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MagyarLenovo ThinkPad X13 G4 Intel Laptop Review: Compact 5G traveler with OLED
Lenovo's ThinkPad X series are traditionally the most compact and lightweight laptop models of the classic enterprise ThinkPads. The Lenovo ThinkPad X13 Gen 4 is the newest model of the line, which spawned popular models like the ThinkPad X220 in the past, but nowadays feels a bit lost between the X1 and ThinkPad T series. Is the traditional subnotebook over? Maybe not quite yet, as Lenovo still invests into the line, upgrading the X13 Gen 4 with the newest CPUs and a new design as well.
Possible competitors in comparison
Rating | Date | Model | Weight | Height | Size | Resolution | Best Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 89.7 % | 09/2023 | Lenovo ThinkPad X13 G4 21EX004QGE i7-1355U, Iris Xe G7 96EUs | 1.2 kg | 15.95 mm | 13.30" | 2880x1800 | |
| 89.4 % | 11/2022 | Lenovo ThinkPad X13 G3 21BN0046GE i5-1235U, Iris Xe G7 80EUs | 1.3 kg | 18.9 mm | 13.30" | 1920x1200 | |
| 90.6 % | 06/2023 | Lenovo ThinkPad X13 G3 21CM002UGE R5 PRO 6650U, Radeon 660M | 1.3 kg | 18.1 mm | 13.30" | 1920x1200 | |
| 89.2 % | 01/2023 | HP EliteBook 835 G9 R7 PRO 6850U, Radeon 680M | 1.3 kg | 19.2 mm | 13.30" | 1920x1200 | |
| 90.2 % | 10/2023 | Dell Latitude 13 7340 i5-1345U i5-1345U, Iris Xe G7 80EUs | 1.1 kg | 18.2 mm | 13.30" | 1920x1200 | |
| 88.9 % | 06/2023 | Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon G11-21HNS00000 i7-1365U, Iris Xe G7 96EUs | 1.2 kg | 15.36 mm | 14.00" | 1920x1200 |
Chassis: modernised design close to the ThinkPad X1 Carbon
Two years ago, the ThinkPad X13 Gen 2 is one of the first ThinkPad laptops with the then new design language, including the new dark grey chassis color "thunder black". This year, the ThinkPad X series again plays the role of the avant-garde, but at least in terms of the color it is "back to the future": The color is "deep black" now instead of "thunder black. Part of the new design features, which probably will make it into other future ThinkPads, is the "reverse notch" for the webcam, which is placed prominentely on the lid. This design is divisive, but it does serve as a practical handle for opening the screen.
The lower part of the chassis is made out of metal, aluminum is used for the base plate and magnesium for the palmrest. The screen cover is made out of Carbon fiber plastic. The stability of the base and the workmanship is perfect, but this is not quite true for the screen cover. It is slightly bendable and produces a few faint creak noises. A magnesium cover like with the ThinkPad X13 Yoga G4 would have been a better choice for stability. As with the X13 Yoga G4, the black rubberized paint feels high quality, but it gets dirty fast.
The screen can not be opened with one hand. The maximum opening angle of 180 degrees is made possible by the two small drop down hinges, which hold the screen in place firmly.
Lenovo has reduced the weight and size of the ThinkPad X13 G4 compared with the predecessor, with the volume of the X ThinkPad going down from 1.25 to 1.03 liter in comparison with the ThinkPad X13 G3.
Compared with the HP and Dell subnotebooks, the X13 Gen 4 is thinner and lighter than the HP EliteBook 835 G9 and thinner than the Dell Latitude 7340 - which on the other hand is more lightweight and smaller.
Connectivity: ThinkPad X13 Gen 4 with 5G
Nice: The fan outlet has been moved from the side to the back. Mouse users will not have to worry about the stream of warm air anymore. Otherwise, Lenovo does not change much about the port selection, which is up to the usual business laptop standard and generous for a compact 13.3 inch laptop, with HDMI and USB A. Dongle life is not a thing for ThinkPad X13 users.
Communication
Apart from the Intel AX211, a WiFi 6E module, which delivers fast transfer speeds in the Lenovo ThinkPad X13 Gen 4, Lenovo puts in another network module: The Fibocom FM350-GL, a Sub6 5G module. This makes this model variant ideal for frequent business travelers. Alternatively, the X13 G4 is available with normal LTE cards or without any WWAN module as well.
Webcam
Like with most of the mid-tier to premium ThinkPad laptops of the 2023 generation, Lenovo puts a 5 Megapixel webcam into the ThinkPad X13 Gen 4. The quality is improved compared with the 1080p cam of the predecessors, but still far from being actually good.
Security
With a Kensington lock, dTPM and Smartcard reader, the Lenovo ThinkPad X13 Gen 4 has pretty much the whole array of enterprise security features. Additionally, there is a fingerprint reader in the power button and an IR camera next to the webcam for fast log in, as well as the "ThinkShutter", a mechanical camera shutter for better privacy.
Accessories
Apart from the 65 W GaN charger, there are no additional accessories in the box.
Maintenance
The bottom cover of the Lenovo ThinkPad X13 Gen 4 is easily removable, as there are only five screws and a few clips at the back that need to be opened. The screws are captive, so they can not be lost.
RAM and WiFi module are soldered, WWAN card and M.2 2280 SSD are modular. The screwed in battery can easily be changed and the fan cleaned. The keyboard on the other hand is not user replaceable anymore, different from the ThinkPad X13 Gen 3.
Warranty
Lenovo gives the ThinkPad X13 Gen 4 three years warrantry, with Premier support and on-site service for the first year. The battery gets a one year warranty as well. For the remaining two years, there is a bring in service, which can be upgrade to Premier support if the user so wishes.
The Lenovo warranty is valid internationally as well, though outside of the country of origin (in this case, Germany), Lenovo only provides bring in service.
Input devices: Same keyboard as in the X13 Yoga Gen 4
Input devices are identical to the Lenovo ThinkPad X13 Yoga Gen 4, which is why we will not decribe the backlit keyboard, touchpad and TrackPoint again. All three input devices are easy and comfortable to use and they make the Lenovo ThinkPad into a great work device. Small point of criticism: The touchpad is smallish.
