Lenovo Thinkpad X1 Tablet Gen. 3 (2018)

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Reviews for the Lenovo Thinkpad X1 Tablet Gen. 3 (2018)

90% Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Tablet (3rd Gen) review
Source: Techradar Archive.org version
This Lenovo hybrid is a powerful forward-thinking laptop, with a well-designed tear-off keyboard which when removed leaves you with a sharp, robust and responsive tablet. Add a side-stored stylus and two Thunderbolt 3 ports and you have a Windows 10 workstation for almost every conceivable situation.
Single Review, online available, Very Long, Date: 09/21/2018
Rating: Total score: 90%

90% Review: Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Tablet (3rd-gen)
Source: Slashgear Archive.org version
The 3rd-generation X1 Tablet is a great addition to the X1 product family, adding more powerful hardware, additional security, a better display, redesigned kickstand, and more. There’s nothing in particular to dislike about this model, lackluster battery life aside, but multiple aspects to appreciate, making it a solid choice for someone in need of a business-tier 2-in-1 tablet + detachable keyboard system.
Single Review, online available, Short, Date: 07/09/2018
Rating: Total score: 90%

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Tablet review: Smart upgrades make this a worthy, pricey choice
Source: Good Gear Guide Archive.org version
The Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Tablet (3rd Gen) has shorter battery life and a higher price than we'd like. Still, for the same price as its predecessor, it improves the CPU, display, and other specs that matter, as well as chassis design and even the keyboard. Among pro-level tablets HP’s latest Spectre x2 is worth a look, too, as is the slightly cheaper Samsung Galaxy Book. But the ThinkPad X1 Tablet (3rd Gen)'s the strongest overall, and the one to earn an Editors’ Choice.
Single Review, online available, Very Long, Date: 07/09/2018

90% Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Tablet review: It's way better than a Surface Pro
Source: Neowin Archive.org version
ThinkPad X1 PCs tend to be a bit on the expensive side, but they're worth it. The Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Tablet is definitely worth the price.
Single Review, online available, Long, Date: 07/08/2018
Rating: Total score: 90%

81% Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Tablet 3rd Gen review: A top-quality 2-in-1 detachable
Source: Zdnet.com Archive.org version
Lenovo's ThinkPad X1 Tablet 3rd Gen is compact and portable, and the bundled stylus expands the range of use cases. Many users should find battery life good enough for all-day working, and twin Thunderbolt 3 ports will be handy -- although one will be occupied when the battery is charging.
Single Review, online available, Short, Date: 06/21/2018
Rating: Total score: 81%

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Tablet 3rd Gen: Don’t buy a Surface Pro, buy this instead
Source: On MSFT Archive.org version
At the end of the day, you’re definitely getting more value for your buck with the ThinkPad X1 Tablet 3rd gen. Not only is the keyboard and pen included, but you’re also getting a larger screen, Amazon Alexa, the latest Intel processor, and a comfortable keyboard. Prices start at $1,269.00 and our unit is available on Lenovo.com for $2,132.10.
Single Review, online available, Long, Date: 06/09/2018

Lenovo Thinkpad X1 tablet improves kickass keyboard, bumps up screen size
Source: CNet Archive.org version
The new model, which comes with the keyboard and stylus accessories, features a bigger 13-inch screen. The updated model of the 2-in-1 tablet goes on sale later this month for $1,599. That price roughly converts to £1,180 in the UK and AU$2,040 in Australia.
Single Review, online available, Very Short, Date: 01/08/2018

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Hands-on article by Jagadisa Rajarathnam

