Lenovo ThinkPad X13s Gen 1 Review

Lenovo’s ThinkPad X13s (starts at $2,169; $2,309 as tested) is an ultraportable 13.3-inch business laptop with outstanding battery life, 5G wireless, and a high-resolution webcam. Its secret? A Qualcomm Snapdragon ARM processor seldom seen in the Windows world. As we've seen in the past with ARM-based laptops, it had some app-compatibility issues in our testing, so ARM-friendly apps are a must. Ultimately, though, its lack of physical connectivity, hot-running (although silent) chassis, and so-so keyboard limit its practicality too much, and its price without a sale is much too high. (We've routinely seen the model for as much as 40% off on Lenovo's site.) Lenovo’s own ThinkPad X13 Gen 3 is more well-rounded, while the Dell XPS 13 is a more stylish option if you can live without 5G.

Windows 11 on an ARM Processor

Apple has made great strides since adopting ARM processors, improving performance and battery life across the board. (See the 2022 MacBook Air, our favorite of the lineup.) On the Windows side, however, the rarity of ARM devices continues; 2021’s HP Elite Folio 2-in-1 was the last one we tested, following the Lenovo Flex 5G in 2020 and the Microsoft Surface Pro X tablet in 2019.

Summing up our conclusions for those devices, all of which are high-end models with four-figure pricing, they offered impressive or even unheard-of battery life and cellular connectivity but were expensive, had few ports, and were ultimately niche devices. It won’t be spoiling much saying at least some of that applies to the ThinkPad X13s. But we can't deny that the Windows-on-ARM situation has improved somewhat since some of those earlier efforts. For instance, the ThinkPad X13s runs a 64-bit version of Windows 11 Pro, though apps still need to be ARM-compatible. Business IT looking to deploy the ThinkPad X13s ought to know in advance if the required apps work.

The Qualcomm Snapdragon 8cx Gen 3 chip in the ThinkPad X13s also promises performance improvements over earlier ARM devices we tested. It’s essentially two chips in one, a Kryo processor and an Adreno integrated graphics processor. The Kryo CPU sports eight processor cores, a mix of high-performance and high-efficiency cores in the same spirit as Intel’s 12th Generation “Alder Lake” Core chips. We’ll be comparing it to x86 laptops in our performance section.

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The X13s: Don't Confuse Me With the ThinkPad X13!

Despite nearly identical names, the ThinkPad X13s Gen 1 and the ThinkPad X13 Gen 3 are different laptops. They share a 13.3-inch, 16:10 aspect ratio screen, the hallmark ThinkPad X-series magnesium shell, and a large touchpad with the UltraNav eraser-head pointing stick, but that’s it. (Yes, even the keyboard is different; more on that soon.)

(Credit: Molly Flores)

But let’s consider the ThinkPad X13s independently. It’s one of the travel-friendliest 13.3-inchers around, at 0.53 by 11.8 by 8.13 inches (HWD) and just 2.35 pounds, lighter than even our perennial favorite, the Dell XPS 13 (0.58 by 11.6 by 7.8 inches, 2.8 pounds). It’s also noticeably sleeker than the ThinkPad X13 Gen 3 (0.71 by 12 by 8.6 inches, 2.6 pounds).

(Credit: Molly Flores)

Chassis strength is unfortunately a little lacking; the ThinkPad X13s flexes more than it should. The build is still magnesium instead of plastic, but a business laptop ought to be stiffer. The thicker ThinkPad X13 is more rigid.

(Credit: Molly Flores)

Oddly, the keyboard of the ThinkPad X13s also doesn’t stand out, with key travel too limited to provide the authoritative feedback for which ThinkPad keyboards are well known. The ThinkPad X13 has more key travel and doesn’t suffer from that problem. (Disclaimer: I use a ThinkPad X13 Gen 3 as my daily driver and noticed the keyboard difference immediately.)

(Credit: Molly Flores)

At least the ThinkPad X13s retains a productive, no-nonsense layout and high-visibility, two-level white backlighting. You also get the trademark ThinkPad UltraNav pointing stick and three buttons. The buttonless touchpad glides well, though its clicks are on the stiff side. The speakers on either side of the keyboard offer surprisingly spacious sound.