Display: OLED for the first time in the classic ThinkPad X
Lenovo offers the ThinkPad X13 Gen 4 Intel with a total of four different display options. All share the screen aspect ratio of 16:10 as well the screen size of 13.3 inches:
- WUXGA (1,920 x 1,200), IPS, 300 cd/m², 100 % sRGB, matt
- WUXGA (1,920 x 1,200), IPS, 300 cd/m², 100 % sRGB, matt, On-Cell Touch
- WUXGA (1,920 x 1,200), IPS, 400 cd/m², 100 % sRGB, matt, Low Power
- 2.8K (2,880 x 1,800), OLED, 400 cd/m², 100 % DCI P3, semi-glossy
The ThinkPad X13 Gen 4 is the first regular laptop model of the ThinkPad X series with an OLED screen. The organic screen does not reach the 400 cd/m², we measure 385 cd/m². Brightness is distributed extremely equally and typical for an OLED screen is the high contrast, since the black value sits at 0.0. IPS LCDs can not do this, but they can deliver a much higher brightness. An example is the HP EliteBook 835 G9.
Another advantage of OLED are the low response times, none of the IPS competition reaches the ThinkPad X13 G4 in this aspect.
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Brightness Distribution: 98 %
Center on Battery: 383 cd/m²
Contrast: ∞:1 (Black: 0 cd/m²)
ΔE Color 4.7 | 0.5-29.43 Ø5, calibrated: 4.6
ΔE Greyscale 1.5 | 0.57-98 Ø5.3
96.2% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
100% sRGB (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
99.9% Display P3 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
Gamma: 2.18
| Lenovo ThinkPad X13 G4 21EX004QGE ATNA33AA02-0, OLED, 2880x1800, 13.30 | Lenovo ThinkPad X13 G3 21BN0046GE NV133WUM-N61, IPS Grade, 1920x1200, 13.30 | Lenovo ThinkPad X13 G3 21CM002UGE M133NW4J R3, IPS LED, 1920x1200, 13.30 | HP EliteBook 835 G9 InfoVision X133NV4M R0, IPS, 1920x1200, 13.30 | Dell Latitude 13 7340 i5-1345U Chi Mei 133JCG, IPS, 1920x1200, 13.30 | Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon G11-21HNS00000 B140UAN02.1, IPS, 1920x1200, 14.00 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Display | -19% | -20% | -18% | -22% | -15% | |
| Display P3 Coverage | 99.9 | 70.4 -30% | 69 -31% | 70.7 -29% | 65.9 -34% | 75.4 -25% |
| sRGB Coverage | 100 | 99.8 0% | 98.4 -2% | 100 0% | 96.8 -3% | 99.6 0% |
| AdobeRGB 1998 Coverage | 96.2 | 71 -26% | 70.3 -27% | 72.1 -25% | 67.8 -30% | 77.3 -20% |
| Response Times | -845% | -1714% | -1420% | -1922% | -2575% | |
| Response Time Grey 50% / Grey 80% * | 1.8 ? | 22.9 ? -1172% | 44.2 ? -2356% | 37.7 ? -1994% | 51 ? -2733% | 64.4 ? -3478% |
| Response Time Black / White * | 2.4 ? | 14.8 ? -517% | 28.1 ? -1071% | 22.7 ? -846% | 29.04 ? -1110% | 42.5 ? -1671% |
| PWM Frequency | 60 ? | |||||
| Screen | 10% | 32% | 51% | -7% | -13% | |
| Brightness middle | 383 | 290 -24% | 348 -9% | 928 142% | 471 23% | 379 -1% |
| Brightness | 386 | 288 -25% | 321 -17% | 828 115% | 437 13% | 383 -1% |
| Brightness Distribution | 98 | 88 -10% | 85 -13% | 65 -34% | 87 -11% | 91 -7% |
| Black Level * | 0.21 | 0.34 | 0.35 | 0.2033 | 0.21 | |
| Colorchecker dE 2000 * | 4.7 | 1.9 60% | 1.3 72% | 1.76 63% | 3.24 31% | 3.2 32% |
| Colorchecker dE 2000 max. * | 9.4 | 4 57% | 2.5 73% | 3.94 58% | 7.19 24% | 7.3 22% |
| Colorchecker dE 2000 calibrated * | 4.6 | 0.8 83% | 1 78% | 1.09 76% | 1.08 77% | 1.7 63% |
| Greyscale dE 2000 * | 1.5 | 2.6 -73% | 0.9 40% | 2.4 -60% | 4.6 -207% | 4.5 -200% |
| Gamma | 2.18 101% | 2.23 99% | 2.16 102% | 2.324 95% | 2.19 100% | |
| CCT | 6328 103% | 6195 105% | 6431 101% | 6689 97% | 6520 100% | 6249 104% |
| Contrast | 1381 | 1024 | 2651 | 2317 | 1805 | |
| Total Average (Program / Settings) | -285% /
-140% | -567% /
-272% | -462% /
-211% | -650% /
-330% | -868% /
-441% |
* ... smaller is better
Even with a calibration, it is difficult to set the panel to be accurate with the sRGB gamut, as the average Calman Colorchecker deltaE of 4.6 is rather high after calibration with the X-Rite i1 Pro 2 and i1Profiler.
The color gamut coverage of the screen is excellent, sRGB and DCI P3 are completely covered. Even the big AdobeRGB gamut has a coverage of 96 percent.
The screen has a semi-glossy surface, so reflections are going to happen. This makes outdoor usage not idea, though at least the high contrast of the panel helps with visibility. As long as users avoid direct sunlight, the X13 G4 is usable out of the office.
Display Response Times
| ↔ Response Time Black to White | ||
|---|---|---|
| 2.4 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined | ↗ 1.4 ms rise |  |
| ↘ 1 ms fall | ||
| The screen shows very fast response rates in our tests and should be very well suited for fast-paced gaming. In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.1 (minimum) to 240 (maximum) ms. » 7 % of all devices are better. This means that the measured response time is better than the average of all tested devices (21.5 ms). | ||
| ↔ Response Time 50% Grey to 80% Grey | ||
| 1.8 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined | ↗ 0.9 ms rise |  |
| ↘ 0.9 ms fall | ||
| The screen shows very fast response rates in our tests and should be very well suited for fast-paced gaming. In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.2 (minimum) to 636 (maximum) ms. » 5 % of all devices are better. This means that the measured response time is better than the average of all tested devices (33.7 ms). | ||
Screen Flickering / PWM (Pulse-Width Modulation)
| Screen flickering / PWM detected | 60 Hz | ≤ 100 % brightness setting |  |
The display backlight flickers at 60 Hz (worst case, e.g., utilizing PWM) Flickering detected at a brightness setting of 100 % and below. There should be no flickering or PWM above this brightness setting. The frequency of 60 Hz is very low, so the flickering may cause eyestrain and headaches after extended use. In comparison: 53 % of all tested devices do not use PWM to dim the display. If PWM was detected, an average of 17903 (minimum: 5 - maximum: 3846000) Hz was measured. | |||
As usual with OLED screens, this one uses Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) to regulate brightness. It has two settings: From full brightness to 6/10 brightness, there is a PWM frequency of 60 Hz. Brightness of 5/10 or lower, the frequency increases to 240 Hz. People sensitive to PWM should avoid this Samsung OLED panel.
