of six hours and 15 minutes.
Starting at the expensive price alone, the ThinkPad X1 Fold isn’t for the most part. And the fact that it’s a foldable PC makes it an even more difficult sale. In its current state, the ThinkPad X1 Fold is a nice niche product and you’ll probably be better served by a ThinkPad X1 Carbon, Dell XPS 13, Surface Pro X, or even Surface Pro 7. These 2-in-1s feature great hardware and near perfect software experience.
Even so, we appreciate what Lenovo has done here. The material and design of the X1 Fold is excellent. It’s the first foldable screen that we’re not afraid to apply pressure to. But there’s still work to be done here – the software experience needs to improve, and a lot of that goes to the Windows team.
Lenovo is clearly on to something here with the X1 Fold, however.
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