Hardware

Review: The Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Fold Bends Over Backward to Bring a Big Screen Anywhere

Equipped with the latest folding screen technology, this hybrid tablet-notebook is sleek and powerful.

Twitter

John Breeden II is an award-winning reviewer and public speaker with 20 years of experience covering technology.

The Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Fold is a remarkably flexible computing tool, cleverly designed to support any serious business application. At its heart, it’s a powerful ThinkPad-class notebook with a fast Intel Core i7 chip, plenty of memory and a terabyte of storage space provided via a solid-state drive. In addition to the SSD, the entire fold is also designed without moving parts, making it both rugged and surprisingly lightweight. The entire unit weighs less than 3 pounds without the optional magnetic keyboard attached.

Now, a three-pound, rugged notebook that is also quite powerful is impressive, but its also increasingly common among higher-end, professional notebooks these days. Most of those other offerings, however, come with small screens, limiting their effectiveness for creative endeavors and many other activities.

Click the banner below to learn how to set up your desk for optimal productivity.

The Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Fold has no such problems. When fully unfolded, it has a massive 16.3-inch OLED display that can be used in either portrait or landscape mode. It can do this because the folding OLED bends in the middle without damaging the display, which takes up the entire area of the X1’s inside surface. The OLED is also a touch screen, so users can bring up a software keyboard to control the device. Doing that reduces some of the screen area but still feels very natural, especially when the X1 is placed halfway open in a L-shape, just like a normal laptop.

How to Maximize the Power of the X1 Fold

An optional magnetic keyboard that snaps onto the bottom of the unit allows for use of the full screen and works with the X1 in both portrait and landscape modes. A Lenovo Precision Pen is also available as an input device. The pen’s 4K pressure sensitivity suits it well for even fine, creative work such as sketching. It also attaches magnetically to the X1 so it’s less likely to get lost.

Adding even more functionality, the X1 can also act as a giant smartphone. In addition to supporting Wi-Fi 6E, which provides access to the newly released 6-gigahertz wireless spectrum, users have the option to add 5G wireless WAN or LTE radios to the X1. Tapping into the cellular network means less worry about having to find a wireless signal on the road to connect to online resources.

And while the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Fold is lightweight, it’s neither flimsy nor vulnerable. The outer shell is composed of a recycled plastic shell reinforced with aluminum. It has passed the U.S. Department of Defense’s rugged testing in 12 key areas, including drop testing, that affect portable devices the most.

The Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Fold is a powerful and portable computer with innovative screen construction that provides a large display in a tiny package.

SPECIFICATIONS

Device Type: Hybrid tablet computer and notebook with folding screen
Processor: Intel Core i7
Screen: 16.3-inch foldable OLED
RAM: 16G LPDDR5 SDRAM
Storage: 1TB SSD
Weight: 2.9 pounds

Workhorse: Intel Core i7 processor can handle any task

Flexible: Folding technology makes a big screen possible

Versatile: A magnetic keyboard and stylus turn the tablet into a notebook

UP NEXT: Lenovo’s new line of laptops usher in a new era of AI-enabled PCs.

Examining an Amazing OLED With a Twist

When a new user first opens up a Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Fold, an initial shock may follow from seeing only a large black screen with no other controls. Witnessing that huge 16.3-inch OLED screen unbend in the middle without taking any damage is the second shock.

When closed, the X1 clamshell is just 6.9 inches across, which completely seals and protects the large screen. When opened fully, the X1 is 13.6 inches across. That design, combined with the ability of the OLED to fold in the middle, is part of the trick that serves to hide the large 16.3-inch screen nestled inside.

The display does not completely fold in half with a sharp, pressed crease like one might fold a piece of paper before placing it inside an envelope. Instead, the middle of the screen bends into a bell-shaped curve that prevents damage to the internal components.

Powering up the X1 brings its screen to life, and like everything else surrounding this display, the quality is impressive. It has a native resolution of 2,560 by 2,024. Images and movies look amazing.

The hinge on the X1 has a lot of resistance, which adds to the functionality of the display. You can place the X1 however you want, and the hinge will hold it in place. I tested it in various configurations, from using it like a laptop to turning it sideways and just barely bending the display so that it could sit up on a table and offer a full-screen experience for watching movies or presentations. In any configuration, two powerful stereo speakers help to enhance the experience.

Having a desktop-sized display tucked into a tiny, three-pound notebook is quite a surprising feature, ideal for travelers or those looking for an in-office or home office device. The fact that the OLED is such high quality only adds to the allure and functionality of this impressive notebook/tablet computer.

Brought to you by: