The Intel-equipped ThinkPad X13s come with human-detection sensors, which use Face ID to unlock your display. This way, if someone who’s not you tries to pry into your personal data, the ThinkPad X13 will deny ’em — unless, of course, you have a twin. In this case, you can fall back on the ThinkPad X13’s fingerprint reader instead.
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Lenovo ThinkPad X13
Aside from human-presence detection and fingerprint scanning, the ThinkPad X13 features voice recognition and a webcam privacy camera shutter to tighten the laptop’s security. The ThinkPad X13 comes with up to 11th Gen Intel Core i7 vPro processors, up to Intel Iris Xe graphics, up to 32GB of RAM, up to 2TB of SSD storage, Windows 10 Pro and a 13.3-inch, narrow-bezel display with up to 500 nits of brightness. The ThinkPad X13 also offers a blue-light filter option that reduces the volume of harmful light emissions that can diminish eye health as you work long hours. Lenovo claims the ThinkPad X13 can last up to 15.5 hours on a charge, according to the Mobile Mark 2018 battery test. The Laptop Mag battery test is a little more rigorous than Mobile Mark and has a better representation of real-life usage, so we can’t wait to see how well the ThinkPad X13 performs. If you’re curious about the ThinkPad X13’s connectivity, it comes with two USB Type-A ports, two Thunderbolt 4 ports, an HDMI 2.0 port, a headset/mic jack and a Kensington lock slot. The ThinkPad X13 also comes with 5G and WiFi 6E capability. Lenovo boasts that the second-generation ThinkPad X13 is built for portability with a weight of 2.6 pounds and thickness of 0.7 inches. What makes the ThinkPad X13 stand out from its predecessor is its brand-spankin’ new 16:10 aspect-ratio display, user-facing audio with larger speakers and a more spacious touchpad that measures 4.5 inches in length. The ThinkPad X13 comes in two colors: Storm Grey and Black. The Intel-equipped ThinkPad X13 will hit store shelves in March with a starting price of $1,299. There is also an AMD variant that sports Ryzen 5000-series CPUs that is slated for a May release; it starts at $1,139.
Lenovo ThinkPad X13 Yoga
The Lenovo ThinkPad X13 Yoga is similar to the aforementioned laptop, but it’s far more flexible as you might have guessed from its name. The ThinkPad X13 Yoga is a 2-in-1 that unshackles you from the boring ol’ traditional clamshell position — you can transform the laptop into a few different modes, including tent and tablet. The Yoga gets bonus points for shipping with an integrated pen; you can scribble notes and sketch drawings to your heart’s desire. Similar to the ThinkPad X13, the Yoga variant comes with up to 11th Gen Core i7 vPro processors, up to Intel Iris Xe graphics, up to 32GB of RAM, up to 2TB of SSD storage, Windows 10 Pro and a 13.3-inch, narrow bezel display with up to 500 nits of brightness. The panel offers a 16:10 aspect ratio, a blue-light filter option and ThinkPad PrivacyGuard, which limits the display’s viewing angles to deter nosey snoopers. Like the ThinkPad X13, the Yoga variant is also big on security with its fingerprint reader, webcam privacy shutter, human-presence detection feature, and a Kensington lock slot. I/O connections include two Thunderbolt 4 ports, a USB Type-A port, an HDMI 2.0 port and a headset/mic jack. The ThinkPad X13 Yoga features WiFi 6 and 4G LTE with eSIM. According to Lenovo, the Yoga lasts up to 12.3 hours, but again, we won’t take the OEM’s word for it. We’ll test the Yoga ourselves when it comes to our labs. The Yoga is the same weight as its clamshell counterpart, but it is slimmer at 0.6 inches of thickness and it only comes in black. The ThinkPad X13 Yoga will hit store shelves in April with a starting price of $1,379.
Outlook
We expect the ThinkPad X13 and X13 Yoga to be knock-out laptops since they a part of Intel’s Evo program, which ensures that the device meets certain high standards before it hits the market. At a minimum, laptops with an Intel EVO badge should offer a 9-hour runtime, 11th Gen Intel Core CPUs, Iris Xe graphics, razor-thin bezels and more. That being said, we can’t wait to test drive the ThinkPad X13 models to see if they could possibly land on our best laptops of 2021 page.
