The Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Nano Gen 2 is a follow-up of the unique X1 Nano [Gen 1], which was a breakthrough within the ultralight laptop computer world. The Nano collection is designed to take the portability of the ThinkPad X1 collection to the intense, and it has confirmed broadly profitable.
This second era pushes the idea to the following stage, because of system efficiency and different {hardware} updates from cautious person suggestions evaluation. The second-generation ThinkPad X1 Nano builds upon the identical sub-two kilos extremely mobility idea initially launched however makes use of essentially the most trendy {hardware} when launched.
“~22% LIGHTER THAN THE MACBOOK AIR”
As such, Lenovo is concentrating on a selected viewers that cares at first about extremely mobility. That’s fairly totally different from nearly every other skinny & gentle, such because the ThinkPad X1 Carbon, Dell XPS 13, HP Spectre X360, and naturally, the MacBook Air and MacBook Professional. All are constructed as all-rounded, skinny & gentle.
Nonetheless, the MacBook Air weighs 1270g vs. the X1 Nano Gen 2’s 995g, a really noticeable distinction from a person expertise perspective.
The chassis may accomodate an non-compulsory 4G or 5G modem for individuals who need to maximize their productiveness. Whereas WIFI may be broadly accessible, it can not examine with the fast and ubiquitous protection of 4G/5G (for a worth).
Specs Highlights
Our evaluate unit ($2150 as examined) got here outfitted with the Intel Core i7-1280P (28W TDP), 32GB RAM, and 1TB of SSD storage, which is superb for a laptop computer of this dimension and weight. Lenovo has many extra processor choices, relying in your desired computing pace and funds.
| Processor | Cores | Cache | Graphics |
| Core i5-1240P | 12 (4 P-core + 8 Ecore) | 12MB | Intel Iris® Xe |
| Core i5-1250P | 12 (4 P-core + 8 Ecore) | 12MB | Intel Iris Xe |
| Core i7-1260P | 12 (4 P-core + 8 Ecore) | 18MB | Intel Iris Xe |
| Core i7-1270P | 12 (4 P-core + 8 Ecore) | 18MB | Intel Iris Xe |
| Core i7-1280P | 14 (6 P-core + 8 | 24MB | Intel Iris Xe |
The soldered RAM may be chosen as 16GB or 32GB of reminiscence with none improve choices, so select fastidiously. 32GB of RAM on an ultramobile is a formidable reminiscence choice in case you can afford it, however be aware that it received’t have an effect on the benchmark outcomes.
“FORMIDABLE MEMORY OPTION”
The SSD choices are 256/512/1024GB of storage, which needs to be ample for the meant office-productivity viewers Lenovo is catering to.
Industrial Design
General, the X1 Nano Gen2 design is similar to the earlier era, so every part associated to design, ergonomics, and extremely mobility is just about the identical, and it’s honest to think about this model a efficiency replace primarily.
If you happen to’re new to the ThinkPad X1 Nano collection and by no means had one in your fingers, you may be stunned at how gentle it feels. Many individuals assume I’m handing them an empty laptop computer shell after they maintain it for the primary time. This laptop computer is ~22% lighter than the MacBook Air.
The chassis is painted with the enduring “ThinkPad Black” tender paint, however in case you’re getting the dearer touch-display choice, you’ll get a luxurious carbon weave show cowl. It’s not current on this particular unit, sadly.
In contrast to many different extremely cellular laptops, this X1 Nano Gen2 is designed to be opened and maintained by the person (or the IT division). It’s doable to take away the underside cowl to entry the user-replaceable SSD. Sadly, the RAM is soldered (quite common for ultra-compact laptops).
Keyboard and Trackpad
As a result of it’s so skinny, the spill-resistant keyboard has a shorter key journey than your standard-size ThinkPad laptop computer. Nonetheless, the journey stays considerably deeper than the newer MacBook Professional keyboard, which is extraordinarily shallow.