Lenovo announced the third generation of the Thinkpad X1 Tablet back in February 2018 and subsequently, launched it in mid-March 2018. The latest generation of the ThinkPad X1 Tablet now comes with a detachable keyboard cover and a stylus pen. This hybrid 2-in-1 laptop also has an adjustable kickstand to help the table to stand on its own. Besides the usual trackpad, the keyboard comes equipped with Lenovo's signature TrackPoint pointing device. The luxurious Lenovo ThinkPad X1 tablet is a hybrid device. For those unfamiliar with the term, this means that the screen is detachable from its keyboard counterpart and you get to use it as a tablet then. Put it back on with the keyboard, and you have yourself a working laptop. This high-end hybrid's 13-inch screen comes in a lavish 3K screen with a resolution of 3,000 x 2,000 pixels, and that's a lot of pixels for a small 13-inch display. Lenovo also has chosen to use a Gorilla Corning Glass on the screen for extra durability. As for the hardware that runs this luxurious tablet, it comes equipped with an Intel i5-8250U processor, a massive 16 GB RAM, a speedy 512 GB SSD of storage capacity and an Intel UHD 620 graphics card. These hardware specifications may not sound extraordinary for a laptop, however, do bear in mind that the ThinkPad X1 tablet is a hybrid device and that makes it is a very powerful tablet.

Like most modern tablets, the ThinkPad X1 comes with two cameras - front and rear. The front camera has an underwhelming 2 MP sensor, and the rear camera fares a little better with an 8 MP sensor. The cameras are not the best, but they are positively sufficient. There is also an option to add an IR camera to the tablet for the Facial Recognition feature. As for the sound system, the quality and the volume of the sound seems to be on the lower end of the spectrum. Fortunately, this is easily rectifiable with a headphone or an external speaker. Input ports wise, the Lenovo Thinkpad X1 Tablet has only a few to its name. The device comes with two Thunderbolt 3 ports, a Kensington lock slot, a microSD card reader, a combo headphone/mic jack, and surprisingly, a built-in nano sim card slot. Unfortunately, there are no UBS ports on the device, so users may have to resort to Bluetooth to connect to other additional devices. Weighing at under 1.5 kg with the keyboard attached and only 8.9 mm in height, the ThinkPad X1 Tablet is clearly very light in chassis but not in its performance. Overall, the third generation of the Lenovo Thinkpad X1 performs like a beast, thanks to the very powerful selection of hardware that the manufacturer outfitted it with.

Press Review by Martina Osztovits

The Lenovo Thinkpad X1 Tablet Gen. 3 (2018) focuses on being a secure and durable business detachable PC. Performance and kickstand have improved when compared to the predecessor. How does it perform in comparison to its competitors?

Design and Connectivity

The case is made of magnesium and aluminum. www.windowscentral.com evaluates, “There's not much flex at all in the body despite the thinness, and all the lines flow together well.”. While www.laptopmag.com says the magnetic kickstand can be opened by up to 160 degrees, www.windowscentral.com speaks of 170 degrees of motion. The kickstand horizontally divides the rear side in two halves. According to www.slashgear.com it feels durable and accommodates multiple angles. The included detachable keyboard is connected to the tablet with strong magnets. According to www.zdnet.com you can even carry the whole unit around by the screen, with the keyboard dangling below (not recommended). The keyboard can be positioned flat on a surface or tilted upwards.

The tablet measures at 30.4 x 22.56 x 0.89 cm without keyboard and weighs from 890 gram according to the manufacturer. With keyboard, the height increases to 1.51 cm and the weight to 1.27 kg. According to www.laptopmag.com the X1 Tablet ranks as one of the thinnest in its class but also the second heaviest of their comparison group (Dell Latitude 7390 2-in-, Samsung Notebook 9 Pen, Microsoft Surface Pro).

A stylus is included. It can be stored in a holder under the kickstand. www.laptopmag.com complains that the pen holder is too flimsy and does not even look like it is the right size for the stylus. www.neowin.net confirms that the pen frequently falls out of its holster, and complains that it blocks the volume rocker. www.zdnet.com agrees that the volume rocker is inaccessible when the ThinkPad Pen Pro is in its holder, but finds, “The ThinkPad Pen Pro wedges into the holder quite tightly, which is good in that it's less likely to drop out of the holder of its own accord and get lost, but bad in that it takes quite a yank to get the pen out, ready for use.”.

The X1 Tablet features two Thunderbolt 3 ports (with power supply), a 4-in-1 microSD card reader, a headphone/microphone combo audio jack, and a nano SIM slot. When compared to the predecessor, the USB Type-A port disappeared. Hence, you will need an adapter for connecting devices with Type-A plug. www.zdnet.com, www.onmsft.com, and www.neowin.net describe that a paper-clip or a SIM tool is needed to pop out the tray from the SD/SIM card slot, which is not ideal when you frequently use different microSD cards. The device can connect to networks via its Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 8265 (2x2) Wi-Fi card, which also supports Bluetooth 4.2. Optionally, it supports LTE-A and NFC (only models without infrared camera).

The X1 Tablet has been tested for durability according to MIL-STD 810G standards. Its display is protected by Gorilla Glass 4. For security, it features Fast Identity Online (FIDO) certification, a dedicated TPM 2.0 chip, a fingerprint sensor, and a Kensington security lock slot. An infrared camera with Windows Hello support is optional. www.onmsft.com finds the fingerprint reader is ideally located for Windows Hello and was speedy and fast for all logins.

www.windowscentral.com reports that the back panel, which is fixed with six screws, can be removed in order to gain access to battery and SSD. They says that the SSD can be swapped, but the RAM is soldered onto the board.

There are two cameras, a 2 MP front camera and a 8 MP rear camera. According to www.laptopmag.com the 8 MP rear camera's quality was crisp, and the colors felt dynamic and details are recognizable in the front camera’s shots despite its lack of sharpness and washed-out color. www.windowscentral.com confirms that the front camera does a decent job grabbing stills or videos.

Input Devices

For www.laptopmag.com, the island-style keyboard with backlight is clicky and responsive despite short travel of 1.3 mm. They report 61 grams of actuation force. The detachable keyboard can be placed flat or tilted. www.laptopmag.com thinks that both positions are very comfortable to use, especially due to the soft palm rest. However, they criticize the lack of an assigned key to control the backlight so that you have to control it via Lenovo's Vantage toolbar and the function key's placement before the control key. For www.slashgear.com, the detachable keyboard is stiff and feels indistinguishable from using a ThinkPad laptop. www.windowscentral.com finds it is a true ThinkPad keyboard complete with cupped keys and a comfortable typing experience. uk.pcmag.com complains about shallow travel and dim backlight and praises the solid, responsive typing feel. www.onmsft.com reports that as Lenovo’s keyboard is proprietary and Windows 10 treats it as a separate attachment pressing keys won’t wake the device from sleep.

According to www.laptopmag.com, the touchpad is soft and comfortable to use. www.slashgear.com finds Trackpad and TrackPoint performance are excellent. The tester from www.windowscentral.com says, “A large Precision touchpad resides just below the physical buttons; its mylar surface slides and tracks well and I appreciate the size, but I often found that there was some lag between my input and my cursor.”.

The ThinkPad Pen Pro stylus is included for use with the touch screen. It supports up to 4,096 levels of pressure sensitivity. According to www.laptopmag.com the stylus accurately tracks and pressure even changed the thickness of the ink. The stylus features two clickers with completely customizable functionality. In www.slashgear.com’s opinion the stylus performance is great, but lack of friction makes long-form handwriting difficult. uk.pcmag.com thinks the pen's tracery on the screen yields a slick and glassy, rather than paper-like, feel.

Display

The 13-inch IPS display features 3K resolution (3,000 x 2,000 pixels) and a 3:2 aspect ratio. According to www.neowin.net, it supports HDR. www.laptopmag.com reports that the panel covers 118 percent of the sRGB color gamut and beats their 113 percent premium laptop average. They measured a brightness of 415 cd/m². In www.windowscentral.com’s color accuracy tests the display achieved 99 percent of sRGB and 75 percent of AdobeRGB. They were able to use the glossy display outdoors thanks to its high brightness.

