Lenovo ThinkPad X1 2-in-1 (Gen 9) review: Finally, a Windows laptop that may strike fear in Apple
The Lenovo ThinkPad X1 2-in-1 laptop is what Apple's been fearing for years: a Windows laptop that actually rivals MacBook battery life.
From the outside, this business laptop is a bit boring, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. Its sleek, gray design is timeless, but don't expect it to shock you.
The magic truly happens with this laptop when you open it up and start using it. From its exceptional battery that just wouldn't quit to its smooth trackpad, springy keyboard, and lag-free performance, this lightweight laptop kept impressing me at every turn.
It may earn a spot as one of the best laptops from Lenovo, but that doesn't mean it's without flaws. There are definitely a few things holding this laptop back from perfection.
But without further ado, let's get into my experience with the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 2-in-1.
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 2-in-1 price and specs
The Lenovo ThinkPad X1 2-in-1 configuration I reviewed starts at $2,419 via B&H and comes with the following specs:
Intel Core Ultra 155U CPU
Integrated Intel graphics
16GB of RAM
1TB of SSD storage
14-inch, 1920 x 1200-pixel, 400-nit IPS display
Or, for the same $2,419 via B&H, you can snag a Lenovo ThinkPad X1 2-in-1 configuration with 32GB of RAM and 512GB of storage. Via other retailers, Lenovo says the ThinkPad X1 2-in-1 offers configurations with up to 64GB of RAM, 2TB of storage, an Intel Core Ultra 7 U-series CPU on vPro, and a 2.8K OLED display, and either Windows 11 Pro or Linux Ubuntu.
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 2-in-1 design
At first glance, the ThinkPad X1 2-in-1 didn’t necessarily wow me with its design. It looks like a basic business laptop, fitted with the ThinkPad X1 logo on the top cover — all wrapped up inside a sleek, steel gray aluminum chassis.
There’s a snazzy ‘Communications Bar,’ housing the laptop’s webcam and microphones, at the lip that makes the laptop a breeze to open one-handed. Flipping the laptop over, there are two small vents in the top left and right corners, which proved to be plenty for keeping this laptop cool under pressure.
I greatly appreciate the ThinkPad X1’s 2-in-1 capability, which lets you easily flip between using it in traditional laptop mode and tablet mode. You can also prop it up in tent mode, with the display facing you, to stream media or use a wireless mouse and keyboard with the laptop.
Despite its light, sub-three-pound weight and thin form factor, this ThinkPad X1 feels well-built and sturdy during use. And if you’re environmentally conscious, that’s one area this laptop’s design truly excels; it’s made with multiple recycled materials throughout.
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 2-in-1 display
The Lenovo ThinkPad X1 2-in-1 offers a few display options, but my review unit features a 14-inch, 1920 x 1200-pixel, low-power IPS touch display.
With its anti-glare, matte finish, the screen is almost reminiscent of a Kindle display, which I like. I have to sit in front of a screen for work all day, and having a bright 400-nit display that feels easy on the eyes was nice.
This display also features a 16:10 aspect ratio, providing a little extra screen space than your average 16:9 laptop display.
To test the display, I fired up the IF movie trailer starring Ryan Reynolds, John Krasinski, and Steve Carell. On a closeup of Reynold’s face, I could pick out small details, like defined hair strands and tiny creases on his forehead. The trailer was full of color, and everything rendered accurately, including the fuzzy, purple character voiced by Steve Carell and a few vibrant background scenes.
As a bonus, this configuration comes with a Lenovo Slim Pen that magnetically attaches to the laptop’s side. With the pen, it’s easy to navigate the touchscreen in tablet or tent mode.
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 2-in-1 ports
I’m in love with the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 2-in-1’s port selection.
On the right side, you’ll find:
USB Type-A port (3.2 Gen 1, Always On)
Two USB Type-C ports (Thunderbolt 4)
And on the left side:
Kensington Nano Security slot
HDMI 2.1 port
USB Type-A port (3.2 Gen 1)
Headset jack
Power button
You can easily connect peripherals with this laptop’s HDMI port and two USB Type-A ports, but I have to take points off for both USB Type-C ports being on the laptop’s left side. For charging convenience, shouldn’t all laptops have a USB Type-C port on each side by now?
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 2-in-1 audio
The Lenovo ThinkPad X1 2-in-1 offers above average sound quality, which I consider an absolute win, seeing as its upward-firing speakers are hidden beneath the keyboard.
When I read this laptop had under-keyboard speakers, I expected some level of distorted or muted audio, but nope. Listening to my favorite song at the moment, MGK’s “my ex’s best friend (with blackbear),” their voices came through crystal-clear, even with the volume maxed, and the song sounded fairly well-balanced.
The kick drum and other bass notes that kick in at the chorus certainly weren’t as punchy as they are on my personal Yoga 9i’s rotating Bowers & Wilkins soundbar, but compared to most laptop speakers, the bass was more than adequate.
