Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Titanium Yoga review: Slim convertible Titanium with i5

Among the 2021 X1 ThinkPads, the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Titanium Yoga was not the biggest success. The X1 Titanium was the only model that didn't get the updated version for CES. We have tested the ThinkPad X1 Titanium Yoga once with Intel Core i7, and now a short test update of the i5 version follows. Since we have already reviewed the design, configuration, and input devices in the aforementioned review of the X1 Titanium Yoga with i7 we will skip these sections and start directly with the display.
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Possible competitors in comparison
Rating | Date | Model | Weight | Height | Size | Resolution | Best Price |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
88.5 % | 03/2022 | Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Titanium Yoga G1 20QB0016GE i5-1140G7, Iris Xe G7 80EUs | 1.2 kg | 11.5 mm | 13.50" | 2256x1504 | |
91.4 % | 04/2021 | Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga G6-20Y0S00200 i7-1165G7, Iris Xe G7 96EUs | 1.4 kg | 15 mm | 14.00" | 1920x1200 | |
91.1 % | 06/2021 | Lenovo ThinkPad X13 Yoga G2 i7-1165G7, Iris Xe G7 96EUs | 1.2 kg | 15.39 mm | 13.30" | 2560x1600 | |
90.8 % | 06/2021 | HP Elite Dragonfly Max i7-1185G7, Iris Xe G7 96EUs | 1.2 kg | 16 mm | 13.30" | 1920x1080 | |
89.5 % | 03/2021 | Dell Latitude 12 7210 2-in-1 i7-10610U, UHD Graphics 620 | 850 g | 9.35 mm | 12.30" | 1920x1280 |
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Top 10 Laptops
Multimedia, Budget Multimedia, Gaming, Budget Gaming, Lightweight Gaming, Business, Budget Office, Workstation, Subnotebooks, Ultrabooks, Chromebooks
under 300 USD/Euros, under 500 USD/Euros, 1,000 USD/Euros, for University Students, Best Displays
Top 10 Smartphones
Smartphones, Phablets, ≤6-inch, Camera Smartphones
Networking | |
iperf3 transmit AX12 | |
Dell Latitude 12 7210 2-in-1 | |
Lenovo ThinkPad X13 Yoga G2 | |
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Titanium Yoga G1 20QA001RGE | |
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga G6-20Y0S00200 | |
HP Elite Dragonfly Max | |
Average Intel Wi-Fi 6 AX201 (49.8 - 1775, n=324) | |
Average of class Convertible (138 - 1468, n=33, last 2 years) | |
iperf3 receive AX12 | |
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga G6-20Y0S00200 | |
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Titanium Yoga G1 20QA001RGE | |
Lenovo ThinkPad X13 Yoga G2 | |
HP Elite Dragonfly Max | |
Average Intel Wi-Fi 6 AX201 (136 - 1743, n=324) | |
Average of class Convertible (136 - 1585, n=33, last 2 years) | |
Dell Latitude 12 7210 2-in-1 |

Display - 3:2 format as a unique selling point among ThinkPad laptops
The display remains the main attraction of the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Titanium Yoga. It is the only ThinkPad laptop with a 3:2 aspect ratio. Even apart from that, the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Titanium Yoga G1 is pretty special for a ThinkPad, because there is only one screen option: the 13.5-inch LCD with 2.2K resolution (2,256 x 1,504) tested here, a glossy panel with anti-reflective coating.
On the other hand, it is quite typical for ThinkPads that there is more than one display supplier. Unfortunately, our test device contains the same IPS panel from Japan Display (JDI) as the previously reviewed model. Thus, we could not test the alternatively used AUO panel. Nevertheless, it was exciting to see whether the panel installed here can confirm the rates of the first sample.
It achieves the goal, even if the response times are a bit lower. Overall, the series dispersion of this high-quality IPS panel only seems to be weak, and the brightness values are practically identical.
