Lenovo's best laptop always has an intel or AMD, but in the first, there is now a new thinkpad run by Snapdragon 8CX General 3 compute platform of Qualcomm.
More especially, it is the thinkpad X13s, an ARM-powered device that is opposite to a regular thinkpad in more than one way. Always, with always, with associated performances and promising a spectacular durable design, this Lenovo laptop seems to be different from the previous windows on ARM devices, and after trying one of the mobile World Congress ahead of the mobile world Congress, it dare to take Apple's M1 MacBook in the scope of business.
Glasses
| Lenovo Thinkpad X13s | |
| Dimensions | 11.76 x 8.13 x 0.53 inch |
| weight | 2.35 pounds |
| Processor | Snapdragon 8cx gene 3 |
| Graphics | Adreno gPU |
| Collide | Up to 32GB LPDDR4 |
| Display | 13.3 inch Wuxga (1920 x 1200), at 16:10 aspect ratio |
| storage | Up to 1TB pcie ssd |
| touch | Some models included |
| Ports | 2 USB-C 3.2 General 2, Audio Jack, SIM Card Train |
| Wireless | Wi-Fi 6 and 6e, 5G sub 6 ESIM, 5G mmwave ESIM |
| Webcam | 5MP Windows Hello Webcam |
| Operating system | Windows 11 Pro |
| Battery | 49.5 WH Lee-ion polymer, video playback up to 28 hours. |
| Price, availability | $ 1,099, May 2022 |
design
On the outside, the thinkpad X13s looks like a standard Lenovo business laptop that may be at first glance. It sports a “Thunder Black” color, but things change when you run your hands on the side. There, you will not find any ventilation fan, which is a signature feature of ARM-operated Windows devices in this way.
The corners of the equipment are also rounded, making the laptop comfortable to hold and hold with one hand – it is important because it is something when used when used. Nevertheless, Lenovo is thinking about stability, which in principle, makes this design a little different.
If you are eager, without fans, the laptop is still thin and light, at around 11.76 from 8.13 to 0.53 inches and 2.35 pounds, but the Lenovo is not using regular materials to keep the profile slim. Thinkpad X13S is designed from 90% recycled magnesium on the top and bottom cover and is also made with low -temperature mixing.
In other places, 97% post-consumer content recycled plastic is used on the speaker attachment, 30% of the same material in the battery and 30% in wall adapters again. All this helps reduce emissions and helps the world to make a greenery place for all.
It is a good environmental change from Apple's M1 MacBook, where only the attachment is made up of 100% recycled aluminum. In Windows Space, it reminds me of HP's dragonfly laptop, which is made from 80% recycled materials in its mechanical parts.
All those who do not have any sacrifice for durability. Pushing on the keyboard did not cause chassis to bend, and there is no flax in the lid. This should not be surprising, as the thinkpad X13s MIL-SPEC is 810H which has been tested with 12 methods, 26 processes and 200 additional quality checks.
Display
16:10 Slim-Bezel display is getting more common in laptop these days, and I was happy to see one on Thinkpad X13S. (1920 x 1200) tuned for Wuxga resolution, this laptop is one that will allow you to get your multitasking correctly.
In my time with the device, I pulled Microsoft Edge and stack Windows on the side. I found a single scene of web pages, in which thanks to the wide 16:10 ratio with the more room to scroll. I also drawn nature videos on YouTube, and when the thinkpad was in straight sun, the performance was clear and crisp. I clearly gave all the details in a video showing the Italian landscape.
The glow of 300 knots of shine on the panel may be very low for some people, and away from the glow of the MacBook. But for basic web browsing and office work, it can be enough to do the work, without washing out.
Keyboard and trackpad
There is no surprise, Thinkpad X13s plays a wonderful keyboard and trackpad. If you have ever used a thinkpad before, you know this deal. The keys have a wonderful journey distance and the reaction is good and smooth as soon as it is pushed into the chassis. The trackpad, meanwhile, is smooth in the form of butter, scrolling and gliding through web pages does an easy task.
