Your Thoughts? - ThinkPad X1 Yoga Gen 6: Intel i7-1165G7, 32GB LPDDR4X-4266, IPS 1920x1200 16:10 400 Nits - $2,888

Click_It on 09/11/2021 - 22:39

So at the moment I've found this with a juicy discount:
$3,389 -$500.90 = $2,888.10 (which for the specs I think is pretty decent — will any better deals come along for Black Friday do you think? I'm thinking maybe not)

TL:DR I feel the X1 Yoga Gen 6 is close enough to everything I was after (ideally coming in under $3000)
Are there any owners of this laptop? Love to hear your experiences of it.

My checklist:

  • Form factor - I never realised tent mode was so convenient until I saw my daughter using hers to watch content when she wasn't doing school work. Something I never would have thought to want is now a requirement - so it's more than just a "work laptop"…
  • Screen - Must be touch. Wanted OLED but must have 16:10 / 3:2 so I'd rather IPS over OLED in 16:9. A pen is a nice bonus for business but not essential
  • Brightness - 500 nits would be great but 400 should do the job (outdoor use)
  • CPU - I'd prefer AMD Ryzen but the Intel 11th gen will be fine
  • GPU - Not gaming, Xe is fine
  • RAM - I wanted the fast LPDDR4X-4266 and 32GB coz why not?! I tend to have a million tabs open, multiple browsers etc. If it's an option, I'm getting it
  • Battery - This is quite important to me, I would like >8hrs avg work use. I'm not sure if this is quite up there but it shouldn't be too far off I hope
  • WIFI - 6E (AXE) would be sweet but 6 (AX) will be fine
  • 4G/5G - Will do doing a fair amount of freelance work, I figure where it's an option it's probably wise to future proof it and I hear the 5G version even handles 4G better than the 4G version so may as well pony up for that. Otherwise, the dongle life would have been fine too.

Other contenders were:

  • Spectre 14/16 - this is the laptop I really thought I'd get, not the old version but the newer 14 or 16 coming out. The 14 is already out but its redicilously expensive, I think close to $5000 spec'd up.
  • Yoga Gen6 16 - There is a new version coming which ticks more of my boxes, OLED etc, but 16" ultimately becomes less portable and probably suffers in battery life anyway.
  • MSI something - There was an MSI laptop, it was an excellent price but I can't remember why I took it off the list, it probably didn't do 2-in-1 mode.
Computing 14inch Computer Laptop Lenovo Ultrabook

Comments

  • bmerigan on 09/11/2021 - 22:43

    I have a ThinkPad X1 for work. 12 months old, no issues.

  • djkelly69 on 09/11/2021 - 23:07

    Obviously value is subjective, but doesn't seem like you are getting much extra for double the price of something like this.

    • Click_It on 09/11/2021 - 23:30

      That looks fantastic with 1 exception, the 16:9 resolution. I don't know about you but the Yoga line up confuses the heck out of me. So many models so different to each other, some no longer even convert, which I thought was the whole idea of the Yoga line up.

      Anyway thanks, that almost got me.

      • djkelly69 on 09/11/2021 - 23:51

        Yeah Lenovo's whole lineup is pretty confusing, with a lot of overlap and not much differentiation between models.

        If you can sacrifice the convertible/touchscreen, there is another one that ticks a lot of your boxes here for half of the price of your one.

        • Click_It on 10/11/2021 - 08:59

          Thanks I've found that one before, such a discount and so very good. Unfortunately I do want the convertible mode. What's worse is I'm pretty sure a while range of models are just around the corner from manufacturers but I really need one in the coming weeks. Such is the way…

  • Pelicannn on 09/11/2021 - 23:36

    I picked up the Dell XPS 13 2in1 with a UHD screen and otherwise identical specs except 16gb RAM for sub $2200 earlier in the year so this would seem expensive to me. Have two in the family although one is a HD instead of UHD and have had zero problems with either. Does have the benefit of 500nit screen as well and the Dell Premium Active Pen included at $175 value or so. TBH having both, I'd recommend the HD screen for almost twice the battery life over UHD. The difference is negligible between both for our use however. Lacks 4G/5G however without a dongle, but @ sub $2200 it isn't bad.

    Cashrewards will give some cashback (XPS is 8% right now so $160 exc GST) on top of that as well for net price of $2036.

    https://www.dell.com/en-au/shop/dell-laptops/xps-13-2-in-1-lā€¦

    • Click_It on 10/11/2021 - 08:55

      Thank you I'll check it out. Dell do make nice work laptops

  • andresampras on 12/11/2021 - 14:18

    I've got the new gen 6 X1 yoga.

    My previous machine was the gen 1 of the same machine, I'm comparing the two below:

    Pros of new version (apart from obvious performance improvements):
    The new one has a smaller footprint and flexes less.
    the hinge is much improved, for now at least (one-hand opening).
    screen is 16:10
    speakers seem better i think
    aluminium shell looks premium
    fingerprint sensor is a huge improvement - fast and consistent
    maybe break-in period, but the touchpad doesn't seem as acurate as previous. feel sliek it misses some taps or something. could be a setting i need to change.

    Cons:
    the new stylus is a tiny, lightweight toy when compared to the old metal one, which seems like twice the diameter (not sure of actual dimensions).
    the keyboard doesn't retract any more when in tent or tablet mode. that was a great feature, i suppose this was purely a cost-saving measure
    it seems to heat up (esp under the F5/F6 keys) more than the old one, although the fans are less noisy I feel.
    in contrast, the aluminium shell is really cold to the touch. I dread using it this coming winter - may have to use gloves or something.
    webcam cover is hard to grip, while sliding open and shut. also feels like cheap plastic.
    webcam has to be open for face unlock (i assumed the IR was enough but it isn't, so i've disabled face unlock now)
    backlit keyboard no longer has AUTO mode……this is really lame.
    Lenovo docks are bloody expensive for this machine. And now that I've asked for help, I've realised lenovo support is completely uninformed. They just regurgitated information I'd already found on their website.

    • Click_It on 12/11/2021 - 15:47

      Thank you for taking the time to share all that information I appreciate it! My only thing left to wonder now is if this is the best time to buy using the current code or whether Black Friday could bring greater discounts šŸ˜€

      • andresampras on 12/11/2021 - 16:15

        my only advice if you're waiting for black friday - get in quick or risk stock running out

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