Xiaomi 12 Pro Review: The hot flagship living in the shadow of an Ultra

In the first three months of 2022, we have already seen some excellent, very refined flagships in the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra and OPPO Find X5 Pro. Both phones offer a brilliant 120Hz LTPO gen 2 OLED display, awesome cameras, and the most powerful processor in Android (well, some Galaxy S22 Ultras do, anyway). But they are also priced well over the four-digit mark. Xiaomi, as usual, is here with a better value proposition: the Xiaomi 12 Pro packs almost all the good stuff I just mentioned, plus a better speaker system, at a lower price range that should be equivalent to $999.

However, it’s not all good: the Xiaomi 12 Pro has perhaps the blandest design of the three devices, and the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chip in it runs hotter than the same chip in those other phones. In other words, there are tradeoffs, and you will have to compromise if you choose the Xiaomi 12 Pro over the other two phones, which are a bit more polished right now.

But the elephant in the room is that, despite Xiaomi having not said a word, everyone knows the Xiaomi 12 Pro is not the true alpha dog of this series. We know there’s a Xiaomi 12 Ultra somewhere down the line — and perhaps that one will truly knock it out of the park the way the Xiaomi 11 Ultra did. As of right now, the Xiaomi 12 Pro is a solid, iterative flagship that is a jack of all trades, master of none.

Xiaomi 12 Pro

The Xiaomi 12 Pro brings a gorgeous display panel, awesome main camera, and a Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 at a price tag quite a bit lower than the Galaxy S22 Ultra or OPPO Find X5 Pro. However, the phone's thermals are below par and the 2x zoom lens is lacking

Pros:

Cons:

View at Xiaomi

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Xiaomi 12 Pro: Price and Availability

The Xiaomi 12 Pro was first released in China in January. This global variant is part of a series that also includes the Xiaomi 12 and Xiaomi 12X, and will be available in Europe, Southeast Asia, Africa, the Middle East, and Latin America. The exact dates have not been announced. Prices announced are in US figures, which local markets will convert to equivalent prices.

• Xiaomi 12 Pro starts at $999 for the 8GB RAM+256GB storage version. There will also be a 12GB RAM+256GB storage variant with higher prices yet to be revealed.
• Xiaomi 12 starts at $749 for the 8GB RAM+128GB storage version. There will be 8GB+256GB and 12GB+256GB variants at higher prices yet to be revealed.
• Xiaomi 12X starts at $649 for the 8GB RAM+128GB storage version. There will also be an 8GB+256GB version with a higher price not yet revealed.

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Xiaomi 12 Pro: Specifications

Specification	Xiaomi 12 Pro
Build	Gorilla Glass Victus front and back Aluminum frame
Dimensions & Weight	163.6 x 74.6 x 8.16mm 206g
Display	6.73-inch OLED 3200 x 1440 LTPO 2.0
SoC	Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1
RAM & Storage	128/256GB storage 8GB/12GB
Battery & Charging	4,600 mAg 120W wired charging Charging brick included Wireless charging up to 50W
Security	Optical in-display fingerprint sensor
Rear Camera(s)	Primary: 50MP, f/1.9, Sony IMX707, 1/1.28-inch Secondary: 50MP, f/2.2 ultra-wide, 112-degree FoV Tertiary: 50MP, f/1.9, 2x optical zoom
Front Camera(s)	32MP, f/2.45 selfie camera
Port(s)	USB-C
Audio	Dual Stereo Speakers tuned by Harmon Kardon
Connectivity	NFC Bluetooth 5.2
Software	MIUI 13 based on Android 12
Other Features	IR Blaster

About this review: Xiaomi China provided me with a Xiaomi 12 Pro on March 2. They did not have any input in this review.

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Xiaomi 12 Pro: Hardware and Design

• Lighter and thinner than other recently released Android flagships from Samsung and OPPO
• 6.7-inch, 120Hz LTPO 2 OLED display looks great
• Speaker grills at top and bottom of phone pump out noticeably louder and fuller sound than rivals
• Just like the OPPO Find X5 Pro — the Xiaomi 12 Pro has superb main and ultra-wide cameras, but the zoom lens is below par

The Xiaomi 12 Pro is yet another 2022 Android flagship, so you should know what to expect when it comes to hardware: it’s a glass and metal slab with Gorilla Glass Victus on the front that curves to blend seamlessly into an aluminum frame. The display is an LTPO 2.0 OLED panel, meaning its refresh rate can vary from 1Hz to 120Hz. There’s a camera module in the upper left corner of the backside, and a Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 processor running the show from the inside.

