Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga Gen 7 review: A great 2-in-1 for business pros

Price When Reviewed

$1,938.60

Best Prices Today: Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga Gen 7 (2022)

Lenovo’s Thinkpad X1 Yoga is now a veteran of the Windows 2-in-1 market. It has outlived opponents just like the Microsoft Surface Studio and Dell XPS 13 2-in-1 to grow to be one of many final flagship 2-in-1s with a 360-degree hinge. Lenovo appears conscious of its distinctive place and is prepared to cost for it. While we actually favored the keyboard and audio system, efficiency is common at finest. Read on to be taught extra.

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga Gen 7 specs and options

The Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga Gen 7 I acquired was a comparatively fundamental variant with mid-tier processor, RAM, and strong state drive choices. It additionally outfitted a 1920×1200 IPS touchscreen as a substitute of the OLED possibility. Still, even this mannequin has forward-looking options like two Thunderbolt 4 ports and Wi-Fi 6E, the most recent wi-fi normal.

• CPU: Intel Core i7-1260P
• Memory: 16GB
• Graphics/GPU: Intel iris Xe
• Display: 1920 x 1200 IPS touchscreen
• Storage: 512GB SSD
• Webcam: 1080p
• Connectivity: 2x Thunderbolt 4, 2x USB-A 3.2 Gen 1, Headphone/Microphone, HDMI 2.0
• Networking: Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.2
• Biometrics: Fingerprint reader in energy button
• Battery capability: 57 watt-hours
• Dimensions: 12.38 x 8.75 x .61 inches
• Weight: 3.04 kilos
• MSRP: $1,938.60

Then once more, this mid-tier mannequin is fairly costly. This X1 Yoga I examined rang up at just below $2,000. The Lenovo X1 Yoga Gen 7 is priced larger than the Apple MacBook Air, MacBook Pro 13, Dell XPS 13 Plus, and the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio, amongst many others. Can it justify the premium? 

Design and construct high quality

Lenovo’s ThinkPad X1 household takes the “if it’s broke, don’t fix it” method to design. That’s not an effective way to seize headlines, however it’s onerous to search out fault with the X1 Yoga’s look, really feel, or operate. 

The X1 Yoga is a good-looking {and professional} 2-in-1 with a slim, minimalist exterior. Those who’ve been away from ThinkPads for just a few years could also be shocked it has a silver aluminum chassis as a substitute of the basic black magnesium alloy of older fashions. The newer aluminum design is extra generic but additionally extra luxurious. That’s essential given the X1 Yoga’s excessive pricing. 

Though designed as a 2-in-1 with a 360-degree hinge and touchscreen, laptop computer use is the clear precedence. The X1 Yoga weighs about three kilos and is six-tenths of an inch thick, which implies it’s no lighter or thinner than conventional laptop computer options just like the Dell XPS 13 or MacBook Air. The X1 Yoga additionally packs a big 14-inch display with a 16:10 facet ratio. This makes for a cushty typing expertise, however the machine is just too heavy for comfy pill use. 

Still, the touchscreen offers some versatility. Using the keyboard as a stand makes the touchscreen extra accessible in tight areas. It’s additionally handy when watching films or YouTube. The touchscreen helps stylus use and, in contrast to most opponents, the X1 Yoga has a conveyable stylus that tucks safely contained in the machine. 

Keyboard and trackpad

IDG / Matthew Smith

The X1 Yoga’s keyboard is implausible. It has a spacious format with ample room between keys each vertically and horizontally and, regardless of the 2-in-1’s skinny profile, the important thing really feel is spacious with a agency and responsive bottoming motion. Most premium laptops and 2-in-1 strains, together with Apple’s MacBook Air and Dell XPS 13, even have nice keyboards, however the X1 Yoga stays on the entrance of the pack.

Lenovo stuffs in just a few keys that some 2-in-1s ditch, akin to the house, finish, and insert keys, in addition to the web page up and web page down keys. This isn’t a giant deal for most individuals however those that want them will respect their inclusion.

Keyboard backlighting is normal on all X1 Yoga fashions. There’s solely two ranges of backlight brightness, nevertheless, and a good quantity of sunshine leaks across the edges of every key. Though not a useful drawback, it’s underwhelming for a premium 2-in-1.

The basic Lenovo TrackPoint nub sits in the course of the keyboard. I’m a fan of the TrackPoint, which I discover faster and extra responsive than a touchpad, however there’s nothing right here to vary the minds of those that don’t prefer it. 

