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Review | Lenovo Thinkpad X1 Fold review: the most versatile portable computer ever, and worth the US$3,200 price with its impressive design

  • Capable of being used as a laptop computer, a tablet, and a monitor, and equipped with a stylus, the X1’s folding mechanism is superior to any foldable phone
  • Its display uses OLED technology, its battery life is respectable, and the only real downside is Microsoft’s Windows 10, which still isn’t smooth in tablet mode

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The Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Fold, a 13.3-inch tablet with a foldable screen, keyboard and stylus, in unfolded large-screen mode. Photo: Ben Sin

Since their debut in 1992, ThinkPad portable computers – sold by IBM until it was acquired by Lenovo in 2005 – have been marketed more for business use in the boardroom than for casual or entertainment use at home or coffee shops.

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But the latest ThinkPad, the X1 Fold, is as much a machine for play as it is for work. It’s not just the most versatile ThinkPad in history, but perhaps the most versatile portable computer yet.

Design and hardware

The X1 Fold is essentially a 13.3-inch tablet with a foldable screen and an impossibly thin keyboard that, when connected, becomes a fully functional portable computer. It can be assembled in a number of ways, thanks to a design that is at once technically and conceptually impressive.

Want more screen? Flip out the kickstand hidden in the leather cover of the screen and prop the entire unfolded display up on a desk. Photo: Ben Sin
Want more screen? Flip out the kickstand hidden in the leather cover of the screen and prop the entire unfolded display up on a desk. Photo: Ben Sin

The keyboard can snap magnetically onto the device, covering half the screen and, with a bend, the X1 Fold becomes a small clamshell laptop.

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Want more screen? Flip out the kickstand hidden in the leather cover of the screen and prop the entire unfolded display up on a desk and use the Bluetooth keyboard untethered. When not in use, the keyboard can remain sandwiched between the folded screen. There’s even a loop to store the stylus.

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