Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Fold (2022), first impressions: this flexible OLED laptop has grown to 16'.

The original ThinkPad X1 Fold struck a chord with us when we reviewed it early last year. It was, after all, the first laptop with a foldable display to hit the market. Far from being a mere advertising gimmick, the flexible screen proved to us during our tests that it can have a very profound impact on our experience.

And the fact is that this device offers us a range of modes of use that are beyond the reach of laptops lacking a flexible OLED panel. The revision of this device that Lenovo has just shown us respects the spirit of the original proposal to the letter, but rightly refines several sections that had room for improvement. We have tested it, and we anticipate that we have many interesting things to tell you.

The OLED screen has grown and its design is better resolved than in the original device.

The most obvious improvement proposed by this revision of the ThinkPad X1 Fold, and also the one that may have the most profound impact on our experience, is linked to the screen. And is that the OLED panel of this laptop has grown from 13.3 inches that has the matrix of the original model to 16.3 inches that proposes us this revision. There is no doubt that this is a very noticeable increase.

In addition, as expected, the resolution of the organic panel of this revision is also higher than that of the original model. The latter offered 2048 x 1536 dots, while the new ThinkPad X1 Fold delivers a resolution of 2560 x 2024 dots.

It does maintain the 4:3 aspect ratio, although its brightness delivery capacity is increased to 600 nits and it offers 100% coverage of the DCI-P3 color space compared to 95% of the original model. I have nothing to object up to this point because it is clear that the OLED panel of this revision is clearly superior to the first model.

Lenovo’s engineers have done their homework well. And they have also polished the design of this laptop, which now has thinner bezels, and, above all, is 25% slimmer than the original version. In fact, this revision has a thickness of 8.6 mm when the equipment is unfolded, so when we fold it and it is as we can see in the following picture it has a thickness of a very reasonable 17.4 mm.

On the other hand, as far as its construction is concerned I have nothing to complain about. When you hold it in your hands and handle it you realize that it oozes robustness, and this is a quality that has a lot of merit in such a slim laptop that also has a folding matrix.

In the detail photo below this paragraph we can see what the hinge that allows us to fold and unfold it looks like. The time during which I have been able to test it is not enough to accurately assess the quality of this mechanism, but I would bet that some electronic components of this ThinkPad X1 Fold will degrade before this hinge starts to give us problems. And, if so, that’s a plus for this device.

I suggest we switch gears. The connectivity of this laptop is not too generous, although it delivers. It has two Thunderbolt 4 ports and one USB-C 3.2 Gen 2 port. I miss a micro-HDMI output and an SD card slot that many users could take advantage of. That said, there is something else it does have and it’s worth not overlooking: a nano-SIM card slot that we can use to provide it with 5G Sub 6/LTE connectivity.

The inside of this laptop is a real treat.

The following picture speaks for itself. The interior of this foldable computer is an exercise in good workmanship that shows us how the distribution of components should be resolved in an ultralight as stylish as this. The exposure of the wiring is minimal and the neatness of this interior is undeniable, so that, once again, in this area I can not put any fault to this team.

Another interesting note: the battery in this notebook exemplifies the juggling act that engineers at Lenovo and other brands are forced to do to integrate some components into the interior of their thinner equipment.

I’ve seen other batteries as thin as this one in some competing laptops, but it never ceases to amaze me how much refinement has gone into a component that until not too long ago was considerably bulkier. The standard battery on this ThinkPad X1 Fold has a capacity of 48 Whr, but a unit that delivers an additional 16 Whr is also optionally available.

Its wide range of usage modes adds value to this proposal.

A brief note before moving on: the OLED panel of this laptop is of very good quality and comes impeccably calibrated from the factory. During this first contact I have not been able to analyze it in depth (we will do so when we test this ThinkPad X1 Fold in our own facilities), but it has been enough for me to notice the richness with which it reproduces color and how well its resolution and size match.

As you’d expect, Lenovo’s techs haven’t just settled for integrating a better-looking OLED panel and styling this machine; they’ve also updated its specs. Now in its most ambitious incarnation, it offers a 12th generation Intel Core U9 processor with Alder Lake microarchitecture and vPro technology, Iris Xe graphics, 32 GB LPDDR5 and 1 TB of SSD storage with PCIe 4.0 NVMe M.2 interface. These components fit well in a device like this.

Let’s move on to the quality that allows this device to stand out from many of its competitors: its modes of use. One of the options it offers is to deploy its panel completely vertically or horizontally (you can see it in the latter orientation in the cover image of this article) to get the most out of the 16.3 inches of its OLED matrix. Of course, this panel is multi-touch, so we can interact with it using our fingers.

Another interesting usage scenario is to use it as if it were a digitizer tablet to sketch illustrations, draw diagrams, or simply take notes by acting directly on the screen. However, the magnetic stylus, which communicates with the device using the Wacom protocol, is not included in the package, so those who need it will be forced to invest more than the 2999 euros in this ThinkPad X1 Fold, which, unfortunately, already puts it out of reach of most users.

Another very interesting mode of use allows us to use this equipment as if it were a traditional laptop. All we have to do is fold it slightly and place the keyboard, which is magnetic, on the lower half of the screen as we can see in the picture above. The experience that we propose when we use it in this way is very similar to that delivered by a conventional laptop.

Above this paragraph we can see how is the support that allows us to deploy the screen vertically to make the most of its 16.3 inches. The keyboard attachment is magnetic, and this structure is sufficiently robust to ensure that we can interact with the screen without any problem using its touch capabilities when it is in this position.

Another point in favor of this device: the chiclet keyboard offered by Lenovo is of very good quality. The keys hardly suffer from transverse oscillation, so we can use it for many hours without the mechanical stress causing discomfort in the joints of the hands.

However, this keyboard is very compact, so the keys are a bit ‘cramped’. Nevertheless, in a couple of minutes I managed to type with it at the same speed as I usually do when using the mechanical keyboard I work with.

Here’s a detail that has left a very good taste in my mouth: the bottom of the keyboard is covered by a very soft fabric that aims to avoid scratching the surface of the screen when we place it on it to use this ThinkPad X1 Fold as if it were a traditional laptop.

This detail reflects the care that has received this equipment during its development, something that, on the other hand, must necessarily propose a premium device with a price as high as that of this ultralight.

This laptop is full of personality, although it does not aspire to be popular.

This ThinkPad X1 Fold has left a great taste in my mouth. Its strongest assets are its very neat design, its undeniable portability, the stupendous quality of its flexible OLED matrix, and, above all, the multiple modes of use it offers to invite us to get the most out of its generous 16.3-inch multitouch panel.

However, it is clearly not suitable for all users who need a well-equipped laptop for productivity and content creation. It has what it takes to satisfactorily solve these scenarios, of that there is no doubt, but its price (it costs 2999 euros with the least ambitious configuration) puts it out of reach of most users. Even so, those who want it will be able to buy it starting next November.