There were plenty of new laptops on show during #CES2021 and one of the most eye-catching & important, for me anyway, is the new Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Titanium Yoga.
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Titanium Yoga
There’s no denying it, I have a huge soft spot for ThinkPad laptops. They’ve cornered and ruled the business notebook market for years and they’re almost always exceptionally well built and reliable machines…. perfect for business travel.
But times are changing.
How we work, connect and create on these devices is no longer restricted to a certain OS or corporate buying policy. Many places now offer BYOD (Bring your own Device) and, before COVID, PC notebook manufacturers were keeping a watch on the rising threat of Apple in the workplace.
Step forward the new M1 MacBook Pro. A lightweight, slimline powerhouse of a notebook which is great for travelling with and drawing rave reviews across the tech industry from those who are already using it for work on a daily basis.
Now, many IT departments are not going to have the budget for a splurge on a few thousand MacBooks, but with the 13″ M1 models cheaper than the X1 Titanium, Lenovo will need to be delivering a far superior machine.
Features
As the name suggests this new X1 Yoga ThinkPad is made from Titanium on the top cover and mixed with magnesium and carbon on the base, giving Lenovo a laptop weighing just 1.15kg! For comparison, the new 13″ M1 MacBook Air is 1.29kg.
This new titanium material takes away the understated black finish synonymous with ThinkPad and delivers a more modern brushed titanium effect.
Another break from current designs is the new bigger 3:2 Ratio screen. Until recently many brands have been using the 16:9 displays which are better suited to watching movies. This taller display allows for better use of the space available.
Productivity on the Go
You can almost visualize the list which the Lenovo design team had when building the new ThinkPad X1 Titanium YOGA.
Super light and slim.
Check.
Large screen to increase productivity.
Check.
Fast & reliable connection speeds, maybe 5G?
Check.
Tablet/Laptop modes.
Check.
This is destined to be a benchmark on business travel laptops, if it can deliver and justify the price tag!
As a YOGA model, the Titanium X1 has hinges that enable it to transform from a notebook into a tablet running a full weight Windows 10 Pro OS. If you prefer you can fix it somewhere in between and it forms an ‘A’ frame for itself.
At launch, there will be 3 models with the top version running an 11th Generation Intel® Core™ i7 processor. All three are Intel Evo certified, which means Intel agrees with the battery life and performance of the X1 Titanium.
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3:2 Ratio Display
For a time, many laptops have come with a 16:9 ratio displays, which has long been the preferred ratio for consuming movies and media, both of which you can do on the X1 Titanium, but Lenovo made this YOGA laptop for productivity.
With a taller, squarer, 2k touchscreen 13.5″ display this ThinkPad will give users more space to have multiple apps open and in use at any one time. The display has Dolby Vision® HDR support and boasts a brightness of 450-nits.
It’s also worth noting the thinner bezel around the display. Usually, Lenovo likes a big plastic bezel which allows for different sized displays to be fitted as optional upgrades.
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A 720p HD IR Cam is sat above the display and has a built-in webcam privacy shutter. The IR Cam also offers facial recognition for touch-less login and additional security features for when it is in use on video calls.
Tablet Mode
Many people still travel with both laptop and a tablet and the YOGA range of Lenovo notebooks negates this problem. The X1 Titanium YOGA will fold down into, albeit, a rather large 13.5″ tablet and maintain the full function of the Windows OS.
Lenovo are including (for the US market at least) its Precision Pen as standard. I’ve used the pen on Lenovo devices before and those experiences were always positive, with great control and responsiveness on the screen. I’d expect the same to be true here.
And, to continue with the high-end spec’s, Lenovo has made the ThinkPad X1 Titanium Yoga 5G ready! You’ll need your own sim and data plan though.
Due to the thickness though, there is little room for many ports, something many ThinkPads are often blessed with. The X1 Titanium comes with just 2 x Thunderbolt (USB-C) ports and a headphone socket.
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Titanium YOGA Specifications
| X1 Titanium YOGA (3 models at launch) | |
| Dimensions | 11.5 x 297.5 x 232.7mm |
| Weight | 1.15kg |
| Display | 13.5″ QHD (2256 x 1504) touchscreen with Dolby Vision™ |
| Processor | 11th Generation Intel® Core™ i5 up to 4.00GHz 11th Generation Intel® Core™ i5 up to 4.20GHz 11th Generation Intel® Core™ i7 up to 4.40 GHz |
| Memory | 8GB 16GB 16GB |
| Storage | 256GB 512GB 1TB |
| Operating System | Windows 10 Pro 64 |
| Graphics Card | Integrated Intel® Iris® Xe Graphics |
| Connectivity | Wi-Fi 6 Bluetooth 5.1 5G/4G LTE (optional with SIM card) |
| Camera | 720p HD w/ Infrared |
| Security | Fingerprint Scanner Webcam Privacy Shutter Human-presence detection with Windows Hello & IR camera |
| Ports | 2x USB-C Intel® Thunderbolt™ 4 3.5mm Audio Sim Card Slot |
| Battery | Up to 11.7 hours |
| In the Box | 65W AC Adapter Lenovo Precision Pen Quick Start Guide |
Pricing
All of this goodness comes at a price! At the CES launch, the starting price was suggested to be around $1,899. However, as all three models are now available on lenovo.com the Lenovo X1 Titanium YOGA starts at $2,909!!
*EDIT: Since this article was published Lenovo has released the X1 Titanium YOGA in more markets and has revised the original launch price.
North America prices start from $1,890
United Kingdom prices start from £1,669
Europe prices start from €1,699
Tom Says…
On paper, there is so much to like about the new Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Titanium Yoga. The display looks great, there is undoubtedly plenty of power and performance to keep you connected for a full day. But I do have two concerns!
With thinness often comes workarounds for the keyboard. ThinkPads are renowned for having market-leading keyboards and I’m not sure if regular users will get the same typing experience that is used to on the X1 Titanium. Then, there’s the price!
At the time of writing, I’m only seeing the X1 available to buy in the US. When Lenovo announced its launch around 3 weeks ago at the start of CES we were given a starting price of $1,899. That’s some jump up to $2,909.
As a comparison, the world-first Foldable display Laptop, the X1 Fold from Lenovo, is retailing at $2,499 and is packed full of new engineering firsts.
