Lenovo X1 Fold 2nd gen (2022)

“Slated” for release in November 2022, Lenovo has announced its new foldable PC, the X1 Fold 16".

The screen size increased (haha, “crease”) from the original 13.3" to a 4:3 aspect ratio 16" screen, so when folded it has two 12" 3:2 aspect ratio screens. When used with the keyboard laid flat on the lower half, that means you’d probably still have a good laptop experience. This PCMag hands-on video is worth a watch to get a sense of the various modes.

It’s 25% thinner than the previous model, and it got a notable spec bump: the new max specs are a 13W 12th Gen U9-series i7 CPU, 32GB of LPDDR5 RAM, and a 1TB PCIe 4.0 SSD. It features USB-C with Thunderbolt 4, a nano-SIM slot, Wi-Fi 6E, and optional 5G.

Battery is 48Wh, with room for an optional 16Wh built in battery (there’s an actual internal slot for that).

The stand+keyboard combo are sold separately. Weight is 2.82 lbs for the screen, and 1.37 for the keyboard and stand, for a total of 4.19 lbs, not bad for a 16" “laptop”.

Lenovo claims it’s even user repairable. It can be opened up to swap the SSD for example, although that process involves a heat gun. :scream:

Available November 2022 starting at $2500 without keyboard.


Photo by PCMag

Ars techica hands-on report:

2 Likes

Oooh. :drooling_face::woozy_face::star_struck:

1 Like

Wonder how seriously it will be discounted out of the box?

Interesting, PCmag writesIt comes standard with one battery, but you can pay to add a second at time of purchase, as well. Lenovo left a bay open for that second cell, as you can see…” I don’t really see it tbh, but I’ll take their word for it. I wonder how much that will increase the weight and the battery life.

1 Like

I just had a flashback to the early tablet PC days. Second batteries were almost required in a work scenario. You could snap them in and out like modules. I think Motion Computing even had a 2 battery charging accessory that looked like a toaster - pay for three batteries, and you could go round the clock.

image

4 Likes

They point out a downside at Notebookcheck: for gen 2 the kickstand is gone, replaced by a separate stand that adds weight, hassle, and the potential of being left behind. On the plus side it allows portrait orientation*.

*- a term I prefer 1000% better than “posture”. :face_vomiting:

2 Likes

Yeah that’s too bad. It means if you travel with the tablet alone, you have no way to prop it up. So you either hold the entire 2.82 lbs device in your hands (that’s a hefty magazine…) or you fold it and use it in laptop posture mode. Not great, still a pretty cool device though.

2 Likes

I was eagerly waiting for the upcoming Asus Fold, but with this one apparently supporting a stylus, it could be an even better contender.
Wonder what type of digitizer is being used…

2 Likes

If the pen tech was good enough, this would be really tempting. I would happily get out of the Apple ecosystem. I think I would be most concerned with the flexible screen though, I tend to press down pretty hard when I’m drawing. But dang, that’s a nice screen size for art, and not bad size to treat as a laptop either. Also, unfolded I’d really like that as a second screen instead of my MBP that I currently use as my secondary monitor.

I’d still want a second smallish portable sketching device, maybe still an iPad Mini or iPad air. But this all hinges on IF the pen tech is good enough. I don’t think it will be.

1 Like

Lenovo has been using AES in the last few models.

1 Like

I honestly don’t know enough about Wacom’s AES to know if it’s any good. Apple pencil and Wacom EMR are good, but I haven’t tried anything else in awhile. I’m not a fan of MS’s new slim pen, but a lot of that might be the carpenter style shape that doesn’t fit my drawing style.

I tried an early (first?) generation of Wacom AES in the Toshiba Encore 2 Write 10.

It was sort of okay, but the need to always cap the pen (so it would turn off and save the battery), the need to source replacement batteries on an on-going basis, and the low hover distance were major negatives for me.

I was very glad to replace it w/ my Samsung Galaxy Book 12 and its nice new Wacom EMR stylus.

3 Likes

The AES gen 2 in my Lenovo Yoga 9 was horrible, worse than the first gen Surface N-trig. But it apparently can vary wildly between models so don’t go by that. Wait for a review by someone who knows what end of the stylus writes on the screen (so few and far between :vb-unhappy:).

4 Likes

Engadget has a really nice video of the new X1 Fold, with a better view of the 16Wh extra battery (in addition to the 48Wh standard battery) and a nice demo of how you fold it, and how the stand folds up. Side note, it looks like the pen snaps magnetically to the stand.

3 Likes

May be I will finally replace my Acer R7-572 :slight_smile:

Wow… a 2014 PC, respect! :raised_hands:t2:

I could never let go of that form factor, :slight_smile:
And given the laptop is used for basic stuff (browsing office…), I found more benefits from the form factor than from a more powerful machine :slight_smile:

2 Likes

Don’t EVER listen to Thurrott on pens - he is a major league hater. I now know why he hated Synofski (easy) and Windows 8 so much - he feels they bent Windows to accommodate the few users who wanted touch and pen and destroyed Windows for the real productivity users like himself…

3 Likes

It looks really good. Even tickled some dormant technolust in me.

3 Likes

Check out this first look where the guy tests the pen just to see if the crease is noticeable… I think the resulting pen jitter would bother me more!

(Pen test starts at 3:30)

I am excited about the updated form factor (would love this to read magazines and comic books in full screen with both pages visible) and the new Bluetooth keyboard (I think this is the first Thinkpad Bluetooth keyboard with trackpoint AND trackpad), but not sure if the stylus, keyboard, and stand warrant the extra $500.

I await the full review from Lisa at Mobile Tech Review.

4 Likes