|
Brightness Distribution: 92 %
Center on Battery: 465 cd/m²
Contrast: 1661:1 (Black: 0.28 cd/m²)
ΔE Color 2 | 0.55-29.43 Ø5.2, calibrated: 0.7
ΔE Greyscale 2.9 | 0.57-98 Ø5.4
68.6% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
98% sRGB (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
66.8% Display P3 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
Gamma: 2.09
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Titanium Yoga G1 20QB0016GE LPM135M467, IPS LED, 2256x1504, 13.50 | Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga G6-20Y0S00200 LP140WU1-SPB1, IPS, 1920x1200, 14.00 | Lenovo ThinkPad X13 Yoga G2 LP133WQ1-SPF2, IPS LED, 2560x1600, 13.30 | HP Elite Dragonfly Max InfoVision X133NVFL R0, IPS, 1920x1080, 13.30 | Dell Latitude 12 7210 2-in-1 Sharp LQ123N1, IPS, 1920x1280, 12.30 | Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Titanium Yoga G1 20QA001RGE LPM135M467, IPS, 2256x1504, 13.50 | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Display | 3% | 2% | 0% | |||
Display P3 Coverage | 66.8 | 69.8 4% | 68.3 2% | 67.9 2% | ||
sRGB Coverage | 98 | 97.1 -1% | 99.1 1% | 96.8 -1% | ||
AdobeRGB 1998 Coverage | 68.6 | 72.2 5% | 70.3 2% | 68.8 0% | ||
Response Times | 37% | 23% | 29% | 60% | 31% | |
Response Time Grey 50% / Grey 80% * | 64 ? | 49.2 ? 23% | 52 ? 19% | 44.8 ? 30% | 29 ? 55% | 53.6 ? 16% |
Response Time Black / White * | 44 ? | 22 ? 50% | 32 ? 27% | 32 ? 27% | 16 ? 64% | 24 ? 45% |
PWM Frequency | 1250 ? | |||||
Screen | -20% | 13% | 2% | -11% | 6% | |
Brightness middle | 465 | 417 -10% | 460 -1% | 777.5 67% | 380 -18% | 466 0% |
Brightness | 451 | 404 -10% | 423 -6% | 727 61% | 378 -16% | 454 1% |
Brightness Distribution | 92 | 93 1% | 85 -8% | 75 -18% | 86 -7% | 94 2% |
Black Level * | 0.28 | 0.22 21% | 0.33 -18% | 0.44 -57% | 0.31 -11% | 0.23 18% |
Contrast | 1661 | 1895 14% | 1394 -16% | 1767 6% | 1226 -26% | 2026 22% |
Colorchecker dE 2000 * | 2 | 2.8 -40% | 1 50% | 1.62 19% | 2.28 -14% | 2.1 -5% |
Colorchecker dE 2000 max. * | 4.7 | 4.7 -0% | 1.5 68% | 5.26 -12% | 3.93 16% | 4.5 4% |
Colorchecker dE 2000 calibrated * | 0.7 | 1.6 -129% | 0.8 -14% | 1.32 -89% | 0.97 -39% | |
Greyscale dE 2000 * | 2.9 | 3.7 -28% | 1.2 59% | 1.6 45% | 2.56 12% | 2.7 7% |
Gamma | 2.09 105% | 2.08 106% | 2.26 97% | 2.2 100% | 2.32 95% | 2.08 106% |
CCT | 6181 105% | 6545 99% | 6652 98% | 6538 99% | 6130 106% | 6210 105% |
Color Space (Percent of AdobeRGB 1998) | 65.9 | 64.4 | 72.3 | 63 | 61.1 | |
Color Space (Percent of sRGB) | 96.6 | 99.12 | 94.8 | 97 | 94.9 | |
Total Average (Program / Settings) | 7% /
-7% | 13% /
12% | 16% /
7% | 16% /
1% | 19% /
11% |
* ... smaller is better
Display Response Times
↔ Response Time Black to White | ||
---|---|---|
44 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined | ↗ 22 ms rise | |
↘ 22 ms fall | ||
The screen shows slow response rates in our tests and will be unsatisfactory for gamers. In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.1 (minimum) to 240 (maximum) ms. » 98 % of all devices are better. This means that the measured response time is worse than the average of all tested devices (22.3 ms). | ||
↔ Response Time 50% Grey to 80% Grey | ||
64 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined | ↗ 34 ms rise | |
↘ 30 ms fall | ||
The screen shows slow response rates in our tests and will be unsatisfactory for gamers. In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.25 (minimum) to 636 (maximum) ms. » 97 % of all devices are better. This means that the measured response time is worse than the average of all tested devices (35.1 ms). |
Screen Flickering / PWM (Pulse-Width Modulation)
Screen flickering / PWM not detected | |||
In comparison: 53 % of all tested devices do not use PWM to dim the display. If PWM was detected, an average of 19035 (minimum: 5 - maximum: 3846000) Hz was measured. |
Performance - The Achilles heel of the Lenovo X1 Titanium
Four Intel Tiger-Lake UP4 processors are available for the ThinkPad X1 Titanium Yoga: The Core i5-1130G7, the i5-1140G7, the i7-1160G7, and the i7-1180G7. Admittedly, this ultra-thin ThinkPad does not feature a discrete GPU. Users have to make do with the integrated iGPU: Intel Iris Xe with 80 EUs with the i5 configuration, and with the Iris Xe with 96 EUs in case of i7 configuration.
Lenovo provides the processor and GPU with 8 to 16 GB of fast LPDDR4X-4266 memory, which is soldered on the mainboard. Eight gigabytes of working memory are exclusively offered in combination with the i5 CPUs. For the SSD, Lenovo chooses the unusual M.2 2242 form factor with single-sided mounting. There is only one M.2 slot for the SSD.
Test conditions
The Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Titanium Yoga has three different operating modes that can be set via Windows' energy settings. In the "Best Energy Saving" mode, the Boost TDP is only 10 watts, and 7 watts are consumed permanently. In the "Balanced" setting, the boost TDP increases to 15 watts and the permanent power limit to 10 watts. The profile "best performance" has to be active for maximum performance. Here, the boost TDP is 35 watts, and the CPU has a thermal budget of 12 watts during longer load.
