In part two of my review of the Lenovo Thinkpad X1, I'm going to move beyond the ergonomics, design and form factor of the laptop and take a look at what's under the hood. If you haven't already, check out part one of the {{http://lenovothinkpadx1-design.reviews.r-tt.com/|Lenovo Thinkpad X1 review}}.

Power/Specs

The power of the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 is the real talk of this unit. As mentioned earlier the X1 is a little robust in design as compared to its competitors. Packed in the X1 is what really stands out more than the weight. Running Windows 7 on the codename Sandy Bridge Intel Core-i5 with 4gb of ram and 320GB at 7200 RPM is enough to impress even laptop users. With the 1366x768 native resolution run by an Intel HD Graphics 3000 graphics will run multimedia platforms and even games with good speed and graphics. The speakers on this ThinkPad are definitely above average. The X1 has Dolby Home Theater stereo speakers installed and give out clear sound for a laptop sized unit. Overall, for the size of this ThinkPad, it puts out remarkable processing power and sound. The battery options for this unit are sort of a tradeoff between power and form factor. The internal battery of the X1 does not have very good battery time (5.2hours). This could be attributed to the fact that the X1 does support fairly high end specs and is a full powered laptop. An external ‘˜slice’ battery can be purchased to extend battery life (10hrs). The Lenovo RapidCharge, however, does bite back with a 30 minute charge to 80% charge. One item that might hurt this ThinkPad is the fact that it does not come with an Optical Drive. Meaning that an external drive would have to be purchased to view/burn CD’s and DVD’s. Having said that, though the X1 is aimed more at the traveling business person than the hardcore gamer.

Accessories

The Lenovo ThinkPad does come with a 802.11n built-in wireless chip. The X1 is also setup for mobile broadband and Ethernet connection for easy Internet access abilities. On the back side of the unit is a USB 3.0, eSATA/USB 2.0 combination port, HDMI, and Mini DisplayPort. On the side of the X1 is an extra USB 2.0 port along with a headphone jack. There are some questions as to why more ports weren’t added with more than enough space available, but there are enough ports to keep you connected. Oddly the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 does not come with a ExpressCard slot nor a VGA port. A great feature on the X1 is the HD Webcam and noise cancelling microphone. The HD Webcam is setup with low light sensitivity and runs at a maximum of 1280x720 resolution for stunning video capturing capabilities. The microphone has noise cancelling qualities that can be customized right from the keyboard. With the built-in stereo Dolby Home Theatre V4 speakers the X1 is definitely setup for superb web conferencing.

Price

The price of the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 starts at $1399 and can climb to nearly $2000 depending on the setup you purchase. That price in comparison to the unit’s competition is a little steep. One could go purchase a laptop with similar specs at a less expensive cost. The X1, however, is a ThinkPad and is geared more toward the business person who travels a lot and wants a portable PC that is reliable and powerful. The X1 does not fall short when it comes to offering a reliable and powerful ThinkPad that has a ergonomic design.

Conclusion

Overall the Lenovo ThinkPad, while a little overpriced, is a good ThinkPad for the money you will spend. The unit’s durability and processing power provides one with the capabilities needed for travel and business alike. The only two downfalls of this product is the battery capability and the fact that it does not come with an internal Optical Drive.