Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Tablet Review Is It Good for Business

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 flachrechner Review Is It Good for BusinessThe ThinkPad X1 tablet has a sharp, 12-inch display and a handy, built-in kickstand. / Credit Jeremy Lips With a sturdy snap-on keyboard, a handy kickstand and excellent active-pen support, Lenovos ThinkPad X1 Tablet was made for work. In addition to a gorgeous 12-inch display and snappy performance, you get business-class security and durability credentials. But can the X1 Tablet beat the Surface zu gunsten von 4 for sheer productivity potential?DesignThe X1 Tablet looks like it means business, with a boxy design and a relatively plain matte-black shell. The front of the system includes a 12-inch display, a somewhat thick black bezel and a hashwert scanner along one edge.It feels like a work machine, too, with an extremely rigid construction. Lenovo says the system offers business-class durability, so the tablet can withstand dings, humidity, vibrations, extreme temperatures and mora. Thats go od news for anyone who needs to lug the X1 Tablet back and forth between home and the office.The X1 Tablets kickstand folds down from the middle of the tablets back. The kickstand, coupled with the rigid keyboard that comes included in the box, makes Lenovos system feel more stable for lap use than does the Surface zu nutz und frommen 4. Thats a big deal, since fruchtwein 2-in-1 tablets have fallen far short of Microsofts setup in this regard. Even with the X1 Tablets display tipped all the way back, I never once worried about the device toppling over onto the floor.The kickstand flips out when you push a small switch on the back of the tablet. This kickstand is easy to reach, and I never had trouble finding it by touch alone. When youre done using the kickstand, it clicks firmly back into place.For a detachable 2-in-1, the X1 Tablet offers a decent selection of ports. The right edge has a USB 3.0 port, a USB Type-C port (which doubles as the charging port) and a Mini DisplayPort f or connecting the system to a monitor or projector.The right edge adds a Kensington lock slot for physically securing the device at your desk. Finally, youll find a nano SIM slot and microSD card slot on the back of the slate, behind the kickstand.SecurityA hashwert reader located conveniently along one of the X1 Tablets short sides gives the slate a nice security boost. The one-touch reader took just a few minutes to set up, and it proved reliable during my testing period, whisking me away to my desktop with one quick touch. Its especially convenient when youre using the X1 Tablet without its keyboard, since typing in a login password is tricky on a touch screen.Otherwise, the X1 tablet provides the saatkorn security features youd expect to find on a traditional ThinkPad laptop. That includes a Trusted Platform Module for hardware-based encryption, and Intel vzu nutz und frommen technology for secure remote management.DisplayThe X1 Tablets 12-inch display is just a tad smaller t han the Surface Pro 4s 12.3-inch panel. Regardless, either display is going to feel a bit cramped if youre used to working on a larger, 13- or 14-inch laptop. At least the X1 Tablets display is extremely sharp, with a resolution of 2160 x 1440 pixels. Text looks crisp, and colors pop.This screen is bright, too, topping out at 335 nits of brightness, outshining the 305-nit category average. My only complaint is the glossy finish on the display, which picks up reflections from windows and overhead office lights. I much prefer a matte display on a work notebook. The Surface Pro 4 also has a glossy screen.Pen supportLenovos active pen accessory, which comes included with the X1 Tablet out of the box, is the perfect tool for workers who want to jot down notes on the X1 Tablets display. The pen is powered by Wacom technology, so you get full pressure-sensitivity. I was able to feather my strokes and taper my lines with ease, so writing on the digital display felt very natural.The pen has two buttons the on its side one functions as a right click, while the other triggers the eraser tool. I wish the buttons were a bit larger or protruded a bit, though. Since theyre flush with the side of the pen, I often had to look down to find them, which slowed my workflow a bit.My other complaint is that theres nowhere on the tablet to store the pen when its not in use. In comparison, the Surface Pro 4s pen attaches magnetically to that tablets edge, so that the stylus is always ready when you need it.KeyboardThe X1 Tablets detachable keyboard matches up well with the Surface Pro 4s keyboard, which is to say that its pretty