Lenovo ThinkBook 13x G1 in review: Slim notebook with good battery life

Lenovo manufactures the case of the ThinkBook 13x from aluminum, which is used for both the lid and the base unit. Thus, the laptop is very stable and quite light with a weight of approximately 1.1 kg (~2.4 pounds). The display can be folded back 180° and is held firmly by the hinges in every set position. The build quality is very good and there are no uneven bump edges or the like.

The ThinkBook 13x offers two Thunderbolt 4 ports including DisplayPort functionality, which can be used to create numerous other ports with the corresponding adapters. A combined jack port is available for connecting headsets.

For wireless communication, Lenovo's notebook can rely on Bluetooth 5.2 and WiFi 6. The latter enables very good speeds of 1,428 MBit/s on average when transmitting and 1,646 MBit/s when receiving data in combination with our reference router Netgear Nighthawk AX12.

Lenovo only installs a low-resolution 0.9 MP webcam in the ThinkBook 13x. This makes subjects look blurry and colors low in contrast even in good ambient light.

The webcam of Lenovo's laptop can be closed with a mechanical shutter and a fingerprint sensor integrated into the power button is available for unlocking the notebook. This always worked reliably in our test.

Besides the notebook itself, the scope of delivery includes a 65-watt power supply with USB-C connector, a Bluetooth mouse and a VGA/HDMI-to-USB-C adapter. Other accessories, such as suitable carrying cases, can also be purchased from Lenovo.

Lenovo grants a warranty period of 12 months for the ThinkBook 13x.

Keyboard

The keyboard of the ThinkBook 13x offers a noticeable pressure point and is well suited for writing longer texts. The split Enter key and the small arrow keys take some getting used to. Despite the narrow layout and secondary layout, special keys are also easy to reach.

Lenovo designed the ThinkBook 13x G1 for mobile work with office applications. Depending on the CPU selected, these can also be a bit more demanding. The mass storage configuration is also variable. In addition to the Intel Core i7-1160G7, an Intel Core i5-1130G7 is currently also available, and instead of 512 GB like our test configuration, the Lenovo laptop is also available with a 1 TB SSD.

The Intel Core i7-1160G7 installed in the test unit is a processor with four cores that can process up to eight tasks simultaneously. The clock rates are between 2.1 and 4.4 GHz, whereby the cooling and the set TDP are also responsible for the available performance. Although it is actually a more efficient Tiger-Lake UP4 chip, the TDP values are set generously with a long-term value of 20 watts and a short-term value of 40 watts.

In our Cinebench R15 endurance test, the performance of the i7-1160G7 is on the level of an Intel Core i7-1185G7 and then drops to a 15 percent lower value. This behavior is also the same for the i7-1185G7. The Cinebench R15 multi-score drops from 770 to 378 points in battery mode.

The results of the single benchmarks also place the ThinkBook 13x on the level of the direct competition with Intel Core i7-1185G7.

In the PCMark 10 test to evaluate the system performance, the Lenovo ThinkBook 13x G1 achieves a good score in relation to the Intel Core i1160G7 Intel Core i7-1160G7 a slightly above-average result, but can only secure the last place in our test field.

In everyday use, the system always runs smoothly and does not exhibit any micro-stutters or the like. Accessing files and starting programs was also possible without delays at any time.

Lenovo installs a 512 GB SSD from Samsung, which already supports the fast PCIe 4.0 standard, in our test model of the ThinkBook 13x. It achieves good read and write rates that are, however, a bit slower than in other notebooks with this mass storage. Compared to our test field, the rates are on a medium level.

How the comparison with other mass storage devices turns out can be seen in our HDD/SSD benchmark list.

For the display of image content, the internal graphics unit Intel Iris Xe Graphics G7 96EUs is responsible. It is suitable for applications with low to medium demands on the graphics performance, for example, for simple photo editing. It also benefits from a dual-channel configuration of the working memory, as it is used here.

In the 3DMark tests, the ThinkBook 13x achieves an average result and can place itself in the middle of our test field. Since the iGPU clocks a bit slower in the UP4 processors, the graphics units of the regular UP3 CPUs (like the Core i7-1165G7 or i7-1185G7) are a bit faster. On battery power, the Fire Strike Graphics score remains unchanged.

We have listed what can be expected from other graphics units in comparison to this in our GPU benchmark list.

The Lenovo ThinkBook 13x G1 is only suitable for games with low demands on the graphics performance or older titles. Even here, it might still be necessary to reduce the detail levels and resolution for a smooth gaming experience. Our endurance test with The Witcher 3 shows that the ThinkBook 13x can maintain its graphics performance over a longer period without drops.

What performance can be expected in other titles can be seen in our GPU gaming list.

Under load, the fan of the ThinkBook 13x emits an audible noise of up to 34 dB(A). This is even and can be faded out well. The laptop is mostly silent in office and browser mode.

We could not determine any other background noise, such as coil whine or similar.

During our long-term stress test, the temperatures inside Lenovo's notebook rose up to 95 °C (203 °F). The clock rates regularly fell below the base clock of 1.2 GHz, however, the cooling system was always able to repeatedly increase them temporarily at alternating frequencies. The system remained operable during the test. Since such a load should not occur in everyday use, there are no restrictions due to too high temperatures.

The speakers of the ThinkBook 13x offer a good volume and a relatively wide sound spectrum. Thus, they are suitable for playing media content in quiet environments.