Buzz
Lenovo's ThinkPad X1 series is among the best in the market, known for its premium components and excellent usability. The latest addition to the ThinkPad X1 family, the Yoga Gen 6, is not a budget-friendly laptop, with its starting price of $1,400 potentially placing it beyond the reach of many. However, for those with the means, it offers an excellent, powerful, and versatile mobile computing experience.
ThinkPad X1 Yoga Gen 6 Design Review
The design of the ThinkPad X1 Yoga is impressively well-crafted. Its compact frame, thanks to the 14-inch display, measures 313mm in width, 223mm in depth, and 14.9mm in thickness. It remains unobtrusive, fitting easily into my smallest bag. Depending on the configuration, the weight varies, with the lightest being 1.3 kg. While slightly heavier compared to some other 2-in-1 laptops, its exceptionally sturdy build sets it apart. Both the lid and the base show no signs of flex under pressure.
The dark gray color of the laptop's frame is appealing, and Lenovo's familiar ThinkPad X1 logo on the lid adds a distinctive touch. This is reiterated at the bottom-right corner of the wrist rest, which, in my opinion, is somewhat unnecessary, given the silver, red, and black color scheme, which can be a bit distracting.
Lenovo Yoga devices, known for their 360-degree hinge supporting tablet mode, laptop mode, and in-between modes like 'tent' and 'presentation.' All models feature a touchscreen, and Lenovo provides a stylus placed on the machine's frame. The ThinkPad Pen Pro supports AAAA sensitivity with pressure, allowing control over line thickness. It has two buttons, configurable to launch applications or perform functions in the Lenovo Pen Settings app on the motherboard. The stylus charges while in the case, and battery life can be displayed in the settings app and on the taskbar. Including the stylus and case with the device is a significant plus. Although the stylus is small and light, I find it quite comfortable for manual input.
The keyboard is very comfortable to use, with minimal resistance to key travel and keys that bounce back strongly, making typing easy. The 'click-clack' sound accompanying key presses is not distracting. The main keys have Lenovo's standard concave design, while the Fn and arrow keys are square-cut. The Enter key is tall and wide. I had no difficulty hitting it while typing at a normal speed.
Lenovo's signature red TrackPoint is positioned between the G, H, and B keys, with three buttons above the trackpad for use. The TrackPoint is sensitive and easy to use, but those buttons mean less space for a larger touchpad. It's serviceable, but Lenovo doesn't follow the trend for a larger touchpad here.
Biometric authentication is provided by a fingerprint sensor integrated into the diamond-shaped power button located to the right of the space between the keyboard and the screen. The 720p webcam above the screen has a separate privacy slider and IR support is available as an option if you want to use Windows Hello facial authentication.
The model in this review features a UHD+ IPS touch screen (3,840 x 2,400, 323.5ppi) with a brightness of 500 nits, excellent sharpness, and clarity. It also supports 90% DCI-P3 color gamut. A lower resolution IPS touch screen, FHD+ (1,920 x 1,200, 161.7ppi), is also available, with brightness options of 400 nits or 500 nits (the latter comes with a PrivacyGuard filter). A lower resolution screen makes sense if you want to maximize battery life.
A superb display deserves excellent speakers, and that's precisely what Lenovo delivers here. There's plenty of volume, powerful bass, classical music is well-defined, and voices are clear and sharp. Lenovo provides two ways to fine-tune the sound. Its own Lenovo Commercial Vantage app offers Dolby Audio settings for different scenarios: dynamic, movie, music, gaming, and voice, while allowing users to automatically optimize voice calls through sound. The Dolby Access app provides more granular control for those who prefer to explore and customize, along with three preset settings. It's a quite rich range of settings if you enjoy experimenting and tweaking.
In terms of configuration, the ThinkPad X1 Yoga Gen 6 offers various options to cater to individual needs. Starting at a modest $1,400, you get a configuration with Core i5-1135G7, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD, and an FHD+ display. The highest-end model with Core i7, 16GB RAM, 1TB SSD, and a UHD+ display is priced at $2,393.
Lenovo and other manufacturers can be stringent with ports and connections on their premium laptops, but not here. It's fantastic to see a pair of USB-A ports alongside two Thunderbolt 4 USB-C ports, a full-size HDMI, and a combined 3.5mm audio in/out jack. One of the USB-C ports is used for charging, leaving one free port for peripherals or a hub while the battery is replenished. Nevertheless, Lenovo demonstrates that a compact laptop frame can still accommodate a range of excellent ports.
Lenovo claims a battery life of up to 15 hours with the 57Wh battery, but in real-world usage, this figure may vary.
Final Thoughts
The Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga Gen 6 is a gem among 2-in-1 laptops, despite its premium price tag. It's compact, well-crafted, with an excellent keyboard, high-resolution display, and an outstanding audio subsystem. The included stylus pen and ample ports are additional highlights, and the laptop's configurability, including SSD storage options up to 2TB, allows it to meet your specific needs.