dang nice. The accessory snaps magnetically to the bottom of the tablet, and it feels rigid and sturdy.The keys are a bit on the shallow side, with just 1.25 millimeters of travel. Thats typical for a snap-on keyboard, though its noticeably less than the 1.5mm we look for on a laptop computer. The Surface Pro 4s layout offers a deeper 1.4mm of travel and sligh tly snappier feedback with each stroke, which makes for a more comfortable typing experience overall. Regardless, I typed up this entire review on the X1 Tablet and came away feeling satisfied.Battery lifeThe X1 tablets biggest weakness has to be its battery life. The system ran for a disappointing 5 hours and 32 minutes on our battery test, which simulates continuous web browsing over Wi-Fi.To be fair, detachable 2-in-1 tablets, especially those with as much power as this one, arent generally known for their epic battery life. Still, rival systems lasted longer, including the HPhttps//www.businessnewsdaily.com, which ran for just 5 hours and 17 minutes on the same battery test.On the bright side, frequent travelers have the option to pick up an extended battery module (dubbed the Productivity Module, more on it below). The add-on boosts your runtime significantly, to about 8 hours and 15 minutes, but it also makes the system a bit bulkier.PerformanceThe X1 Tablet performs like a ch amp for everyday work tasks. My review unit came equipped with a 1.2-GHz Intel Core m7-6Y75 processor with 8GB of RAM and a 256GB of speedy solid-state storage. Thats more than enough power for serious multitasking and document editing.The system cranked out a very solid score of 6,497, which blows away rivals, including the HP Spectre x2 (5,814) and the XPS 12 (4,875). The Surface Pro 4, which is powered by a speedier Intel Core i5 processor, was the performance champ, though, cranking out a score of 6,811 on the same test.The X1 Tablet was similarly impressive on our spreadsheet test, matching 20,000 names to their addresses in just 4 minutes and 31 seconds. Thats about a minute faster than the Spectre x2 and XPS 12, but 20 seconds behind the Surface Pro 4.ConfigurationsLenovo sells the ThinkPad X1 Tablet in a handful of hardware configurations. The baseline model sells for $1,029 with a low-power Intel Core m3-6Y30 processor, 4GB of RAM and a 128GB SSD.The midrange model is a muc h better sweet spot for workers, since it comes equipped with a beefier Core m5-6Y57 processor. That will run you $1,349.Performance-hungry workers might want to shell out for the configuration featured in this review, which offers a speedy Intel Core M7-6Y75 processor with 8GB of RAM and a 256GB SSD, all for a steeper $1,649.ModulesA line of special add-ons, which Lenovo calls modules, can be purchased separately to expand the X1 Tablets functionality. Adding them is easy they simply snap firmly onto the bottom of the device. The Productivity module, pictured above, adds an additional USB 3.0 port, an HDMI-out port and a OneLink+ docking connector. This connector lets you easily connect the system to a monitor and to desktop accessories. The module also includes an extended battery, which gives you about 3 hours of extra juice.But that module doesnt come cheap it costs an extra $150 over the base price of the tablet. A RealSense 3D camera module, which can boost the systems securit y by enabling facial recognition, is also available, for $150. Finally, a Wall Projector module, which will let you beam presentations onto any wall or flat surface, will be available for $280.Bottom lineFor workers, Lenovos ThinkPad X1 Tablet is the best in its category, but only by a little. Among other 2-in-1 tablets, only the Surface Pro 4 comes close to matching the X1s sturdy construction and business-class security features. The two tablets offer similarly speedy performance and impressive displays.The Surface Pro 4 has a slightly comfier keyboard and lasts a little longer on a charge, but the X1 Tablets optional Productivity Module helps level the playing field on that front. Even without the additional module, the ThinkPad X1 Tablet is my favorite overall work tablet on the market. Brett Nuckles A former Ohio newspaper man, Brett Nuckles fled the Midwest i n 2013. He now lives in Seattle, where he spends his days tinkering with smartphones, tablets and computers. He loves to think about the intersection of technology and productivity, and how to get the most out of new gadgets and apps. Hes also a big fan of vegetarian food and digital painting. In his off hours he spends most of his time drawing and painting sci-fi/fantasy scenes on his PC with his trusty Wacom stylus in hand. 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