The Display: More Practical With 16:10

The ThinkPad’s 16:10 aspect ratio screen is taller than 16:9 screens of the past, with a standard FHD+ resolution (1,920 by 1,200 pixels) providing ample screen real estate. Using our Datacolor SpyderX Elite, I measured 359 nits at maximum brightness and 79% coverage of the DCI-P3 color gamut, both solid numbers. The anti-glare surface minimizes reflections.

(Credit: Molly Flores)

Our unit’s screen doesn’t support touch input, but it’s an option. The high-resolution 5-megapixel webcam over the display offers a crystal-clear picture much better than that of common 720p webcams.

Unfortunately, the port selection around the edges is truly minimal, with just two USB Type-C ports and an audio jack. That might be workable, but know that one of the USB ports will be taken by the included power adapter when you need it. The USB ports are also version 3.2 Gen 2, not Thunderbolt 4 as expected at this price, which precludes using a Thunderbolt dock.

(Credit: Molly Flores)

(Credit: Molly Flores)

Wireless connectivity, on the other hand, is strong, with standard Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.1. Our tester unit also has optional Qualcomm Snapdragon X55 5G Sub 6 cellular connectivity. Note: Lenovo's base model of the X13s lacks it.

Testing the Lenovo ThinkPad X13s: Strong ARM-ing It

The $2,309 ThinkPad X13s Gen 1 tested here has an eight-core, 3GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 8cx Gen 3 processor, Qualcomm Adreno 690 integrated graphics, 16GB of RAM, a 512GB SSD loaded with Windows 11 Pro 64-bit, and a one-year warranty. There are few configuration options; higher-end models come with 32GB of RAM (which isn’t upgradable after purchase, being LPDDR4X-4266).

Lenovo’s ThinkPad X13 Gen 3, in contrast, offers a 12-core Intel Core i5-1240P processor for similar money (again, at an oft-discounted list price), though doesn’t include cellular connectivity at that price (and it only offers 4G) and a 1080p webcam instead of the 5MP model on the ThinkPad X13s.

Cellular is indeed a major selling point for this laptop; it’s uncommon even on business laptops. One example is the HP EliteBook 830 G9, which starts at a pricey $2,039.

Let’s get onto testing. The ThinkPad X13s is the first Windows ARM device to go through our new benchmarking regimen (rolled out in late 2021), limiting comparison competition to x86 machines. Starting off is the business-friendly Acer TravelMate P6, followed by the elite Dell XPS 13 Plus, the even more powerful HP Pavilion 14 Plus, and finally the budget-friendly Gateway 14.1-Inch Ultra Slim. Minus the Dell, they’re larger 14-inchers. All use 11th or 12th Generation Intel Core processors.

Productivity and Content Creation Tests

Benchmark results for the ThinkPad X13s are sparser than usual since its ARM processor prevented it from completing some tests; casualties included UL’s PCMark 10 suite and Adobe Photoshop. Our other three benchmarks focus on the CPU, using all available cores and threads, to rate a PC's suitability for processor-intensive workloads. Maxon's Cinebench R23 uses that company's Cinema 4D engine to render a complex scene, while Primate Labs' Geekbench 5.4 Pro simulates popular apps ranging from PDF rendering and speech recognition to machine learning. Finally, we use the open-source video transcoder HandBrake 1.4 to convert a 12-minute video clip from 4K to 1080p resolution. (In that one, lower times are better.) The first two are ARM-native apps; Handbrake isn't.

Geekbench suggests the Snapdragon 8cx Gen 3 is competitive with the latest Intel Core i5 U-class chip in the Gateway, though it can’t touch the higher-wattage P- and H-class chips in the Dell and HP. Nonetheless, dismal Handbrake and Cinebench scores suggest the ThinkPad X13s throttles its performance under extended load; here’s what it looked like under our Flir One Pro thermal imager about five minutes into Cinebench…

(Credit: PCMag)

(Credit: PCMag)

Heat concentrated along the back topped an almost-untouchable 116 degrees F and undoubtedly caused thermal-induced throttling, so this isn’t the laptop for demanding apps. It has no cooling fan and what cooling capacity it has gets exhausted quickly when you load down the CPU for extended periods. Again, it took just a few minutes to reach these temperatures in the 76-degree F room where I was testing. (I’d like to note that I waited for the chassis to return to normal idle temperatures between tests.)