Performance: Raptor Lake without power in the X13 G4
Lenovo offers the ThinkPad X13 Gen 4 with the whole palette of recent Raptor Lake U15 CPUs: Intel Core i3-1315U, i5-1335U, i5-1345U, i7-1355U sowie i7-1365U. Exclusively for large business customers only as a special bid option, Lenovo also offers P28 CPUs (i5-1340P, i5-1350P, i7-1360P und i7-1370P) - consumers will not be able to get those CPUs. This was different for the preceding model.
Customers get the choice of Iris Xe with 80 or 96 EUs, depending on the choice of i5 or i7 CPU. The RAM is always soldered on-board, with 8, 16 or 32 GB LPDDR5-4800 memory. In terms of mass storage, the manufacturer offers a single M.2 2280 SSD with up to two terabyte ex factory.
Testing conditions
Customers do not have to contend with proprietary software to set the energy profiles. Instead, the Windows settings are used:
- Best battery life: PL1 11 Watt, PL2 11 Watt
- Balanced: PL1 12 Watt, PL2 35 Watt
- Best performance: PL1 15 Watt, PL2 50 Watt
Power Limit 1 is the power consumption under sustained load, Power Limit 2 is the maximum consumption for short term load.
As with the ThinkPad X13 Yoga Gen 4, the ThinkPad X13 Gen 4 has two possible cooling solutions: The U15 CPUs have one fan, the P28 processors have two. Since the P28 CPUs are limited to large business customers, such models will be rarely encountered.
Processor
The Intel Core i7-1365U is a U15 processor of the Raptor Lake series from Intel with ten cores: Two P cores (1.8 to 5.2 GHz) and eight E cores (1.3 to 3.9 GHz). Comparisons with other processors can be realised with our CPU comparison list.
With the limitation to 15 W under load, the CPU performance stagnates at the level of the i5-equipped predecessor. Overall, we found the X13 Gen 4 Intel to be disappointing, it only delivered a convincing single core performance and short term boost performance - the same CPU in the ThinkPad X1 Carbon G11 is faster. We expect a much better multicore performance from the ThinkPad X13 Gen 4 AMD.
In battery usage, we did not detect any CPU performance limitation.
Cinebench R15 Multi sustained load
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 5.5: Multi-Core | Single-Core
HWBOT x265 Benchmark v2.2: 4k Preset
LibreOffice : 20 Documents To PDF
R Benchmark 2.5: Overall mean
| CPU Performance Rating | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon G11-21HNS00000 | |
| Average of class Subnotebook | |
| HP EliteBook 835 G9 | |
| Average Intel Core i7-1355U | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad X13 G4 21EX004QGE | |
| Dell Latitude 13 7340 i5-1345U | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad X13 G3 21BN0046GE | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad X13 G3 21CM002UGE | |
| Cinebench R23 / Multi Core | |
| Average of class Subnotebook (2485 - 16201, n=68, last 2 years) | |
| HP EliteBook 835 G9 | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon G11-21HNS00000 | |
| Average Intel Core i7-1355U (6936 - 10252, n=18) | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad X13 G4 21EX004QGE | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad X13 G3 21CM002UGE | |
| Dell Latitude 13 7340 i5-1345U | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad X13 G3 21BN0046GE | |
| Cinebench R23 / Single Core | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon G11-21HNS00000 | |
| Average Intel Core i7-1355U (1687 - 1889, n=18) | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad X13 G4 21EX004QGE | |
| Dell Latitude 13 7340 i5-1345U | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad X13 G3 21BN0046GE | |
| Average of class Subnotebook (598 - 1934, n=68, last 2 years) | |
| HP EliteBook 835 G9 | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad X13 G3 21CM002UGE | |
| Cinebench R20 / CPU (Multi Core) | |
| Average of class Subnotebook (810 - 6314, n=64, last 2 years) | |
| HP EliteBook 835 G9 | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon G11-21HNS00000 | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad X13 G3 21BN0046GE | |
| Average Intel Core i7-1355U (2849 - 3907, n=18) | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad X13 G4 21EX004QGE | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad X13 G3 21CM002UGE | |
| Dell Latitude 13 7340 i5-1345U | |
| Cinebench R20 / CPU (Single Core) | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon G11-21HNS00000 | |
| Average Intel Core i7-1355U (654 - 725, n=18) | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad X13 G4 21EX004QGE | |
| Dell Latitude 13 7340 i5-1345U | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad X13 G3 21BN0046GE | |
| Average of class Subnotebook (216 - 738, n=64, last 2 years) | |
| HP EliteBook 835 G9 | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad X13 G3 21CM002UGE | |
| Cinebench R15 / CPU Multi 64Bit | |
| Average of class Subnotebook (514 - 2581, n=70, last 2 years) | |
| HP EliteBook 835 G9 | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon G11-21HNS00000 | |
| Average Intel Core i7-1355U (1206 - 1735, n=18) | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad X13 G4 21EX004QGE | |
| Dell Latitude 13 7340 i5-1345U | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad X13 G3 21CM002UGE | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad X13 G3 21BN0046GE | |
| Cinebench R15 / CPU Single 64Bit | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon G11-21HNS00000 | |
| Average Intel Core i7-1355U (237 - 267, n=18) | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad X13 G4 21EX004QGE | |
| Dell Latitude 13 7340 i5-1345U | |
| Average of class Subnotebook (91.8 - 280, n=62, last 2 years) | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad X13 G3 21CM002UGE | |
| HP EliteBook 835 G9 | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad X13 G3 21BN0046GE | |
| Blender / v2.79 BMW27 CPU | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad X13 G3 21CM002UGE | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad X13 G3 21CM002UGE | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad X13 G4 21EX004QGE | |
| Dell Latitude 13 7340 i5-1345U | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad X13 G3 21BN0046GE | |
| Average Intel Core i7-1355U (328 - 503, n=18) | |
| Average of class Subnotebook (201 - 1600, n=66, last 2 years) | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon G11-21HNS00000 | |
| HP EliteBook 835 G9 | |
| 7-Zip 18.03 / 7z b 4 | |
| HP EliteBook 835 G9 | |
