Lenovo has just launched the new ThinkPad X1 Extreme, the first in the X1 Series to feature an NVIDIA discrete graphics chip. As thin and light laptops start to increase their graphics computing capabilities, Lenovo is pushing the performance.
This laptop has the best technical specifications of the X1 Series, hence, the “extreme” name. The X1 Extreme is a 15.6-inch computer that comes with a UHD 4K display, Dolby Atmos audio, and a 4GB GeForce 1050Ti MaxQ Edition graphics chip.
Of course, it can be configured with a Gen8 Core i7 (+vPro) although the exact CPU SKU has not been revealed yet. Starting from December 2018, a Core i9 version will be available.
The GeForce 1050Ti MaxQ is older than the GeForce MX150 found in some thin and light laptop, but its raw performance is a bit higher (+120% according to some benchmarks). You can definitely play with this laptop, and we’re looking forward to seeing what kind of speed/Lbs it will score in our Ubergizmo lab tests.
"THE HIGHEST CONFIGURATION OF THE X1 EXTREME WILL BE A FORCE TO BE RECKONED WITH"Users can order it with a maximum of 64GB of RAM (2x DIMM) and 2x1TB of PCIe SSD which can be installed as a Raid 0 array for bandwidth aggregation. The highest configuration of the X1 Extreme will be a force to be reckoned with.
The 80 Whr battery capacity is the highest among the ThinkPad X-Series and will be incredibly appealing, especially as the NVIDIA GPU should not be in use when no GPU demanding application is running.
In addition to having a massive battery, Lenovo has included its Quick-Charge technology, which scores some of the fastest charging speeds in our reviews, with speeds of 0.9Wh per minute, as seen in the Lenovo T480S.
ThinkPad X design
From a design perspective, Lenovo has kept close to its successful X-Series design that is sturdy and well-liked in business circles. The laptop’s dimensions are 361.8 x 245.7 x 18.7 (touch display) for 4.04 Lbs.
The non-touch model is a bit lighter at 3.75 Lbs, which is excellent for such a powerful 15.6 laptop. In fact, it looks very similar to the recently announced ThinkPad P1 workstation.
The display features a webcam at the top with a physical privacy shutter called ThinkShutter, but the UHD/4K HDR-certified panel is the star of the show.
At 400 NITs and 100% of the Adobe RGB gamut, it is not as bright as the 500-Nit HDR display of the Carbon X1, perhaps because of its size, but movies and games should look great. If you want to save a bit of money, there’s an FHD/300 Nit option as well.
The support for Dolby Atmos should also be a vast improvement over the current audio performance of the X-Series. Designed for business purposes (vs. Multimedia), this series featured “decent but not great” audio.
This might change drastically with the arrival of this Extreme X Series. We’ll have to put it to the test later. The Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme will start at $1859.99.
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