The Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Fold, with innovative design in display and hinges makes a departure from the ... [+]
© 2020 Bloomberg Finance LPOver the last three months, I have had the opportunity to work with and test Lenovo's ThinkPad X1 Fold, the first truly folding laptop in the market. The device I tested was a pre-production model. The first generation of the X1 Fold is available now.
I saw a prototype of the ThinkPad X1 Fold at a Lenovo customer event in Orlando, Florida in May of 2019. What I saw then was perhaps one of the most fascinating portable computing designs I had ever seen.
My history in laptops goes back to helping IBM work on the first clamshell laptop they brought to market in 1986. Since then, I have consulted on dozens of laptop designs and reviewed many of them over the years.
While laptops, especially over the last 10 years, strived to be faster, smaller, lighter, and with great battery life, the actual clamshell design has had very few fundamental design changes. We did get what are called 2-in-1's, where the screen is detachable so it could be used as a tablet, but most still end up being some type of a clamshell design in the end.
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With the Lenovo X1 Fold, this China-based PC maker has pushed the laws of physics with its patented, clever hinge designs. They integrated a folding screen in a mobile form factor that is more like carrying a book, than any type of portable computer.
After three months of using the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Fold, here are some of my observations about this product, as well as my thoughts about the future of folding laptops.
1-Impressive Design
One cannot look at the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Fold and not be impressed with its design. When you open it up in its book-like form factor, the screen folds out to become a 13.3" display that has a stand behind it allowing it to sit upright in front of the user as a normal laptop screen does today.
The portable keyboard sits in the center of the device when the screen is folded. When the Thinkpad X1 Fold is closed, the keyboard charges while in the center of the fold. When opened, the keyboard is removed to be used for typing input. One big issue with this keyboard is that it is half the size of a laptop keyboard. So getting used to typing on a smaller format was problematic for me with my chubby fingers.
2-The Screen
The screen itself is not the highest-resolution screen available on a laptop, but it still offers crisp text and is very readable. Images and video are also stellar. These early folding displays were initially perfected utilizing a lower resolution technology by BOE and others.These manufacturers promise their next versions could support higher display resolutions. But the first generation of folding smartphones and portables use the best possible folding screens available at the time.
3- The Specs
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Fold
- CPU: Intel Lakefield Core i5 processor with Intel Hybrid Technology.
- GPU: Integrated Intel UHD 11th Gen Graphics.
- Memory: 8GB LPDDR4X RAM.
- Storage: Up to 1TB, PCIe-NVMe M.2 SSD.
- Camera: 5MP HD RGB with IR.
- Battery: 50WHr.
- Ports: 2x USB-C (1x Gen 1, 1x Gen 2), 1x SIM Card slot.
- Connectivity: Wi-Fi 6, sub 6 5G, Bluetooth 5.1.
- Dimensions (unfolded): 11.8 x 9.3 x 0.5 inches Dimensions (folded): 9.3 x 6.2 x 1.1 inches Weight: 2.2 pounds
- Price- Starting at $2499
4- It uses standard Windows 10 with custom Lenovo software
One of the bigger promises of any folding device is having an OS that can support folding dual screens and is optimized for the kind of multitasking that should come with folding designs. Microsoft is working on a version of Windows called Windows 10X for foldable devices, but it was not ready for Lenovo to use in their first folding portable. Microsoft has not given hard dates for when Windows 10X will ship yet.
When the screen is unfolded and placed to use as a normal Windows device, the ThinkPad X1 Fold works exactly like a normal portable computer, albeit with a smaller keyboard. This is the way I used the X1 most of the time and, at least for me, this was more like a typical laptop experience I am used to using daily.
5-Battery Life.
The ThinkPad X1 Fold’s battery is quite limited. The best I got was about three hours of continual use. If I wanted to watch a streaming movie, battery life was just over two hours.
6- The X1 Fold has a SIM card slot.
Lenovo believes that this type of device will be one you carry with you everywhere and made sure to include a sim card slot for wide-area networking.
The Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Fold is a marvel of innovation and design. I found it to be highly portable and most of my experiences with it were positive. I am eager to try it with Windows 10X, but for now, and by using it more as a laptop, than an optimized folding portable, I was pleased and surprised at its ability to meet most of my mobile computing needs.
The bigger question that eventually needs an answer: Is there a market for folding portable computers?
I don’t think this question can be answered based on just one folding portable computer available today. Over the next 12-18 months, I expect at least two other big-name PC companies will release some type of folding portable that would compete with the ThinkPad X1 Fold.
A similar question can be asked about folding smartphones; Is there a market for these devices? Again, it's too early in this smartphone market sector to answer this question.
Both folding laptops and folding smartphones are in the highest price range in each of their categories. That means only high-end enthusiasts and ultra-early adopters will buy these first versions.
The biggest takeaway from my experience with the ThinkPad X1 Fold is that since laptops hit the market back in 1985, we are finally seeing radical designs that break the clamshell mold.
Thanks to folding displays, breakthroughs in hinge design, and new battery technology created for foldable designs of all types, PC makers are gaining a new toolbox of components that make it possible for them to innovate in mobile devices again.
While we may not have the proper business use cases yet for folding portable computers, I sincerely hope that the PC makers keep the drumbeat going of innovation in mobile computing.
The Link LonkJanuary 25, 2021 at 10:00PM
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Three Months With The Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Fold - My First Impressions - Forbes
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