LENOVO THINKPAD X390

amazon LENOVO THINKPAD X390 reviews

Familiar design, neat, masculine

Basically, the ThinkPad X390 retains the familiar design features of the X280 generation with angular, square cut lines. The screen or body is beveled to maximize the thinness and optimal size. With a maximum thickness of 16.9 mm and a weight of 1.28 kg, X390 is thin and light standard for a 13.3 inch laptop, easily fits in your backpack, bag and convenient to move. Even when necessary, it can be held in one hand for a long time without much difficulty.

The case continues to use magnesium alloy material in the body and carbon fiber glass in the lid. Smooth, velvety soft-touch finish gives a smooth feel to the palm. The sturdy hinge provides impressive ruggedness, but unfortunately cannot be opened with one hand. The X390 meets military standards for endurance, which has created the ThinkPad brand ever.

Connect rich, enough ports “dissipated”

The number of connectors on the X390 is relatively rich. It has up to 2 USB Type C 3.1 ports, of which 1 port is Gen 1 cum the charging port. The other Type C port is Gen 2, supports Thunderbolt 3 with a maximum bandwidth of 40Gbps, and can connect additional discrete graphics cards eGPU.

Both the Type C ports on the X390 support Power Delivery for power transfer, DisplayPort audio and video output, and of course, parallel data transfer. The two Type C ports are also used to attach to the dedicated ThinkPad Pro Dock (sold separately), in addition to the X390 series of professional connections.

Right next to the second Type C port is the Gigabit Mini-Ethernet network port for connecting a RJ45 network via the included transfer cable. This transfer cable is compact in size, easy to unplug and has a completely “approximate” with the X390.

In addition, the device also has 2 USB 3.1 Gen 1 Type-A ports, of which 1 port is the Always On form that supports charging for peripherals such as smartphones, smartbands even when the device is turned off. 1 HDMI 1.4 port for connecting to large screens, 1 combo headphone and mic port. Besides, X390 is fully equipped with modern wireless connections such as Bluetooth 5.0, WiFi AC 2 band with speeds up to 1.73Gbps, 4G LTE-A cat 9 and WiFi 6 Gig + (optional).

One point to note is that the machine has a SIM slot and a microSD card at the back so if you do not pay attention, users may not recognize these slots. You will need a stick or a sharp object like a toothpick to push the SIM slot out like on a phone. To be able to use the 4G connection on the X390, users will have to first discuss with the seller to make sure the device has LTE module installed. Otherwise, it will not be possible to insert the SIM into this tray.

The upgrade capability of the X390 is quite limited when it can only replace the M.2-2280 SSD, add 4G LTE module, replace the battery or fan. All other components, including RAM, are soldered to the motherboard. Therefore, you should choose the version of RAM as much as possible because it will not be able to upgrade more later.

Many advanced security features

To ensure the high requirements on security for business people Lenovo integrated ThinkShield solution for ThinkPad X390. Specifically, ThinkShield brings security solutions such as Match-on-Chip fingerprint reader. Lenovo is committed to the biometric image will never fall out of this chip, ensuring user identity information is always secure when logging in and online transactions.

Next is an infrared webcam that allows to unlock the Windows Hello face. It also automatically locks itself if you don’t look at the screen for 30 seconds for added security.

Next, the X390 is also equipped with a ThinkShutter switch to cover the webcam whenever not in use, ensuring absolute privacy and avoiding hackers’ eyes.

Another layer of defense is the ThinkPad PrivacyGuard, which allows the touch of a screen to be dark with a single keypress, ensuring that no one can peek at what’s being displayed. In addition, the PrivacyAlert feature can also alert you when someone peeks from behind. In addition, there is a dedicated security chip dTPM 2.0 to be able to set a password for the BIOS, hard drive, and boot password.

The fingerprint reader on the X390 is a touch type, located right near the touchpad area for fast, accurate recognition speed, which can recognize fingers at many angles. Face unlock works well, sometimes even faster and more convenient than fingerprints due to laptop characteristics that rarely have to turn off the screen like a phone. Due to the infrared sensor, in the dark the device is still unlocked by the face easily.