The tactile suggestions is sharper than different ThinkPads, and I prefer it. If you happen to’re a ThinkPad fan, you would possibly need to take a look at it earlier than shopping for to gauge how a lot it matches your style, however I discover it very comfy and extremely advocate it.
For reference, I exploit an IBM Mannequin M as my desktop keyboard and a Logitech Mechanical MX Mini once I journey. I additionally personal a Keychron V1 (Khail white switches) and Keychron K1 (Gateron blue switches).
The trackpad feels super-smooth and works nice. It’s not the largest you can get on a laptop computer this dimension, however I like having the bodily trackpad buttons as a result of they’re extra correct. I don’t use the Trackpoint, but it surely stays a extremely sought-after function for a lot of ThinkPad customers.
For additional safety, there’s a fingerprint reader to the best of the trackpad, and I extremely advocate utilizing it along with the IR webcam logging. Each are very safe and extra handy than typing an extended password.
Ports
The laptop computer is so skinny that Lenovo didn’t embrace any USB-A or different giant ports. That’s regular for ultramobile laptops. Nonetheless, two Thunderbolt 4 ports could possibly be prolonged utilizing a TB/USB dock (from Anker or Sabrent) at house or the workplace.
I’m curious to see if Lenovo may modify the rear of the chassis to suit full-size ports. I don’t assume that may in the end kill the silhouette of the laptop computer whereas giving customers a few full-size ports. Having one USB-A and one HDMI connector can be wonderful but it surely’s understandably very difficult to implement.
Sound
The X1 Nano Gen 1 options nice sound high quality just like the unique mannequin. The sound coming from the quad-speaker setup (2W x2 woofers and 1W x2 tweeters) is highly effective and general spectacular for this dimension. Nonetheless, there’s a little bit of distortion at most quantity, and the bass could possibly be larger.
That stated, the sound is loud sufficient that I can’t think about utilizing a 100% quantity in a lodge room, airport, and even throughout a gaggle name on the workplace, so I don’t assume this shall be an issue.
Show
Like beforehand, Lenovo has two 13” show choices: contact and non-touch. Each use a low-power 60Hz IPS LCD panel with 450 NITs brightness, 100% sRGB protection, 85-degree view angle, and a 1000:1 distinction ratio.
The display screen’s body is surprisingly inflexible for such a skinny show and solely bends barely in case you actively attempt to deform it. There’s nearly no flex when opening the laptop computer with one hand…
“FOR PROFESSIONAL LIGHT CREATIVE WORK”
That’s an impressive brightness and coloration gamut, which permits for skilled gentle inventive work similar to design, pictures, and net growth. You’ll most likely use a monitor or a a lot larger and costly cellular workstation in case you want one thing higher-end.
The (2160×1350) 2K decision stays a wonderful alternative as a result of it’s considerably sharper than 1080p whereas not undermining the battery life as a 4K show would.
Webcam
The 1080p webcam is a notable enchancment from the earlier 720p one. Since persons are far more on video calls, it’s not a negligible enchancment. It may even grow to be a sway issue within the ~2 Lbs class as a result of all elements should be as small as doable, which can have an effect on the picture high quality.
The standard could be very affordable and higher-than-average in low gentle for its worth class. There’s some noise (grain), however the framerate stays excessive, and the standard is sweet sufficient to have a productive video name with out the video stream high quality turning into a distraction.
Lenovo promotes that the lens has an f/2,0 aperture (and a quad-microphone array), which signifies that OEMs would possibly quickly begin competing over digital camera specs, as they do on smartphones.
Efficiency
Our ThinkPad X1 Nano has an Intel Core i7-1280P CPU, even quicker than the 1260P within the X1 Carbon Gen 10 we reviewed earlier. As such, the laptop computer scores larger in CPU benchmarks like Geekbench (~2X quicker than the earlier era) and productiveness benchmarks similar to PCMark 10.
