The Lenovo X1 13.3-inch laptop is in many ways Lenovo’s response to the MacBook Air. IT managers should hang their decision to get a thin-and-light road warrior system based on ability to perform business duties while out of the office. The angular X1 ThinkPad is a good choice for business users who want a durable, sleek, portable system.
The Lenovo business-class system has a number of ThinkPad firsts including a bright, 13.3-inch display fronted with Corning Gorilla Glass. The battery charging and management system is now equipped with Lenovo’s RapidCharge technology that can get a dead battery to an 80% charge in 30 minutes.
The X1 isn’t as svelte as a MacBook Air, but it has many more important characteristics for enterprise users. My test system came equipped with a second-generation, cool running Intel Core i5 processor (the X1 can use the i7, the MacBook Air maxes out with an Intel Core Duo) and 4GB of DDR3 RAM (the X1 can hold a maximum of 8GB, the Air maxes out at 2GB.) In pretty much every category of compute, storage capacity and all around capability, the X1 has more of everything. The following slides show off some of the more interesting physical features of the Lenovo X1 ThinkPad. Check out my review of Lenovo's ThinkPad X1 here.
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Gorilla Glass meets Penguins
The 13.3-inch Corning Gorilla Glass display is a bright, edge-to-edge screen.
6-Row, Island-Style Keyboard
This is the first ThinkPad with island-style keys. Arranged in six rows, the full-sized keyboard is a large trackpad and control keys running down the right side of the keyboard deck. The matte black finish is nice, but can get a little smudgy.
Left side
It’s hard to tell in the photo, but the angled edge of the X1 meant that engineers felt compelled to put a cover hatch on the headset and one of the three USB ports.
Back
Left to right: network, SIM card slot, USB 3.0, HDMI, Mini Display, combo eSATA/USB 2.0, power.
Right side
Left to right: radio on/off, 4-in-1 card reader.
Keyboard detail
The island-style keys provide good typing action.
Underside
The undercarriage of the ThinkPad X1 is typical of a business-class system and offers access to memory, drive and the keyboard.
Underside detail
One of the keyboard drains (center) and access hatch (right) are seen here from underneath the X1.
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The Lenovo X1 13.3-inch laptop is in many ways Lenovo’s response to the MacBook Air. IT managers should hang their decision to get a thin-and-light road warrior system based on ability to perform business duties while out of the office. The angular X1 ThinkPad is a good choice for business users who want a durable, sleek, portable system. The Lenovo business-class system has a number of ThinkPad firsts including a bright, 13.3-inch display fronted with Corning Gorilla Glass. The battery charging and management system is now equipped with Lenovo’s RapidCharge technology that can get a dead battery to an 80% charge in 30 minutes. The X1 isn’t as svelte as a MacBook Air, but it has many more important characteristics for enterprise users. My test system came equipped with a second-generation, cool running Intel Core i5 processor (the X1 can use the i7, the MacBook Air maxes out with an Intel Core Duo) and 4GB of DDR3 RAM (the X1 can hold a maximum of 8GB, the Air maxes out at 2GB.) In pretty much every category of compute, storage capacity and all around capability, the X1 has more of everything. The following slides show off some of the more interesting physical features of the Lenovo X1 ThinkPad. Check out my review of Lenovo's ThinkPad X1 here.