Review: Thinking laptop? Think the ThinkPad
Light, thin, fast yet affordable, the new Lenovo ThinkPad X395 is a 13-inch laptop computer powered by a new processor from AMD.
The ThinkPad X395 sent to me to test was powered by 2nd Gen AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 3500 Mobile Processors with Radeon Vega Gfx graphics running at 2.10 GHz and even with this super-speedy AMD processor retails for below the Bt30,000 mark.
The ThinkPad X395 is just 16.9mm thin and weighs only 1.28 kilogrammes, making it perfect to carry around. Adding to its mobility is its 48Whr battery that is claimed to last up to 14.5 hours per one charge. And its 65W type-C adapter also supports RapidCharge technology, which enables you to charge your device from 0 to 80 per cent in just 60 minutes, thus avoiding costly downtime.
Like the other computers in the ThinkPad X series, the X395 can be opened 180 degrees so it lies flat on the desk.
The ThinkPad X395 has good performance as it is equipped with 8 gigabytes of working memory or DDR4 RAM and it comes with fast 512 GB SATA SSD storage.
The ThinkPad X395 runs on Microsoft Windows 10 Pro and ran most business applications fast and smoothly. Video clips played smoothly and browsing web pages was also fast. Some games, which are not graphics-extensive, also played without any glitches.
The keyboard is easy to type on and it comes with LED-backlighting function, which is useful in a dimmed room.
The laptop comes with a 720p HD camera complete with ThinkShutter, which is designed to prevent your laptop being taken over by a hacker who may remotely control the camera to take your video clips for photos. You simply slide the shutter at the top edge of the display to shut off the lens and disable the camera. The ThinkPad X395 also comes with the ThinkShield suite of security solutions, among them the dTPM 2.0 chip, ThinkPad PrivacyGuard and, ThinkPad Privacy Alert.
The Privacy Guard is aimed at shielding your screen content from unwanted side glances from prying onlookers. When activated, PrivacyGuard will dim the display and adjust reflection to make it hard to read the content on the screen from the sides or from the back.
The ThinkPad X395 also comes with fast Wi-Fi Intel WLAN 2x2 AC wireless connection for fast Internet connection and Bluetooth 5.0 for connecting to various devices. It has all necessary ports including the always-on- USB 3.1 (Gen 2) port on the right side that allows you to recharge your device from the port even when the notebook is turned off as long as it remains plugged in to the wall charge. It also has a smart card reader on the right side. Also available are a USB-C AC power port, a USB-C port, an Ethernet port, a USB 3.1 (Gen 1) port, an HDMI port, a headphone/mic combo port and a microSD card reader on the left side.
The USB-C Dock ensures a high-performance workstation experience while The USB-C Hub is a one-stop travel docking solution that enables you to easily connect to an external monitor, wired network, and USB devices via a single robust USB Type-C port. The USB 3.0 Secure HDD 1TB is optimised for safeguarding essential data while on the go and offers high-level, 256-bit Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) security within a slim, lightweight, self-powered, and easy-to-use design.
Lenovo ThinkPad X395 has a starting price of Bt26,090, depending on CPU, memory and hard drive configurations.
Key specs:
OS: Windows 10 Pro
CPU: 2nd Gen AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 3500 Mobile Processors
Memory: 8GB DDR4 RAM
Storage: 512 SATA SSD
Display: 13.3-inch FHD IPS (1920 x 1080, 300 nit)
Graphics: Radeon Vega Gfx graphics
Webcam: HD 720p with ThinkShutter privacy cover
Sound: Dolby Audio Premium, dual far-field noise cancelling microphones
Connectivity: WLAN: Intel 9260 Wireless-AC 2 x 2 AX, LAN: Available via dongle only, Bluetooth 5.0
Ports: USB 3.1 (Gen 1), USB 3.1 (Gen 2), 2 x USB-C (Gen 2), Native Ethernet port, MicroSD card reader, Smart card reader, Headphone / mic combo, HDMI 2.0
AC adapter: 65W (Rapid Charge supported)
Dimensions: 311.9 x 217.2 x 16.9mm
Weight: 1.28 kg