That is essentially the most noticeable and invaluable enchancment for these hesitating to get an X1 Nano Gen 1 due to potential efficiency tradeoffs.
The identical is true for GPU-heavy checks similar to 3DMark TimeSpy. Whereas this isn’t a gaming system, each CPU and GPU checks present you don’t depart any efficiency on the desk by going from the X1 Carbon Gen10 to the X1 Nano Gen 2. For a productiveness laptop computer, it packs severe computing energy.
“THE MOST NOTICEABLE AND VALUABLE IMPROVEMENT”
Keep in mind that the X1 Nano collection just isn’t designed to be a high-performance workstation. There’s a single cooling fan set to maintain noise ranges comparatively low, so its cooling energy isn’t maximized.
Due to that, operating the CPU at 100% for prolonged intervals will finally construct up warmth and trigger some thermal throttling. That stated, your typical workplace apps shouldn’t trigger any of that.
The SSD efficiency is decrease than the X1 Carbon storage, however this didn’t negatively have an effect on the benchmark outcomes, even in these PCMark 10 checks with some disk exercise concerned.
The X1 Nano SSD we examined is a “KBG5AZNT1T02 LA KIOXIA” 1TB, whereas the one within the X1 Carbon Gen10 is a Samsung MZVL2512HCJQ-00BL7 512GB.
Efficiency/Weight Ratio
When a laptop computer is so gentle, it’s essential to take a look at the efficiency/weight ratio; few individuals analyze that. The info exhibits the X1 Nano Gen 2’s unimaginable efficiency/weight ratio in all benchmarks, which is extraordinary for the ultramobile class.
This ratio needs to be THE efficiency metric to look at for as a result of nobody buys this sort of laptop to attain “absolute efficiency,” which we already established as glorious on this class.
Battery Life
The PCMark 10 Trendy Workplace battery life yielded 8hrs 8mn for this laptop computer and its 49.6 WH battery capability. That’s considerably lower than what we bought with the primary era X1 Nano Gen 1, however this may be very simply defined by the a lot larger efficiency of the X1 Nano Gen 2.
The X1 Nano Gen 2 has a way more highly effective and power-hungry processor, and we’re testing absolutely the quickest model of this laptop computer. If you happen to would quite have an extended battery life and absolute pace just isn’t vital, you can go for the Core i5-1240P model, which doesn’t function as many “Efficiency” (high-power) CPU cores.
Utilizing a Lenovo 65W charger, we observed that whereas the battery may nonetheless declare to be “fast-charge” enabled, it was not charging as quick because the X1 Nano Gen1 or the most recent X1 Carbon Gen 10.
Conclusion
The Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Nano Gen 2 (official web page) is a wonderful skinny & gentle (~2Lbs) laptop computer. All information factors present it. Nonetheless, within the ultramobile class, it stands unchallenged.
That’s “why” individuals need to purchase this laptop, which is supported by the market information we studied. Individuals examine it to the iPad, which signifies they need one thing a lot lighter than a skinny & gentle laptop computer. However if you would like a Home windows laptop that runs all of the [Windows] apps you already use, the iPad received’t lower it.
“IN THE ULTRAMOBILE CATEGORY, IT STANDS UNCHALLENGED”
Subsequent, information exhibits individuals evaluating it with skinny & gentle, such because the ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 10, XPS 13, MacBook Air (M1, M2), ThinkPad Z13, and ThinkPad T14. Nonetheless, these are considerably heavier than the X1 Nano Gen 2, so I take into account them in one other class and really feel totally totally different if you carry them.
If you need 0.3” to 1” extra in show diagonal and don’t thoughts the additional weight, that may be motive to get one. Nonetheless, in case you’re after the lightest 13” laptop with out compromising on efficiency, the X1 ThinkPad Nano Gen 2 is the one recreation on the town. It’s merely the most effective ~2Lbs laptop computer in the marketplace proper now.
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