The screen is thin and bright

If before, the ThinkPad X200 Series had only a maximum screen of 12.5 inches, then on the X390, Lenovo was determined to “play big”, raising the screen to 13.3 inches with a slim bezel. tendency. Bigger screen, thinner borders make the content displayed on X390 more spacious and airy.

Comes with IPS panels, Full HD resolution brings wide viewing angles, bright colors, sharpness, fine details. The screen has a high brightness, looks good outdoors, good anti-glare, only a little yellow and not very clear.

Most ThinkPad laptops can open the screen angle to 180 degrees and the X390 is no exception. This helps the machine can adjust the viewing angle flexibly and appropriately to use when needing to present ideas, discuss content with the opposite person.

The audio system on the device is undertaken by 2 speakers located on the underside with a total capacity of 2W equipped with Dolby Audio Premium technology. As a specialized machine for work, the X390 still performs well when listening to music or watching movies with high volume, in warm, no shame when turned up the maximum. With video conversations via Skype or Facebook Messenger, the sound is specially optimized for the voice, making the conversation clear.

It is worth noting that the webcam on the machine also has the Auto HDR feature often found on smartphones. Webcam resolution of 2MP allows video recording, taking photos at a maximum of 720p. Part built-in webcam and mic for average quality. Even in well-lit conditions, the resulting image is only average, dark and blurred, with pale colors. Mic recording sound broken, distorted sound.

Keyboard, touchpad, trackpoint maintain style

ThinkPad laptops have always been appreciated for the keyboard thanks to the good typing feeling, reasonable layout and buttons. On the ThinkPad X390, this continues to be promoted. The keyboard of the machine for impressive journey, high bounce keys, clinging hands, fast typing is also not sticky. The keys are arranged logically, the phenomenon of flex (keypress) when stressed is minimized. Text on sharp keys, beautiful fonts, spacious size, convenient operation.

Lenovo retains the layout of the Fn function key on the outside, in the style of the ThinkPad so far, so if you are not familiar, it may be easy to mistakenly type the Ctrl key next to it. Fortunately, the manufacturer allows you to reverse these two keys in the Lenovo Vantage software preinstalled.

Backlit keyboard with 2 different brightness levels. Backlight is printed directly on each key, not just in the border, so it is bright, clear, beautiful, easy to operate when working in the night or in low light conditions without turning on the desk lamp.

The touchpad is made with a large size, spacious, covered with soft touch layer similar to the shell so it is a little hissing. The touchpad on the X390 has support for Microsoft Precision driver, so it allows multiple operations such as zooming in and out on the Edge browser, quickly switching between apps.

Of course, there is no shortage of special TrackPoint keys on ThinkPad laptops. TrackPoint will allow you to control the mouse without having to lift your finger from the Home row base row (keys from A to L with 2 keys F and J have small edges to position when typing with 10 fingers), thereby improving Maximum performance and typing. However, mastering the use of TrackPoint will require a lot of practice time.

where can you get a LENOVO THINKPAD X390 online

Lenovo 20Q0002WUS TS X390 i7 512GB W10P: Buy it now

Lenovo ThinkPad X390: Buy it now

Lenovo ThinkPad X390 Laptop (Intel i7-8665U 4-Core, 16GB RAM, 512GB m.2 SATA SSD, Intel UHD 620, 13.3″ Touch Full HD (1920×1080), Fingerprint, WiFi, Bluetooth, Webcam, 2xUSB 3.1, 1xHDMI, Win 10 Pro): Buy it now

Performance is fast, smooth, but quite hot

As a high-end ThinkPad, X390 is also equipped with a configuration of powerful hardware. The version in this article uses the Intel Core i7 processor – 8565U (4 cores, 8 threads, 1.8 GHz, 8MB, Turbo Boots 4.6 GHz, TDP 15W, 14 nm), integrated Intel UHD Graphics 620 graphics card. 1.15 GHz, 8GB DDR4 2400 MHz RAM running Dual Channel, 256GB PCIe SSD, 64-bit pre-installed Windows 10 Pro.

With this configuration, X390 brings agile performance, immediate response to heavy tasks such as web browsing with both Firefox and Chrome standing around 20 tabs while opening Photoshop, Lightroom to edit photos.

Editing, rendering product review videos with Premiere Pro at Full HD resolution, Playback Full level is smooth and smooth. 8GB RAM is just enough to open many parallel apps. The most valuable is probably the 256GB NVME SSD, M.2 standard for app opening speed, extremely fast response, maximum sequential read / write bandwidth up to 3196.7 MB / s and 1721.3 MB / s, while 4K random read / write speed is also impressive with 58.15 MB / s and 173.2 MB / s (measured by Crystal Disk Mark version 6.0.2 64 bit). The X390’s 256GB SSD speed is significantly faster than the 512GB SSD on the Lenovo ThinkBook 13s brother, which BiaReview recently evaluated.

The integrated Intel UHD Graphics 620 graphics core on Whiskey Lake chips is still similar to Coffee Lake so it is not surprising that graphics performance is not significantly different. You can play light online games like League of Legends, Fifa Online 4 with high to low graphics settings in Full HD resolution. But any heavier games like PUBG, Fortnite, PES 2020, Fifa 20 are too much for the machine.

The operating temperature and noise level of the X390 is not good. It runs smoothly but quite hot when running heavy tasks, CPU, GPU running at 100% capacity. CPU temperature can go up to over 100 degrees Celsius when running heavy tasks. The heat can be felt clearly if the device is on your lap and when your hand is near the heat sink located on the right edge. In return, the cooling system can keep the machine running at high frequencies for a long time, so the performance of the X390 is much better than the ThinkBook 13s that BiaReview recently evaluated despite using the same Intel Core i7 CPU – 8565U .

If you feel uncomfortable with the temperature of the Intel Core i7 – 8565U on the X390, you can use the Intel XTU software to slightly reduce the voltage of the CPU, helping the machine run cool, save more power without greatly affect performance.

Streamlining software

Regarding software, Lenovo does not install too many “bloatware” junk applications on the device. Only the Lenovo Vantage app comes pre-installed with a beautiful, modern interface, in harmony with the Fluent Design style on Windows 10. In addition to tweaking the settings on the keyboard, touchpad, Lenovo Vantage also allows managing devices setting up screen, battery, sound, network connection, such as automatically adjusting screen brightness when locking the device or turning on eye protection mode in the night … This application also includes error checking feature of the hardware, software in the computer, automatically update the driver, system software is quite useful.

Another unique feature on the X390 is Glance by Mirametrix, which automatically detects faces and eyes. By default, if you do not see the user’s face for 30 seconds, this software will automatically lock the device to enhance security. In addition, this application also allows automatic movement of the mouse pointer and the window of the software running in the view based on the infrared camera, useful when connecting to external monitors.

Moderate battery, with fast charging (but not included)

In terms of battery life, equipped with 48 Whr battery, the actual battery life of the X390 is quite good. For common tasks such as web browsing, text editing, light photo editing, a brightness screen of about 70%, set to Balance Better Performance mode in Windows 10, the device can withstand about 5 to 6 hours continuous use.

Unfortunately, despite the fast charging support, the charger comes with only 45W (fast charging is 65W) so the time to fully charge the battery is quite long, it takes nearly 2 and a half hours. In return, both Type C ports support the PD (Power Delivery) standard for transferring power, so you can use compatible backup batteries and charge the device conveniently.

Summary

As a high-end series of ThinkPad series, X390 continues to show well the characteristics that have created the strength of this laptop line such as thin, light, compact, tough, military-grade durability. The product is completed, meticulously machined to exert a high-class and luxurious character. It has many modern features, catching up with trends such as thin bezel screen, webcam scanning face, fingerprint reader. Performance, battery life, keyboard quality, touchpad of the X390 all retain good quality, exactly the same quality as ThinkPad ever.

The only problem with the X390 is that the manufacturer has set the TDP level for the CPU quite high despite providing fast, stable performance, but it makes the machine fast and can cause discomfort during use.

The price of the ThinkPad X Series has always been picky user and user-friendly, and this is all worth it because of what the ThinkPad Series has in common on this series. If you want powerful, modern, highly secure, lightweight in a business laptop and often need to be moving, you will need to pay a fair price and make sure the X390 will be one of the These options should be considered.