Final Thoughts on the ThinkPad X1 Fold 16
The Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Fold 16 is essentially a 2-in-1 device. You can for sure use it as a large 16-inch tablet, but you can also fold it down and it will act as a 12-inch laptop. I’ve always been a fan of 2-in-1 devices, because like I said at the beginning of this review when I travel I always end up taking both a laptop and a tablet. The usability of a tablet is great, but most of the time it is not powerful enough for me to do things like photo and video editing. I think we are getting really close to a true 2-in-1 device that is very usable with the X1 Fold 16.
First off when you are using it in tablet mode with the included stand and keyboard it is like having a real 16-inch laptop, but without all of the heft. So many people purchase a portable monitor for multi-tasking, but this 16-inch display definitely has you covered there whether you are using it in landscape or portrait mode. It is also pretty cool that the webcam will know the orientation of the laptop and will not be sideways if you are using the laptop in landscape mode.
Now you can fold the laptop down and have a sort of 2-display layout and even put an on-screen keyboard on the bottom-half of the laptop. Of course I prefer to use the bluetooth keyboard. You can set it on the bottom-half of the laptop and it will turn off the bottom half of the display and give you a 12-inch 2024 x 1240 display. This 12-inch “laptop” is great for small spaces like a tray table on a flight and for those who want to have the feel of a real keyboard.
Under the hood is an Intel Core i7-1260U, 32GB of DDR5 memory, and a 1TB Gen4 NVMe SSD. While these specifications are definitely an upgrade over the original X1 Fold, I really would have liked to have seen at least a 13th gen processor used here. Also the included NVMe drive is quite slow for Gen4 standards, especially when it comes to writes. Now I did not notice any type of instability issues when doing my daily tasks or editing photos.
The OLED display is quite beautiful with its deep and vibrant colors…in the right light. Like most OLEDs you are going to get a glare on the screen depending on the lighting you have where you are using the X1 Fold. Also if you plan to use the X1 Fold outside the visibility is not amazing in sunlight.
I really think this is a step in the right direction for the ultimate 2-in-1 device. We’ve gone from 2-in-1’s that were a “tablet” screen and a laptop base where the tablet section was not all that powerful, but the thicker base was, to having a “screen” that is the entire system that we can fold into a laptop if we want to. I am excited to see how these types of devices evolve in the future, especially once the price of foldable displays go down.
While the X1 Fold does have some quirks and is pretty expensive ($3899.99 for the unit we tested) I can see it being the ultimate travel companion and something I would much rather prefer taking with me on a trip over a traditional laptop. Overall ThinkComputers gives the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Fold 16 an 8 out of 10 score.
Pros:
– Big 16-inch display without the bulk of a 16-inch laptop
– Beautiful OLED display
– Thunderbolt 4 and USB 3.2 gen 2
– Foldable OLED allows it to be folded down into laptop mode
– Quiet operation
– Folds down into a sleek 12-inch laptop
Cons:
– Price
– Slower SSD than we’ve seen on other laptops
– Modest overall performance
– Stand isn’t integrated into the device
