During Qualcomm’s MWC keynote, Lenovo took the stage and announced the first PC with the “Snapdragon 8cx Gen 3” SoC. The ThinkPad X13s is a Windows on Arm (WoA) laptop that promises a battery life of up to 28 hours. Lenovo calls that “multi-day battery life,” with features like cellular connectivity including 5G mmWave support.
- The Lenovo ThinkPad X13s is equipped with a Snapdragon 8cxGen3 that includes a 5G modem.
- The device weighs only 1.06 kg and runs Windows 11.
The device was developed in cooperation with Qualcomm and Microsoft and is intended as a kind of answer to Apple’s MacBook series with the M1 SoC. The ThinkPad X13s is thin and light (13.4 mm, 1.06 kg and comes with Windows 11 Pro.
The highlight, at least according to Lenovo, is the “multi-day battery life” with up to 28 hours of runtime (according to the company in a local video playback test). The ThinkPad X13s is positioned as part of Qualcomm’s ACPC (Always Connected PC) push. The Snapdragon modem offers 4G/5G connectivity, on both Sub-6 and mmWave networks.
You are setting the first laptop equipped with the “Snapdragon 8cx Gen 3” SoC / © NextPit
Despite using an ARM SoC, the ThinkPad X13s is also capable of running x86-64 (or AMD64) Windows applications, solving one of the main problems of current WoA PCs.
hybrid work
The new notebook not only provides reliable service on the go, but also during video conferences. The ThinkPad X13s is equipped with a 5 megapixel webcam compatible with auto-framing. The latter roughly corresponds to Apple’s Center Stage. For privacy-conscious users, the webcam can be covered with the e-shutter function. The camera system is also compatible with Windows Hello and uses an IR camera for biometrics.
In terms of audio, the ThinkPad X13s has a triple array microphone for noise cancellation during video calls. The system is compatible with Qualcomm’s own “Voice and Audio Communication” suite and is Dolby Audio certified.
| Lenovo ThinkPad X13s | |
|---|---|
| processor | Qualcomm Snapdragon 8cx Gen 3 Adreno GPU |
| random access memory | Up to 32GB LPPDR4x |
| Storage | Up to 1TB PCIe SSD |
| operating system | windows 11 |
| advertisement | 13.3-inch 16:10 1920 x 1200 pixels (WUXGA/Full HD) Optional touch |
| battery pack | 49.5 watt hours Up to 28 hours of battery life |
| connectivity | Qualcomm FastConnect 6900 – WiFi 6E | Bluetooth 5.2 Qualcomm Snapdragon X55 – 4G LTE | 5G mmWave and sub-6 |
| camera | 5 megapixels Optional IR sensor (compatible with Windows Hello) |
| security features | fingerprint reader Windows Hello facial recognition Camera shutter button Kensington lock Microsoft Pluton Secure Processor |
| connections | 2x USB-C SIM card slot 3.5mm audio jack |
| Dimensions | 298.7 x 206.4 x 13.4mm |
| Weight | 1.06kg |
| price and availability | €1399 (May 2022) |
ThinkPad X13s release date and prices
According to Lenovo, the ThinkPad X13s will be available in Europe in May 2022 with prices starting at 1,399 euros. US release is slated for “later in 2022” with details and pricing to be announced at a later date.
Do you think the Windows ecosystem is ready to stand up to Apple Silicon? Or are you still skeptical about the hype surrounding ARM PCs? What about gaming? Let us know what you think in the comments below.