Even you will find Lenovo's signature trackpoints, which can help you move your mouse more accurately than the thinkpad trackpad below. For entertainment, I ran a typing test and I found around 87 words per minute, which is above my average of about 80 wpm.
Port and connectivity
Apple's new 2021 M1 MACBooks bring back to HDMI port, but in windows at hand, things are different. Many laptop manufacturers are clinging to the USB-C to keep the devices thin and light, and, this is the same that is happening with ThinkPad X13S. But there are some additional connectivity benefits that you will not find on M1 MacBook.
On the thinkpad X13s, you will find 2 USB-C 3.2 General 2 ports, an audio jack, as well as a SIM card tray. In addition, there is native support for 5G-competent sub-6 and 5G mmwave connectivity, which is absent on Apple's M1-operated Macbook.
It was not available for me to test, but Lenovo says that the device can switch 5G mmwave, 4G LTE, or Sub6 wireless WAN for “Lightning-fast, highly safe, on-go connectivity”. “This is the first 5G thechpad, even though it is away from the first 5G Windows laptop.
There have been other people like HP Elite Dragonfly G2 or Lenovo Flex 5G. 5G and LTE laptops always provide associated benefits, especially when away from Wi-Fi, as I have spoken before, and this thinkpad is no different.
Webcam
Another unique feature of Thinkpad X13S is the communication bar at the top of the device. It plays three far-areas 360-degree microphone and a 5-megapixel web camera. When I turned on that webcam, I was happy to see the quality. I made fine threads in my facade, as well as the color of the background of the couch that I was sitting.
Lenovo also says that it worked with Qualcomm and Microsoft to enable certain special communication features on this thinkpad. I did not get to try this, however. On the calls of teams, there is an AI-based auto framing to keep you in the frame. Intelligent noise repression is also available during the video conference call to mutiure the background noise on both ends of the call.
Even there is a clean trick, where the thinkpad can understand the human appearance by automatically closed or demolishing the display when the user is away. Other characteristics include asana and screen-time awareness, as well as vision-health information. All this is thanks to the computer vision processor of Snapdragon 8CX General 3.
Performance and battery life
In the past, we have disliked laptops and tablets with a decrease performance with a Qualcomm processor and app-meolution issues. Microsoft has improved with a 64-bit app-mulation in Windows 11 on ARM devices, however, and Qualcomm's new Snapdragon 8CX has promised big performance benefits. All this adds to the thinkpad X13s Apple M1 capacity in terms of performance.
The first leaked benchmark has shown that Snapdragon 8CX is good as a U-series Intel 12th generation 25-wat processor. It is no wonder that Lenovo promises that system-level performance on this device could be increased by 57% and multi-tasking may be up to 85% faster.
After trying the thinkpad X13s, in which it is very chip, I can't help, but I think I got a glimpse of that performance. Of course, I was not able to run the benchmark, but I was able to maintain the chip for the web browsing.
The mixture of office apps such as Microsoft Edge Tabs, Word and PowerPoint, and other system apps ran smoothly on all devices. I opened the task manager to investigate, and the CPU use of the system was barely 5% in my unscientific tests. Even keeping the device out of sleep and sleeping was smooth with butter, and I was able to immediately jump back into action.
Many Microsoft apps are now adapted to ARM processors, and Lenovo tells me that the Azure program of Microsoft ensures indigenous compatibility and unchanged experience for business-intelligent applications on this device. Microsoft also built a plutton security chip for this thinkpad and placed it in a Qualcomm Secure Processing Unit. This safety chip allows user identification, chip-to-cloud protection of data and applications.
As far as battery life is concerned, Lenovo is promising 28 hours of video playback. We are eager to test that claim, but have found that the average battery is not far from life intel machines. It is unscientific, but the system I tested was 100% when I removed it from the charger and went down to about 95% only after 45 minutes.
Price and availability
Thinkpad X13s will be available from May 2022, which will start from $ 1,099. In the US, Thinkpad X13s will be available at AT & T, and later on Verizon in 2022. More specific availability and pricing will be shared later.