Lenovo’s ThinkPad X1 2-in-1 even captured most of the nuanced lows, mids, and highs in Unprocessed’s “Real ft. Polyphia’s Tim Henson & Clay Gober,” a song I play on every set of headphones or speakers I test.
Overall, this laptop’s concealed speakers impressed me with their atmospheric, room-filling sound.
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 2-in-1 keyboard and trackpad
The Lenovo ThinkPad X1 2-in-1 has a pleasantly springy keyboard with a few neat tricks up its sleeve.
Underneath, the keyboard hides upward-firing speakers to give you more keyboard space and air-intake holes to improve airflow.
Then, the keys feature new tactile markings, or those raised lines that help your fingers naturally find the central F and J keys, to help users with visual impairments. You’ll find six new tactile markings on the Volume Up/Down keys, Enter key, Insert key, Down arrow key, and Function key.
Lenovo swapped the Function and Control keys, so the Control key is finally on the outer corner, which I prefer.
What I don’t love as much is the new location for the fingerprint reader, which is to the left of the arrow keys. It feels odd to reach over the arrow keys to use the fingerprint reader. I also found myself frustrated by the Page Down/Up keys above the left and right arrow keys — the amount of times I accidentally pressed the wrong key is embarrassing.
But purely speaking about how it feels to type on the ThinkPad X1 2-in-1’s keyboard, it’s fantastic. I love the springy feedback, and preferred typing on this laptop instead of my daily driver, the Yoga 9i.
And the glass touchpad? Man, it’s smooth. Scrolling with finger gestures almost felt better than a mouse. If you’re touchpad-averse, however, there are left-, middle-, and right-click buttons and the famous (or infamous) red TrackPoint dot to navigate with.
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 2-in-1 benchmarks and performance
After using the ThinkPad X1 2-in-1 as my daily laptop for a week, it’s earned a ‘solid performance’ award from me.
We ran Geekbench 6 to test this laptop’s CPU performance. The ThinkPad X1 2-in-1 earned a multi-core score of 9,420, which is a fairly decent score, but with one of Intel’s new chips, I would’ve loved to see it break five digits.
It doesn’t quite compete with Intel’s more powerful (and less efficient) Intel Core Ultra 7 155H CPU, which earned a 12,267 Geekbench score, but the ThinkPad X1 2-in-1 offers plenty of performance power for basic web browsing and streaming.
I opened up 25 Google Chrome tabs, played music through Spotify in the background, ran the laptop’s clock stopwatch while working, and the ThinkPad X1 2-in-1 showed no signs of stopping. It didn’t get loud or hot after working for a few hours, and I never noticed any lag when loading a new page or typing in Google Docs.
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 2-in-1 battery life
Wow, just wow! That was all I could think when I saw the final battery test results for this laptop.
The Lenovo ThinkPad X1 2-in-1 lasted a jaw-dropping 14 hours and 21 minutes on a single charge while looping a 1080p video at 50% brightness. For a laptop, that’s pretty dang good. For a Windows laptop, that’s flipping fantastic.
So far, the only Windows laptop to rival this lengthy battery life is the Snapdragon X Elite-powered HP OmniBook X, which lasted 16 hours and 47 minutes in the same test. For an Apple comparison, the 15-inch M3 MacBook Air lasted 10 hours and 52 minutes.
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 2-in-1 webcam
Lenovo’s ThinkPad X1 2-in-1 features a standard 1080p IR webcam with a privacy shutter that you’ll find on most laptops. And like most laptop webcams, it’s not terribly impressive.
Through this laptop’s webcam, I’m grainy and slightly washed out. It seemed to render colors fairly accurately, from my light green eyes and forest green cardigan to the gray couch behind me, but it didn’t capture my complexion nor crisp lines well.
Is the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 2-in-1 (Gen 9) worth it?
The Lenovo ThinkPad X1 2-in-1 is an excellent laptop overall, but it's a business laptop equipped with the slightly more expensive Windows 11 Pro OS and Lenovo's red TrackPoint dot beloved by many. For those reasons, I don't think the ThinkPad X1 2-in-1 is worth it for most people.
Don't get me wrong, it's a fantastic laptop. It offers solid performance, a surprisingly bright, matte display, a bouncy keyboard I absolutely loved typing on, a trackpad as smooth as butter, a plethora of ports, and best of all: an impressive battery life of over 14 hours.
But for the average laptop user, are all of those features worth just over $2,400? I'm not so sure.
When I compare the ThinkPad X1 2-in-1 to HP's OmniBook X — a non 2-in-1 laptop powered by Qualcomm's Snapdragon X Elite chip — my personal pick between the two is a no-brainer: the HP OmniBook X. For half the price ($1,199), the HP OmniBook X offers battery life over 16 hours and stronger performance.
However, if you prefer better port variety, a flexible 2-in-1 form factor, or business-forward laptop elements, the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 2-in-1 might be the best Windows laptop for you.