Graphics and Gaming Tests

For Windows PCs, we run both synthetic and real-world gaming tests. The former includes two DirectX 12 gaming simulations from UL's 3DMark: Night Raid (more modest, suitable for systems with integrated graphics), and Time Spy (more demanding, suitable for gaming rigs with discrete GPUs). We also normally loop the cross-platform GPU benchmark GFXBench 5 into that group, but the ThinkPad X13s refused to run it. So, like PCMark and Photoshop, you won't find that usual test of ours in these charts.

The ThinkPad X13s performed respectably in 3DMark Night Raid, one of the few natively ARM-friendly benchmarks in our suite, where it tied the Gateway’s older Intel UHD Graphics on-chip solution. As the CPU tests suggested, though, this laptop is far from ideal for intensive use like gaming, where its performance is likely to drop off after a few minutes.

But no ultraportable laptop is realistically intended for intense long-running tasks. The ThinkPad X13s felt at least as responsive as my Core i5-powered ThinkPad X13 Gen 3 for everyday daily productivity-app use, including internet surfing and Microsoft Office, and it didn’t get scorching hot in those scenarios. Its standard 16GB of RAM helps multitasking, and it even has a PCI Express Gen 4 storage drive; my ThinkPad X13 came with an older Gen 3 drive.

Battery and Display Tests

PCMag tests laptops' battery life by playing a locally stored 720p video file (the open-source Blender movie Tears of Steel) with screen brightness at 50% and audio volume at 100% until the system quits. Wi-Fi and keyboard backlighting are turned off during the test.

We also use a Datacolor SpyderX Elite monitor calibration sensor and its software to measure a laptop screen's color saturation—what percentage of the sRGB, Adobe RGB, and DCI-P3 color gamuts or palettes the display can show—and its brightness in nits (candelas per square meter) at the screen's 50% and peak settings.

Battery life is the ThinkPad X13s’s ace in the hole. We’ve seen longer runtimes (the Lenovo Flex 5G, for one, went for over 30 hours), but its 18-plus hours is outstanding for an ultraportable. Its display also earned good marks and took the top spot in this test group for maximum brightness, though its 50% brightness is rather dim. (We use 50% brightness in our battery test, so chances are battery life will fall off, to an extent, if you run your screen all the time at much above the halfway mark.)

Verdict: Snappy Connectivity, But Limited Appeal

The ThinkPad X13s Gen 1 shows lots of potential for certain niches. Its eminently portable design, outstanding battery life, 5G wireless, and high-resolution webcam earn it ace marks for field workers. And unlike past ARM Windows devices we’ve tested, this one has fewer software limitations since it runs a 64-bit version of Windows 11, albeit your apps still need to be ARM-friendly.

(Credit: Molly Flores)

We could live with all that if the ARM pool satisfied what we do every day. But interestingly enough, it's really design decisions that limit this particular ThinkPad’s appeal. Physical connectivity tops the list, with just two USB Type-C ports, neither of which is Thunderbolt 4. The X13s chassis also tends to get hot since it lacks a cooling fan. Most surprising of all, though, is its lackluster keyboard, quite uncharacteristic for a ThinkPad.

Overall, the ThinkPad X13s Gen 1 isn’t well-rounded enough to earn above a niche recommendation: that is, for those folks who need the 5G connectivity before all else, and who will keep their everyday work to typical, non-CPU-crunching office tasks covered by ARM-native apps. And without a sale (as mentioned, we've seen Lenovo offer 40% off on this model from time to time), it's just too pricey. Lenovo’s ThinkPad X13 Gen 3 is a little thicker and won’t match the battery life, but it suffers from none of the usability issues we saw with this laptop, and for something more stylish, the Dell XPS 13 is always a solid bet at this screen size.