| Average of class Subnotebook (16223 - 67444, n=57, last 2 years) | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon G11-21HNS00000 | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad X13 G3 21BN0046GE | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad X13 G3 21CM002UGE | |
| Average Intel Core i7-1355U (30255 - 42092, n=18) | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad X13 G4 21EX004QGE | |
| Dell Latitude 13 7340 i5-1345U | |
| 7-Zip 18.03 / 7z b 4 -mmt1 | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon G11-21HNS00000 | |
| Average Intel Core i7-1355U (5301 - 5911, n=18) | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad X13 G4 21EX004QGE | |
| HP EliteBook 835 G9 | |
| Average of class Subnotebook (2197 - 6403, n=58, last 2 years) | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad X13 G3 21BN0046GE | |
| Dell Latitude 13 7340 i5-1345U | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad X13 G3 21CM002UGE | |
| Geekbench 5.5 / Multi-Core | |
| Average of class Subnotebook (4274 - 12580, n=65, last 2 years) | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon G11-21HNS00000 | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad X13 G3 21BN0046GE | |
| Average Intel Core i7-1355U (7507 - 9328, n=18) | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad X13 G4 21EX004QGE | |
| HP EliteBook 835 G9 | |
| Dell Latitude 13 7340 i5-1345U | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad X13 G3 21CM002UGE | |
| Geekbench 5.5 / Single-Core | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon G11-21HNS00000 | |
| Average Intel Core i7-1355U (1678 - 1872, n=18) | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad X13 G4 21EX004QGE | |
| Average of class Subnotebook (672 - 2350, n=65, last 2 years) | |
| Dell Latitude 13 7340 i5-1345U | |
| HP EliteBook 835 G9 | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad X13 G3 21BN0046GE | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad X13 G3 21CM002UGE | |
| HWBOT x265 Benchmark v2.2 / 4k Preset | |
| HP EliteBook 835 G9 | |
| Average of class Subnotebook (1.5 - 19.4, n=56, last 2 years) | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon G11-21HNS00000 | |
| Average Intel Core i7-1355U (7.83 - 11.4, n=18) | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad X13 G3 21CM002UGE | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad X13 G3 21BN0046GE | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad X13 G4 21EX004QGE | |
| Dell Latitude 13 7340 i5-1345U | |
| LibreOffice / 20 Documents To PDF | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad X13 G3 21CM002UGE | |
| HP EliteBook 835 G9 | |
| Average of class Subnotebook (40.1 - 120.5, n=57, last 2 years) | |
| Average Intel Core i7-1355U (41.1 - 108.6, n=18) | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad X13 G4 21EX004QGE | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon G11-21HNS00000 | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad X13 G3 21BN0046GE | |
| Dell Latitude 13 7340 i5-1345U | |
| R Benchmark 2.5 / Overall mean | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad X13 G3 21CM002UGE | |
| Average of class Subnotebook (0.4397 - 1.236, n=57, last 2 years) | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad X13 G3 21BN0046GE | |
| HP EliteBook 835 G9 | |
| Dell Latitude 13 7340 i5-1345U | |
| Average Intel Core i7-1355U (0.4481 - 0.832, n=18) | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad X13 G4 21EX004QGE | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon G11-21HNS00000 | |
* ... 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
| Performance Rating | |
| HP EliteBook 835 G9 | |
| Average of class Subnotebook | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad X13 G3 21CM002UGE | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon G11-21HNS00000 | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad X13 G3 21BN0046GE | |
| Average Intel Core i7-1355U | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad X13 G4 21EX004QGE | |
| Dell Latitude 13 7340 i5-1345U | |
| AIDA64 / FP32 Ray-Trace | |
| HP EliteBook 835 G9 | |
| Average of class Subnotebook (343 - 25961, n=57, last 2 years) | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad X13 G3 21CM002UGE | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon G11-21HNS00000 | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad X13 G3 21BN0046GE | |
| Average Intel Core i7-1355U (5673 - 8424, n=18) | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad X13 G4 21EX004QGE | |
| Dell Latitude 13 7340 i5-1345U | |
| AIDA64 / FPU Julia | |
| HP EliteBook 835 G9 | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad X13 G3 21CM002UGE | |
| Average of class Subnotebook (11867 - 111109, n=57, last 2 years) | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon G11-21HNS00000 | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad X13 G3 21BN0046GE | |
| Average Intel Core i7-1355U (29580 - 42706, n=18) | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad X13 G4 21EX004QGE | |
| Dell Latitude 13 7340 i5-1345U | |
| AIDA64 / CPU SHA3 | |
| HP EliteBook 835 G9 | |
| Average of class Subnotebook (453 - 4646, n=57, last 2 years) | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon G11-21HNS00000 | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad X13 G3 21BN0046GE | |
| Average Intel Core i7-1355U (1529 - 2200, n=18) | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad X13 G3 21CM002UGE | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad X13 G4 21EX004QGE | |
| Dell Latitude 13 7340 i5-1345U | |
| AIDA64 / CPU Queen | |
| HP EliteBook 835 G9 | |
| Average of class Subnotebook (15447 - 115300, n=57, last 2 years) | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad X13 G3 21CM002UGE | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon G11-21HNS00000 | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad X13 G4 21EX004QGE | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad X13 G3 21BN0046GE | |
| Dell Latitude 13 7340 i5-1345U | |
| Average Intel Core i7-1355U (21547 - 66907, n=18) | |
| AIDA64 / FPU SinJulia | |
| HP EliteBook 835 G9 | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad X13 G3 21CM002UGE | |
| Average of class Subnotebook (1223 - 14944, n=57, last 2 years) | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon G11-21HNS00000 | |
| Average Intel Core i7-1355U (4045 - 5426, n=18) | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad X13 G4 21EX004QGE | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad X13 G3 21BN0046GE | |
| Dell Latitude 13 7340 i5-1345U | |
| AIDA64 / FPU Mandel | |
