Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen2 review

[ntab Configuration]

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme keyboard and stylus

The ThinkPad X1 Extreme (Gen 2) is the gaming-oriented version of the ThinkPad P1, one of the most portable mobile workstations on the market. Just like the P1, it can be customised with a variety of powerful components, effectively turning it into a lightweight business-grade notebook capable of midrange gaming. The base configuration costs around $2,459.00 ($1,721.30 on sale) but the reviewed unit, which is a maxed-out configuration, costs $4,798.00 ($3,358.60 on sale).

Configuration specifications

Display 15.6 inch, 3840 x 2160 @ 60Hz, Glossy, OLED ATNA56WR08-0 / LEN4141
Processor Intel Core i9-9880H
Memory 32GB DDR4 2666MHz (dual-channel)
Video card NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 4GB GDDR5 Max-Q (TU117M)
Wireless card Intel(R) Wi-Fi 6 AX200 160MHz
Storage Samsung MZVLB1T0HBLR-000L7 1024 GB M.2 PCIe SSD
Battery 80.4 WHr (78.9 WHr usable)
Operating system Windows 10 Pro
Full specifications here

 

A local retailer provided the unit, and the machine was used as Lenovo delivers it. No enhancements or changes were done to the laptop.

[ntab Build quality]
Physical size

Width: 360 mm / 14.17 inches
Depth: 245 mm / 9.64 inches
Height: Front: 19 mm / 0.74 inch
Rear: 21 mm / 0.82 inch
Laptop weight: 1.740 kg / 3.83 lbs
Charger weight: 0.480 kg / 1.05 lbs
Laptop + charger weight: 2.220 kg / 4.89 lbs

 

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme display lid
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme display lid

The X1 is a traditional clamshell laptop, which opens at a maximum of 180 degrees angle and has a chassis primary made of aluminium. Unlike the previous X1 Extreme version, the carbon-fibre display lid has a weave patern which is prone to scratches. The laptop is entirely black with subtle red and orange elements. The ThinkPad logo on the back of the display top has a red led for the dot in the ‘i’, which glows when the laptop is on. The keyboard deck has a soft-touch coating making it comfortable for long typing sessions. Also, it is not possible to open the display lid with one hand, though this is not necessarily a negative point.

The X1 Extreme (Gen 2) has one of the best keyboards tested so far, which lives up to the expectations set by the ThinkPad brand. The spill-resistant keyboard feels great. It comes with a backlit system with two intensity levels, with the light coming from under the keys, not through them. This illumination system is more comfortable for the eyes, especially at night, but since the keycaps are opaque, the markings on the keys are challenging to see if the keyboard light is off. The concave-shaped keys have a shorter travel time than the older generation of ThinkPad laptops. The keyboard deck has a soft-touch coating, making it comfortable for long typing sessions but prone to smudges, meaning that it needs regular cleaning.

Despite being business-oriented and having a 15-inches chassis, the laptop lacks a Number Pad.

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme keyboard view
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme keyboard view

Also, for some reason, Lenovo decided to switch positions between the Fn and left Control key, so trying to copy and paste something or using the Control key to crouch in videogames is harder than it should be. Fortunately, the functionality of these keys can be switched back to their regular arrangement through the Lenovo Vantage app.

Due to its dedicated left and right buttons, the glass-covered precision trackpad is not as large as in other 15-inches laptops, but it still feels spacious enough and comfortable to use. The buttons are placed above the touchpad, very close to the space key, to reduce travel time between the keyboard and the trackpad. However, since this arrangement is not typical, it takes a little bit of time getting used to it.

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme keyboard top view
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme keyboard top view

Additionally, a small joystick placed in the middle of the keyboard provides the same scrolling and mouse functionalities as the trackpad. Some people may find the small joystick visually annoying, but it is helpful for scrolling without having to move the hands away from the keyboard. Compared to the joystick, the trackpad should be preferred, since it offers superior control and precision.

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme TrackPoint
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme TrackPoint

The fingerprint reader is located in a comfortable position at the right side of the keyboard, around half the distance between the display lid and the bottom of the chassis. The fingerprint reader also works just by holding the finger on it; thus, there is no need to swipe around it, and there are fewer smudges on the chassis.

