Lenovo’s ThinkPad line is traditionally geared toward business professionals, but thoughtful features and impressive durability built into the X380 Yoga make it worthwhile for college students to consider.
Design
The traditional black-on-black design of the ThinkPad line is fully in effect with the X380 Yoga, but users of ThinkPads in a traditional, business setting will find plenty that’s different in the mix. As part of the Yoga sub-line, the X380 is a 2-in-1 device, complete with a rotating 13.3-inch touchscreen that folds flat against the base of the device, allowing it to be used as a slate tablet. One of the X380’s most unique features is its collapsing “Lift ‘n’ Lock” keyboard: As the screen is rotated back to its tablet position, the keys descend into the chassis of the device until they are flat against the keyboard tray. This makes for a more comfortable design when holding the tablet, the keys remaining out of the way. Crafted largely from carbon fiber, the laptop is quite tough and durable, while remaining fairly svelte considering its sturdiness.
Features
The X380 Yoga may be a pint-sized laptop, but it’s jammed full of features, including the aforementioned disappearing keyboard, a stellar typing experience, multiple touchpad modes (including ThinkPad’s famous TrackPoint navigation button), and a built-in fingerprint reader. The most notable feature is the inclusion of an active stylus, the ThinkPad Pen Pro, which can be used with the 1920 x 1080 pixel screen. When not in use, the pen docks into a special slot beneath the keyboard, which also keeps the stylus charged up.
Specs
The X380 Yoga features a fairly basic lineup of specs, including a 1.8GHz Core i5-8250U CPU (eighth generation), integrated graphics, 8GB of RAM, and 512GB of solid state storage. Two full-size USB ports and one USB-C port are included alongside a full-size HDMI port, a micro SD card slot, and – unusually – a mini Ethernet port (a full-size adapter is included in the box). A separate, proprietary AC adapter port is included, though the unit can just as easily be charged via the USB-C connection. The 3 pounds of weight makes this a fairly light machine, while its 20mm thickness is merely average.
Performance
First, note that the X380 Yoga experienced a few hiccups in my testing. When switching between laptop and slate modes, I encountered a few times when the machine simply went black – still powered up, but with nothing on the screen, ultimately requiring a reboot to get things back online. The touchpad was also a bit rocky in use, not tracking as closely (especially while clicking) as I would have liked. Benchmark scores offered few surprises. The system was roughly in the middle of the field at general applications (including web page rendering, business productivity applications, and digital media creation work), and since the unit has no discrete video processor, its graphics performance was decidedly (and appropriately) limited. On the plus side, the screen is quite bright and vivid.
Battery
As with all devices in this roundup, battery life was exceptional at just over 10 full hours, based on my full-screen video playback test. The aforementioned ability to charge via USB is just a touch of icing on this already delightful cake.
Conclusion
At $1304 (though prices tend to swing fairly regularly), the Lenovo ThinkPad X380 Yoga isn’t cheap, but it’s not bank-breakingly expensive, either. The smaller size, awesome durability, and powerful pen features offer even more talking points in favor of the unit, provided you can find a little extra room in the budget for your graduate.
Design
The traditional black-on-black design of the ThinkPad line is fully in effect with the X380 Yoga, but users of ThinkPads in a traditional, business setting will find plenty that’s different in the mix. As part of the Yoga sub-line, the X380 is a 2-in-1 device, complete with a rotating 13.3-inch touchscreen that folds flat against the base of the device, allowing it to be used as a slate tablet. One of the X380’s most unique features is its collapsing “Lift ‘n’ Lock” keyboard: As the screen is rotated back to its tablet position, the keys descend into the chassis of the device until they are flat against the keyboard tray. This makes for a more comfortable design when holding the tablet, the keys remaining out of the way. Crafted largely from carbon fiber, the laptop is quite tough and durable, while remaining fairly svelte considering its sturdiness.
Features
The X380 Yoga may be a pint-sized laptop, but it’s jammed full of features, including the aforementioned disappearing keyboard, a stellar typing experience, multiple touchpad modes (including ThinkPad’s famous TrackPoint navigation button), and a built-in fingerprint reader. The most notable feature is the inclusion of an active stylus, the ThinkPad Pen Pro, which can be used with the 1920 x 1080 pixel screen. When not in use, the pen docks into a special slot beneath the keyboard, which also keeps the stylus charged up.
Specs
The X380 Yoga features a fairly basic lineup of specs, including a 1.8GHz Core i5-8250U CPU (eighth generation), integrated graphics, 8GB of RAM, and 512GB of solid state storage. Two full-size USB ports and one USB-C port are included alongside a full-size HDMI port, a micro SD card slot, and – unusually – a mini Ethernet port (a full-size adapter is included in the box). A separate, proprietary AC adapter port is included, though the unit can just as easily be charged via the USB-C connection. The 3 pounds of weight makes this a fairly light machine, while its 20mm thickness is merely average.
Performance
First, note that the X380 Yoga experienced a few hiccups in my testing. When switching between laptop and slate modes, I encountered a few times when the machine simply went black – still powered up, but with nothing on the screen, ultimately requiring a reboot to get things back online. The touchpad was also a bit rocky in use, not tracking as closely (especially while clicking) as I would have liked. Benchmark scores offered few surprises. The system was roughly in the middle of the field at general applications (including web page rendering, business productivity applications, and digital media creation work), and since the unit has no discrete video processor, its graphics performance was decidedly (and appropriately) limited. On the plus side, the screen is quite bright and vivid.
Battery
As with all devices in this roundup, battery life was exceptional at just over 10 full hours, based on my full-screen video playback test. The aforementioned ability to charge via USB is just a touch of icing on this already delightful cake.
Conclusion
At $1304 (though prices tend to swing fairly regularly), the Lenovo ThinkPad X380 Yoga isn’t cheap, but it’s not bank-breakingly expensive, either. The smaller size, awesome durability, and powerful pen features offer even more talking points in favor of the unit, provided you can find a little extra room in the budget for your graduate.
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