Hardware and Performance

The ThinkPad X1 Tablet comes with up to an 8th generation Intel Core i7 vPro or Intel Core i7 and 8 or 16 GB LPDDR3 1,866 MHz RAM. In all variants the integrated Intel HD 620 is responsible for graphics. The laptop’s M.2 PCIe NVMe SSD is OPAL 2.0-capable. It has a capacity of either 256 GB, 512 GB, or 1 TB. Thanks to the U-series processors, performance improved when compared to the 2nd generation of the ThinkPad X1 Tablets, which used Y-series processors.

www.laptopmag.com tested a model with 8th Gen Intel Core i5-8250U processor, 8 GB of RAM, a 512 GB SSD and an Intel UHD 620 graphics card. In their tests, it achieved a score of 1123 in 3DMark Fire Strike and 12,772 in Geekbench 4 overall performance test. www.slashgear.com’s review unit featured an 8th-gen Intel Core i7-8650U processor and 16 GB of RAM. They summarize, “Performance is snappy and without issues. Multitasking, including streaming videos and music, editing images, keeping 12+ browser tabs open, and running multiple applications presented no issues.”. In uk.pcmag.com’s PCMark 8 office productivity benchmark their test unit (Core i5-8250U, 8 GB of RAM 256 GB SSD) achieved 2,873 points. www.goodgearguide.com.au got 2,774 points in PCMark 8 Work 2.0 (native resolution), 3,423 points in PCMark 10, 2920 points in PCMark 8 Home 3.0 (native resolution), 3261 points in PCMark 8 Creative 3.0 (native resolution), and 457 points in Cinebench R15 Image Processing (All Threads) for a model with Core i5-8250U. www.neowin.net tested a Core i7-8650U model, which achieved 2847 points in PCMark 8 Home, 3522 points in PCMark 8 Creative, and 3301 points in PCMark 8 Work.

All things considered, this device has been made for productivity. It is not suitable for graphic intensive tasks such as demanding gaming.

Battery Life

Lenovo claims that the integrated Li-ion battery with a capacity of 42 Wh reaches a battery life of up to 9.5 hours. www.laptopmag.com (Core i5-8250U model) reports a measly 5 hours and 59 minutes in their web surf test at 150 cd/m². www.windowscentral.com agrees that the battery is a bit of a letdown. In contrast, www.slashgear.com (Core i7-8650U model) finds battery life is decent at 8 to 9 hours, depending on the use. In uk.pcmag.com’s battery runtime test their test model (Core i5-8250U) lasted 8 hours and 49 minutes hours. They recommend a Surface Pro if unplugged life is your top priority. www.onmsft.com has seen 4 to 6 hours of daily battery life for their web browsing and other usage (Core i7-8650 U model) and report that some users got about the same real-world timing on the Surface Pro.

Temperature and System Noise

www.laptopmag.com measured 101 degrees Fahrenheit (~ 38 degrees Celsius) at the back of the tablet and 96 degrees Fahrenheit (~ 36 degrees Celsius) at the front of the screen. Both measurement values exceed their 95 degree Fahrenheit (~ 35 degrees Celsius) comfort threshold. www.windowscentral.com evaluates, “It gets warm, but not warm enough that you have to think twice about handling it as a tablet.”. www.goodgearguide.com.au used Intel’s Extreme Tuning Utility and discovered that the ThinkPad X1 Tablet doesn’t throttle itself to adhere to thermal limits, but artificially limits performance to meet its own power threshold. In www.windowscentral.com’s opinion the fan is noticeable in a quiet room, but they were surprised with how smoothly it runs.

Sound

www.laptopmag.com thinks that the X1 Tablet sounds accurate, yet is annoyingly quiet, and tinny. uk.pcmag.com finds, “The sound is pretty good, but the maximum volume level is weak, and driving percussion sounds anything but; it's faint and flat.”.

Summary

The durable ThinkPad X1 Tablet (3rd Gen) features solid performance, a bright and vivid display, a great keyboard and stylus, and impressive webcams. Many online magazines complain about its battery life, pen slot, and sound.

Lenovo sells the ThinkPad X1 Tablet (3rd Gen) from $1,269.00 in the US and from € 1,646.43 in Austria. For this price you will get an Intel Core i5-8250U, 8 GB of RAM, and a 256 GB SSD. They charge from $2,132.10 / € 2,261.62 for variants with Core i7-8650U processor.

Competitors are the Dell Latitude 7390 2-in-1 (thicker, heavier, higher sRGB coverage, darker display, better battery life), the Samsung Notebook 9 Pen (lighter, thicker, higher sRGB coverage, darker display) and the Microsoft Surface Pro (lighter, higher sRGB coverage). www.goodgearguide.com.au thinks that among pro-level tablets HP’s latest Spectre x2 and the cheaper Samsung Galaxy Book are worth a look, too.

