Homeless pen finds new place to live: More lightweight Lenovo ThinkPad X1 2-in-1 Gen 11 now with Intel Panther Lake
CES 2026When Lenovo replaced its ThinkPad X1 Yoga Gen 8 with the ThinkPad X1 2-in-1 Gen 9, the digitizer pen became homeless. On the older models of this premium 360 degree convertible for businesses, it lived within the laptop. On the X1 2-in-1 G9 (available on Amazon), the pen lost the place where it stayed before. This allowed Lenovo to increase the size of the pen, making it more comfortable to use. Lenovo made it magnetically attach to the screen - a solution, but not a very elegant one.
It seems like Lenovo's customer base agreed with our assessment, as Lenovo is changing it up yet again. With the new Lenovo ThinkPad X1 2-in-1 Gen 11 Aura Edition, the pen is not back inside the device, but almost: Lenovo tucks it away under the front edge of the palmrest. Here, it attaches magnetically, and it is charged by the device.
Apart from the redesigned digitizer pen, Lenovo makes several other design changes: Echoing the new ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 14, the new X1 2-in-1 Gen 11 is more repairable and modular, with a replaceable keyboard and USB-C port thanks to the "Space Frame" design. Additionally, Lenovo removes one of the two USB-A ports with a third USB-C on the right side of the system. Of course, like the X1 Carbon and the more powerful Lenovo ThinkPad X9-15p, the new Lenovo ThinkPad X1 2-in-1 Gen 11 also comes with the latest Intel Panther Lake processors, up to the Intel Core Ultra X7, which are accompanied by 64 GB soldered LPDDR5X-9600 RAM and 2 TB PCIe 5.0 storage. Like with the X1 Carbon, the cooling is improved, allowing 30 W of sustained performance.
One last interesting detail: Lenovo seems to have found a way to decrease the weight of the ThinkPad X1 2-in-1. While the X1 2-in-1 Gen 10 started at 1.22 kg, this new X1 2-in-1 Gen 11 has a starting weight of 1.18 kg.
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 2-in-1 Gen 11 Aura Edition: Pricing and availability
Launching in March 2026, the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 2-in-1 Gen 11 Aura Edition will have a starting price of $2,149.
Source(s)
Lenovo (via a press release)
Add as a preferred