Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Fold Review

Ever since the launch of the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Fold, I always want to try it out to see if it is really worth the hefty price tag of this 1st generation of Lenovo foldable laptops. Thanks to Lenovo for loaning this review set, I am able to find out now.

I must say that I started the review without any high expectations. First of all, it does not have a configurable specs and it is not cheap. The keyboard and pen are accessories that you have to purchase separately.

After 2 weeks of use, I have to admit that I am loving it. Here is my review in this video.

To prep myself for this review, I have to tell myself that this is not the typical laptop. It is foldable means that it can do what other standard laptops cannot. So, this review is based on the experience of using it instead of comparing specs and etc.

The review unit comes with the keyboard and pen.

First Look

It is very small when folded. As expected, it is thick. The cover, which comes with the laptop, fits nicely and give the impression that it is a hardcover diary or organizer.

In fact, I compared it with my Starbucks Organizer. They are of similar sizes.

Some distinctive marks on the design tell you that it is a Lenovo ThinkPad.

As of this writing, it comes with the Intel 11th Gen Core i5. There is no other processor configuration.

Here are the side views of the ThinkPad X1 Fold with the keyboard.

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The pen is held by a rubber band on the keyboard.

Here is the look from the back.

A closer look at the keyboard. It is connected by Bluetooth and when placed on the laptop, it can be wirelessly charged. My only complaint is that it uses Micro-USB cable to charge. I am not sure why Lenovo does not want to use USB-C.

The keyboard is very small. It is not the full-size keyboard or even the standard laptop keyboard. A lot of keys are different. You will need time to adjust to using it. The touchpad is also very small.

Here are some close ups of the pen.

To charge it manually, you will need to open up this part of the pen.

It comes with a USB-C female port. You can use any USB-C cable to charge it.

The tip of the pen is quite fine which I like.

Here is how it looks like when holding it.

As mentioned earlier, the keyboard fits nicely with the laptop. If there is no keyboard, it will have a gap as shown below.

Here is how it looks like from the side without the keyboard. It doesn’t look nice at all.

BTW, the cover on the laptop comes with a stand. It is extremely useful for most occassion. For a stand, it is nicely designed. Unfortunately, you cannot adjust the angle.

Here are the side views of the stand.

It snaps to the laptop using magnet. This is a good design because it will not accidentally swing out at any time.

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When the laptop is fully opened, there is a line in the middle due to the folding. The screen is not made of glass. So, you need to be extra careful not to scratch it. I think based on my usage, it will definitely be scratched.

There is a front-facing camera for you to do your teleconferencing and etc.

Do check out the video where I showed different ways that you can use the ThinkPad X1 Fold. My favorite is of course the full-screen mode as it has the largest screen. However, if you are in a small or constrained place, the half fold is useful too.

Summary

I started the review thinking that I will not like the laptop. Surprisingly, it grows on me for a few reasons: –

  • I can easily slip it into my bag like a diary. Super convenient.
  • When opened up, it has a screen size of 13.3-inch which is very useable.
  • The keyboard is easily connected to the laptop via Bluetooth.
  • It is very versatile as it can be used in different configurations.

I still hate the keyboard though. It is too small for daily work. Instead, I would suggest that you buy another full-size keyboard for daily use and only uses the small keyboard when you are outside. It does not have a lot of ports (2 USB-C Ports).

As this is the first foldable laptop from Lenovo, I would give Lenovo high points for the innovation and the thoughts put into it to make it useable. I really hope that future generations of foldable laptops will become even better and at lower pricing. Maybe someone can also invent an expandable keyboard?

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You can check out the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Fold HERE.