The last time we saw a ThinkPad that came in a tablet form factor, it was 2018’s ThinkPad X1 Tablet. Now, the form factor is back, but interestingly, this one isn’t called an X1, even though it was announced alongside this year’s ThinkPad X1 family.
This one includes Intel’s 11th-generation ‘Tiger Lake’ processors, the same ones used in the ThinkPad X1 Nano and the ThinkPad X1 Titanium Yoga. They’re what would have been called Y-series in previous generations, but it’s gotten so much better since eighth-gen ‘Amber Lake’, with twice the cores, a higher TDP, and Iris Xe graphics.
The ThinkPad X12 Detachable also packs a 12.3-inch FHD+ display, so it’s a bit smaller than its predecessor, but the form factor is the same. It has the kickstand, the magnetically attached keyboard, and even the pen loop. Indeed, it all feels so familiar if you used a ThinkPad X1 Tablet a few years ago.
While it does have two USB Type-C ports, only one of them has Thunderbolt 4, which will let you turn this little tablet into a gaming rig with an external GPU, or connect dual 4K monitors.
While this couldn’t be called a ThinkPad X1 on account of the smaller screen, lower resolution, and only having Thunderbolt in one port, it feels like part of a broader product push from Lenovo that includes the ThinkPad X1 Nano and the ThinkPad X1 Titanium Yoga. Both of them are pushing boundaries to be thinner and lighter than ever before, just in the clamshell and convertible form factors. It would seem that with the ThinkPad X12 Detachable, Lenovo is using that same strategy to bring back the tablet.
Check out the unboxing video below:
