Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Nano Gen 2 Assessment

The Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Nano Gen 2 is a follow-up of the unique X1 Nano [Gen 1], which was a breakthrough within the ultralight laptop computer world. The Nano collection is designed to take the portability of the ThinkPad X1 collection to the intense, and it has confirmed extensively profitable.

This second technology pushes the idea to the following stage, due to system efficiency and different {hardware} updates from cautious consumer suggestions evaluation. The second-generation ThinkPad X1 Nano builds upon the identical sub-two kilos extremely mobility idea initially launched however makes use of essentially the most trendy {hardware} when launched.

“~22% LIGHTER THAN THE MACBOOK AIR”

As such, Lenovo is concentrating on a selected viewers that cares in the beginning about extremely mobility. That’s fairly totally different from nearly another skinny & mild, such because the ThinkPad X1 Carbon, Dell XPS 13, HP Spectre X360, and naturally, the MacBook Air and MacBook Professional. All are constructed as all-rounded, skinny & mild.

Nevertheless, the MacBook Air weighs 1270g vs. the X1 Nano Gen 2’s 995g, a really noticeable distinction from a consumer expertise perspective.

The chassis also can accomodate an optionally available 4G or 5G modem for many who wish to maximize their productiveness. Whereas WIFI could be extensively accessible, it can not examine with the fast and ubiquitous protection of 4G/5G (for a worth).

Specs Highlights

Our overview unit ($2150 as examined) got here geared up with the Intel Core i7-1280P (28W TDP), 32GB RAM, and 1TB of SSD storage, which is great for a laptop computer of this dimension and weight. Lenovo has many extra processor choices, relying in your desired computing pace and funds.

The soldered RAM could be chosen as 16GB or 32GB of reminiscence with none improve choices, so select fastidiously. 32GB of RAM on an ultramobile is a formidable reminiscence choice in the event you can afford it, however word that it received’t have an effect on the benchmark outcomes.

“FORMIDABLE MEMORY OPTION”

The SSD choices are 256/512/1024GB of storage, which must be ample for the supposed office-productivity viewers Lenovo is catering to.

Industrial Design

General, the X1 Nano Gen2 design is similar to the earlier technology, so all the things associated to design, ergonomics, and extremely mobility is just about the identical, and it’s honest to think about this model a efficiency replace primarily.

When you’re new to the ThinkPad X1 Nano collection and by no means had one in your fingers, you could be shocked at how mild it feels. Many individuals suppose I’m handing them an empty laptop computer shell after they maintain it for the primary time. This laptop computer is ~22% lighter than the MacBook Air.

The chassis is painted with the enduring “ThinkPad Black” comfortable paint, however in the event you’re getting the dearer touch-display choice, you’ll get a luxurious carbon weave show cowl. It’s not current on this particular unit, sadly.

In contrast to many different extremely cellular laptops, this X1 Nano Gen2 is designed to be opened and maintained by the consumer (or the IT division). It’s attainable to take away the underside cowl to entry the user-replaceable SSD. Sadly, the RAM is soldered (quite common for ultra-compact laptops).

Keyboard and Trackpad

As a result of it’s so skinny, the spill-resistant keyboard has a shorter key journey than your standard-size ThinkPad laptop computer. Nevertheless, the journey stays considerably deeper than the newer MacBook Professional keyboard, which is extraordinarily shallow.

The tactile suggestions is sharper than different ThinkPads, and I prefer it. When you’re a ThinkPad fan, you would possibly wish to take a look at it earlier than shopping for to gauge how a lot it matches your style, however I discover it very comfy and extremely suggest it.

For reference, I take advantage of an IBM Mannequin M as my desktop keyboard and a Logitech Mechanical MX Mini after I journey. I additionally personal a Keychron V1 (Khail white switches) and Keychron K1 (Gateron blue switches).

The trackpad feels super-smooth and works nice. It’s not the largest you might get on a laptop computer this dimension, however I like having the bodily trackpad buttons as a result of they’re extra correct. I don’t use the Trackpoint, however it stays a extremely sought-after characteristic for a lot of ThinkPad customers.

For additional safety, there’s a fingerprint reader to the precise of the trackpad, and I extremely suggest utilizing it along with the IR webcam logging. Each are very safe and extra handy than typing an extended password.

Ports

The laptop computer is so skinny that Lenovo didn’t embody any USB-A or different massive ports. That’s regular for ultramobile laptops. Nevertheless, two Thunderbolt 4 ports could possibly be prolonged utilizing a TB/USB dock (from Anker or Sabrent) at residence or the workplace.

I’m curious to see if Lenovo might modify the rear of the chassis to suit full-size ports. I don’t suppose that will finally kill the silhouette of the laptop computer whereas giving customers a few full-size ports. Having one USB-A and one HDMI connector could be wonderful however it’s understandably very difficult to implement.

Sound

The X1 Nano Gen 1 options nice sound high quality just like the unique mannequin. The sound coming from the quad-speaker setup (2W x2 woofers and 1W x2 tweeters) is highly effective and total spectacular for this dimension. Nevertheless, there’s a little bit of distortion at most quantity, and the bass could possibly be greater.

That stated, the sound is loud sufficient that I can’t think about utilizing a 100% quantity in a lodge room, airport, and even throughout a bunch name on the workplace, so I don’t suppose this will likely be an issue.

Show

Like beforehand, Lenovo has two 13” show choices: contact and non-touch. Each use a low-power 60Hz IPS LCD panel with 450 NITs brightness, 100% sRGB protection, 85-degree view angle, and a 1000:1 distinction ratio.

The display’s body is surprisingly inflexible for such a skinny show and solely bends barely in the event you actively attempt to deform it. There’s nearly no flex when opening the laptop computer with one hand…

“FOR PROFESSIONAL LIGHT CREATIVE WORK”

That’s an impressive brightness and shade gamut, which permits for skilled mild inventive work reminiscent of design, pictures, and internet growth. You’ll most likely use a monitor or a a lot larger and costly cellular workstation in the event you want one thing higher-end.

The (2160×1350) 2K decision stays a superb selection as a result of it’s considerably sharper than 1080p whereas not undermining the battery life as a 4K show would.

Webcam

The 1080p webcam is a notable enchancment from the earlier 720p one. Since persons are far more on video calls, it’s not a negligible enchancment. It might even grow to be a sway issue within the ~2 Lbs class as a result of all parts should be as small as attainable, which can have an effect on the picture high quality.

The standard may be very cheap and higher-than-average in low mild for its worth class. There’s some noise (grain), however the framerate stays excessive, and the standard is nice sufficient to have a productive video name with out the video stream high quality changing into a distraction.

Lenovo promotes that the lens has an f/2,0 aperture (and a quad-microphone array), which signifies that OEMs would possibly quickly begin competing over digital camera specs, as they do on smartphones.

Efficiency

Our ThinkPad X1 Nano has an Intel Core i7-1280P CPU, even quicker than the 1260P within the X1 Carbon Gen 10 we reviewed earlier. As such, the laptop computer scores greater in CPU benchmarks like Geekbench (~2X quicker than the earlier technology) and productiveness benchmarks reminiscent of PCMark 10.

That is essentially the most noticeable and worthwhile enchancment for these hesitating to get an X1 Nano Gen 1 due to potential efficiency tradeoffs.

The identical is true for GPU-heavy exams reminiscent of 3DMark TimeSpy. Whereas this isn’t a gaming machine, each CPU and GPU exams present you don’t go away any efficiency on the desk by going from the X1 Carbon Gen10 to the X1 Nano Gen 2. For a productiveness laptop computer, it packs critical computing energy.

“THE MOST NOTICEABLE AND VALUABLE IMPROVEMENT”

Do not forget that the X1 Nano collection shouldn’t be designed to be a high-performance workstation. There’s a single cooling fan set to maintain noise ranges comparatively low, so its cooling energy isn’t maximized.

Due to that, working the CPU at 100% for prolonged durations will finally construct up warmth and trigger some thermal throttling. That stated, your typical workplace apps shouldn’t trigger any of that.

The SSD efficiency is decrease than the X1 Carbon storage, however this didn’t negatively have an effect on the benchmark outcomes, even in these PCMark 10 exams with some disk exercise concerned.

The X1 Nano SSD we examined is a “KBG5AZNT1T02 LA KIOXIA” 1TB, whereas the one within the X1 Carbon Gen10 is a Samsung MZVL2512HCJQ-00BL7 512GB.

Efficiency/Weight Ratio

When a laptop computer is so mild, it’s essential to have a look at the efficiency/weight ratio; few individuals analyze that. The information reveals the X1 Nano Gen 2’s unimaginable efficiency/weight ratio in all benchmarks, which is extraordinary for the ultramobile class.

This ratio must be THE efficiency metric to look at for as a result of nobody buys this sort of pc to realize “absolute efficiency,” which we already established as wonderful on this class.

Battery Life

The PCMark 10 Trendy Workplace battery life yielded 8hrs 8mn for this laptop computer and its 49.6 WH battery capability. That’s considerably lower than what we bought with the primary technology X1 Nano Gen 1, however this may be very simply defined by the a lot greater efficiency of the X1 Nano Gen 2.

The X1 Nano Gen 2 has a way more highly effective and power-hungry processor, and we’re testing absolutely the quickest model of this laptop computer. When you would relatively have an extended battery life and absolute pace shouldn’t be vital, you might go for the Core i5-1240P model, which doesn’t characteristic as many “Efficiency” (high-power) CPU cores.

Utilizing a Lenovo 65W charger, we seen that whereas the battery might nonetheless declare to be “fast-charge” enabled, it was not charging as quick because the X1 Nano Gen1 or the newest X1 Carbon Gen 10.

Conclusion

The Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Nano Gen 2 (official page) is a wonderful skinny & mild (~2Lbs) laptop computer. All knowledge factors present it. Nevertheless, within the ultramobile class, it stands unchallenged.

That’s “why” individuals wish to purchase this pc, which is supported by the market knowledge we studied. Individuals examine it to the iPad, which signifies they need one thing a lot lighter than a skinny & mild laptop computer. However if you’d like a Home windows pc that runs all of the [Windows] apps you already use, the iPad received’t lower it.

“IN THE ULTRAMOBILE CATEGORY, IT STANDS UNCHALLENGED”

Subsequent, knowledge reveals individuals evaluating it with skinny & mild, such because the ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 10, XPS 13, MacBook Air (M1, M2), ThinkPad Z13, and ThinkPad T14. Nevertheless, these are considerably heavier than the X1 Nano Gen 2, so I think about them in one other class and really feel completely totally different whenever you carry them.

If you’d like 0.3” to 1” extra in show diagonal and don’t thoughts the additional weight, that could be a very good motive to get one. Nevertheless, in the event you’re after the lightest 13” pc with out compromising on efficiency, the X1 ThinkPad Nano Gen 2 is the one recreation on the town. It’s merely the very best ~2Lbs laptop computer available on the market proper now.

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