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme fingerprint reader
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme fingerprint reader

While the typing experience is excellent, it sometimes felt that the keyboard was missing some strokes. After some research, it turns out that there is a 47 pages thread on Lenovo’s Official Forum regarding this issue. Allegedly, there is a problem with the first batch of these devices and the second batch had the keyboard replaced altogether. The second batch can be differentiated from the first one by the Dolby Atmos logo on the chassis. The laptop reviewed here had the Dolby Atmos logo, meaning it is from the second batch, but still had the same problem reported by so many users, though not as bad as other people reported it. There is a rumour that this issue might be software-related and that Lenovo is working on a BIOS release that will supposedly fix this problem, however, at the time of writing, this fix is not out yet. (Source)

The webcam quality is acceptable, though not spectacular. For some reason, it seems the recording software automatically applies some softness to the image. The maximum recording quality is 720p at 30 fps, which is enough for a regular Skype call. When the webcam is on, there is a small white LED, next to it which indicates that it is recording. Additionally, Lenovo added a ThinkShutter webcam privacy slider which physically blocks the sensor of the camera. Furthermore, if the laptop comes with the IR camera option, then the camera can be used to login into Windows using Windows Hello.

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme webcam quality
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme webcam quality

The sound recording quality was a pleasant surprise. All recordings sounded clear without picking any noticeable background noise. Furthermore, the 360° far-field microphones can pick up voice commands from up to 4 meters (13 ft.) away — a feature which is especially useful when talking to Microsoft’s Cortana voice assistant built into Windows 10.

[ntab Disassembly]

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme bottom panel
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme bottom panel

ThinkPad laptops are known for how easy it is to disassemble them and the X1 Extreme (Gen 2) is no exception. Firstly, there are seven Philips head screws on the back of the laptop which need unscrewing. Secondly, at the back of the laptop, where the display meets the main chassis, carefully place a prying tool or plastic card in the space between the plastic bottom cover and the main chassis, and then gently move the prying tool or plastic card all along this separation space. As the prying tool/plastic card moves along this space, it will slowly un-clip the bottom cover from the main chassis. Finally, lifting the bottom lid will reveal the laptop’s internal components.

Lenovo Thinkpad X1 Extreme disassembly – using the prying tool
Lenovo Thinkpad X1 Extreme disassembly - using the prying tool
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme internal components
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme internal components

Inside, there is:

  • two M.2 SSD/PCIe slots;
  • two RAM slots;
  • a PCIe slot for the Wi-Fi card.
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme M.2 SSD slots
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme M.2 SSD slots

The two RAM DIMMs support up to 64GB of DDR4 memory, and the M.2 SSD/PCIe slots support two PCIe x4 drives, which can be configured in a RAID 0 array. It is also worth mentioning that the M.2 SSD/PCIe slots have a thin shock-absorbing film underneath them and that the RAM sockets have a plastic sheet which covers the RAM modules for electrostatic protection.
 

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme RAM slots
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme RAM slots

[ntab Ports]

Just like its predecessor, the X1 Extreme Gen 2 has a wide selection of peripheral ports.

Overall, the laptop has :

  • one Ethernet extension connector;
  • two USB 3.0 Type-A ports, one of which offers power over USB even if the machine is off;
  • two USB 3.0 Type-C Thunderbolt 3 ports (also known as USB-C 3.2 Gen 1);
  • one HDMI 2.0 port;
  • a standard 3.5mm jack combo for microphone and headphones or speakers;
  • one Kensington lock
  • a proprietary DC-in power connector;
  • an SD card reader;
  • a Smart card reader.

Both Thunderbolt 3 ports can be used for charging and support x4 PCIe lanes, thus there is plenty of bandwidth for an external GPU setup and an external high-resolution display.

The mini-Ethernet port needs a proprietary LAN dongle which allegedly is faster than standard LAN to Type-C aftermarket adaptors.

[ntab Display]

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme display

The ThinkPad X1 Extreme (Gen 2) can be configured with a wide variety of panels, ranging from standard FullHD/1080p to high-end UltraHD/4K. The current review unit has the best display option for this model, the UHD/4K OLED display made by Samsung, model ATNA56WR08-0 / LEN4141. It is also the only available option with a touchscreen, which incidentally also has active pen support, enabling users to write and draw on the display.

