Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 5 review
The Lenovo Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 5 ranks as the #3 laptops globally, achieving a LibraScore of 86. Across all metrics, this product stands out most for its #61-ranked performance among 608 laptops. Consider the Lenovo ThinkPad P1 Gen 6 or Acer Swift Edge, which offer higher scores while staying in the same price range.
Is it Worth it?
The Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 5 is a solid choice for those seeking a balance of performance and portability. The magnesium and carbon fiber body ensures durability, while the 16-inch display offers great brightness and color accuracy. However, battery life is somewhat average, with around five hours on average usage. A notable drawback is the loud fan noise, which can be distracting when not wearing headphones. Despite these minor quibbles, this laptop remains a top contender for professionals seeking a portable powerhouse. Is it worth it? Absolutely, especially considering its durability and great performance, but be mindful of battery life and fan noise.
Build
The Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 5 boasts a premium design with magnesium and carbon fiber materials, making it both light and durable. The carbon fiber weave on the lid adds a touch of elegance, although it does attract fingerprints. The body's traditional ThinkPad shape in black with red accents exudes professionalism. A microfiber cloth is essential to maintain its sleek appearance. While some may find the palm rest area prone to smudges, the overall build quality is exceptional, setting a high standard for laptops in this class. You might want to check out Lenovo LOQ 16, featuring an upgraded build for a superior experience.
Display
The display on the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 5 is a highlight. It's a 16-inch 16:10 screen with great brightness up to 600 nits and excellent contrast, making it suitable for both indoor and outdoor use. The high-resolution 3840 x 2400 panel is perfect for creative work, with vibrant colors and crisp text. Unfortunately, I encountered an issue with the X-rite color assistant pre-installed, which crashes upon launching. This feature would be a great addition if it worked as intended, allowing easy switching between color profiles. Overall, the display is impressive, but let down by this one minor flaw. Take a look at Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3i - its improved display sets a new standard.
Performance
The Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 5 strikes a great balance between performance and portability. With up to 12th gen Intel Core i9 and Nvidia GeForce 3080 options, this laptop delivers smooth performance for creative work, video editing, and gaming. The system is suitable for demanding tasks like Adobe Premiere Pro and Canon 4K video handling. While the Nvidia GeForce 3060 may not be ideal for intense gaming, it still provides a good experience. Overall, the X1 Extreme Gen 5's performance is impressive and makes it a great choice for professionals who need a powerful and portable laptop. If you're after top-notch performance, consider Lenovo ThinkPad P1 Gen 6.
Battery and Charging
The Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 5's battery life is average, lasting around 5 hours with moderate use. This can vary depending on the type of usage for the day. It's recommended to bring a charger if planning to work from a coffee shop or similar setting. The charger itself is a bit large, taking up considerable space in a bag. Overall, battery life is a trade-off for the laptop's powerful performance and features, but it still offers a decent balance between portability and power.
Connectivity
The Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 5 offers a solid balance of performance and portability. Its connectivity options are impressive, featuring two USB Type-C ports, one HDMI 2.1 input, and an audio jack on the left side, making it easy to connect to monitors or other devices without needing adapters. The right side has two USB Type-A ports, an SD card reader, and a Kensington lock slot. Unfortunately, I find myself preferring USB-C ports over Type-A, which would be ideal for this laptop's design. Give Lenovo ThinkPad P1 Gen 6 a try—it’s designed to provide an unparalleled connectivity.
Features
The Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 5 is a premium device that combines performance, battery life, and portability in a durable magnesium and carbon fiber body. It features a 16-inch display with high-resolution options, including a 3840x2400 non-touch version with up to 600 nits of brightness. The laptop also boasts a high-refresh-rate option, an HD camera, and Windows Hello face unlock, making it ideal for creative work. Get your hands on Lenovo ThinkPad P1 Gen 6 if you're looking for better features.
Support and Maintenance
The Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 5 strikes a great balance between performance and portability. However, there are some drawbacks to consider. The battery life is somewhat limited, averaging around five hours of use. Additionally, the fan noise can be quite loud, especially when using resource-intensive programs or watching videos without headphones. Despite these issues, this laptop remains durable and reliable, making it a solid choice for those in need of a high-performance portable device.
Pros
1. The X1 extreme is one of my favorite thinkpads because I feel it's the right combination of performance, battery, and portability.
2. It's not too big to carry around in your bag while providing the performance you need for Creative work or any other professional tasks that require a powerful GPU and CPU.
3. The design is your typical ThinkPad in black with red accents, and the body is made of magnesium and carbon fiber which are light and durable materials.
4. The display is great for Creative work indoors and Outdoors, it's bright, great contrast, and color, no complaints here.
5. I can comfortably type on the keyboard every day, it has great key travel spacing and layout.
6. The speakers sound great, they're tuned by Dolby Atmos and you can play with the audio settings from the Lenovo Vantage app.
7. It's very easy to upgrade the RAM, there are seven screws at the bottom which you don't need to worry about losing.
Cons
1. This laptop attracts fingerprints especially around the Palm rest area so having a microfiber cloth nearby helps.
2. The X-rite color assistant pre-installed crashes after looking around Reddit and support forums, it's supposed to help calibrate the display and let you easily switch color profiles.
3. Sometimes the fan noise is noticeable when using Microsoft teams or watching YouTube videos.
4. I'm not a big gamer but playing Call of Duty Warzone with the GPU that came with this review unit had an average experience.
5. The battery life is around 5 hours which is fine, it can go up or down depending on the type of usage that day.
6. The charger is a little big so it'll take up a lot of space in your bag
7. I'm not a fan of USB type A ports, I'd rather replace these with more USBC ports.
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