Conclusion

Lenovo’s ThinkPad X1 is an incredible piece of hardware with few flaws. Glossy display aside, the user interface and material choices of the X1 make it a deserving receipt of the ThinkPad badge. The X1 is a serious laptop for people who need to do serious work and can’t tolerate an inadequate keyboard or poor durability. 

This also results in a serious price – the review unit’s MSRP is just a hair over $1300 – but there’s no point in harping on it. The X1 is part of an elite circle of ultra-thin, luxurious, powerful laptops. You’re going to spend a lot of money for a laptop of this caliber no matter who you buy it from. 

Battery life is the only downside to the X1, and it’s one that will unfortunately put it out of the running for some potential customers. It really would be nice to see at least four hours of use with WiFi on. Sure, that’s easily possible with the slice battery, but that adds a significant amount of bulk – not to mention $150 to the purchase price. 

In every other way, the X1 is close to perfection. So long as battery life isn’t a high priority, the X1 will serve as an excellent ultraportable. It’s thin, light, a pleasure to use and offers excellent performance. That’s enough to earn it a Gold Award. 

 

« PreviousNext »