Lenovo is one of the companies that truly embraced different designs for their notebooks, as could be seen in the flexible first generation Yoga released in 2012. The Chinese company has in the meantime solidified their offerings (also the number 1 spot for worldwide PC sales) with the launch of the X1 family of products at an event held in Studio Blu Event Centre, Johannesburg.

The X1 family consists of a range of units for different usage, including the ThinkPad X1 Tablet, the ThinkPad X1 Yoga, ThinkPad X1 Carbon and The ThinkCentre X1 AIO.  All of these come across as very impressive, but these tasty offerings also have the pricetag to match.

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon

On the business side, Lenovo are catering for executives with the ThinkPad X1 Carbon which they tout as the world’s lightest 14” business ultrabook at 1.17 kilos. At 16.5 mm thin, this 14” notebook is certainly not a burden, able to withstand temperatures from -20°C to 60°C, catering, we suppose, to all types of hostile boardroom environments.

Much like the other X1 offerings, you have a range of options regarding storage (up to 1TB high-density, low-power Samsung M.2 NVMe), memory (up to 16 GB) and processor (up to 6th generation Intel i7 vPro). Even on the screen there is a choice between Full HD and 2K (2560 x 1440). Lenovo claims battery life of 11 hours, certainly enough for most working days.

The Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon will be available at a starting price of R26 500.

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Tablet

It’s the ThinPad X1 Tablet that drew the most attention, with this 2-in-1 device looking like it might just deliver on the convenience of having both a tablet and a notebook. The X1 Tablet magnetically unclips from the keyboard and is thin enough not to be a hassle if used as a table. With a stand that unfolds from the back of the screen, the unit is easy to setup if you want to watch movies, while the keyboard offers three adjustable typing angles. In the center of the keyboard is, of course, the iconic red TrackPoint heralding back to ThinkPad’s IBM days.

Lenovo claims that the X1 Tablet weighs 1.1 kg with keyboard and screen, hardly a punishment, and basically on par with Microsoft’s Surface Pro 4. The 12” touchscreen is crisp thanks to its 2160 x 1440 resolution, while a range of different configurations regarding processor, storage and memory will be available.

Much like on the LG G5 (review), there are also clip-on modules available. If you are on the road a lot, the Productivity Module adds an extra 5 hours’ worth of battery life to the X1 Tablet’s 10 hours. If you need to do loads of presentations, or perhaps want a bigger screen at home, a Presenter Module includes a pico projector (60" display from 2 metres) and HDMI port, while the 3D Imaging Module includes a Rear-facing Intel RealSense Camera for 3D design assistance. On the port side it offers a range of choices, including USB 3.0, USB Type-C Power Delivery, Mini DisplayPort, microSD and a Nano SIM with LTE Advanced support.

The price for the X1 Tablets start at R26 500

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Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga

If you’re after for a bit more flexibility, then the ThinkPad X1 Yoga is putting its hand up, able to fold over backwards to create a tablet of sorts. Like the X1 Carbon (1.27 kg), the Yoga is also housed in carbon fibre, and provides the same choice on memory, storage and processor.

Lenovo notes that it’s the world’s first convertible with an OLED screen, measuring 14” with a resolution of 2560 x 1440. There is also IPS options available, both 2560 x 1440 and Full HD, which actually appears to positively impact the battery life. The IPS units provide 11 hours, while the OLED unit clocks eight hours. The X1 Yoga also comes with a dockable stylus in order to take notes onscreen and retails starting at R29 000.

Lenovo ThinkCentre X1 AIO

The final member of the X1 family is perhaps not as portable as the rest, but as far as looks are concerned the ThinkCentre X1 AIO certainly isn’t a shrinking violet either. This all-in-one is meant for the desk and having a look at its 11 mm thin chassis (at least in certain parts), it’s difficult to believe that the whole PC sits in the screen.

Talking of which, you have 23.8” of anti-glare Full HD display real-estate to work with. Lenovo states that X1 AIO has been tested for eight hours in a dust chamber, replicating ten years in an office environment, although they did not state if the keyboard can manage 10 years’ worth of crumbs and coffee spills. The X1 AIO’s starting price is R20 000.