Lenovo ThinkPad Nano Gen 2 review: a tiny surprise

A wide range of configurations are available with the ThinkPad X1 Nano Gen 2. The $1,572 entry-level model features a Core i5-1240P CPU, 16GB of LPDDR5 RAM, a 256GB PCIe Gen4 SSD, and a 13.0-inch 16:10 2K low-power IPS display. Notably, even this model has 16GB of RAM instead of 8GB. At the high end is a $2,527 configuration with a Core i7-1280P CPU, 32GB of RAM, a 1TB SSD, a brighter display, and 5G WWAN support.

My review unit, which lacked the 5G connectivity and used the lower-end display, came in at $2,300.

The vPro CPU affords access to enterprise security and manageability and is worth the investment for business users. All models have the same One-year warranty, which is disappointing for such an expensive laptop — although it’s the industry standard.

Yes, I know, the ThinkPad X1 Nano Gen 2 can’t possibly be as fast as larger and thicker laptops. That’s entirely reasonable. And it’s not, with some obvious thermal throttling given the 28-watt 14-core/20-thread Core i7-1280P squeezed inside. But even so, it provided impressive performance considering how thin and light it is and thus how easy it is to carry around. I’ve reported both balanced and performance mode results in the table below, which was configurable by using an integration Lenovo built with the Windows 11 performance tuner.

Small laptops like the ThinkPad X1 Nano Gen 2 often come with compromises. Low-resolution displays of suspect quality, cramped keyboards, and tiny touchpads are just a few. Fortunately, Lenovo avoided those pitfalls.

To begin with, the keyboard is the ThinkPad standard, albeit with a little less key spacing and slightly smaller yet just as sculpted keycaps. The layout is the same, down to the left Fn and Ctl keys that are reversed from the industry standard (and can be swapped in the BIOS). I found the mechanism a bit stiff, with plenty of travel but an abrupt bottoming action. It wasn’t the most comfortable keyboard I’ve used, with HP’s Spectre and Dell’s XPS keyboards being much better. I maintained my usual typing speed and didn’t feel like I was typing on a particularly small keyboard.

Lenovo has you covered when it comes to controlling the cursor, with both the TrackPoint nubbin and a smaller yet serviceable touchpad. Both worked well. My review unit didn’t include a touch display, but the higher-end display is touch-enabled.

Two display options are available with the ThinkPad X1 Nano Gen 2, both low-power 13.0 inch 2K 16:10 displays. One is touch-enabled with a higher brightness rating and the other, my review unit, is non-touch and with a slightly lower brightness rating.

The previous model also equipped a similar IPS display, with the same resolution. According to my colorimeter, the display has roughly the same premium-display average color gamut as the previous generation, with improved accuracy. Brightness is higher and contrast has been dramatically improved. Overall, the display is more than good enough for productivity workers and media consumers, while creators will find the colors too narrow for serious work.

Two upward-firing speakers provide the audio, and I found the sound to be just OK. The volume wasn’t very high, and there was some distortion when playing at 100%. Mids and highs were fine but there was zero bass. Keep some headphones handy.

Lenovo builds in a few creature comforts that enhance the ThinkPad X1 Nano Gen 2’s privacy as well as its appeal to hybrid workers. The webcam is 1080p and provides a detailed image in all lighting conditions, and the IR camera supports Windows 11 Hello passwordless login. There’s also a fingerprint reader on the palm rest to the right of the touchpad.

An ultra-wideband radar sensor provides enhanced support for Lenovo’s user presence-sensing technology, providing for Zero Touch Lock that puts the laptop to sleep when the user leaves and Zero Touch Login that wakes the laptop up and automatically logs in when the user returns. The display also dims when the user is looking in a different direction. Finally, there’s a physical shutter for blocking the webcam for additional privacy.

The ThinkPad X1 Nano Gen 2 is a small laptop with a solid build quality and fast productivity performance. It’s a significant improvement over the first generation, with a better display to go with the increase in speed. There’s a significant drop in battery life, though, which might matter to some users.

It’s a 13-inch laptop that competes strongly against others in its class like the Dell XPS 13 Plus and the Asus ZenBook S 13 OLED. It’s expensive, but if you’re looking for a laptop that’s incredibly easy to carry around, the ThinkPad X1 Nano Gen 2 fits the bill.

Editors’ Recommendations