Bigger is better: this is how Brian Leonard, VP of Design at Lenovo, introduces the new 16" screen version of the ThinkPad X1 Fold, the first – and so far, only – foldable personal computer. It has become larger in every way. Domus had followed the design process of the first version precisely under the guidance of Leonard, a student of Richard Sapper. From the original ThinkPad, designed by the German Master of Industrial Design, this new X1 Fold more distinctly recovers the lesson of the bento box – the wonder box that when closed is just a black parallelepiped and that unfolds wonders and functionality once opened. However, it does not lose the insight of the Moleskine that served as a reference for the first version – almost like a personal notebook, always at hand and less bulky than any laptop.
We've tested the new 16” foldable ThinkPad laptop
Lenovo’s foldable X1 Fold laptop returns with a larger screen and fewer compromises: there is a significant design effort behind it, although it is certainly not a device for everyone.
Courtesy Lenovo
Courtesy Lenovo
Courtesy Lenovo
Courtesy Lenovo
A sketch of the first ThinkPad X1 Fold by Brian Leonard
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- Alessandro Scarano
- 28 March 2024
A device improvable from various points of view and at the same time so full of potential that it will probably never be perfect, the great merit of the X1 Fold was its introduction of a truly new form factor into the static context of today’s technological market. A computer that looks like a notebook and that no one will ask you to put in your hand baggage when boarding on a plane. Simply because it is not seen as a laptop. But as soon as you open it, the wow effect is guaranteed. Now on a 16" screen – against the ‘paltry’ 13" of the previous version – which becomes a 12" laptop.
Trying it on the go, the second-generation X1 Fold proved to be a valuable companion, usable on the fly leaning on the handrail of a Berlin S-Bahn station, as an extra-large tablet in a British Airways business cabin on an intercontinental journey, or as an all-in-one PC in a Parisian coworking space. The X1 Fold 16 is solid, robust, portable, with pleasing finishes to the sight and touch like the textured cover, and a feeling that is anything but plasticky and entirely ThinkPad. Some will appreciate its flexibility, its ability to adapt to different occasions; others will likely use it only as a large screen, while still others will see it as an ultra-deluxe version of those netbooks that were popular in the early 2000s.
The X1 Fold features a superbright folding OLED display, with a powerful computer powered by a 12th generation Intel i7 processor behind it. However, you can also see it as a 16" tablet that closes or can be used as a 12" laptop by folding it (although it is a bit unbalanced without the keyboard). The 200-component hinge is closely related to that of the Razr – ThinkPad and Motorola are both Lenovo brands – and the two devices placed side by side look very similar in their aesthetic choices. Functionally, its use as a tablet is challenging because of the size of the screen – even the first generation at 13" was borderline; it is more likely to be used semi-folded, but one must adapt. There are two USB-C Thunderbolt ports, but their placement does not seem the most logical considering the various ways the computer can be used.
A pen (with magnetic attachment), a keyboard (finally full-size!), and a detachable keyboard stand are the included accessories. The ThinkPad keyboard features the famous TrackPoint to move the cursor and a ‘small’ haptic trackpad: some may prefer to bring a mouse for desk use. Additionally, the keyboard needs to be charged via USB-C, which seems a bit of a style fall in such a futuristic device. However, the typing experience is good, although attaching the device to the bottom of the screen is not exactly memorable: it wobbles a bit occasionally. Nevertheless, compared to the previous model, it is an incredible step forward. Writers, step right up.
In the first version of the Fold, the stand was integrated into the chassis. Separating it means opening up new possibilities (such as using the screen vertically, even semi-folded, which many will appreciate) but implies an extra item to carry around. Keyboard and stand, added to the device which is certainly not ultra-thin by itself, create quite a thickness to fit into a bag (the weight of the device alone is just under a kilogram and three hundred grams, plus accessories). One also wonders if it would not have been more elegant to have the keyboard and stand combined in a cover to attach to the body of the device, rather than a somewhat blandly magnetic solution like the current one. The impression is that Lenovo’s design team could have asked themselves a few more questions about how users will transport this device: the thought of it ending up in a bag is not so obvious. Often you carry it under your arm just like a notebook. But what about a shoulder strap, for example?
When opening the X1 Fold halfway as if it were a laptop but without using the keyboard, it might happen that the system requests the PIN for access. However, the box where to input it will be placed almost exactly where the screen folds, making it difficult to access. This is just an example of the greater difficulty in using this device: the operating system is not entirely ready, despite Lenovo’s attempts to patch it, for example with an intelligent system for arranging windows on the two halves of the screen. But it would not hurt to have, for example, the ability to darken portions of the screen, or a better and more responsive virtual keyboard. Here all the limitations of using Windows 11 as a fully touch system, without a physical keyboard, emerge. Obviously, the uniqueness of this foldable does not help.
Moving from the approximately 13 inches of the first generation (2021) to the 16" of this new version definitely means losing something in portability and partly also in functionality – if used as a tablet. On the other hand, the potential for use increases, and by increasing the available space for components, the technological equipment grows, which is no longer a compromise as in the first model. The keyboard becomes full-size, and there is also room for a second battery. The first foldable was created during the pandemic, without the possibility of meeting in person. This one, on the other hand, is the result of constant in-person interaction, as well as great multiculturalism: it was developed in Lenovo centers in the USA (North Carolina) and Asia (China and Japan).