Lenovo Launches ThinkPad X1 Yoga At CES With OLED Display
by Brett Howse on January 3, 2016 10:33 PM EST
The ThinkPad Yoga has been around for some time, as a business focused version of the Yoga family, but Lenovo is launching the X1 Yoga today which takes the Yoga series to the next level. It is the first convertible device being launched with an OLED (Organic Light Emitting Diode) display. We’ve seen these displays predominately on smartphones, with the occasional tablet as well, but it’s now made its way to the laptop form factor.
Lenovo is using a Samsung OLED as the optional panel, and it’s a 14-inch 2560x1440 version. Samsung is the market leader in OLED technology, so it makes a lot of sense that they would turn to them for this display. The base device comes with a 1920x1080 IPS LCD, and there is also an optional 2560x1440 IPS LCD too, but the OLED should give a large gamut and of course the deep blacks that OLED is known for, along with infinite contrast. It is exciting to see that this technology is now making its way here.
The X1 Yoga also features an active stylus, which docks into the keyboard base. When docked, the pen charges, so keeping the stylus charged and available should be a breeze. Keeping with the tradition of the ThinkPad Yoga, the X1 Yoga’s spill-resistant keys and trackpoint retract into the base when the display is rotated around, to improve the ergonomics when used in tablet mode. Having the keys on the backside is generally one of the big drawbacks of these types of convertibles, but the ThinkPad line solves that little issue.
The laptop is powered by Skylake-U series processors, up to a Core i7 with vPro. You can get up to 16 GB of memory, and a 1 TB PCIe NVMe SSD as well. There are plenty of connections available, with three USB 3.0 ports and OneLine+ for Ethernet, along with mDP, HDMI, microSD, and optional 4G LTE, with a Qualcomm Snapdragon X7 LTE modem. It also features WiGig wireless docking, as well as a Windows Hello compatible touch fingerprint reader.
The convertible weighs in at 1.27 kg / 2.8 lbs and is 16.7 mm / 0.66-inches thick.
The new X1 Yoga will be available starting in January, with the OLED model shipping around April. Prices start at $1449.
Source: Lenovo
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8steve8 - Sunday, January 3, 2016 - link
16:9 ratio is terrible for productivity on a 13-inch laptop.also the huge bezels on this thing.
it's not like the hinge would be a negative on any laptop... but compare this to the XPS13, and look at the bezels... compare it to a macbook 12" and feel the weight.
There are many good choices out there, so the market will be picky.
8steve8 - Sunday, January 3, 2016 - link
not to undermine how great OLED will be on a laptop.... I'd buy this thing if it had small bezels and a squarer aspect ratio.8steve8 - Sunday, January 3, 2016 - link
Since I can't edit, i'll add another thought as a reply...Small bezels aren't just about how it looks... it's about having a smaller footprint for the device... being able to fit in smaller bags and such.
Or, take it the other direction and you can fit a significantly bigger screen in the same footprint.
If they simply had a uniform width bezel, say the width it is on the left and right, the aspect ratio would be squarer, and we'd be in business.
Lolimaster - Monday, January 4, 2016 - link
I just prefer the smaller bezel for a bigger screen in the same form factor, on notebooks if you want the smaller bezels to reduce the actual size of the device we end up with a worse keyboard (that shouldn't be a compromise).ruturaj1989@gmail.com - Monday, January 4, 2016 - link
I would take a little larger screen 15 inch in same size not messing the keyboard.cptcolo - Monday, April 4, 2016 - link
A 15" version of this thing would be awesome.milkod2001 - Monday, January 25, 2016 - link
Then just wait for updated XPS 13 2016. They would be fools not to add OLED there for the screen optionsnarkotsky - Sunday, January 3, 2016 - link
Yep - just bought latest XPS 13. I can not phantom why manufacturers insist on putting huge bezels on laptopscsroc - Monday, January 4, 2016 - link
In fairness, if it's meant to be used as a tablet, which this is, it gives you something to hold on to without groping the touch screen.I've been using the latest XPS 13 and XPS 15 and have been waiting for the Thinkpad refresh. I've got some time yet to decide whether to return my Dell. Hmm.
ddriver - Monday, January 4, 2016 - link
This device looks like the bezel is smaller than you'd get with a typical tablet. My big complain is "keyboard on the bottom in tablet mode" thing. Seriously...