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MWC19 | Lenovo ThinkPad X390 & X390 Yoga: Smallest ThinkPads now with 13.3 instead of 12.5 inch LCDs

Lenovo ThinkPad X390 & X390 Yoga: Smallest ThinkPads now with 13.3 inch instead of 12.5 inch LCDs
Lenovo ThinkPad X390 & X390 Yoga: Smallest ThinkPads now with 13.3 inch instead of 12.5 inch LCDs
Aside from the larger ThinkPads of the T series, Lenovo has announced two compact models of the X series as well. The Thinkpad X390 has a bigger display with a much smaller screen bezel than its predecessor, while the ThinkPad X390 Yoga has been redesigned with a much thinner chassis.

The ThinkPad X class contains the models with the best mobility of the ThinkPad brand. At CES, Lenovo has presented two new ThinkPads of the X series. The ThinkPad X390 and its convertible cousin ThinkPad X390 Yoga are supposed to win over enterprise customers, they target the employees that are on the go the most. As the new ThinkPads of the T series, both new X ThinkPads are based on the new Intel Whiskey Lake processors. 

Lenovo ThinkPad X390: No more X ThinkPads with a 12.5 inch display

The ThinkPad X390 marks the end of the X200 series and the end of the tradition that the smallest model of the X series has a 12.5 inch screen. Instead, Lenovo follows the trend that was started by HP with its EliteBook 830 G5: The X390 features a 13.3 inch screen in the 12.5 inch chassis of the ThinkPad X280 – at least almost, because the chassis grows by a few millimeters and it becomes a slightly heavier as well. Still, Lenovo managed to reduce the bezel around the screen by 50 % compared with the X280.

ThinkPad X390: 13.3 inch LCD in a 12.5 inch chassis
ThinkPad X390: 13.3 inch LCD in a 12.5 inch chassis
ThinkPad X390: New PrivacyGuard option
ThinkPad X390: New PrivacyGuard option
ThinkPad X390: Now with 32 GB RAM optionally
ThinkPad X390: Now with 32 GB RAM optionally
Lenovo ThinkPad X390 specifications
Lenovo ThinkPad X390 specifications

Apart from the new screen size, the Lenovo ThinkPad X390 is a comparably small update of the X280. An additional new feature is the optional ePrivacy IPS panel, which sports a resolution of 1,920 x 1,080 (FHD) and a brightness of 400 nits – the brightest screen option of the ThinkPad X280 had a brightness value of 300 nits. Also, according to the official data-sheet, there will be a new 32 GB RAM option, which increases the maximum possible amount of RAM by 16 GB compared with the preceding models.

In the USA, the X390 will be released in June, while it will already be available in Europe in April. The base-price in the US is set at $1,099.

Lenovo ThinkPad X390 Yoga: Completely new design for the smallest ThinkPad Yoga convertible

The last generation of the 360 degrees convertibles of the ThinkPad Yoga line like the ThinkPad Yoga 370 and the ThinkPad X380 Yoga all used the same design, which debuted already with the ThinkPad Yoga 260 in 2015. This design stagnation ends in the year 2019, as Lenovo has finally redesigned the smaller, more affordable ThinkPad Yoga (compared with the ThinkPad X1 Yoga) from the ground up.

The new ThinkPad Yoga X390 does look a lot like the X380 Yoga and it also still is available as a silver version as well. Overall though, the chassis has been shrunken down by a few millimeters, which results in smaller screen bezels as well. Also, the case is thinner and a little bit lighter, too. This reduction in size should improve the handling, though it also means that the practical "Lift&Lock" retractable keyboard-design is no longer used on the ThinkPad X390 Yoga. At least, Lenovo kept the digitizer and its silo around.

ThinkPad X390 Yoga: Convertible with touchscreen and pen
ThinkPad X390 Yoga: Convertible with touchscreen and pen
ThinkPad X390 Yoga: No more Lift&Lock keyboard
ThinkPad X390 Yoga: No more Lift&Lock keyboard
ThinkPad X390 Yoga: Thinner, more compact and lighter chassis
ThinkPad X390 Yoga: Thinner, more compact and lighter chassis
Lenovo ThinkPad X390 Yoga specifications
Lenovo ThinkPad X390 Yoga specifications

A focus of this redesign seems to have been to incorporate more enterprise features. For example, the new ThinkPad X390 Yoga now features the ThinkShutter, a mechanical camera shutter that was not featured on the preceding model. There seems to be an option Smartcard slot as well now and as the first model of the ThinkPad Yoga series, the ThinkPad X390 Yoga has the same mechanical docking connector that other T, X and L ThinkPads features. What is somewhat disappointing for us is that the ThinkPad X390 Yoga will still offer a maximum of 16 GB of RAM and that the X390 Yoga seems to be limited to a screen brightness of 300 nits – a notable difference with the normal ThinkPad X390.

The ThinkPad X390 Yoga will be available in the US in June, while it is slated to arrive at the market in May already. It will cost at least $1,359.

Source(s)

Lenovo

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> Expert Reviews and News on Laptops, Smartphones and Tech Innovations > News > News Archive > Newsarchive 2019 02 > Lenovo ThinkPad X390 & X390 Yoga: Smallest ThinkPads now with 13.3 instead of 12.5 inch LCDs
Benjamin Herzig, 2019-02-25 (Update: 2019-04-30)