Lenovo’s initial ThinkPad X1 Fold introduced the world to the concept of a folding personal computer in 2020; building on that success, the company has developed a second-generation model that is sleeker and more attractive. After using Lenovo’s ThinkPad X1 Fold Gen 2, I was impressed by the company’s design improvements.
Design
The ThinkPad X1 Fold Gen 2 is a complex machine with many different elements. There’s a lot to think about when it comes to its design, including the 16.3-inch screen itself, various external components, internal components, and optional extras.
Keyboards and folio stands, among other accessories, were sold separately for the first generation ThinkPad X1 Fold. The kickstand and magnetically attachable keyboard come included with this model. The ThinkPad X1 Fold can be folded down to a compact 12-inches when it’s not in use, and the keyboard and trackpad can be attached by snaps so that the laptop can be carried around without a separate case.
Two of the ThinkPad X1 Fold’s exterior layers are constructed from woven fabric panels strengthened with carbon fibre and graphite. The PC doesn’t have a fan, but it does include a heat sink made of graphite and copper to disperse heat and keep the most crucial parts from overheating.
When opened or closed, the two panels will wrap around the concealed hinge. According to Lenovo, this design’s ability to fold into a bell shape for the screen helps to keep it safe from damage because the screen is never entirely creased.
Display
The 16.3-inch, 2024 x 2560-resolution, foldable OLED screen on the ThinkPad X1 Fold Gen 2 is the device’s defining feature. It has 600 nits of brightness in HDR mode, 400 nits in SDR mode, and a DCI P3 100% RGB colour gamut.
Dolby Vision and pen capability (using a Wacom stylus) are also built into the on-cell touch display. The attachment to the chassis is magnetic, so you can just clip the accessory on and go. The grate-mounted speakers on either side of the case are compatible with Dolby Atmos and Dolby Voice.
The sheer scale of the device makes it easier to envision it as what it is meant to be: a foldable PC with multiple configurations and usage options. As is to be anticipated from an OLED panel, the colours jump out at the viewer immediately. The ThinkPad X1 Fold Gen 2 can be morphed into a variety of postures, from its core 16.3-inch and 12-inch forms, with or without the stand and trackpad accessories.
As soon as you unfold the 2022 ThinkPad X1 Fold, you may switch between portrait and landscape mode with ease. There’s a new mode available called “portrait,” which essentially offers you a very wide, vertical screen. Not only does this laptop lack this feature, but its main rival, the Asus Zenbook Fold 17, also lacks it.
After that, the new ThinkPad X1 Fold can be utilised as a conventional laptop by folding it into a clamshell form. Of course, there’s also a virtual keyboard built into the display, but most people would probably prefer the physical keyboard that can be attached as an optional extra.
