Unleash power and sustainability with the Lenovo ThinkBook 13x Gen 4 Intel Evo Edition laptop.
Lenovo is known for making laptops that cater to different segments of the market, from the premium ThinkPad X1 series to the budget-friendly IdeaPad line. The ThinkBook series is somewhere in between, offering a blend of style and performance for small business owners and professionals.
The ThinkBook 13x Gen 4 Intel Evo Edition is one of the latest models in this series, and it boasts a sleek design, a high-resolution 16:10 touch screen, and an Intel Evo-certified hardware platform. But is it worth the price tag? Let’s find out.
Design and Build Quality
The ThinkBook 13x Gen 4 is a very thin and light laptop, measuring 0.5 inches thick and weighing 2.5 pounds. It has an all-metal chassis with a matte finish that feels sturdy and elegant. The lid has a subtle ThinkBook logo on the corner, and the hinge allows the screen to open up to 180 degrees. The laptop is available in two colors: Storm Gray and Cloud Gray.
The laptop has a minimalist port selection, with only two USB-C ports with Thunderbolt 4 support, a headphone/mic combo jack, and a power button with a fingerprint reader. There are no USB-A ports, HDMI ports, or SD card readers, which might be a deal-breaker for some users who need more connectivity options. The laptop comes with a Bluetooth mouse and a USB-C to USB-A adapter in the box, but you might need to invest in a docking station or a hub if you want to connect more peripherals.
Keyboard and Touchpad
The keyboard on the ThinkBook 13x Gen 4 is comfortable and responsive, with well-spaced keys and decent travel. The keyboard is backlit, with two levels of brightness. The layout is mostly standard, except for the Fn and Ctrl keys being swapped, which might take some time to get used to. The keyboard also has some dedicated keys for Skype calls, microphone mute, and camera shutter.
The touchpad is large and smooth, with integrated buttons. It supports Windows Precision drivers and multi-touch gestures. However, some users have reported that the touchpad is finicky and prone to accidental clicks, which might affect the user experience. The touch screen is a nice alternative, as it is responsive and supports stylus input.
Display and Audio
The display is one of the highlights of the ThinkBook 13x Gen 4, as it features a 13.3-inch IPS panel with a 2560 by 1600 resolution and a 16:10 aspect ratio. This means that the screen has more vertical space than the typical 16:9 screens, which is great for productivity and web browsing. The screen also supports touch input and Dolby Vision, which enhances the color and contrast. The screen is bright and sharp, with wide viewing angles and good color accuracy. The bezels are thin, except for the bottom one, which has a ThinkBook logo.
The audio quality is also impressive, as the laptop has two upward-firing speakers on the sides of the keyboard. The speakers are tuned by Harman Kardon and support Dolby Atmos, which creates a surround sound effect. The speakers are loud and clear, with decent bass and treble. They are suitable for watching videos, listening to music, and making calls.
Performance and Battery Life
The ThinkBook 13x Gen 4 is powered by an 11th generation Intel Core processor, either the i5–1130G7 or the i7–1160G7, both with four cores and eight threads. The laptop also has 16 GB of LPDDR4x RAM and up to 1 TB of PCIe SSD storage. The graphics are handled by the integrated Intel Iris Xe, which is capable of running some casual games and light editing tasks.
The laptop is certified by Intel Evo, which means that it meets certain standards for performance, responsiveness, battery life, and connectivity. The laptop can handle most daily tasks smoothly, such as web browsing, office work, streaming, and video conferencing. However, it is not meant for heavy-duty tasks, such as gaming, rendering, or coding, as it might struggle with thermal throttling and fan noise.
The battery life is decent, but not outstanding, as the laptop has a 56 Wh battery that can last for about 12 hours of mixed usage, according to Lenovo. However, in real-world tests, the battery life might vary depending on the screen brightness, the workload, and the power settings. The laptop supports fast charging, and it comes with a 65 W USB-C charger that can charge the battery up to 80% in an hour.
Conclusion
The Lenovo ThinkBook 13x Gen 4 is a stylish and portable laptop that offers a good balance of features and performance for small business owners and professionals. It has a premium design, a high-resolution 16:10 touch screen, a comfortable keyboard, and a capable hardware platform. It also has some drawbacks, such as the limited port selection, the finicky touchpad, the poor Wi-Fi reception, and the high price.
Therefore, it might not be the best choice for everyone, especially if you need more connectivity, more power, or more value. However, if you are looking for a sleek and lightweight laptop that can handle your daily tasks and offer a pleasant user experience, the ThinkBook 13x Gen 4 might be worth considering.