Sources

• www.lenovo.com/us/en/tablets/windows-tablets/thinkpad-tablet-series/ThinkPad-X1-Tablet-3rd-Gen/p/22TP2CP0113
• www.lenovo.com/at/de/tablets/windows-tablets/thinkpad-series/ThinkPad-X1-Tablet-3rd-Gen/p/22TP2CP0113
• www.laptopmag.com/reviews/laptops/lenovo-thinkpad-x1-tablet
• www.anandtech.com/show/12253/lenovo-reengineers-thinkpad-x1-tablet
• www.slashgear.com/review-lenovo-thinkpad-x1-tablet-3rd-gen-09536953/
• www.windowscentral.com/lenovo-thinkpad-x1-tablet-3rd-gen-review
• uk.pcmag.com/lenovo-thinkpad-x1-tablet-3rd-gen/116457/review/lenovo-thinkpad-x1-tablet-3rd-gen
• www.goodgearguide.com.au/article/643535/lenovo-thinkpad-x1-tablet-review-smart-upgrades-make-worthy-pricey-choice/
• www.pcworld.com/article/3283644/tablet-pc/lenovo-thinkpad-x1-tablet-review-smart-upgrades-make-this-a-worthy-pricey-choice.html
• www.neowin.net/news/lenovo-thinkpad-x1-tablet-review-its-way-better-than-a-surface-pro
• www.zdnet.com/product/lenovo-thinkpad-x1-tablet-2018/
• www.onmsft.com/news/lenovo-thinkpad-x1-tablet-3rd-gen-dont-buy-a-surface-pro-buy-this-instead
• www.afr.com/technology/thinkpad-x1-tablet-review-lenovo-seems-to-have-listened-to-our-wishlist-20180428-h0zdvp

Intel UHD Graphics 620: Integrated GPU (GT2, 24 EUs) found on some Kaby-Lake-Refresh CPU models (15 W ULV series). Technically identical to the previous Kaby-Lake GPU called HD Graphics 620.

Modern games should be playable with these graphics cards at low settings and resolutions. Casual gamers may be happy with these cards.

» Further information can be found in our Comparison of Mobile Graphics Cards and the corresponding Benchmark List.

i5-8550U: Kaby-Lake-Refresh based low power quad-core processor. The four cores are clocked between 1.8 and 4 GHz (Turbo Boost) and support HyperThreading. The integrated GPU is clocked between 300 and 1,150 MHz. The SoC is manufactured in a 14nm+ FinFET process.» Further information can be found in our Comparison of Mobile Processsors.

13.00":

This range of display format is largely the upper limit for tablets and the lower limit for subnotebooks.

The advantage of subnotebooks is that the entire laptop can be small in size and therefore easily portable. The tiny display has the added advantage of requiring little power, which further improves battery life and thus mobility. The disadvantage is that reading texts is exhausting for the eyes. High resolutions, which one is used to from a standard laptop, are almost not usable.

The same applies to tablets in this size range.

Lenovo: Lenovo ("Le" from English legend, novo (Latin) for new) was founded in 1984 as a Chinese computer trading company. As of 2004, the company was the largest laptop manufacturer in China and, after acquiring IBM's PC division in 2005, the fourth largest in the world. In addition to desktops and notebooks, the company manufactures monitors, projectors, servers, etc, and specializes in developing, manufacturing and marketing consumer electronics, personal computers, software, enterprise solutions and related services.

In 2016, the company ranked first in the world in computer sales. It still held it in 2023 with about 23% global market share. Important product lines are Thinkpad, Legion and Ideapad.

In 2011, it acquired a majority stake in Medion AG, a European computer hardware manufacturer. In 2014, Motorola Mobility was purchased, which gave Lenovo a boost in the smartphone market.

87.75%: This is an above-average rating. Nevertheless, it should not be forgotten that about one fifth of all tested models receive a better rating.

» Further information can be found in our Notebook Purchase Guide.

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