Another slim 7x user here, and I must say: great review -- spot on. I'd only add, that form a developer's perspective, WSL2 has been great on this notebook, and IMO even better than running linux VMs on MBA.
Very interesting indeed! Hope the manufacturers open their UEFI setups to allow Linux on these Snapdragon machines. I already enjoy Asahi Linux on my M1 Minis and a few different installs of Linux on my Raspberry Pi machines. Also...I have an old Samsung Galaxy Book with an i7 and 16GB with an OLED screen. That runs Linux so beautifully, and it further whets my appetite for machines like yours to run Linux on ARM. Kudos to Lenovo!
I think MS locked the bootloader due to their massive investment in WOA. They did not want people to buy these machines and boot Linux. I am unsure when that restriction ends.
@@andyH_England I sure you're right, and more's the pity. Why waste a lovely computer like this running Microsoft's spyware, I'll never understand. Still, even my "old rubbish" gets the job done. Perhaps good things will come later.
@@jimcabezola3051 Yes, I suspect they tested Linux on it, and it ran great. Hopefully, Oryon 3 will be available in mid-2025 with Linux compatibility, as that could be the go-to device for many. By then, Linux distros should be great for Linux on ARM.
I use Mac and Windows machines, and have to say that they did a Great Job on this first Generation. Curious for Qualcomm their next generation and what other manufacturers will bring. Well done Lenovo also, keep pushing the envelope.
Keys get shiny because of extremely thin (and cheap) ABS plastics as you literally grind their matte layer with friction from your fingers, so they become glossy. Unavoidable with 99% of laptops, sadly it's completely avoidable to happen THAT fast as here and with some other laptops, heh. But then again, whatever, at least it shows that the laptop is being used and loved, and that's what it matters IMHO. That being said, this was a great vid, thank you! We need more of these "after X months" because there is really not many of them around; almost all of them are made immediately at launch. I'm totally not interested at all in this particular laptop (nor any ARM-based, compatibility lacks, but it's great to hear that Affinity works great), yet I still watched everything as I do with almost all your vids, as you are able to present even boring stuff in a very informative and interesting way, without a single bit of unnecessary clickbait (or yelling, lol), which is why I respect you a lot. Cheers 🍻
Depends on the Mac. Without testing it, I couldn’t say anything conclusive, but I suspect that this chip would outperform anything up to M3, and possibly M4 on multi-threaded tasks (since the M4 would have the overhead of host OS and Parallels). Single core should be somewhere between M1 and M2. Graphics would be based on OpenCL, because I think that’s how Parallels’ driver works. I could be wrong. If you need to run both macOS and Windows, and you’re happy with Parallels, then there probably wouldn’t be much point in buying this machine.
According to Lenovo's specs, the maximum resolution is 5K (at 60Hz). Maximum refresh is 120Hz, but that would be a "3.2K" display... (3200x2000). However, the X Elite chip officially does support 4K at 120Hz. It seems some of the laptops will do it, others won't.
I think there's a bit more performance in the surface laptop sadly I don't know if Lenovo and the other brands are going to keep up the updates but windows will certainly get better with prism.
i have a Lenovo LEGION 5 with that same webcam deactivation switch. It is no good. After some time it broke and became very unresponsive. When you put the switch on the off mode, the webcam remains active. You have to fiddle with the switch until it finally does its job. I ended up just taping a piece of paper on top of my webcam.
That's useful to know. I was wondering if it was a software switch or if it was somehow hardwired into the camera circuit. Based on your comment I would say it's just a software trigger, which is a shame.
I have a Surface Pro 11 with a Snapdragon X Plus. It's a nice device with most of my software being ARM. The emulator for my x86 software is good. Just having some issues with Python. It's available for ARM but I cannot install the Pandas extension like on Mac on ARM or Windows on x86 devices.
No mention of audio sync issues with Bluetooth devices. I'm having this problem. Only my galaxy buds seem to be in sync. Keyboard completely stopped working once, and I had to reboot using a connected Bluetooth mouse. Also, programs seem to take few seconds to load when opening for the first time. Not slow, but doesn't seem like a very snappy machine. I've just had for a week and not doing anything beyond web and basic media consumption.
I haven't had those issues. My bluetooth has been fine. The laptop is noticeably less performant when running on battery with Windows "Best Power Efficiency" plan. I choose the balanced plan if I need the longest battery life, otherwise I run in "Best Performance" mode. I also run the display in 90Hz all the time.
I would add that there have been a lot of returns on these, and I suspect they launched too early before it was ready for the fickle consumer market. But this does mean that if you do not mind refurbs, they are at least 50% off, the main one being the first released Snapdragon, the Vivobook. So, at £650 and even less with vouchers when they are available, you cannot really go wrong getting one of these instead of a similarly priced Chromebook.
Absolutely spot on. I use both Windows and Mac, and personally, I have an M1 MacBook Air with 16GB of RAM. One thing I want to remind everyone is that these are thin and light laptops. Just because they are very powerful doesn’t mean videographers and production managers are going to buy these machines, as some reviews might suggest. In reality, most people considering these computers are everyday users handling general office tasks or media consumption. I use my Mac for both office and personal work, and it’s been incredibly reliable. What I’m trying to emphasize is the misconception that these extremely powerful chips make people believe these laptops can fully replace $7,000 professional-grade computers from three years ago. While they may match or even surpass those systems in raw performance, that’s not the main reason anyone would buy them. Professionals doing heavy graphics or processor-intensive work won’t rely on these machines-they know better. Similarly, while modern phones are incredibly powerful and technically capable of tasks like connecting to a monitor and exporting edited photos or videos, no one uses them as a primary tool for such demanding tasks. It’s possible, but it’s not practical. The key takeaway is that these laptops are more than capable of handling most people’s everyday tasks, and they’re built to last an impressive 5 to 7 years-assuming someone keeps their device that long. These machines are designed for longevity and day-to-day reliability, and that’s what makes them so appealing.
These videos are really informative. I really appreciate your efforts! Thanks, and keep up the great reviews.
Another slim 7x user here, and I must say: great review -- spot on. I'd only add, that form a developer's perspective, WSL2 has been great on this notebook, and IMO even better than running linux VMs on MBA.
Thanks for sharing!
Very interesting indeed! Hope the manufacturers open their UEFI setups to allow Linux on these Snapdragon machines. I already enjoy Asahi Linux on my M1 Minis and a few different installs of Linux on my Raspberry Pi machines. Also...I have an old Samsung Galaxy Book with an i7 and 16GB with an OLED screen. That runs Linux so beautifully, and it further whets my appetite for machines like yours to run Linux on ARM. Kudos to Lenovo!
I think MS locked the bootloader due to their massive investment in WOA. They did not want people to buy these machines and boot Linux. I am unsure when that restriction ends.
@@andyH_England I sure you're right, and more's the pity. Why waste a lovely computer like this running Microsoft's spyware, I'll never understand. Still, even my "old rubbish" gets the job done. Perhaps good things will come later.
@@jimcabezola3051 Yes, I suspect they tested Linux on it, and it ran great. Hopefully, Oryon 3 will be available in mid-2025 with Linux compatibility, as that could be the go-to device for many. By then, Linux distros should be great for Linux on ARM.
@@andyH_England I like the way you think!👍
I use Mac and Windows machines, and have to say that they did a Great Job on this first Generation. Curious for Qualcomm their next generation and what other manufacturers will bring. Well done Lenovo also, keep pushing the envelope.
Keys get shiny because of extremely thin (and cheap) ABS plastics as you literally grind their matte layer with friction from your fingers, so they become glossy. Unavoidable with 99% of laptops, sadly it's completely avoidable to happen THAT fast as here and with some other laptops, heh. But then again, whatever, at least it shows that the laptop is being used and loved, and that's what it matters IMHO. That being said, this was a great vid, thank you! We need more of these "after X months" because there is really not many of them around; almost all of them are made immediately at launch. I'm totally not interested at all in this particular laptop (nor any ARM-based, compatibility lacks, but it's great to hear that Affinity works great), yet I still watched everything as I do with almost all your vids, as you are able to present even boring stuff in a very informative and interesting way, without a single bit of unnecessary clickbait (or yelling, lol), which is why I respect you a lot. Cheers 🍻
Great in depth review. Apple silicon is remarkable
So it’s better than Windows RT? 😉 Great to see some competition for Intel, AMD and Apple.
[Shudders at memories of RT]
Great video 👍🏻 like always, thank you.
Did you find the emulation ok for basic gaming and other tasks, this has been my worry
So it is faster than running Windows on Parallels on the Mac?
Depends on the Mac. Without testing it, I couldn’t say anything conclusive, but I suspect that this chip would outperform anything up to M3, and possibly M4 on multi-threaded tasks (since the M4 would have the overhead of host OS and Parallels). Single core should be somewhere between M1 and M2. Graphics would be based on OpenCL, because I think that’s how Parallels’ driver works. I could be wrong. If you need to run both macOS and Windows, and you’re happy with Parallels, then there probably wouldn’t be much point in buying this machine.
Hi, great video, I have a question, what is the maximum resolution and refresh rate that this laptop can output to an external monitor?
According to Lenovo's specs, the maximum resolution is 5K (at 60Hz). Maximum refresh is 120Hz, but that would be a "3.2K" display... (3200x2000). However, the X Elite chip officially does support 4K at 120Hz. It seems some of the laptops will do it, others won't.
@@ConstantGeekery Thanks for the reply!
I think there's a bit more performance in the surface laptop sadly I don't know if Lenovo and the other brands are going to keep up the updates but windows will certainly get better with prism.
i have a Lenovo LEGION 5 with that same webcam deactivation switch. It is no good. After some time it broke and became very unresponsive.
When you put the switch on the off mode, the webcam remains active. You have to fiddle with the switch until it finally does its job.
I ended up just taping a piece of paper on top of my webcam.
That's useful to know. I was wondering if it was a software switch or if it was somehow hardwired into the camera circuit. Based on your comment I would say it's just a software trigger, which is a shame.
I have a Surface Pro 11 with a Snapdragon X Plus. It's a nice device with most of my software being ARM. The emulator for my x86 software is good. Just having some issues with Python. It's available for ARM but I cannot install the Pandas extension like on Mac on ARM or Windows on x86 devices.
I don't care about co-pilot!
I only want the ability to disable it on future Lenovo Thinkpad devices.
No mention of audio sync issues with Bluetooth devices. I'm having this problem. Only my galaxy buds seem to be in sync. Keyboard completely stopped working once, and I had to reboot using a connected Bluetooth mouse. Also, programs seem to take few seconds to load when opening for the first time. Not slow, but doesn't seem like a very snappy machine. I've just had for a week and not doing anything beyond web and basic media consumption.
I haven't had those issues. My bluetooth has been fine.
The laptop is noticeably less performant when running on battery with Windows "Best Power Efficiency" plan. I choose the balanced plan if I need the longest battery life, otherwise I run in "Best Performance" mode. I also run the display in 90Hz all the time.
@ Thank for the info. Will try performance mode.
Does it blend? XD
Vpn is still an issue. At least when I tested this laptop recently.
I would add that there have been a lot of returns on these, and I suspect they launched too early before it was ready for the fickle consumer market. But this does mean that if you do not mind refurbs, they are at least 50% off, the main one being the first released Snapdragon, the Vivobook. So, at £650 and even less with vouchers when they are available, you cannot really go wrong getting one of these instead of a similarly priced Chromebook.
Absolutely spot on. I use both Windows and Mac, and personally, I have an M1 MacBook Air with 16GB of RAM. One thing I want to remind everyone is that these are thin and light laptops. Just because they are very powerful doesn’t mean videographers and production managers are going to buy these machines, as some reviews might suggest.
In reality, most people considering these computers are everyday users handling general office tasks or media consumption. I use my Mac for both office and personal work, and it’s been incredibly reliable.
What I’m trying to emphasize is the misconception that these extremely powerful chips make people believe these laptops can fully replace $7,000 professional-grade computers from three years ago. While they may match or even surpass those systems in raw performance, that’s not the main reason anyone would buy them. Professionals doing heavy graphics or processor-intensive work won’t rely on these machines-they know better.
Similarly, while modern phones are incredibly powerful and technically capable of tasks like connecting to a monitor and exporting edited photos or videos, no one uses them as a primary tool for such demanding tasks. It’s possible, but it’s not practical.
The key takeaway is that these laptops are more than capable of handling most people’s everyday tasks, and they’re built to last an impressive 5 to 7 years-assuming someone keeps their device that long. These machines are designed for longevity and day-to-day reliability, and that’s what makes them so appealing.