| HP EliteBook 835 G9 | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad X13 G3 21CM002UGE | |
| Average of class Subnotebook (6379 - 59053, n=57, last 2 years) | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon G11-21HNS00000 | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad X13 G3 21BN0046GE | |
| Average Intel Core i7-1355U (14596 - 21627, n=18) | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad X13 G4 21EX004QGE | |
| Dell Latitude 13 7340 i5-1345U | |
| AIDA64 / CPU AES | |
| Average of class Subnotebook (638 - 161430, n=57, last 2 years) | |
| HP EliteBook 835 G9 | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon G11-21HNS00000 | |
| Average Intel Core i7-1355U (31432 - 75408, n=18) | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad X13 G3 21BN0046GE | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad X13 G3 21CM002UGE | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad X13 G4 21EX004QGE | |
| Dell Latitude 13 7340 i5-1345U | |
| AIDA64 / CPU ZLib | |
| Average of class Subnotebook (270 - 1123, n=57, last 2 years) | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon G11-21HNS00000 | |
| HP EliteBook 835 G9 | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad X13 G3 21BN0046GE | |
| Average Intel Core i7-1355U (454 - 684, n=18) | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad X13 G4 21EX004QGE | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad X13 G3 21CM002UGE | |
| Dell Latitude 13 7340 i5-1345U | |
| AIDA64 / FP64 Ray-Trace | |
| HP EliteBook 835 G9 | |
| Average of class Subnotebook (204 - 14018, n=57, last 2 years) | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad X13 G3 21CM002UGE | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon G11-21HNS00000 | |
| Average Intel Core i7-1355U (2991 - 4453, n=18) | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad X13 G3 21BN0046GE | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad X13 G4 21EX004QGE | |
| Dell Latitude 13 7340 i5-1345U | |
| AIDA64 / CPU PhotoWorxx | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon G11-21HNS00000 | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad X13 G3 21BN0046GE | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad X13 G4 21EX004QGE | |
| Dell Latitude 13 7340 i5-1345U | |
| Average of class Subnotebook (7622 - 53954, n=57, last 2 years) | |
| Average Intel Core i7-1355U (21800 - 46154, n=18) | |
| HP EliteBook 835 G9 | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad X13 G3 21CM002UGE | |
System Performance
In the system performance benchmarks, the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon G11 consistently outperforms the X13 Gen 4 Intel. Compared with the AMD system, it depends on the benchmark: In PCMark 10, the Ryzen laptops are faster. In Crossmark, the ThinkPad X13 Gen 4 Intel wins.
Regardless of the synthetic benchmarks, the everyday performance of the ThinkPad X13 Gen 4 is very good.
CrossMark: Overall | Productivity | Creativity | Responsiveness
| PCMark 10 / Score | |
| HP EliteBook 835 G9 | |
| Average of class Subnotebook (4384 - 7428, n=55, last 2 years) | |
| Average Intel Core i7-1355U, Intel Iris Xe Graphics G7 96EUs (5455 - 5933, n=15) | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon G11-21HNS00000 | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad X13 G3 21CM002UGE | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad X13 G4 21EX004QGE | |
| Dell Latitude 13 7340 i5-1345U | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad X13 G3 21BN0046GE | |
| PCMark 10 / Essentials | |
| Average Intel Core i7-1355U, Intel Iris Xe Graphics G7 96EUs (10203 - 11822, n=15) | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad X13 G4 21EX004QGE | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon G11-21HNS00000 | |
| Dell Latitude 13 7340 i5-1345U | |
| Average of class Subnotebook (8890 - 11168, n=55, last 2 years) | |
| HP EliteBook 835 G9 | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad X13 G3 21CM002UGE | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad X13 G3 21BN0046GE | |
| PCMark 10 / Productivity | |
| HP EliteBook 835 G9 | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad X13 G3 21CM002UGE | |
| Average of class Subnotebook (6213 - 10279, n=55, last 2 years) | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad X13 G4 21EX004QGE | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon G11-21HNS00000 | |
| Average Intel Core i7-1355U, Intel Iris Xe Graphics G7 96EUs (6763 - 7536, n=15) | |
| Dell Latitude 13 7340 i5-1345U | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad X13 G3 21BN0046GE | |
| PCMark 10 / Digital Content Creation | |
| HP EliteBook 835 G9 | |
| Average of class Subnotebook (4093 - 9749, n=55, last 2 years) | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon G11-21HNS00000 | |
| Average Intel Core i7-1355U, Intel Iris Xe Graphics G7 96EUs (5723 - 6712, n=15) | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad X13 G3 21CM002UGE | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad X13 G4 21EX004QGE | |
| Dell Latitude 13 7340 i5-1345U | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad X13 G3 21BN0046GE | |
| CrossMark / Overall | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon G11-21HNS00000 | |
| Average Intel Core i7-1355U, Intel Iris Xe Graphics G7 96EUs (1478 - 1643, n=15) | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad X13 G4 21EX004QGE | |
| Average of class Subnotebook (718 - 1876, n=61, last 2 years) | |
| Dell Latitude 13 7340 i5-1345U | |
| HP EliteBook 835 G9 | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad X13 G3 21BN0046GE | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad X13 G3 21CM002UGE | |
| CrossMark / Productivity | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon G11-21HNS00000 | |
| Average Intel Core i7-1355U, Intel Iris Xe Graphics G7 96EUs (1444 - 1665, n=15) | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad X13 G4 21EX004QGE | |
| Average of class Subnotebook (685 - 1829, n=61, last 2 years) | |
| Dell Latitude 13 7340 i5-1345U | |
| HP EliteBook 835 G9 | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad X13 G3 21CM002UGE | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad X13 G3 21BN0046GE | |
| CrossMark / Creativity | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon G11-21HNS00000 | |
| Average of class Subnotebook (776 - 2210, n=61, last 2 years) | |
| Average Intel Core i7-1355U, Intel Iris Xe Graphics G7 96EUs (1563 - 1732, n=15) | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad X13 G4 21EX004QGE | |
