The ultra-portable ThinkPad X13s from Lenovo (starting at $2169, $2,309 tested) is a 13.3 inch laptop that offers outstanding battery life and 5G wireless. It also has a high-resolution camera. What is the secret to its success? It is a Qualcomm Snapdragon ARM processor that's rarely seen in Windows. We've found that ARM-based laptops have had issues with app compatibility. ARM-friendly applications are a necessity. Its lack of physical connectivity and hot-running, but silent, chassis and so-so keyboard make it less practical. The price is also too high. We've seen it for up to 40% on Lenovo's website. The Lenovo ThinkPad X13 Gen 3 model is better, but the Dell XPS 13 offers more style if you don't need 5G.
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Windows 11 with an ARM Processor
Apple's adoption of ARM processors has seen great improvements in performance and battery life. The 2022 MacBook Air is our favorite of all the models. The rarity of ARM-compatible Windows devices is still a problem. We tested the 2021 HP Elite Folio 2-in-1 in Windows. This was after the 2020 Lenovo Flex 5G and 2019 Microsoft Surface Pro X tablets.
We concluded that these devices were all high-end devices with four-figure prices. They offered exceptional or unheard-of battery life and cellular connectivity, but they were also expensive and had very few ports. These devices were niche. I won't spoil much by saying that at least some of those points apply to the ThinkPad X13s. We can agree that Windows-onARM has evolved a bit since those previous efforts. The ThinkPad X13s is able to run 64-bit Windows 11 Pro. However, apps must still be ARM compatible. It is important for business IT to be able to verify that the apps are compatible before they deploy the ThinkPad X13s.
Also, the ThinkPad X13s' Qualcomm Snapdragon 8cx Generation 3 chip promises better performance than other ARM devices. The ThinkPad X13s has two processor cores in one: an Adreno integrated GPU processor and a Kryo CPU. Eight processor cores make up the Kryo CPU. They are a mixture of high-performance cores and low-efficiency cores. This is in line with Intel's 12th Generation "Alder lake" Core chips. In our Performance section, we'll compare it with x86 laptops.
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ThinkPad X13: The X13s are not confusing!
Despite having similar names, the ThinkPad X13s Gen 1 & ThinkPad X13 Gen 3 laptops are very different. The 13.3 inch screen has a 16:10 aspect ratio. They also share the ThinkPad X13s Gen 1 and X13s Gen 3's hallmark magnesium shell. There is also a large touchpad that features the UltraNav eraser head pointing stick. Yes, the keyboard has a different look. More details to come.
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).
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.
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.)
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 is More Practical with 16:10
With a 16:10 aspect ratio, the ThinkPad screen has a higher resolution than previous 16:9 screens. It also features a standard FHD+ resolution of 1,920 by 1,200 pixels, which provides ample screen space. With our Datacolor SpyderX Elite, I was able to measure 359 nits of maximum brightness and 79% coverage for the DCI–P3 color gamut. Both numbers are solid numbers. Reflections are minimized by the anti-glare coating.
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.
The port selection is very limited around the edges, as there are only two USB Type C ports and one audio jack. This might work; however you should know that the power adapter will take one of the USB ports when needed. Thunderbolt 4 is not supported by USB ports, so they are version 3.2 Gen 2 instead.
The wireless connectivity is robust, however, and includes standard Wi-Fi 6E as well Bluetooth 5.1. The tester also had optional Qualcomm Snapdragon 5G Sub-6 cellular connectivity. It is not available in the X13s' base model.
The Lenovo ThinkPadX13s is tested: It has a strong ARM.
This ThinkPad X13s Gen 1 costs $2,309 and features an 8-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 8cx Gen3 processor, Qualcomm Adreno690 integrated graphics, 16GB RAM, 512GB storage, Windows 11 Pro 64-bit, and a 1-year warranty. The higher-end models have 32GB RAM, but this is not upgradeable.
The Lenovo ThinkPad X13 Gen 3 offers a 12-core Intel Core i5-1240P CPU for a similar price, but it doesn't offer cellular connectivity (and only 4G) and a 1080p Webcam instead of the 5MP model found on the ThinkPad X13s.
Cellular is a strong selling point of this laptop. It's not common even for business laptops. The HP EliteBook 830 G9 starts at $2,039.
Let's move on to testing. Our new benchmarking process for Windows ARM devices was launched in 2021 and the ThinkPad X13s became our first Windows ARM device. This limits comparisons to x86 computers. The Acer TravelMate P6 is the most business-friendly, followed by the Dell XPS 13 Plus and the HP Pavilion 14 Plus. Finally, we have the Gateway 14.1 Inch Ultra Slim, which offers a more affordable option. They are larger than the Dell by 14-inches, except for the Dell. They all use the 11th and 12th Generation Intel Core processors.
Assessments of Productivity and Content Creation
The ThinkPad X13s' benchmark results are less than normal due to its ARM processor preventing it from completing certain tests. Casualties include UL’s PCMark 10 suite as well as Adobe Photoshop. The CPU is the other benchmark that we use to evaluate a computer's ability to handle processor-intensive tasks. Maxon's Cinebench R23 renders complex scenes using Cinema 4D, and Primate Labs Geekbench Pro simulates popular applications such as PDF rendering, speech recognition, machine learning, and more. We use HandBrake, an open-source video converter to transform a 12 minute video clip from 4K resolution to 1080p. In that case, slower times are more effective. These are ARM-native applications; Handbrake doesn't.
Geekbench indicates that the Snapdragon 8cx Gen 3 can compete with the Intel Core i5 U class chips in the Gateway. However, it cannot match the high-wattage P and H-class chips from Dell and HP. However, Cinebench and Handbrake scores are dismal. Here's how it performed under prolonged load under FlirOne Pro thermal imaging.
The heat concentrated at the back reached a high of 116°F and caused thermal-induced throttleling. This laptop is not recommended for those who use demanding applications. The laptop does not have a cooling fan, and the cooling power it has runs out quickly when the CPU is used for long periods. It took only a few seconds to get these temperatures in my 76-degree F test room. Note that between testing, I was patiently waiting for the temperature to drop to its normal idle state.
Testing Graphics and Gaming
We run real-world and synthetic gaming tests on Windows PCs. Two DirectX 12 simulations are included in the former: Night Raid is a smaller, more suitable gaming simulator for integrated GPUs, and Time Spy, which is more demanding for discrete GPU gaming rigs. The cross-platform GPU benchmark GFXBench 5 is also included in this group. However, the ThinkPad X13s won't run it. These charts won't include the usual PCMark or Photoshop test.
3DMark Night Raid was a respectable benchmark for the ThinkPad X13s. It tied Gateway's old Intel UHD Graphics solution. The CPU testing indicated that this laptop was not ideal for gaming or intensive usage. Its performance will likely drop after just a few seconds.
However, no ultraportable laptop can be used for long-running tasks. For everyday productivity apps, the ThinkPad X13s was at least as responsive to my Core i5-powered ThinkPad X13 Gen 3 and didn't heat up in such situations. Multitasking is made easier by the standard 16GB RAM. My ThinkPad X13 had a Gen 3 storage drive.
Testing of the Battery and Display
PCMag checks the battery life of laptops by running a locally saved 720p video file (the Blender movie Tears of Steel). The screen brightness is set at 50%, and the audio volume is at 100%. This will continue until it quits. During the test, Wi-Fi is disabled, and keyboard backlighting is turned off.
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.
The ThinkPad X13s is great battery life. Although we've had longer runs (one Lenovo Flex 5G ran for more than 30 hours), the ThinkPad X13s's battery life of 18+ hours was exceptional for an ultraportable. The display earned high marks, and it took first place in the test group for maximum brightness. However, its brightness of 50% is quite dim. The battery tester uses 50% brightness, which means that battery life can be affected if your screen is used at a higher level than the halfway point.
Verdict: Snappy Connectivity, But Limited Appeal
There are many niches where the ThinkPad X13s Gen 1 has potential. The ThinkPad X13s Gen 1's portable design, excellent battery life, 5G Wi-Fi, and superb webcam are all great features for field workers. This device is more compatible with 64-bit Windows 11 than the previous ARM Windows models we have tested. However, your apps must still be ARM-friendly.
We could live with all that if the ARM pool satisfied what we do every day. But interestingly enough, it's really designeddecisions 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.
The ThinkPad X13s Gen 1 doesn't have the right features to be a top-rated choice. It is recommended for people who use 5G connectivity first, but who want their daily work done by ARM-native apps. It's too expensive without any sales (we've seen Lenovo occasionally offer 40% discounts on this model). The ThinkPad X13 Gen 3 by Lenovo is a bit thicker than the previous model, however it doesn't have the same battery life. For something more elegant, you can always choose the Dell XPS 13 at this size.