Lenovo’s second-gen X1 Fold may very well be the game-changer the primary one wasn’t

I reviewed Lenovo’s ThinkPad X1 Fold, the primary PC with a foldable display, in late 2020. At the time, it was a really cool concept, however not notably, let’s say, usable. Today, Lenovo has introduced its second go at this, the “Next-generation” ThinkPad X1 Fold. I spent a couple of minutes with the gadget, and let me let you know: I’m rather more optimistic about this one.

Much of this new X1 Fold can be acquainted to followers not simply of the earlier X1 Fold, however of the ThinkPad line generally. The gadget is outfitted with the collection’s normal black and purple colour scheme, with the staple ThinkPad X1 emblem on the lid. There’s a ThinkPad-style keyboard with a trackpoint and inverted-T arrow keys. It’s well-built, sturdy, and glossy.

But some adjustments have been made, and I feel they have been the precise ones.

Pretty a lot each main difficulty I had with the unique X1 Fold was due, in a roundabout way, to its 13.3-inch measurement. It was positive to make use of as a 13-inch pill, however when folded into laptop computer mode (an choice that’s a giant a part of the enchantment of foldable screens like this), it was too small to be sensible for every day use.

The second-gen gadget is 16 inches, a 22 p.c enhance in measurement. (It can be 25 p.c thinner than the earlier mannequin). Having performed round with the brand new gadget, I feel it’s much more sensible. The display is clearly sufficiently big that I may navigate round my traditional workflow and have a number of tabs open facet by facet.

The greater chassis additionally permits for an even bigger keyboard. The 2020 X1 Fold’s keyboard was well-made however needed to match horizontally throughout a 13.3-inch gadget, which meant it was actually dang cramped. Some keys had as many as 4 characters crammed onto them, and I needed to press three at a time in an effort to make a query mark seem.

This new keyboard deck (which attaches magnetically to the decrease half of the chassis when it’s folded in laptop computer mode) is full-sized and backlit. I may sort on it like I usually sort. The keys felt ThinkPad-quality. Needless to say, I a lot favor this one.

While we’re speaking concerning the deck, there’s additionally a haptic touchpad on this factor. We’re beginning to see extra of those throughout Lenovo’s extra compact ThinkPads, together with the super-thin Z-Series. I typically discover them a bit thinner than different trackpads, however this one appeared okay. I’ll want extra time with it to get a full impression.

That mentioned, the bar for this touchpad is so low. The first-generation’s was barely sufficiently big to scroll with, not to mention frequently navigate. This one is a transparent enchancment as a result of measurement alone.

Inside, the X1 Fold is powered by Twelfth-Gen Core i5 or i7 processors with built-in graphics and elective assist for Intel’s vPro enterprise platform. Lenovo hasn’t outlined the precise fashions that can be obtainable, however ThinkPads do are usually endlessly configurable to the purpose of stressing me out.

You’ll be capable of get SSD storage of as much as 1TB and as much as 32GB of DDR5 reminiscence, with the choice of Windows 11 Home or Windows 11 Pro. There’s an elective Wacom pen, which attaches magnetically to the chassis. The display is a 16.3-inch 2024 x 2560 contact OLED that shrinks to 12 inches when folded.

There’s a 48Whr battery (with “optional additional 16Whr based on configuration”) and no battery life estimate but, which…scares me a bit, because the first X1 Fold gave me beneath 5 hours to a cost and had a 50Whr battery. Asus’s 17.3-inch Zenbook 17 Fold, additionally introduced this week, has demonstrated that an OLED foldable can be able to breaking six hours. We’ll need to see on that.

In my temporary time utilizing this gadget to hop round Chrome and watch some movies, it appeared to work nicely sufficient. That is an excellent signal. I had fun utilizing the first-gen X1 Fold, however there have been every kind of glitches to the expertise, notably with the onscreen keyboard. I’m trying ahead to seeing how Windows 11 does on this new chassis, as (not like another laptop computer producers) Lenovo shouldn’t be identified to ship glitchy software program left and proper.

And then there’s the elephant within the room: the worth.

This gadget, if you happen to hadn’t guessed, shouldn’t be going to be low-cost. It’s anticipated to hit cabinets in November with a beginning worth of $2,499. Note that the stylus and keyboard weren’t included on the 13-inch mannequin, and people added $250 to the worth.

That, curiously, is similar worth the 13-inch mannequin had (and this can be a greater, thinner, and usually extra usable gadget). And it’s considerably cheaper than the $3499.99 Zenbook 17 Fold, the one different foldable close to this measurement that we’ve seen thus far this yr.

This may find yourself being a considerably higher deal for foldable-buyers than the 17-inch Fold — however in fact, we haven’t gotten to extensively check the factor but, so there may very well be every kind of catches.

I don’t anticipate this gadget to be excellent. Even if Lenovo has achieved all the pieces it may right here, the expertise of utilizing the gadget might have lots to do with how nicely different firms can get their software program to behave with it.

But as Lenovo’s representatives walked me by means of this gadget, I obtained the sense that they have been genuinely enthusiastic about it. I feel they perceive precisely what the constraints of the 13-inch Fold have been and have been completely happy to have a bigger foldable display come alongside. Maybe on this new kind issue, Lenovo can lastly make the groundbreaking gadget that they wished the primary X1 Fold to be.

The foldable future might not be right here but, however with each considered one of these releases, it comes nearer.

Photography by Monica Chin / The Verge