The touchpad is responsive and has a easy, nice floor, however it’s a bit small due to three bodily, clicky touchpad buttons on the prime of the touchpad. These buttons can be utilized with both the TrackPoint or touchpad. This, just like the TrackPoint, units the X1 Yoga other than its opponents. Physical touchpad buttons are practically extinct on competing gadgets.

Display, audio

IDG / Matthew Smith

Lenovo ships the X1 Yoga with as much as a 3,480 x 2,400 OLED show, however was daring sufficient to ship me the inexpensive 1,920 x 1,200 IPS show as a substitute. I respect this – the OLED show is great, I’m certain, however it’s not what most individuals will purchase.

The fundamental show nonetheless holds up properly, with good distinction, excessive brightness, and vivid, correct shade. Like most IPS screens, the show is finest when viewing punchy, saturated, shiny content material, akin to 3D esports video games or animated reveals. The show can’t attain a deep and convincing black degree however truly does higher than most, hitting a distinction ratio of 1690:1. 

The 1,920 x 1,200 decision doesn’t appear spectacular on paper however nonetheless packs over 161 pixels per inch. That’s practically equivalent to a 27-inch 4K monitor, which crams 163 pixels per inch. Sharpness is great throughout films, net pages, and paperwork. 

And, as a result of it is a 16:10 show, there’s additional show house when in comparison with a 16:9 different. It’s not a lot of a bonus, as opponents have additionally moved to a 16:10 show. Still, the added house is helpful when working with two home windows side-by-side. 

Though it might look skilled, the X1 Yoga can rock out. It has a four-speaker sound system with Dolby Atmos certification. The Atmos branding is fluff (I’ve heard Atmos residence theater sound programs, and this ain’t it), however audio high quality is robust with clear dialogue, good sound staging, and a touch of kick to the low finish. It’s a very good effort and, whereas not as crisp or deep as Apple’s MacBook Pro 14 or Microsoft’s Surface Laptop Studio, it’s spectacular.

Webcam, microphone, biometrics

A 1080p digicam might be discovered above the display of each ThinkPad X1 Yoga, with an improve to IR cameras with pc imaginative and prescient out there. 

My mannequin had the bottom digicam and, to my shock, it was good. The digicam dealt with modest lighting properly and was in a position to regulate publicity to maintain my face properly lit in a room with blended mild sources. Color replica and sharpness had been strong, as properly.

The X1 Yoga additionally has a powerful quad-microphone array. It picked up my voice at a usable degree from a wide range of angles and, due to its quantity, I didn’t have to boost my voice for others to listen to. Audio high quality continues to be a bit tinny, as true of most laptop computer microphones, however it’s a strong effort general. 

A fingerprint reader is hidden within the energy X1 Yoga’s energy button, situated simply above the keyboard. It works properly although, like most fingerprint readers I’ve tried on Windows laptops, it misfires too usually. The elective IR digicam improve permits Windows Hello facial recognition login, which is faster and extra dependable.

Connectivity

IDG / Matthew Smith

The ThinkPad X1 Yoga’s connectivity has one thing for everybody. 

A pair of Thunderbolt 4 ports provide robust help for contemporary gadgets. They can be utilized to cost the laptop computer or join exterior shows. This is paired with two USB-A Gen 3.2 ports for older wired gadgets and an HDMI output for connecting to exterior shows with out an adapter. A 3.5mm combo audio jack rounds out the bodily ports. 

Wireless connectivity is simply as strong, providing help for the latest Wi-Fi 6E standard. This can attain speeds equal to and above wired Ethernet in superb conditions, which helps excuse the X1 Yoga’s lack of an Ethernet port. You’ll want a Wi-Fi 6E router to unlock this potential. Bluetooth 5.2 is supported, as properly.

Those who want actually cellular connectivity can improve to 4G or 5G modem, although my overview unit didn’t provide this. These upgrades will enable Internet use wherever your service supplier presents cellular information. You pay for the privilege, although: the 4G modem is sort of $200, and the 5G modem is nearly $300.

Performance

Intel’s Core i7-1260P processor powered my ThinkPad X1 Yoga overview unit. It’s a twelve-core processor with 4 efficiency cores, eight efficiency cores, and a most turbo frequency of 4.4GHz. My overview unit paired the i7-1260P with 16GB of soldered LPDDR5 RAM and 512GB of strong state PCIe storage. 

IDG / Matthew Smith

Our first check, PCMark 10, evaluates complete system efficiency with a heavy lean in direction of the processor. It achieved a good however not excellent rating of 5,118. 

