Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Tablet Hands-on, First Impressions

Lenovo has just launched the new ThinkPad family in the country and one of the products to come in first is the X1 Tablet. The slate embraces the new trend in mobile computing — modular accessories. Here is our quick initial impression of the tablet during the launch.

The X1 Tablet greatly resembles the Surface tablet from Microsoft, no doubt. It’s like having the best of Surface and ThinkPad in one productivity device. The tablet is attached to its keyboard cover by default since most users will most likely use this accessory more often. Also, the tablet we were able to check out is the configuration that’s coming in the PH market next month.

The display of the tablet is an IPS LCD with a resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels and a 3:2 aspect ratio. Its surrounding bezels are quite thick but serve a purpose when holding the tablet in hand. It also hides the webcam and a couple of sensors on the top bezel. A fingerprint scanner is located on the right.

The tablet has a kickstand that flips out when needed. This keeps the tablet in place and with the keyboard cover, the tablet becomes a full-functioning notebook PC.

The sides of the tablet itself have the I/O ports and buttons for operation. On its right is the MiniDisplay Port, full-size USB 3.0, and a USB Type-C port which also acts as the charging port for the tablet. A speaker grille is also found here.

The left has the 3.5mm headphone jack, volume rocker, and Kensington lock. Again, there’s a speaker grille for the stereo speaker. The top side is quite bare with just the power/lock button placed to the far right.

The rear shows a familiar clean matte black finish the ThinkPad family has. There’s a main 8MP rear camera with a dedicated LED flash for photos and video capture. The flip stand hides the SIM card slot for cellular data connectivity.

The bottom is for connecting the accessories made for the tablet namely the Productivity Module, Presenter Module, and 3D Imaging Module. The keyboard also attaches to the bottom when no other modules are attached but you can also connect it to the modules when needed.

The keyboard cover features the famous AccuType keys of ThinkPad with backlighting to help when working in a dim environment. Aside from the clickable trackpad, there’s a TrackPoint sandwiched by the ‘G’, ‘H’, and ‘B’ keys and additional buttons below the spacebar.

The tablet is powered by an Intel Core M5-6Y54 and loaded with Windows 10 Pro. Memory and storage are handled by 8GB of DDR3L RAM and 256GB SSD.  With the choice of an Intel M processor, the tablet is not for heavy tasks like editing and rendering but rather for productivity on the go.

Overall, the ThinkPad X1 Tablet is a tablet made for business with added tricks thanks to the designed modules for it. Frankly, it’s quite a mess to swap modules since you have to release a few locks but the feature os something to look forward to.

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Tablet specs:
12-inch FHD IPS, 3:2 Touch
Up to Intel Core M5-6Y54 CPU
Intel HD 515 Graphics
8GB LPDDR3 RAM
Up to 256GB SSD
2MP or 8MP camera w/ Flash
IR camera
Dual Array microphone
USB 3.0
USB Type-C Power Delivery
Mini DisplayPort
MicroSD card slot
NanoSIM slot
Intel 8260AC WiFi
Huawei 3G
dTPM
Fingerprint Reader
Up to 10.9 hours battery (Tablet)
Windows 10 Pro 64 bit
291.5 x 209.5 x 13 mm, 795 g (Tablet)
291.5 x 209.5 x 13, 1.1Kg (Keyboard)

Lenovo is releasing the ThinkPad X1 Tablet next month for Php 83,990. Every purchase already includes the keyboard cover and also the Productivity Module that adds battery life and I/O ports to the tablet. For separate purchase, the Presenter Module is available for Php 18k. The 3D Image Module is less likely to be sold in the country, according to Lenovo.