Processor
The Intel Core i5-1140G7 is the vPro variant of the Core i5-1130G7. Compared to the latter, the maximum clock of the four Tiger Lake cores is around 200 MHz higher (1.8 to 4.2 GHz). Because it is a UP4 processor, the typical TDP is only 15 watts, but as we found in the ThinkPad X1 Nano the manufacturers can ignore this specification and use much higher values.
The opposite is true for the ThinkPad X1 Titanium Yoga as already described in the test conditions: the Lenovo laptop does not get more than 12 watts cooled in the long run. The performance curve also turns out unstable: it drops after the first test and then becomes constant. In this respect, there is no change compared to the previously tested sample, any firmware updates since the first test did not cause any changes. Overall, the performance is slightly lower compared to the X1 Titanium with i7, which has the edge in boosting performance and single-core operation due to the higher clock rates.
Cinebench R15 Multi Constant Load Test
Cinebench R23: Multi Core | Single Core
Cinebench R20: CPU (Multi Core) | CPU (Single Core)
Cinebench R15: CPU Multi 64Bit | CPU Single 64Bit
Blender: v2.79 BMW27 CPU
7-Zip 18.03: 7z b 4 | 7z b 4 -mmt1
Geekbench 5.4: Multi-Core | Single-Core
HWBOT x265 Benchmark v2.2: 4k Preset
LibreOffice : 20 Documents To PDF
R Benchmark 2.5: Overall mean
Cinebench R20 / CPU (Single Core) | |
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga G6-20Y0S00200 | |
Lenovo ThinkPad X13 Yoga G2 | |
HP Elite Dragonfly Max | |
Average of class Convertible (116.8 - 773, n=82, last 2 years) | |
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Titanium Yoga G1 20QA001RGE | |
Dell Latitude 12 7210 2-in-1 | |
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Titanium Yoga G1 20QB0016GE | |
Average Intel Core i5-1140G7 |
Cinebench R15 / CPU Multi 64Bit | |
Average of class Convertible (110.1 - 3100, n=86, last 2 years) | |
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga G6-20Y0S00200 | |
Lenovo ThinkPad X13 Yoga G2 | |
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Titanium Yoga G1 20QA001RGE | |
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Titanium Yoga G1 20QB0016GE | |
Average Intel Core i5-1140G7 | |
HP Elite Dragonfly Max | |
Dell Latitude 12 7210 2-in-1 |
HWBOT x265 Benchmark v2.2 / 4k Preset | |
Average of class Convertible (0.61 - 21.4, n=82, last 2 years) | |
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga G6-20Y0S00200 | |
HP Elite Dragonfly Max | |
Lenovo ThinkPad X13 Yoga G2 | |
Dell Latitude 12 7210 2-in-1 | |
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Titanium Yoga G1 20QA001RGE | |
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Titanium Yoga G1 20QB0016GE | |
Average Intel Core i5-1140G7 |
LibreOffice / 20 Documents To PDF | |
Dell Latitude 12 7210 2-in-1 | |
Average of class Convertible (35.3 - 223, n=81, last 2 years) | |
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Titanium Yoga G1 20QB0016GE | |
Average Intel Core i5-1140G7 | |
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Titanium Yoga G1 20QA001RGE | |
HP Elite Dragonfly Max | |
Lenovo ThinkPad X13 Yoga G2 | |
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga G6-20Y0S00200 |
R Benchmark 2.5 / Overall mean | |
Dell Latitude 12 7210 2-in-1 | |
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Titanium Yoga G1 20QB0016GE | |
Average Intel Core i5-1140G7 | |
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Titanium Yoga G1 20QA001RGE | |
Average of class Convertible (0.4165 - 2.12, n=80, last 2 years) | |
Lenovo ThinkPad X13 Yoga G2 | |
HP Elite Dragonfly Max | |
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga G6-20Y0S00200 |
* ... smaller is better
AIDA64: FP32 Ray-Trace | FPU Julia | CPU SHA3 | CPU Queen | FPU SinJulia | FPU Mandel | CPU AES | CPU ZLib | FP64 Ray-Trace | CPU PhotoWorxx
System performance
Unlike the CPU performance, there is not much difference to the i7 model in terms of system performance. The Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Titanium Yoga runs fast in everyday use.
PCMark 10 Score | 4471 points | |
Help |
* ... smaller is better
DPC Latencies / LatencyMon - interrupt to process latency (max), Web, Youtube, Prime95 | |
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga G6-20Y0S00200 | |
HP Elite Dragonfly Max | |
Dell Latitude 12 7210 2-in-1 | |
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Titanium Yoga G1 20QA001RGE | |
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Titanium Yoga G1 20QB0016GE | |
Lenovo ThinkPad X13 Yoga G2 |
* ... smaller is better
Storage Solution
The Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Titanium Yoga uses the unusual M.2 2242 form factor, whereby the SSD can only have a single-sided configuration due to the low slot height. Furthermore, the NVMe SSD is limited to PCIe 3.0. Accordingly, the SSD performance is weaker compared with the ThinkPad X1 Yoga G6 which is equipped with a PCIe 4.0 SSD.
* ... smaller is better