***CORRECTIONS*** I mistakenly said that the USB-C/TB4 ports support charging. They do not. You have to use the included power adapter to charge this laptop.
wow thats bad. the previous x1 extreme allowed you to charge via the thunderbolt conector. Now when you toss in the fact that you lose a extra nvme slot as well when you get the vapour chamber cooler one, its a bit of a downgrade :(
@@fallbearx I think it's not. BUT 90w charging is not enough for a notebook with a RTX3080. Therefore charging with Thunderbolt would slowly discharge your battery... Hence the power adapter needed. However: I do NOT own this device. I can't tell you for sure.
@@Sachrial1 Thanks. What I saw was some laptops in this line offer usb-c pd3.0 up to 100w charges, which allows you to charge the laptop on travel. Not meant to sustain the laptop when in high load.
@@Sachrial1 would it always discharge the battery, or only when the computer is being pushed hard? In a pinch, if you were simply web browsing, I assume USB-C could still charge the computer (albeit slowly).
Overall quite nice, as usual some caveats... Agreed that the internal mics are pretty bad. Everybody keeps on ranting about bad webcams but I've never cared about video quality on the hundreds of conference calls I've been on, I bet most have their cameras off... I've always cared about being able to hear people clearly though... Very disappointing that the higher end GPU options take away the 2nd SSD slot. That's when you're most likely to need it! They are really compromising hard here to hit a certain chassis size and weight. Also really hate it when they downgrade the vapor chamber cooling on the lower-spec config - what if I want better cooling and/or whisper-quiet operation while still delivering high performance?
So glad I found your channel! I’ve been needing to upgrade for a long time and love Lenovo keyboards. Just purchased this the other day after watching your unboxing vid!
I ordered the X1 Gen 4 a week ago while it still had its sale price but still have to wait a month for it to be shipped (at least that’s what the email says) I’m not terribly good at picking a PC, I only own them as I develop software for an online retro gaming community and my last purchase was a surface book 2 which I absolutely loved (keyboard and screen was awesome) but sadly the logic board has died and had to scramble to get a replacement. Decided on Lenovo this time around, I don’t trust dell/Alienware (I have stories) and I’m glad I did, your reviews and unboxing in addition to others cemented the fact I made the right decision, I am curious about the thermal throttling but my surface book 2 throttled too so I’m sure the Lenovo will still noticeably out perform it. For reference I went with the following spec laptop (and I’ll be adding another 16gig stick for dual channel) Processor 11th Generation Intel® Core™ i7-11800H Processor (2.30 GHz, up to 4.60 GHz with Turbo Boost, 8 Cores, 16 Threads, 24 MB Cache) Operating System Windows 10 Pro 64 Graphics NVIDIA® GeForce RTX™ 3060 6GB Memory 16 GB DDR4 3200MHz Storage 512 GB PCIe SSD Gen 4 Display 16.0" WQUXGA (3840 x 2400) IPS, anti-glare with Dolby Vision™, HDR 400, 600 nits Camera IR & 1080p FHD Fingerprint Reader Fingerprint Reader Keyboard Backlit - US English WLAN Intel® Wi-Fi 6E AX210 802.11AX (2 x 2) & Bluetooth® 5.2
@@nashwave29 day 1 issues yes, swapping out internals for less expensive and inferior parts once repaired is extremely naughty, I simply do not trust the company and it’s practices.
This is honestly the most impressive laptop in its class right now. The compromises don't look too bad when you compare it to a 16" MBP or an XPS 15/17. Not to mention anything from the "gamer" brands like MSI, Asus, or Razer.
Interesting to see thermal throttling has not deterred many from buying this laptop. I'm not a content creator and plan to get a Nano and a eGPU for flight simming.
I'm interested in how Linux works on this unit, particularly how display scaling works in X11/GNOME, since 2560x1600 implies that fractional scaling needs to be used. For this reason I've been considering either sticking with 1080p/1200p displays or going straight to 4k and using 200% scaling which GNOME supports.
Gnome 40+ with wayland should support fractional scaling, and KDE supports it on xorg without problems. I don't know whether the nvidia gpu can work with wayland, but apparently with the new 470 nvidia driver it can.
Long time x1 owner here. It’s hard to justify getting x1 this day and age other than for its professional look. The light weight used to be the selling point. But both current gen Asus Zephyrus 15.6 rtx 3070 / 16 rtx 3060 weight 4.2lb and can be had for around $1500 when on sale. Not to mention it doesn’t throttle nearly as bad. If you don’t need the power, why don’t get LG gram, which is even lighter?
Great review Andrew. Is it good for 4k video editing? I would love to see you do a video on your normal editing process while using this laptop. I had one of these with the 4K screen and returned it for the touch version (love touch) and also ordered a Legion 7i to compare them both to see which one I want to keep long term.... Really on the fence about this one. I think the Legion 7i might be the way I need to go and get a bonus for some gaming as well. Ordered both with an RTX 3070 to compare them side by side... There is no perfect laptop!
Hello, good review! Have you run a VM or something that does stresses the laptop but not to the levels where the fans should kick in all the time? I got my X1 Extreme Gen4 and those fans will not stop for almost anything, it's almost unbearable!
Good point. I am wondering if the 12th generation of Intel Alder Lake processors might be a redemy for this? Because they low power cores for constant tasks which don't need much power. Excessive noise and heat are a reason I might go for the smaller X1 Yoga, although I would prefer a 16" display.
Don’t understand what Lenovo engineers were thinking? If it does thermal throttle, could’t they just make it a bit thicker for a better thermal solution!!! This thinness craze just keeps getting worse and worse. Thank you Andrew for the awesome review.
@@janalexandermyhrvold9554then its not supposed to carry the name “Extreme” nor should it be expensive. For the same price, I.m better off with HP Omen 17.
@@AliAbidalkareem I see.. maybe it's fairer to compare Omen to Legion instead? ThinkPad brand name includes the MIL-SPEC testing, including water spill resistance and their engineering on the keyboard. I doubt HP Omen have these standards and can therefore afford better thermal solution for the price range
@@janalexandermyhrvold9554 You’re right. Its because of that I was eyeing this one to do my Machine Learning and AI on it. Gaming laptops are not what I prefer, but it seems in terms of raw power, they deliver.
Because this laptop just pretend to be a little more powerful, than traditional ultrabook, saving normal size and what is more important - weight and ThinkPad features. It doesn't mean it will be good under thermal throttling (it's too thin for that). If you really need horsepower, then there is ThinkPad P series and gaming Legions. No need to compare to traditional workstations.
Just make sure your charger delivers 90 watts or more (100w will be limitation for type-c power delivery), because the processor and graphics card on this laptop can draw a lot of power, much more than traditional ultrabooks. Traditional type-c charger (60-65 watt) could also charge your laptop in sleep mode or in light office mode, not under constant load)
just purchased the i9 version with RTX3080 for work. It worked fine for most of the time until I started playing games on the laptop. Well, it heated up quickly and my keyboard area (especially your F keys area) are untouchable. It would be around 80 celcius for sure. And it eventually drop down the fps without doubt. Ok im gonna work on the cooling modification now.
I just bought this for $1660 with a 3 year premium plus warranty Lenovo has a super fat student discount it's definitely worth it. ( I got the base model)
Nice PC. For a productivity PC not including a full size 10 key for users who do a lot of spreadsheet work seems not to be the brightest idea. These manufacturers should design these units with an optional 10 key. This way they can satisfy both camps of users. For those who complain about a tenkey causing the keyboard and track pad not to be centered most users will get use to it pretty quickly and will not mind it. The webcam was excellent (what a difference from the mediocre 720p class) but the microphone sounded badly muffled. The manufacturer needs to improve this. Screen size is excellent. Excellent port selection. This unit can draw a lot of power since it comes with a large power adapter. As a result it probably can get pretty a warm under certain circumstances. Great "Review" as always.
I ordered one in October 2021 and the shipping date they gave me was _June 2022_. And that's for a pre-built version. Eventually they adjusted this. To April 2022. Ridiculous. I cancelled and ordered an XPS 17.
So I'm looking for a "perfect" laptop since almost 4 years now :D After seeing Apples event today I just ordered X1 Carbon 9th ;) incl. 32GB RAM + matte Touch: perfect lightweight + compact, very very nice keyboard (typing alot and fast), I needs trackpoint, very long batterylife (i5 + FHD+), powerful CPU (at least double as fast as my former Thinkpad T440p QuadCore!), longevity + 1000$ less than MBP21! I don't need 120hz for gaming. For casual games it's not necessary and for more serious gaming I use external 165hz highres display, soo.. It's just that I need a very mobile but capable computer which is a somewhat workstation aswell (with eGPU, external display, the 32GB RAM etc.) Also I need Windows, for example for casual gaming. The Intel XE7 GPU is very fast for all games I play. But Planning to plug a TB4 eGPU if needed or starting to stream games :) Only downside would be much slower mobile video-editing but I don't plan to edit and render 1 hour 4K videos everyday :) And if it's way to slow or I need the computer for other stuff at the same time, I just grab the M1 Air I bought for my girlfriend last year :) Also I could use the M1 Air to stream while playing on X1 Carbon eGPU Setup I guess. And an external RTX3070 for example should do a good render-job aswell! So why paying double the price for MBP21 while presenting a worse keyboard, weight/mobility, no trackpoint, looks (imo), no good/extensive game support and no touchscreen (so convenient, I use it all the time and makes my workflow and overall input so muc faster, easier and more fun :) ) - just because of the internal screen alone? nope not for me at least :) So y posting beneath this video? Because I was also thinking about the X1 Extreme / P1 Gen 4. But it is also 1200$ more in my country.. and I don't need a bigger screen at mobile use, also I don't need ultra-fast graphics in mobile situations (which sucks the batter ynontheless). Even with 16" screen I'd rather use external screen at home while working or playing on the desk. So I will just use an external GPU. double CPU-speed is nice but for what? my games don't need it, rendering is by GPU and I don't do other CPU-intensive stuff. would be nice but not for almost double the weight, the very larger dimensions, 50% less battery-life, no matte touch option at WQHD + 1200$ more So I hope I now gone for the right device finally ^^ Also ordered the new ipad mini 6, which I sold my former beloved mini 5 for. love using an 8-inch tablet and needs it aswell everyday. still loving a big 16" screen for mobile use on couch or other rooms & at parents or friends house and while being on the road. so much better multitasking, workflow and more detail, even while watching movies. But can't afford the extra 1200$ for now so it was not the primary choice. Maybe in a few years as additional device ~dreaming~ :) I just had to tell SOMEone about my choice after deciding for 4 years and testing alot haha :D (sure can't talk with my girlfriend about this ;D ) and your channel I feel the strongest connection to by far! (damn the X1 Carbon still is more expensive than my very trusty little used car which even moved me from germany beyond the polar circle in northern scandinavia whre I start living right now :D ) best wishes!
I hear you, am in a similar situation, deciding between a X1 Extreme Gen 4 and X1 Yoga Gen 7.. will probably go for the Yoga because of better power and thermal handling with the new generation of processors.
“Most people” who need a laptop for “everyday tasks” ought not be even looking at the X1 Extreme or machines in its class. There are myriad less-expensive options - even among Thinkpads - without RTX graphics. The X1E exists to be put “under heavy-load.” Some throttling was going to be a reality with a machine with such a slim chassis; it’s the severity of the throttling revealed in your testing that is somewhat surprising. The shift to vapor-chamber cooling in the X1E, and the newly-implemented air-intake were changes made to address the upgrade in power. However, I take issue with your use of Prime 95 as a means of testing thermal-performance. Prime 95 doesn’t reflect any sort of actual workload - nor is it designed to. The test puts extreme stress on a computer as a test of its stability (especially a system with overclocked components). It’s meant to test if a system will _fail_ under stress; it’s not meant for benchmarking. You make videos, so why not benchmark machines in this class based on performance during something like a 4K video export? Why not record the thermal performance during the game testing you already do? You having withdrawn your “like” from my comment under your X1E preview video gives me a strong indication of how well you’ll appreciate this comment. But, since I’m already a problematic commenter, I figure one more effort at constructive-criticism won't kill either of us.