This rating is a tad behind the Lenovo Yoga 9i, which was examined with the identical Intel Core i7-1260P processor, and considerably behind a number of AMD Ryzen 7 5000 and Ryzen 7 6000 sequence processors which might be standard in competing machines. 

IDG / Matthew Smith

We subsequent dig into Cinebench R15, a closely multithreaded benchmark that gives the Core i7-1260P to point out off. It reaches a rating of 1,425, which is spectacular, although maybe inferior to I’d anticipate from this processor. This benchmark suggests the X1 Yoga shouldn’t be the quickest platform for this chip.

IDG / Matthew Smith

That was confirmed by the strenuous Handbrake benchmark, which throws a heavy-lift encode of Tears of Steel straight on the processor’s face. A check this lengthy strains the thermal capabilities of a laptop computer and, arguably, the X1 Yoga flinches, requiring over an hour and twenty minutes to finish the duty.

There’s two methods to method this outcome. This continues to be an enormous improve from the Intel 11th-Gen Core processors that had been out there within the prior mannequin. So, should you’re upgrading from an older machine, it’s a win. But this outcome falls properly behind the Lenovo Yoga 9i, which suggests the X1 Yoga is reaching a thermal restrict over longer workloads. 

IDG / Matthew Smith

3DMark Time Spy involves a rating of 1,393. Continuing the X1 Yoga’s theme, it is a good outcome in comparison with older laptops however not spectacular in 2022. The X1 Yoga shall be defeated by some options with Intel Iris Xe and likewise lose to laptops with AMD’s new Radeon 680M graphics, which is present in some Ryzen 6000 mobile processors.

IDG / Matthew Smith

The Shadow of the Tomb Raider benchmark reached a median of 15 frames per second at 1080p decision and Highest element. That’s a good outcome for built-in graphics, although definitely nonetheless properly behind most discrete graphics options. Older 3D video games are playable however solely at medium to low element settings.

It’s no shock to see small gaming laptops are a lot faster – although this comparability shouldn’t be completely unusual, because the X1 FYoga’s pricing is in league with an Alienware x14 or ASUS ROG Zephyrus G14. 

On steadiness, it appears the ThinkPad X1 Yoga Gen 7 prioritizes portability and decrease fan speeds over efficiency. The laptop computer shouldn’t be significantly loud and, as I’ll talk about in a second, presents good endurance. Performance, however, is modest for this class of processor. 

The X1 Yoga can simply deal with day-to-day duties simply and also will chew via many heavier workloads, like typical picture enhancing or programming, with out concern. It’s lackluster for gaming, nevertheless, and isn’t your best option for video enhancing and encoding, 3D rendering, and different extraordinarily intensive duties. 

Battery life

The Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga had a 57 watt-hour battery. That’s not large for a 2-in-1 in its phase, however it nonetheless seems a powerful results of 10 hours and 57 minutes. That’s significantly better than most laptops we’ve not too long ago examined.

There’s just a few causes for this: the 1920×1200 IPS show and the laptop computer’s considerably modest {hardware}. The lack of OLED, discrete graphics, or a top-tier cellular processor assist the 2-in-1 wring respectable endurance from every watt-hour.

Solid battery life is nice for portability, which is additional enhanced by the laptop computer’s Thunderbolt 4 ports and its skinny profile. The included energy adapter isn’t giant and smaller third-party adapters can be found, so packing each laptop computer and adapter isn’t a problem. Small

Conclusion

I just like the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga Gen 7. Lots. I’ve personally bought ThinkPads for many of my life, and the X1 Yoga Gen 7 underscores the explanations for my choice. It has a good-looking, sturdy exterior, a fantastic keyboard, presents the distinctive TrackPoint affect, and delivers on connectivity and battery life. It’s nice for working lengthy hours but moveable sufficient for journey. 

But the X1 Yoga, like many ThinkPads, comes with baggage: the value. The X1 Yoga Gen 7 begins a bit north of $1,500 and might simply breach $3,000. This isn’t simply Lenovo’s pricing, both. The X1 Yoga is pricey at retailers like Amazon and Best Buy. I may excuse this if the X1 Yoga proved particularly fast, however it’s slower general than the inexpensive (but nonetheless premium) Lenovo Yoga 9i. 

The X1 Yoga can be costlier than the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio which, although now a technology behind on processor efficiency, offers a extra compelling 2-in-1 expertise. 

Lenovo’s premium ThinkPads goal very particular prospects with a willingness to pay for precisely what they need. If that’s you (or your boss is prepared to foot the invoice), superior. But most individuals can be higher off shopping for the Yoga 9i and pocketing the financial savings.