Lenovo’s flagship ThinkPad tablet (the ThinkPad X1 Tablet) was discontinued for a few years, but now it’s back in the form of the new ThinkPad X12 Detachable (starts at $1,149). This Windows tablet is designed to compete with the Microsoft Surface Pro 7, and based on our first look at it during CES 2021 this week, it’s ready to give Redmond some serious competition. Lenovo sent us an early sample to try in advance of a formal review of the device.
A Surface Pro 7 Lookalike
Windows tablets are different from Apple iPads in a few key ways. Most mainstream ones, including the ThinkPad X12, follow the Surface Pro 7’s recipe. This includes a 12-inch display, an integrated kickstand that helps you prop up the tablet on your desk, and an optional cover with an integrated keyboard and touchpad that magnetically attaches to one edge of the tablet.
Indeed, you only need to look at the ThinkPad X12 Detachable’s physical dimensions to understand how similar it is to the Surface Pro 7. Lenovo’s tablet is 0.35 by 11.15 by 8.01 inches (HWD) and 1.85 pounds, while Microsoft’s measures 0.33 by 11.5 by 7.9 inches (HWD) and weighs 1.7 pounds. Adding the keyboard cover brings the ThinkPad X12’s weight up to 2.65 pounds, which is barely heavier than the ThinkPad X1 Carbon, Lenovo's flagship conventional clamshell business laptop.
ThinkPads are renowned for their black color scheme and distinctive logo, and the ThinkPad X12 is certainly made in this mold. All of the surfaces of the tablet and the keyboard cover are inky black, giving off an unapologetically corporate vibe that’s at considerable odds with the brighter tones of the Surface Pro 7.
The ThinkPad X12’s screen measures 12.3 inches on the diagonal, and its 3:2 aspect ratio gives it dimensions of 1,920 by 1,280 pixels. That’s a considerably lower resolution than either the Surface Pro 7 or the Apple iPad Pro. On a more positive note, the screen is plenty bright at 400 nits, and it's coated with Corning Gorilla Glass to help thwart scratches and smudges.
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One of the hallmarks of a detachable tablet in the Surface Pro 7’s mold is the presence of multiple cameras. The ThinkPad X12 has one forward-facing 5-megapixel camera similar to that of most other ThinkPad laptops. It comes with a built-in privacy shutter and IR sensors to facilitate Windows Hello face recognition logins. There’s also an 8-megapixel rear-facing camera, which can help users snap a picture of the whiteboard following a particularly fruitful strategy session.
'Tiger Lake' Processing, Just a Few Ports
A standalone tablet is much smaller than a laptop, which means there’s much less room for computing components and cooling hardware. This hasn’t been a problem for the iPad, which uses Apple’s capable A-series processors, but it has hampered corporate users accustomed to powerful Intel CPUs in premium traditional laptops with plenty of space for adequate cooling fans. The latest 11th Generation Intel Core processors available in the ThinkPad X12 detachable should reassure corporate buyers that their tablet has the oomph needed to get work done.
During a brief web browsing session, I noticed no sluggishness on our review unit, which is equipped with an Intel Core i5-1130G7, 16GB of memory, and a 256GB SSD. Lenovo will also offer this tablet with a vPro-equipped Core i7, and up to 1TB of solid-state storage. That said, there is a ceiling on any detachable Windows tablet, because all of the computing components, the display electronics, and the battery need to be in the screen half. With a conventional laptop, you have two halves across which to split the internals.
Because this is a tablet, you don’t get much in the way of ports. There are two USB Type-C ports, one of which supports Thunderbolt 4. There’s also a nano SIM card slot for the optional LTE modem, as well as a headphone and microphone combo jack. Along each edge near the USB ports you’ll find a cutout to help your fingers extend the built-in kickstand, which feels eminently sturdy.
The keyboard cover is another high point, with satisfyingly sturdy keys and a usable touchpad. Our expectations of comfort are typically lower for detachable keyboards than they are for those on traditional laptops, but based on a few minutes of typing and tapping I find the ThinkPad X12’s to be at least as good as the Surface Pro 7 Type Covers. There’s even a fabric loop to hold an optional digital stylus snugly in place.
IT Security Features: Redmond Elbowing In?
One of the key reasons to choose a business-focused tablet from Lenovo, Dell, or HP over Microsoft’s Surface Go or Pro offerings has traditionally been IT security and manageability features. Indeed, the ThinkPad X12 comes with plenty of specialized features, including standard TPM and optional vPro. But Microsoft has recently made new overtures to business customers in the form of the new Surface Pro 7+ unveiled at CES 2021 this week, and the Pro 7+ includes many of those same features. So the manageability and security advantage of a ThinkPad tablet isn’t quite as exclusive as it once was.
We’re looking forward to putting a final, retail-ready ThinkPad X12 through our full performance and battery-life testing, so we’re withholding a final score and verdict for the time being. Check back soon for our full review.
Lenovo ThinkPad X12 Detachable Specs
| Laptop Class | Detachable 2-in-1 |
| Processor | Intel Core i5-1130G7 |
| Processor Speed | 1.8 GHz |
| RAM (as Tested) | 16 GB |
| Boot Drive Type | SSD |
| Boot Drive Capacity (as Tested) | 256 GB |
| Screen Size | 12.3 inches |
| Native Display Resolution | 1920 x 1280 |
| Touch Screen | Yes |
| Panel Technology | IPS |
| Variable Refresh Support | None |
| Screen Refresh Rate | 60 Hz |
| Graphics Processor | Intel Iris Xe |
| Wireless Networking | 4G, 802.11ax, Bluetooth |
| Dimensions (HWD) | 0.35 by 11.15 by 8.01 |
| Weight | 1.85 lbs |
| Operating System | Windows 10 |
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The Link LonkJanuary 13, 2021 at 09:10AM
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Lenovo ThinkPad X12 Detachable Preview - PCMag
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