Hardware

The Thinkpad X1 Yoga doesn't offer up many surprises design-wise. It sports a black matte case, clean lines and it's built out of some sturdy material (a combination of a carbon fiber cover and magnesium alloy elsewhere). Its understated aesthetic befits its purpose: it's here to do work, not game or be an entertainment powerhouse. That doesn't mean it's ugly, it just resembles very traditional PC laptops, much like its sibling the X1 Tablet. Really, the X1 Yoga doesn't need any design flourishes, as it ensures the 14-inch OLED touchscreen is the real star of the show. (More on that below.)

While it's built like a workhorse -- there's no flex to the case, and it feels like it could survive some major tumbles -- the X1 Yoga is also impressively portable, at 2.8 pounds and 0.67-inches thin. That's about on-par with most other Ultrabooks (and it's even 0.2-pounds lighter than the 13-inch MacBook Air). It's not as razor-thin as HP's stunning new Spectre, but because of that it's surprisingly versatile, with three USB 3.0 ports, HDMI and miniDisplayPort connectors, and a microSD card slot. There's also a proprietary OneLink+ port for connecting to Lenovo's docks, as well as a fingerprint sensor to the right of the trackpad.

Being a Yoga device, the X1's screen can bend a full 360-degrees around the case, effectively turning it into a very large tablet. (In that mode the keyboard also recesses into the case, to prevent stray strokes and key damage.) You can also fold the screen over at an angle in a "tent" formation. That's ideal for standing it up on a table, or on your lap in bed. Lenovo designed a new double hinge for this device, and it's one of their smoothest implementations yet. The screen is easy to move around, but it also feels secure once you set it in place.

Lenovo also tucked a stylus into the side of the X1 Yoga, which is useful for drawing or quickly jotting down notes. It's powered by super capacitor technology, which charges it whenever it's sitting inside the case.

Display and pen input

The X1 Yoga's OLED display doesn't waste any time impressing you. The red border around Lenovo's logo has an almost electric feel upon boot-up, and that carries over to everything in Windows. OLED displays are known for their bold colors and deep black levels, and this one doesn't disappoint. Watching videos and perusing photos is a revelatory experience. OLED adds an enormous amount of depth to images that makes them seem almost three-dimensional.

With a resolution of 2,560 by 1,440 (1440p/2K), the X1 Yoga's OLED screen is significantly sharper than a 1080p display, though it's not quite 4K. That's just fine, though, as Windows 10 still isn't well suited to 4K, and the benefits of such a high resolution are wasted on laptop screens.

The X1 Yoga might not look like an ideal media machine from afar, but it ended up being one of my favorite ways to watch Netflix in bed. Mostly, that was due to sheer immersiveness of the screen. Its speakers sit right below the screen, and as is usual with Lenovo's gadgets, they were merely adequate. If you really want to get into a movie or TV show, bring along a good pair of headphones.

The laptop's ability to flip around in a variety of different orientations also made it very useful. When I needed help in the kitchen, the tent formation was perfect on my countertop for watching videos and references recipes. And when I wanted to dive into the NYT, Comixology or a digital magazine app, the tablet mode was immensely convenient. It also worked well in direct sunlight, but be prepared to deal with some reflectivity depending on how it's oriented.

While the built-in stylus was convenient for jotting down quick notes, it's also too light and flimsy to use for a very long time. It doesn't feel as substantial as Microsoft's Surface Pen or Apple's Pencil, instead it's like trying to write with an incredibly skinny pen. If you're really looking forward to handwriting on the X1 Yoga, though, you're probably better off investing in something that won't cramp your hand after a few minutes. On the plus side, the stylus is pressure sensitive, which could be useful for artists.