Hands On: Lenovo’s ThinkPad X1 Fold 16-Inch Is (Another!) Giant Foldable OLED PC

At the IFA trade show in Berlin, Lenovo has announced a follow-up to its original folding-screen Windows device, the ThinkPad X1 Fold. The new one goes under the same name but significantly ups the screen size, to 16.3 inches. Plus, Lenovo has cooked up some new and nifty accessories that let you use it in a whole buffet of ways.

We were able to go tablet-origami hands-on with the device at a preview event in New York, and recorded our session for the video below. Watch for a closer look at the Fold, and a rundown of its features.

A Bigger, Better X1 Fold

Asus debuted a big OLED foldable the day before (more about that in a moment), and we’ve seen prototypes of big-screen folding tablets before, notably the “Horseshoe Bend” device Intel demoed to us at CES 2020. But now that we’re getting in some real time with real products, one thing is clear: This, like the Asus, is a one big tablet, dwarfing an iPad or other typical slate.

At full extension, the display measures 16.3 inches, an unusual size for an unusual product—the original X1 Fold measured just 13 inches. The resolution here is 2,560 by 2,024 pixels, and it’s an OLED panel. It looks sharp, bright, and plenty vibrant in person, and the OLED tech really sings at this larger size. This is a marked improvement over the non-OLED, lower-resolution screen of the first Fold.

(Credit: Kyle Cobian)

As with the first X1 Fold and with Asus’ very recent and similarly sized competitor, the Zenbook 17 Fold OLED, folding the display does feel cool and futuristic. What’s more, when folded in half, this larger screen size leaves you with two 12-inch screens, much more useful than the original’s two halves are; folding a 13-inch screen in two results in displays with limited usefulness for productivity.

(Credit: Kyle Cobian)

The various folded and unfolded usage modes are much easier to understand when you can see them, so be sure to watch the video. The laptop-style mode is probably the most useful, and likely the default use case for most. Where the keyboard would normally be is a “second” screen, though of course it’s the bottom of the main display, the part below the crease. There, you can put additional applications or windows, or use a virtual keyboard for the main screen.

(Credit: Kyle Cobian)

You can also fully recline the screen and use it as a large tablet, in either landscape or portrait mode, which may be good for doing layouts, looking at big data sheets or documents, or just watching content on your lap. You can also fold it partially in half, holding it in a “V” shape and use it like a huge digital book. Unlike the Asus Zenbook Fold, the X1 Fold supports the use of a stylus (Lenovo sells one separately), giving more usefulness to the tablet mode.

Some ‘Key’ Fold Accessories

Lenovo says it will sell the X1 Fold in various bundles, with and without combinations of accessories. The design really comes to life with these physical attachments. In addition to the stylus option, Lenovo will offer keyboard and kickstand/rear-cover pieces. Here you can see them both, attached to one another…

(Credit: Kyle Cobian)

The keyboard and stand, when in use, make the X1 Fold look like a bit like a big Microsoft Surface Windows tablet: You can prop it up facing you in landscape or portrait mode, magnetically attach the keyboard to the front edge, and use the display like a large monitor. (The keyboard’s magnetic clip binds to the lower edge of the stand.)

(Credit: Kyle Cobian)

The keyboard, which is equipped with Lenovo’s signature red TrackPoint pointer, can also be used wirelessly alongside the tablet on the table, unattached to the stand-up frame. That can give you two full screens in bent mode (or one big one, straightened out) to control with a keyboard and touchpad from a distance.

Even cooler (and another trick the Asus Zenbook Fold 17 OLED pulls off, too), if you place the keyboard on top of the bottom panel, the device will recognize this, shift all content and the taskbar to the top screen, and act like a normal, smaller-screen laptop. This was not functional on the pre-production model we used in the video, but Lenovo says it will be a working feature on release.

You can also orient the full, unfolded tablet vertically in the stand like a portrait-mode monitor for programming, long-form reading and editing, or other vertically oriented work. It’s a little top-heavy like this, but that’s something you can’t do with the Asus Fold OLED…

(Credit: Kyle Cobian)

You can pack all of these pieces into one stack to take it with you, as well. The stand folds nicely to the back, while the keyboard can be stacked on top, attach magnetically, and form into one travel-friendly bundle.

(Credit: Kyle Cobian)

The tablet on its own weighs 2.8 pounds, and when the stand and keyboard are attached, it totals 4.3 pounds.

Components for Real Productivity

At this size, there’s room for some attractive components. Inside, there is a 12th Generation Core “Alder Lake” U-series CPU, going up as far as a 13-watt Core i7. The rest of the configuration can extend to 32GB of memory and a 1TB SSD, so you can get real work done on this device. There are no discrete graphics options, unsurprisingly, with the tablet running the CPU’s Iris Xe display adapter only. This is roughly the same configuration as the Zenbook 17 Fold OLED, but we’re not yet sure which exact i7 chip will be used.

(Credit: Kyle Cobian)

Connectivity includes USB-C with Thunderbolt 4, a nano-SIM slot, Wi-Fi 6E, and optional 5G. It comes standard with one battery, but you can pay to add a second at time of purchase, as well. Lenovo left a bay open for that second cell, as you can see…

(Credit: Kyle Cobian)

A noteworthy aside is that the device’s box is made of bamboo sugar cane, has a bamboo handle, and can be composted—we approve of eliminating needless plastic waste in packaging.

This power and versatility won’t come cheap: The tablet alone will set you back $2,499 when it launches in November. The added cost of the keyboard and stand accessories was not yet set. Check back then for a full review of the device.