Lenovo ThinkPad X1 2-in-1 Gen 9 review: it holds up

As usual with ThinkPads, you have several components that you can configure for the ThinkPad X1 2-in-1. The base model is $1,779 for an Intel Core Ultra 5 125U chipset, 16GB of RAM (the only option), a 512GB SSD, and a 14.0-inch Full HD+ IPS display. You can select a Core Ultra 7 155H ($268) and a Core Ultra 7 165H with vPro ($447), up to 2TB of storage ($775), and up to a 14.0-inch Full HD+ display with Lenovo’s ePrivacy Filter ($208). Upgrading to a 2.8K OLED display costs $74.

When fully configured, the ThinkPad X1 2-in-1 costs $2,771 for a Core Ultra 7 165H, 16GB of RAM, a 2TB SSD, and the ePrivacy Filter display. This includes the 2160p webcam; a Lenovo Slim Pen costs $45.

These are very expensive prices for a 14-inch 2-in-1. You’re paying for a variety of services and capabilities that are aimed at Lenovo’s business user customers who are willing to pay more for a laptop (or have lower contracted pricing). But if you’re a consumer looking for a machine, you can get a lot more computer for a lot less.

There was a time when every ThinkPad shared the same aesthetic: an all-black chassis with various red accents. Lenovo changed that up a few years ago, introducing different colorways while retaining that blinking red “i” in the ThinkPad logo on the lid and the red TrackPoint nubbin on the keyboard. There’s also Lenovo’s increasingly common reverse notch on the display that houses the webcam and other electronics.

Another change from earlier ThinkPads is the keyboard, which has gone from the iconic highly sculpted keycaps and deep switches that required considerable force to less sculpted keyboards and shallower, lighter, and snappier switches. It’s a similar keyboard to those used on other, non-ThinkPad laptops, and I like the change. It’s more like Apple’s Magic Keyboard, which is my favorite, in terms of overall feel. If you prefer deep keyboards that require more pressure, then you won’t like the change. ThinkPad fans will appreciate the TrackPoint nubbin, which provides an alternative way to control the user interface.

The touchpad is a typical mechanical version, although is buttons have quieter clicks than many others. It’s smaller than it could be due to the set of buttons that support the TrackPoint. The ThinkPad Z13 is another device in Lenovo’s updated ThinkPad line, and it has a haptic touchpad that’s much better. It has more swipeable area and its TrackPoint buttons are virtual. I would much rather have seen that design carried over here.

The display is both touch- and pen-enabled. The pen works well, and it attaches to the side of the laptop with very strong magnets. It’s a $45 add-on, and in my opinion should be included at these prices.

The ThinkPad X1 2-in-1 is built around the Intel Meteor Lake, Core Ultra U-series lineup of 15-watt chipsets. These are soon to be supplanted by Intel’s Lunar Lake lineup, which will introduce several advancements, including a much faster Neural Processing Unit (NPU). That puts the ThinkPad at a distinct advantage until it inevitably receives Intel’s latest.

I reviewed the laptop with the Core Ultra 7 155U, a 12-core/14-thread chipset running at up to 4.8GHz. It faces more than just Intel Lunar Lake, with Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X Elite and AMD’s Ryzen AI 9 chips offering better performance and, in the case of Qualcomm, much better efficiency. And Apple’s M3 chipset offers both competitive performance and the best efficiency in laptops today.

In our benchmarks, the ThinkPad X1 2-in-1’s low-powered CPU fell significantly behind most competitive laptops that use more power-hungry chipsets. In the case of both Qualcomm and Apple M3 laptops, the more efficient Arm architecture provides better performance while burning even less power (as we’ll see below).

The ThinkPad X1 2i-in-1 is a good enough productivity performer, but it’s going to seem a bit slower than many similar laptops. There’s the option of a Core Ultra 7 165U with vPro, enabling better management and security for corporate users, and its performance would be similar.

There’s just 57 watt-hours of battery capacity in the ThinkPad X1 2-in-1, which isn’t a lot for a 14-inch laptop. At the same time, my review unit used a low-power Full HD+ (1920 x 1200) IPS display. We haven’t tested many laptops with the Core Ultra 7 155U, but it was a decent performer.

The ThinkPad X1 2-in-1 did well, coming in behind the AMD and Qualcom machines on our list in the web-browsing test and doing exceptionally well in our video-looping test. It even exceeded all but the MacBook Air 13 when running the Cinebench 2024 multi-core test. It’s likely to last close to a full day when running typical productivity tasks.

The ThinkPad X1 2-in-1 is extremely well built, with features and functionality that will appeal to business users. It’s reasonably fast and has great battery life. All of that’s enough to keep it relevant even as Windows chipsets continue to advance.

The problem: It’s too expensive in its current iteration. Laptops with better performance and close to the same battery life can be had for a lot less, albeit without the business-friendly features. If its price drops (or is irrelevant to you), though, the ThinkPad X1 2-in-1 will be well worth considering.