| Dell Latitude 13 7340 i5-1345U | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad X13 G3 21BN0046GE | |
| HP EliteBook 835 G9 | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad X13 G3 21CM002UGE | |
| CrossMark / Responsiveness | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon G11-21HNS00000 | |
| Average Intel Core i7-1355U, Intel Iris Xe Graphics G7 96EUs (1217 - 1681, n=15) | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad X13 G4 21EX004QGE | |
| Average of class Subnotebook (652 - 1899, n=61, last 2 years) | |
| Dell Latitude 13 7340 i5-1345U | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad X13 G3 21BN0046GE | |
| HP EliteBook 835 G9 | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad X13 G3 21CM002UGE | |
| PCMark 10 Score | 5524 points | |
Help | ||
| AIDA64 / Memory Copy | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon G11-21HNS00000 | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad X13 G3 21BN0046GE | |
| Average of class Subnotebook (22781 - 95353, n=57, last 2 years) | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad X13 G4 21EX004QGE | |
| Average Intel Core i7-1355U (35017 - 71600, n=18) | |
| Dell Latitude 13 7340 i5-1345U | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad X13 G3 21CM002UGE | |
| HP EliteBook 835 G9 | |
| AIDA64 / Memory Read | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad X13 G3 21BN0046GE | |
| Average of class Subnotebook (23831 - 86433, n=57, last 2 years) | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad X13 G4 21EX004QGE | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon G11-21HNS00000 | |
| Average Intel Core i7-1355U (38551 - 73377, n=18) | |
| Dell Latitude 13 7340 i5-1345U | |
| HP EliteBook 835 G9 | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad X13 G3 21CM002UGE | |
| AIDA64 / Memory Write | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon G11-21HNS00000 | |
| Dell Latitude 13 7340 i5-1345U | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad X13 G4 21EX004QGE | |
| Average Intel Core i7-1355U (35910 - 93342, n=18) | |
| Average of class Subnotebook (23474 - 93382, n=57, last 2 years) | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad X13 G3 21BN0046GE | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad X13 G3 21CM002UGE | |
| HP EliteBook 835 G9 | |
| AIDA64 / Memory Latency | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad X13 G3 21CM002UGE | |
| Average Intel Core i7-1355U (72.2 - 346, n=18) | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad X13 G4 21EX004QGE | |
| Average of class Subnotebook (18.8 - 172, n=52, last 2 years) | |
| Dell Latitude 13 7340 i5-1345U | |
| HP EliteBook 835 G9 | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon G11-21HNS00000 | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad X13 G3 21BN0046GE | |
* ... smaller is better
DPC latency
The ThinkPad X13 Gen 4 Intel has problems with high LatencyMon values, which can lead to interuptions during audio/video work. This does not seem to be a dramatic problem though, as there would have been more skipped images during the Youtube test otherwise. Also, this situation can change fast with driver updates.
| DPC Latencies / LatencyMon - interrupt to process latency (max), Web, Youtube, Prime95 | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon G11-21HNS00000 | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad X13 G4 21EX004QGE | |
| Dell Latitude 13 7340 i5-1345U | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad X13 G3 21BN0046GE | |
| HP EliteBook 835 G9 | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad X13 G3 21CM002UGE | |
* ... smaller is better
Mass storage
The Kioxia SSD with a capacity of one terabyte is a NVMe PCIe 4 SSD in the M.2 2280 format. It is a "Self Encrypting Drive" (SED) that has built in encryption. The performance of the SSD is very good and not worse compared with the competition, It does get slightly throttled though under sustained load.
* ... smaller is better
Sustained load read: DiskSpd Read Loop, Queue Depth 8
GPU
The Lenovo ThinkPad X13 G4 Intel in the tested variant has the Iris Xe with 96 EUs, the stronger variant of the Intel iGPU. This is not really visible in the benchmark numbers though, as the GPU performance is below average and more in line with the 80 EU version of the Iris Xe. For simple tasks, the GPU is more than enough, even games are possible - though only in the lowest setting and resolution.
| 3DMark 11 Performance | 5825 points | |
| 3DMark Cloud Gate Standard Score | 17847 points | |
| 3DMark Fire Strike Score | 4067 points | |
| 3DMark Time Spy Score | 1523 points | |
Help | ||
* ... smaller is better
| The Witcher 3 - 1920x1080 Ultra Graphics & Postprocessing (HBAO+) | |
| HP EliteBook 835 G9 | |
| Average of class Subnotebook (8 - 44.2, n=57, last 2 years) | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad X13 G3 21CM002UGE | |
| Dell Latitude 13 7340 i5-1345U | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad X13 G4 21EX004QGE | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon G11-21HNS00000 | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad X13 G3 21BN0046GE | |
| GTA V - 1920x1080 Highest Settings possible AA:4xMSAA + FX AF:16x | |
| HP EliteBook 835 G9 | |
| Average of class Subnotebook (5.01 - 67.5, n=47, last 2 years) | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad X13 G3 21CM002UGE | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad X13 G4 21EX004QGE | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon G11-21HNS00000 | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad X13 G3 21BN0046GE | |
| Dell Latitude 13 7340 i5-1345U | |
Witcher 3 FPS diagram
| low | med. | high | ultra | |
| GTA V (2015) | 99.3 | 71.1 | 21.3 | 9.14 |
| The Witcher 3 (2015) | 88.4 | 54 | 25.1 | 12.2 |
| Dota 2 Reborn (2015) | 90.7 | 64.9 | 51 | 45.4 |
| Final Fantasy XV Benchmark (2018) | 39.5 | 20.4 | 14.7 | |
| X-Plane 11.11 (2018) | 37.8 | 34.9 | 31.4 | |
| Strange Brigade (2018) | 90.9 | 36.5 | 26.5 | 21.3 |
| F1 22 (2022) | 43.1 | 37.2 | 27.1 | 21 |
Emissions: better speakers than X13 Gen 3
Noise
The fan of the Lenovo ThinkPad X13 Gen 4 is pretty aggressive, as it can even run while idling if the machine is set to best performance. Under medium load, it reaches 38.1 dB(a), louder than the maximum loudness of the predecessor X13 Gen 3. 41.5 dB(a) under maximum load is a high noise lesel for a business laptop. Only the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon G11 has an even more aggressive fan.
We did not detect coil whine.
Noise Level
| Idle |
| 23.2 / 23.2 / 27.4 dB(A) |
| Load |
| 38.1 / 41.5 dB(A) |
 | ||
30 dB silent 40 dB(A) audible 50 dB(A) loud |
||
min:  , med:  , max:  Earthworks M23R, Arta (15 cm distance) environment noise: 23.2 dB(A) | ||
| Lenovo ThinkPad X13 G4 21EX004QGE Iris Xe G7 96EUs, i7-1355U, Kioxia XG8 KXG8AZNV1T02 | Lenovo ThinkPad X13 G3 21BN0046GE Iris Xe G7 80EUs, i5-1235U, SK Hynix HFS512 GDE9X081N | Lenovo ThinkPad X13 G3 21CM002UGE Radeon 660M, R5 PRO 6650U, Samsung PM9A1 MZVL2512HCJQ | HP EliteBook 835 G9 Radeon 680M, R7 PRO 6850U, Kioxia BG5 KBG50ZNV512G | Dell Latitude 13 7340 i5-1345U Iris Xe G7 80EUs, i5-1345U, Kioxia BG5 KBG50ZNS512G | Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon G11-21HNS00000 Iris Xe G7 96EUs, i7-1365U, WDC PC SN810 1TB | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Noise | 6% | 9% | -2% | 0% | -5% | |
| off / environment * | 23.2 | 24.6 -6% | 23.1 -0% | 26 -12% | 25.02 -8% | 24.8 -7% |
| Idle Minimum * | 23.2 | 24.6 -6% | 23.1 -0% | 26 -12% | 25.02 -8% | 24.8 -7% |
| Idle Average * | 23.2 | 24.6 -6% | 23.1 -0% | 27 -16% | 25.02 -8% | 24.8 -7% |
| Idle Maximum * | 27.4 | 25.9 5% | 23.1 16% | 28 -2% | 25.02 9% | 28.5 -4% |
| Load Average * | 38.1 | 30.7 19% | 27 29% | 35 8% | 35.07 8% | 39.6 -4% |
| Witcher 3 ultra * | 41.4 | 34.6 16% | 38.7 7% | 37 11% | 42.7 -3% | |
| Load Maximum * | 41.5 | 34.6 17% | 35.5 14% | 37 11% | 38.2 8% | 42.7 -3% |
* ... smaller is better
Heat
Even while idling, the chassis gets slightly warm above the keyboard. During the stress test, we measured a maximum temperature of 47.3 degree Celsius / 117 F. This is high, but in an area that users will rarely touch. The palmrest stays cool.
After an hour of running the stress test, the system can still consume 15 Watt. There was no throttling beneath the PL1.
(-) The maximum temperature on the upper side is 47.3 °C / 117 F, compared to the average of 35.9 °C / 97 F, ranging from 21.4 to 59 °C for the class Subnotebook.
(±) The bottom heats up to a maximum of 44.8 °C / 113 F, compared to the average of 39.4 °C / 103 F
(+) In idle usage, the average temperature for the upper side is 28 °C / 82 F, compared to the device average of 30.7 °C / 87 F.
(±) Playing The Witcher 3, the average temperature for the upper side is 32.2 °C / 90 F, compared to the device average of 30.7 °C / 87 F.
(+) The palmrests and touchpad are cooler than skin temperature with a maximum of 27 °C / 80.6 F and are therefore cool to the touch.
(±) The average temperature of the palmrest area of similar devices was 28.3 °C / 82.9 F (+1.3 °C / 2.3 F).
| Lenovo ThinkPad X13 G4 21EX004QGE Intel Core i7-1355U, Intel Iris Xe Graphics G7 96EUs | Lenovo ThinkPad X13 G3 21BN0046GE Intel Core i5-1235U, Intel Iris Xe Graphics G7 80EUs | Lenovo ThinkPad X13 G3 21CM002UGE AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 6650U, AMD Radeon 660M | HP EliteBook 835 G9 AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 6850U, AMD Radeon 680M | Dell Latitude 13 7340 i5-1345U Intel Core i5-1345U, Intel Iris Xe Graphics G7 80EUs | Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon G11-21HNS00000 Intel Core i7-1365U, Intel Iris Xe Graphics G7 96EUs | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Heat | 7% | 9% | 14% | 20% | 15% | |
| Maximum Upper Side * | 47.3 | 45.3 4% | 38.1 19% | 46 3% | 34.3 27% | 44.4 6% |
| Maximum Bottom * | 44.8 | 41.8 7% | 40.1 10% | 49 -9% | 37.6 16% | 45.3 -1% |
| Idle Upper Side * | 35 | 31.6 10% | 33.6 4% | 24 31% | 28.4 19% | 24.9 29% |
| Idle Bottom * | 34.3 | 32.6 5% | 33.4 3% | 24 30% | 28.8 16% | 25.7 25% |
* ... smaller is better
Speakers
On the outside, the speaker design of the X13 Gen 4 has gotten close to the X1 Carbon G11, with speakers to the left and right of the keyboard. Of course, this are only optics: Different from the X1 Carbon with its quad speaker system, the X13 G4 has a normal stereo speaker system. It is much improved compared with the ThinkPad X13 Gen 3, but still worse than the X1 Carbon.
Lenovo ThinkPad X13 G4 21EX004QGE audio analysis
(±) | speaker loudness is average but good (81.6 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(-) | nearly no bass - on average 19.9% lower than median
(±) | linearity of bass is average (12.8% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(±) | higher mids - on average 7.6% higher than median
(+) | mids are linear (4.6% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(+) | balanced highs - only 3% away from median
(+) | highs are linear (6.4% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(±) | linearity of overall sound is average (20.4% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 60% of all tested devices in this class were better, 8% similar, 31% worse
» The best had a delta of 5%, average was 19%, worst was 53%
Compared to all devices tested
» 48% of all tested devices were better, 8% similar, 44% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 25%, worst was 134%
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon G11-21HNS00000 audio analysis
(+) | speakers can play relatively loud (84.6 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(-) | nearly no bass - on average 16% lower than median
(±) | linearity of bass is average (12.7% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(+) | balanced mids - only 2% away from median
(+) | mids are linear (4.4% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(+) | balanced highs - only 2.7% away from median
(+) | highs are linear (6.3% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(+) | overall sound is linear (10.9% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 1% of all tested devices in this class were better, 1% similar, 98% worse
» The best had a delta of 7%, average was 22%, worst was 53%
Compared to all devices tested
» 4% of all tested devices were better, 1% similar, 94% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 25%, worst was 134%
Energy management: OLED screen drives consumption
Power consumption
The energy efficiency of the Lenovo ThinkPad X13 Gen 4 Intel when idling is much worse compared with the predecessor. Due to the energy intensive OLED display, this is not surprising.
At the max, the ThinkPad X13 G4 consumes 63 Watt, which means the 65 W GaN charger can deliver enough energy even during load.
| Off / Standby | 0.3 / 0.6 Watt |
| Idle | 4.8 / 6.2 / 7.1 Watt |
| Load |
33.1 / 62.8 Watt |
   
| |
| Lenovo ThinkPad X13 G4 21EX004QGE i7-1355U, Iris Xe G7 96EUs, Kioxia XG8 KXG8AZNV1T02, OLED, 2880x1800, 13.30 | Lenovo ThinkPad X13 G3 21BN0046GE i5-1235U, Iris Xe G7 80EUs, SK Hynix HFS512 GDE9X081N, IPS Grade, 1920x1200, 13.30 | Lenovo ThinkPad X13 G3 21CM002UGE R5 PRO 6650U, Radeon 660M, Samsung PM9A1 MZVL2512HCJQ, IPS LED, 1920x1200, 13.30 | HP EliteBook 835 G9 R7 PRO 6850U, Radeon 680M, Kioxia BG5 KBG50ZNV512G, IPS, 1920x1200, 13.30 | Dell Latitude 13 7340 i5-1345U i5-1345U, Iris Xe G7 80EUs, Kioxia BG5 KBG50ZNS512G, IPS, 1920x1200, 13.30 | Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon G11-21HNS00000 i7-1365U, Iris Xe G7 96EUs, WDC PC SN810 1TB, IPS, 1920x1200, 14.00 | Average Intel Iris Xe Graphics G7 96EUs | Average of class Subnotebook | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Power Consumption | 6% | 12% | -16% | -6% | 0% | -28% | -25% | |
| Idle Minimum * | 4.8 | 2.7 44% | 3.2 33% | 5 -4% | 2.37 51% | 3.9 19% | 5.26 ? -10% | 4.9 ? -2% |
| Idle Average * | 6.2 | 5.2 16% | 5.2 16% | 6 3% | 6.19 -0% | 6.3 -2% | 8.46 ? -36% | 8.36 ? -35% |
| Idle Maximum * | 7.1 | 6.2 13% | 6.1 14% | 11 -55% | 14.1 -99% | 6.9 3% | 10.7 ? -51% | 10.4 ? -46% |
| Load Average * | 33.1 | 38.4 -16% | 33.6 -2% | 45 -36% | 36.3 -10% | 41.8 -26% | 44.8 ? -35% | 45.9 ? -39% |
| Witcher 3 ultra * | 35.8 | 41.9 -17% | 39.3 -10% | 45.2 -26% | 24.9 30% | 33.2 7% | ||
| Load Maximum * | 62.8 | 66.7 -6% | 49.1 22% | 48 24% | 69.13 -10% | 63.4 -1% | 66.8 ? -6% | 66 ? -5% |
* ... smaller is better
Power consumption Witcher 3 / stress test
Power consumption with external monitor
Battery life
The battery life is much reduced compared with the X13 Gen 3, despite the battery capacity of 54.7 Wh not changing. Instead of 613 minutes in the WiFi test (150 cd/m²), the battery only lasts for 438 minutes. The reason is clear: The OLED screen that significantly increases consumption.
As always with OLED: If the battery life is to be maximized, dark mode has to be utilized. The WiFi tests with maximum screen brightness show this, as we performed this test with dark mode and without. Without dark mode, the Lenovo ThinkPad X13 Gen 4 lasts for 356 minutes, with dark mode: 462 minutes - almost 30 minutes longer than the normal WiFi test with reduced screen brightness.
| Lenovo ThinkPad X13 G4 21EX004QGE i7-1355U, Iris Xe G7 96EUs, 54.7 Wh | Lenovo ThinkPad X13 G3 21BN0046GE i5-1235U, Iris Xe G7 80EUs, 54.7 Wh | Lenovo ThinkPad X13 G3 21CM002UGE R5 PRO 6650U, Radeon 660M, 54.7 Wh | HP EliteBook 835 G9 R7 PRO 6850U, Radeon 680M, 51 Wh | Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon G11-21HNS00000 i7-1365U, Iris Xe G7 96EUs, 57 Wh | Average of class Subnotebook | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Battery Runtime | 23% | 24% | -9% | 33% | 23% | |
| WiFi v1.3 | 438 | 613 40% | 751 71% | 547 25% | 839 92% | 629 ? 44% |
| Load | 114 | 121 6% | 88 -23% | 65 -43% | 84 -26% | 115.4 ? 1% |
Pros
Cons
Verdict: Lenovo ThinkPad X13 G4 is too close to the ThinkPad X1 Carbon
Lenovo moves its classic X series even closer to the ThinkPad X1 Carbon in terms of design, it is now for the first time being offered with an OLED screen as well. The result is the Lenovo ThinkPad X13 Gen 4, a compact, lightweight and attractive business subnotebook - which may not be unique enough to justify its existance.
The Lenovo ThinkPad X13 G4 has very good input devices, a wide array of security features and ports as well as 5G in the tested configuration. It has an OLED screen, which displays the typical OLED advantages like the extreme contrast and high color gamut, but also the OLED disadvantages like PWM and a limited brightness compared with some IPS panels. The X13 G4 is more compact and lightweight compared with its predecessor, and it has improved speakers and a slightly better webcam. On the other hand, the fan is more annoying and the performance is barely improved. The battery is worse as well, but this is primarily attributable to the OLED screen - if this aspect is important, buyers should choose the IPS Low Power LCD.
Overall, we are missing a "reason for being" for the X13 Gen 4 Intel. It has its advantages, but the ThinkPad X1 Carbon G11 has those same advantages and more. All in al, the X13 has the slightly smaller body, the lower pricing and the Smartcard reader - still, most customers will probably skip the ThinkPad X13 for the ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 11. The Lenovo ThinkPad X13 Gen 4 AMD could be more interesting, but it is not available yet.
The Lenovo ThinkPad X13 G4 Intel is a high-quality subnotebook with 5G and OLED, but those features are offered by the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 11 as well.
Apart from the HP EliteBook 835 G9 or rather the successor EliteBook 835 G10, the Dell Latitude 7340 could be an interesting alternative - it is currently being tested by us.
Pricing and availability
The Lenovo ThinkPad X13 Gen 4 Intel is configurable for $1,600 at lenovo.com.
Lenovo ThinkPad X13 G4 21EX004QGE
-
09/22/2023 v7
Benjamin Herzig
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Transparency
The present review sample was made available to the author as a loan by the manufacturer or a shop for the purposes of review. The lender had no influence on this review, nor did the manufacturer receive a copy of this review before publication. There was no obligation to publish this review.
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