Overall, the display is stunning and currently, probably the best on the market. It features Dolby Vision HDR 500 capabilities, making it perfect for watching movies and other HDR content. It has vibrant colours and almost perfect blacks with a 368740:1 contrast ratio. The screen is also excellently suited for photo and video editing, with outstanding colour coverage at 100% sRGB, 94.8% Adobe RGB and 99.4% DCI P3.

One of the chief complaints of OLED displays is their lack of visibility under direct sunlight. Fortunately, the X1 OLED display does not suffer from this problem. Even though the touchscreen digitiser adds another sheet of glass on top of the existing OLED display, making it extra glossy and reflective, the display’s high brightness of 375 nits (marketed at 400), compensates for the high glossiness and offers excellent visibility even under direct sunlight.

Unfortunately, there is a downside to having such a fantastic display. When displaying white content, the high number of OLED pixels draw a lot of power and drain the battery much faster than classic 4K displays. Thus, Word and Excel, as well as most websites that have a white background, will drain the battery much quicker than expected. Fortunately, there is a solution. Because OLEDs consume far less power when displaying black content, running Windows using Dark Theme and enabling Dark mode in most applications will alleviate the battery draining issues.

Here is a link to the calibrated display profile of the reviewed unit. Because each display is unique, this profile will not perfectly match other displays of the same model. Still, using this profile should give better overall colours.

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme display view angles
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme display view angles

 

sRGB profile and calibration
sRGB profile and calibration

Lenovo includes an active pen/stylus in the retail box of the X1 Extreme (Gen 2). The Lenovo Pen PRO features 4096 levels of pressure sensitivity and comes with three buttons, which are programmable using Lenovo’s Vantage desktop application. The stylus also has tilt support, and it was pleasant to use with no noticeable lag.

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme stylus
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme stylus

[ntab Benchmarks]

Night Raid

SCORE

25010
Graphics score 36651
CPU score 8933

Fire Strike

SCORE

7234
Graphics score 8020
Physics score 15150
Combined score 2873

Sky Diver

SCORE

22630
Graphics score 27420
Physics score 14634
Combined score 15185

Time Spy

SCORE

3334
Graphics score 3044
Physics score 5066

Cinebench R15/R20
R15 Single/Multi R20 Single/Multi
180/1154 443/2499

Blender

Geekbench 4
Single-core score Multi-core score
5108 21759

Geekbench 5
Single-core score Multi-core score
1125 5432

PCMark 10
Web Score
7952
Apps Score
13009
Chat Score
7629
Photo Score 6747
Video Score
3691
Writing Score
5662
Spreadsheet Score
9122
Essentials 9239
Productivity 7184
Digital Content Creation
3993
SCORE 4597

Crystal Disk Mark

[ntab Gaming benchmarks]

Thanks to the GTX 1650 Max-Q dedicated graphics card, the X1 Extreme (Gen 2) is capable of midrange gaming at 1080p. By comparison to the first generation of the X1 Extreme, the new version gets a graphics performance boost of about 10 to 15 per cent.
Unfortunately, the 4K display gets a little bit in the way of gaming, as many games will run in windowed mode if set to a lower resolution, like 1080p. The solution is to lower the display’s resolution in Windows and then restart the laptop. After logging back in, all games will properly run in full-screen mode at 1080p or lower.

Apex Legends
Settings
FPS average
FPS min
FPS max
High 61 FPS 40 FPS 93 FPS

Assassins Creed Odyssey
Settings
FPS average
FPS min
FPS max
Ultra High 22 FPS 1 FPS 37 FPS
High 42 FPS 1 FPS 81 FPS

Black Mesa
Settings
FPS average
FPS min
FPS max
High (maximum) 131 FPS 81 FPS 221 FPS

Borderlands 3
Settings
FPS average
FPS min
FPS max
Ultra 34 FPS 26 FPS 46 FPS

Code Vein
Settings
FPS average
FPS min
FPS max
Highest 90 FPS 62 FPS 109 FPS

Control
Settings
FPS average
FPS min
FPS max
High 34 FPS 19 FPS 64 FPS

Counter Strike: GO
Settings
FPS average
FPS min
FPS max
High 115 FPS 66 FPS 196 FPS

Darksiders 3
Settings
FPS average
FPS min
FPS max
Epic* 30 FPS 21 FPS 34 FPS

Darksiders Genesis
Settings
FPS average
FPS min
FPS max
Ultra 59 FPS 40 FPS 88 FPS

Devil May Cry 5
Settings
FPS average
FPS min
FPS max
Ultra 64 FPS 37 FPS 154 FPS

DOOM
Settings
FPS average
FPS min
FPS max
Ultra 82 FPS 56 FPS 130 FPS

Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot
Settings
FPS average
FPS min
FPS max
Max settings 31 FPS 24 FPS 47 FPS

Far Cry 5
Settings
FPS average
FPS min
FPS max
Ultra 44 FPS 29 FPS 69 FPS

Final Fantasy XV
Settings
FPS average
FPS min
FPS max
Highest 35 FPS 16 FPS 81 FPS

Fortnite
Settings
FPS average
FPS min
FPS max
Epic 51 FPS 39 FPS 67 FPS

Grand Theft Auto V
Settings
FPS average
FPS min
FPS max
Ultra 34 FPS 17 FPS 56 FPS

Guild Wars 2
Settings
FPS average
FPS min
FPS max
Maximum 33 FPS 19 FPS 50 FPS

Halo: Reach
Settings
FPS average
FPS min
FPS max
Enhanced 104 FPS 59 FPS 224 FPS

Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order
Settings
FPS average
FPS min
FPS max
Epic 42 FPS 21 FPS 100 FPS

League of Legends
Settings
FPS average
FPS min
FPS max
Very High 100 FPS 47 FPS 232 FPS

Metro Exodus
Settings
FPS average
FPS min
FPS max
High 25 FPS 12 FPS 41 FPS
Normal 33 FPS 18 FPS 54 FPS

Crytek: Neon Noir
Settings
FPS average
FPS min
FPS max
Ultra 30 FPS 20 FPS 41 FPS

No Mans Sky
Settings
FPS average
FPS min
FPS max
Ultra 43 FPS 1 FPS 75 FPS

Overwatch
Settings
FPS average
FPS min
FPS max
Epic 71 FPS 38 FPS 91 FPS

Rainbow Six Siege
Settings
FPS average
FPS min
FPS max
Ultra 107 FPS 79 FPS 136 FPS

Red Dead Redemption 2
Settings
FPS average
FPS min
FPS max
Ultra** 34 FPS 23 FPS 59 FPS

Resident Evil 2
Settings
FPS average
FPS min
FPS max
High 56 FPS 34 FPS 134 FPS

Shadow of the Tomb Raider
Settings
FPS average
FPS min
FPS max
Highest 45 FPS 33 FPS 59 FPS

Smite
Settings
FPS average
FPS min
FPS max
Maximum 147 FPS 89 FPS 151 FPS

The Outer Worlds
Settings
FPS average
FPS min
FPS max
Ultra 40 FPS 22 FPS 67 FPS

The Witcher 3
Settings
FPS average
FPS min
FPS max
Ultra 40 FPS 25 FPS 63 FPS

Total War: Three Kingdoms
Settings
FPS average
FPS min
FPS max
High 37 FPS 26 FPS 45 FPS

War Thunder
Settings
FPS average
FPS min
FPS max
Movie preset 79 FPS 61 FPS 176 FPS

Warcraft 3: Reforged
Settings
FPS average
FPS min
FPS max
High 86 FPS 43 FPS 140 FPS

Warframe
Settings
FPS average
FPS min
FPS max
High 95 FPS 63 FPS 191 FPS

*Game locked at 30 fps.
**Balanced quality preset, Ultra textures, Anisotropic filtering x8.

[ntab Temperatures]

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme cooling system
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme cooling system

The cooling solution of the X1 Extreme (Gen 2) consists of two, slightly larger than average, shared heat-pipes and two medium-sized fans which pull fresh air from underneath the laptop and push it out throughout its back. On the bottom of the laptop, there is a large grill with a thin mesh acting as a dust filter.

Because the laptop pulls fresh air from underneath itself, this is one of those rare cases when a cooling pad will make a noticeable difference for the laptop’s internal temperatures, especially in prolonged working/gaming sessions.

Additionally, the fan responsible for cooling the video card is slightly larger than the one for the processor, which should translate it better temperatures for the video card.

Unfortunately, the exhausts are placed in such a way, that if the display is opened at a 90° angle, which is often the case with most laptops, then the display frame will block the exhaust grills and prevent the machine from properly cooling itself. The result is that the top of the keyboard gets rather hot, and the bottom of the display frame is also heating more than it should. Hopefully, this poor design choice will get sorted out in the next iteration of the X1 Extreme.

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme exhaust vent
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme exhaust vent

In terms of power delivery, the VRMs still do not have any form of cooling, and their positioning has changed only slightly from the previous generation. The only noticeable change is the larger buck converters, which is unclear how it will affect power delivery and performance.

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme VRM difference Gen1 vs Gen2
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme VRM difference Gen1 vs Gen2

Before we begin analysing the temperatures, it is essential to note that the maximum Turbo Boost when all six cores are active is lower than the maximum single-core Turbo Boost. According to Intel, when all six cores are active, the maximum achievable speed of the i9-9880H should be 4.20 GHz versus 4.80Ghz for a single core. By comparison, Intel’s i7-9750H maximum 6-core boost speed is 4.00 GHz. However, for some reason, Lenovo decided to limit the maximum 6-core speed of the i9-9880H to 4.10 GHz, which is slightly under Intel’s official specifications. Also, the i9’s specified non-Turbo ratio is 2.20 Ghz, vs Intel’s official 2.30 Ghz. Overall, it seems Lenovo slightly underclocks the i9 in this model.

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme VRM difference Gen1 vs Gen2
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme VRM difference Gen1 vs Gen2

All temperature measurements were performed at an ambient temperature of 26.5° C (79.7° F).

Temperatures on idle and heavy load
Temperatures on idle and heavy load

During the standard 20 minutes AIDA64 stress test (CPU, FPU, cache), the processor reached an average temperature of 72°C (161.6°F), with a maximum of 98°C (208.4°F), which is dangerously close to the manufacturer’s safety limit of 100°C (212°F). At these temperatures, the processor managed to keep an average frequency of 2.33 GHz, with occasional dips to as low as 2.09 GHz. These frequencies are well below the processor’s theoretical 8-core maximum boost speed of 4.80 GHz, but on average still within Intel’s minimum guaranteed frequency of 2.30 GHz.

CPU temperature and clock rates after AIDA64 CPU stress test
CPU temperature and clock rates after AIDA64 CPU stress test
Unigine Superposition GPU stress test
Unigine Superposition GPU stress test

In the combined AIDA64 plus Unigine Superposition test which had both the processor and the GTX 1650 Max-Q under heavy load for 20 minutes, the processor immediately spiked to 98°C (208.4°F) and started to throttle until it reached an average temperature of 72°C (161.6°F). The frequencies barely managed to run at an average of 1.75 GHz and sometimes even dipping to as low as 0.79 GHz, which is way under Intel’s minimum speed of 2.30 GHz.

Unigine Superposition + Aida64 combined stress test -HWinfo
Unigine Superposition + Aida64 combined stress test -HWinfo
Unigine Superposition + Aida64 combined stress test -Unigine Superposition
Unigine Superposition + Aida64 combined stress test -Unigine Superposition

Finally, the laptop was tested with the AIDA64 stability test, which is another combined stress test for the video card and processor. The results were very similar to the previous stress tests. The processor’s temperature again initially spiked to 97°C (206.6°F) and then stabilised at 72°C (161.6°F). The average clock speed was way under the minimum 2.30GHz specified by Intel, with an average of 1.26 GHz and dips to 0.89 GHz. Also, the system reported power draw spikes of over 150W, which is worrying because the charger provided by Lenovo only rated at a maximum of 135W. Likely the charger is designed to deal with higher than expected loads, but pushing it over its limits is not entirely safe for long term usage. Also, getting a more powerful aftermarket charger is not possible because Lenovo uses a proprietary charging connector.

Aida64 combined stress test BIOS v1.23
Unigine Superposition + Aida64 combined stress test -HWinfo

Starting with BIOS versions 1.26, Lenovo removed the throttling threshold set at 80°C (176°F), allowing the processor to get closer to its 100°C temperature limit before throttling. After updating the current laptop from BIOS version 1.23 to 1.28, the processor reached its 98°C limit even faster. Now, instead of the occasional frequency dips, the processor goes straight into an all-cores throttle at a constant frequency of 0.80 GHz.

Aida64 full system stability stress test
Aida64 full system stability stress test

After running multiple stress tests, it is safe to conclude that the cooling solution implemented by Lenovo in its X1 Extreme is not enough to cool the Intel Core i9. Under load, the laptop reaches the processor’s maximum critical temperature in just 15 seconds resulting in a machine which severely throttles and underperforms. Though there is no guarantee that a lower-class processor, like an i5 or an i7, will improve things, in theory, however, it should yield lower temperatures and possibly even better overall performance, while saving a few dollars.

[ntab Noise]
The X1 Extreme (Gen 2) is a reasonably quiet machine. When idling, the fan noise is hardly noticeable, remaining at the room’s ambient level of around 25 dB. Even under intensive usage, the noise level barely reaches 35 dB.

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme noise test
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme noise test

LatencyMon was used to evaluate if the laptop is suitable for video/audio editing and recording. The machine was tested only while connected to the internet via Wi-Fi. It was impossible to test the laptop while connected to LAN because it lacks a dedicated LAN (RJ45) port and Lenovo requires that its propriety LAN adapter is purchased separately.

Unfortunately, the laptop experienced medium latency, which in practice, may result in clicks or pops while recording. The test was run multiple times to eliminate any flukes, and it always returned with the same results. Consequently, this laptop is not recommended for professional sound recording and processing.

LatencyMon test - WIFI
LatencyMon test – WIFI

[ntab Sound quality]

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme speakers
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme speakers

The two-watt stereo speakers on the X1 Extreme (Gen 2) are positioned on the edge of the chassis, firing downside at a 45-degree angle, which prevents getting a muffled audio playback when placed on a flat surface. The sound quality has remained largely unchanged from the first generation of the X1 Extreme, and overall it is of acceptable quality. Unfortunately, at higher volumes, there is a noticeable drop in sound quality, which is a shame since the speakers can reach a peak volume of 73 dB.

From the previous generation of X1 Extreme, the only noticeable change is that the addition of Dolby Atmos capabilities, which provide multiple presets and an equaliser for mixing and matching various sound settings.

Overall, headphones are still recommended for an improved sound (listening) experience on the X1 Extreme Gen 2.

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme peak volume
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme peak volume

[ntab Battery life]

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme battery
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme battery


Since most laptops are used on battery for mundane office activities and web browsing, the laptop was tested using a simulated continuous web browsing session over the Wi-Fi. The browsing session involved checking emails/news, social media and accessing multimedia websites, similar to the behaviour of an average user. The level of brightness was set according to visibility and usability. At 25% brightness (maximum is 375 nits) the laptop provided an enjoyable viewing experience. The sound volume was also set to 50%.

Officially, the battery is rated at 80,4 WHr. However, as it is often the case with most laptops, the real maximum charge is smaller and diminishes over time due to battery wear. The unit reviewed here reported a maximum charge capacity of 78.9 WHr.

With its 80 WHr battery, the laptop lasted only 2 hours and 28 minutes. The laptop was tested using both Firefox and Edge and yielded similar battery life results regardless of the browser.

.

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme battery specifications Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme charger
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme battery specifications Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme charger

Running Windows in Dark Theme mode and enabling Dark Mode in other application will likely increase the laptop’s battery life but not by a considerable margin. The most appropriate solution for improving battery life is to opt for a Full HD display instead of the UHD one. Judging from how other laptops perform, a Full HD display should increase battery life by around 30%. Even getting an IPS panel instead of the OLED one, while keeping the 4K resolution, will noticeably improve battery life.

Charging the laptop from 5% to 100% took almost 2 hours and 10 minutes with the 135W power adapter included in the box.

[ntab Software]
The machine came with Windows 10 Pro pre-installed on it and the only Lenovo provided software worth mentioning is the Lenovo Vantage app.

Lenovo Vantage offers users a wide range of options, from remapping the keyboard to some OLED specific settings like dimming the taskbar to avoid burn-in.

Alongside the Lenovo Vantage app, Lenovo also provides the Lenovo Migration Assistant, which helps users to port their files and settings from their old machine to the new PC.

Lenovo Vantage battery and power settings
Lenovo Vantage battery and power settings
Lenovo Vantage audio settings
Lenovo Vantage audio settings
Lenovo Vantage display settings
Lenovo Vantage keyboard settings
Lenovo Vantage keyboard settings

[ntab Conclusion]

Pros:

  • gaming capabilities in a business-grade laptop
  • great OLED HDR touch display
  • excellent keyboard
  • great build quality
  • easy to upgrade and maintain

Cons:

  • expensive
  • processor throttling under load, especially with the Core i9
  • below-average battery life
  • fingerprint magnet
  • no VRM cooling

The Lenovo X1 Extreme (Gen 2) has all the makings of a business-grade laptop: excellent build quality, lightweight, compact, gorgeous display, state of the art components and one of the best keyboards on the market. On top of that, it also provides midrange gaming capabilities for those who want to play while away from home. Unfortunately, the processor’s cooling solution cannot keep up with the power-hungry, heat-emitting i9 that drags down an otherwise remarkable machine. It is unclear whether opting for an i7 would improve things, but in the worst-case scenario, it will provide similar performance for a slightly lower price.

[ntab Buy]

To support noteb.com search engine and its review team, please consider buying a future Lenovo Thinkpad X1 Extreme Gen2 laptop through one of the links included below. Thank you!

Lenovo Official store
Lenovo configurator – i5-9300H (up to i9-9880H), 8GB RAM (up to 64GB), 256GB SSD (up to 1TB), FHD display (up to 4K OLED)

Newegg
Newegg – i7-9850H, 32GB RAM, 512GB SSD, FHD display, Win 10 Pro + Office 365 Bundle
Newegg – i7-9750H, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD, FHD display, Win 10 Pro
Newegg – i7-9750H, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD, FHD display, Win 10 Pro
Newegg – i7-9750H, 32GB RAM, 512GB SSD, UHD IPS display, Win 10 Pro

Walmart
Walmart – i7-9750H, 32GB RAM, 512GB SSD, UHD IPS display, Win 10 Pro
Walmart – i7-9750H, 16GB RAM, 1TB SSD, FHD display, Win 10 Pro
Walmart – i7-9750H, 16GB RAM, 2TB SSD, FHD display, Win 10 Pro
Walmart – i7-9750H, 32GB RAM, 1TB SSD, FHD display, Win 10 Pro
Walmart – i7-9750H, 32GB RAM, 2TB SSD, FHD display, Win 10 Pro
Walmart – i7-9750H, 32GB RAM, 512GB SSD, FHD display, Win 10 Pro
Walmart – i7-9750H, 64GB RAM, 1TB SSD, FHD display, Win 10 Pro
Walmart – i7-9750H, 64GB RAM, 2TB SSD, FHD display, Win 10 Pro
Walmart – i7-9750H, 64GB RAM, 512GB SSD, FHD display, Win 10 Pro

Amazon
Amazon – i7-9750H, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD, FHD display, Win 10 Pro
Amazon – i7-9750H, 64GB RAM, 2TB SSD, FHD display, Win 10 Pro
Amazon – i7-9750H, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD, FHD display, Win 10 Pro
Amazon – i7-9750H, 64GB RAM, 2TB SSD, FHD display, Win 10 Pro
Amazon – i7-9750H, 16GB RAM, 1TB SSD, UHD IPS display, Win 10 Pro
Amazon – i5-9300H, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD, FHD display, Win 10 Pro
Amazon – i7-9750H, 64GB RAM, 2TB SSD, FHD display, Win 10 Pro
Amazon – i7-9750H, 32GB RAM, 2TB SSD, FHD display, Win 10 Pro
Amazon – i7-9850H, 64GB RAM, 1TB SSD, UHD OLED touch display, Win 10 Pro
Amazon – i7-9850H, 64GB RAM, 2TB RAID SSD, UHD OLED touch display, Win 10 Pro
Amazon – i7-9850H, 64GB RAM, 2TB SSD, UHD OLED touch display, Win 10 Pro
Amazon – i7-9850H, 64GB RAM, 4TB SSD, UHD OLED touch display, Win 10 Pro
Amazon – i7-9750H, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD, FHD display, Win 10 Pro
Amazon – i7-9750H, 32GB RAM, 1TB SSD, FHD display, Win 10 Pro
Amazon – i7-9750H, 32GB RAM, 512GB SSD, FHD display, Win 10 Pro
Amazon – i7-9750H, 64GB RAM, 1TB SSD, FHD display, Win 10 Pro
Amazon – i7-9750H, 64GB RAM, 512GB SSD, FHD display, Win 10 Pro

Bestbuy
Bestbuy – i7-9850H, 32GB RAM, 512GB SSD, FHD display, Win 10 Pro
Bestbuy – i7-9750H, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD, FHD display, Win 10 Pro

BH Photo
B&H configurator – i5-9400H (up to i9-9880H), 8GB RAM (up to 32GB), 256GB SSD (up to 1TB), FHD display (up to 4K OLED)

CDW
CDW – i7-9850H, 32GB RAM, 512GB SSD, FHD display, Win 10 Pro
CDW – i7-9750H, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD, FHD display, Win 10 Pro

Colamco
Colamco – i7-9750H, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD, FHD display, Win 10 Pro
Colamco – i7-9750H, 32GB RAM, 512GB SSD, UHD IPS display, Win 10 Pro
Colamco – i7-9750H, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD, FHD display, Win 10 Pro
Colamco – i7-9750H, 32GB RAM, 1TB SSD, UHD IPS display, Win 10 Pro
Colamco – i7-9750H, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD, FHD display, Win 10 Pro
Colamco – i7-9750H, 32GB RAM, 1TB SSD, UHD IPS display, Win 10 Pro
Colamco – i7-9850H, 32GB RAM, 512GB SSD, FHD display, Win 10 Pro

Connection
Connection – i5-9300H (up to i9-9880H), 8GB RAM (up to 32GB), 256GB SSD (up to 1TB), FHD display (up to 4K OLED)

Compsource
Compsource – i7-9750H, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD, FHD display, Win 10 Pro
Compsource – i7-9750H, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD, FHD display, Win 10 Pro
Compsource – i7-9750H, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD, UHD IPS display, Win 10 Pro
Compsource – i7-9850H, 32GB RAM, 512GB SSD, FHD display, Win 10 Pro
Compsource – i7-9750H, 32GB RAM, 512GB SSD, UHD IPS display, Win 10 Pro
Compsource – i7-9750H, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD, FHD display, Win 10 Pro
Compsource – i5-9300H, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD, FHD display, Win 10 Pro
Compsource – i5-9400H, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD, FHD display, Win 10 Pro

Macmall
MacMall – i7-9750H, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD, FHD display, Win 10 Pro
MacMall – i7-9850H, 32GB RAM, 512GB SSD, FHD display, Win 10 Pro
MacMall – i7-9750H, 32GB RAM, 1TB SSD, UHD IPS display, Win 10 Pro
MacMall – i7-9750H, 32GB RAM, 512GB SSD, UHD IPS display, Win 10 Pro

Staples
Staples – i7-9750H, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD, FHD display, Win 10 Pro
Staples – i7-9850H, 32GB RAM, 512GB SSD, FHD display, Win 10 Pro
Staples – i7-9750H, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD, FHD display, Win 10 Pro

PCnation
PCNation – i7-9850H, 32GB RAM, 512GB SSD, FHD display, Win 10 Pro
PCNation – i7-9750H, 32GB RAM, 512GB SSD, FHD display, Win 10 Pro
PCNation – i7-9750H, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD, FHD display, Win 10 Pro
PCNation – i7-9750H, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD, FHD display, Win 10 Pro
PCNation – i7-9750H, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD, FHD display, Win 10 Pro

Tigerdirect
TigerDirect – i7-9750H, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD, FHD display, Win 10 Pro
TigerDirect – i7-9850H, 32GB RAM, 512GB SSD, FHD display, Win 10 Pro

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