Yeah, sadly such people may simply not know about existence of such laptop. ThinkPad T14-15 series is more than enough for everyday tasks (if you do not need dicrette graphics card), and they're cheaper
@@DGorpinchuk The general public may not know much about T-Series machines -- or about Thinkpads in-general, because Thinkpads are primarily targeted at business customers -- corporate IT departments which issue machines to employees. But the public definitely knows about laptops better-suited for general computing tasks because that type of laptop is most of what's available on the market. The vast-majority of laptops from Dell, HP, Acer, and non-Thinkpad Lenovo laptop offerings are general-computing machines. People are going to see these models wherever they shop -- online or in-store. No one shopping for a laptop is going to overlook all of those machines and pay 2300-3200 USD for an X1E just to surf the web and run MS Office. If Andrew is right, then the X1Extreme Gen 4 is a useless, poorly-engineered model. But, as I explained in my original comment, I think his testing method generates misleading results; you're not meant to record performance benchmarks during a test designed to break an unstable system.
@@DGorpinchuk I'm not clear on your position. And I never mentioned the "pros and cons" of anything. If I understand your original reply, you believe that there are people who want a laptop for general computing, but who will end up buying an X1 Extreme not realizing that there are less-expensive options that would better suit their needs. Is that correct? If there is anything you can offer in support of that position, I'd be happy to hear it. I've already taken the time to explain why I don't think that could possibly be true. If you buy for corporate IT, then you represent a small minority of laptop buyers. I didn't know much about the various Thinkpad series until a few weeks before buying a my P1. I submit that as evidence that the general consumer has no clue about Thinkpads -- let alone the top-tier X1-Series models which are priced significantly higher that the vast number of choices available to them.
@@XMACHINAv2 sorry for misunderstanding. I agree with your statement. I just think, that it will be better, if more people will be familiar with ThinkPads. Maybe someday they will prefer it over plastic shit from Acer & Asus and such *dreams*. And will pay more for quality, better keyboard and such (in my opinion)
Two SODIMM slots, which are user accessible as I show in the video. Make sure you get two sticks of RAM that is offered not one as it will run in single-channel and will have reduced performance. Dual channel will have better overall performance.
Too funny! Give a kid a wristwatch and what's the first thing he does? Pries off the back cover to look at all the pretty gears going round and around and around.
Because this laptop just pretend to be a little more powerful, than traditional ultrabook, saving normal size and what is more important - weight and ThinkPad features. It doesn't mean it will be good under thermal throttling (it's too thin for that). If you really need horsepower, then there is ThinkPad P series and gaming Legions. No need to compare to traditional workstations. Extreme is just a variation of X1 Carbon with 15-16 inch display, the lightest in it's class, what is important for customers of this lineup (X1).
The red nub is there for people who use these things in the field with gloves on. Engineers, architects, people working at oil fields… you get the point. There is a reason these thinkpads are built like tanks. Andrew didn’t mention it, but this thing is mil-spec tested and approved for that kind of outdoor usage.
If they do that I stop buying Thinkpads. The Thinkpad line exists for niche customers who value the build quality, keyboard, reliability and... the trackpoint. I'm a programmer by trade, use vi because that lets me keep my fingers in the touch typing position on the home row and not get RSI. The trackpoint is where it is for that reason - your hands don't move from that position to access the pointer. I recommend trying it out, it only takes a day or two to become as natural feeling as any other pointer input, except that I find it way better for fine control. Trying to use a mechanical CAD with a trackpad is frustrating because of the dead zone before moving starts, which people who don't have to move things very small distances probably never notice, but the point is the Thinkpads exist precisely for this niche user base who keep buying them at whatever price is asked because everything else just causes pain in their daily life.
I'm very glad they are not listening people like you (because you do not understand, how to use this thing effectively). And that's why ThinkBook series exist - go and check more traditional modern laptop. No need to mess them with ThinkPads, they're in different categories.
Good background on the advantages of the red button. I am a business user and used the Thinkpad for several years. I could never get comfortable with the red button, so I went with laptops without the red button (or used a mouse). I also prefer laptops with num pads, given my daily use of speadsheets.