If I sounded a bit bored in the last paragraph, that’s not necessarily a knock on Xiaomi. It’s just that, Android flagships have been using this curvy glass-and-metal sandwich, thin-bezels-with-a-hole-punch design for three years now. The Xiaomi 12 Pro is very well built, with clicky buttons and a seamless one-piece feel in the hand. But I could say the same about the Xiaomi Mi 11 or Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro.

The design of the Xiaomi 12 Pro is also very understated, without anything flashy that screams “look at me” like the OPPO Find X5 Pro’s camera bump, Huawei P50 Pro’s dual circular camera design, or Xiaomi 11 Ultra’s huge camera island with a screen. The phone looks clean and minimal, but also a bit bland, particularly on the dark grey colorway that I have. There are other more lively colors such as purple or blue that look great in renders.

The back glass — Gorilla Glass Victus — has a soft frosted coating similar to the one seen in the Vivo X70 Pro Plus. There are micro-textures on the back that can be felt and seen by the eye. This coating also reflects light in unusual ways, so much that the phone can look almost black or blue depending on the time of day. There’s a Xiaomi branding on the left bottom too, but it needs to catch light to become visible.

With a thickness of 8.16mm and tipping the scales at 205g, the Xiaomi 12 Pro is a bit lighter and thinner than the recent flagships I’ve handled. It certainly is an easier carry and one-hand use phone than the Galaxy S22 Ultra, but I prefer the OPPO Find X5 Pro’s in-hand feel. There’s just something about ceramic that adds an extra denseness that feels premium. I think Xiaomi knows this, as it has used ceramic in its highest-tier premium flagships like the Ultra or Mix phones in the past.

There’s a 4,600 mAh battery inside that can be topped up at 120W speeds — and yes, the charging brick is included with the package. Onboard memory is either 8GB or 12GB of RAM (my unit is the latter) with 256GB or 512GB of storage. All the standards are the latest — UFS 3.1; LPDDR5.

Display

The Xiaomi 12 Pro’s display panel checks literally every box there is to check in a smartphone display panel right now: it’s a 12-bit, 6.8-inch LTPO 2.0 OLED panel (sourced from Samsung Display) that can vary its refresh rate from 1Hz to 120Hz; it has a resolution of 1440 x 3200 and hits a max brightness of 1,500 nits. Color output can be adjusted, and the phone’s software also allows the display to lock itself to either 60Hz, 90Hz, or 120Hz. It even supports Dolby Atmos. Whatever display marketing term or spec you can think of, this display has it, except for the ability to fold.

It’s become the easy (and a bit lazy) narrative every year to just hand Samsung’s Galaxy flagships the “best smartphone screen” title, but I challenge anyone to look at the Xiaomi 12 Pro’s screen next to the Galaxy S22 Ultra screen and point out where Samsung’s display actually wins (especially since we as humans perceive brightness logarithmically and not in a linear fashion). I’m not saying Xiaomi’s display is better, but it appears to be every bit as good as “the best display.”

Xiaomi offers complete control over the display’s color calibration, as well as the ability to lock refresh rate to 60Hz, 90Hz, and 120Hz. These are welcome additions for those of us who like to tweak things. Being able to lock to 90Hz is great too, as it improves battery life while still getting relatively smooth animations.

Speakers

Continuing from last year’s Xiaomi/Harmon Kardon partnership (or licensing deal), the Xiaomi 12 Pro features a quad-speaker system tuned by the audio equipment maker that includes a pair of woofers and tweeters, and they’re positioned within a speaker grill at the top and bottom of the chassis, which is a better position than many phones that relegate one of the speakers to the sliver of an earpiece.

Surprisingly, the Xiaomi 12 Pro speakers do not get louder than the speakers seen in the iPhone 13 Pro Max or Galaxy S22 Ultra, however, Xiaomi’s audio is a bit more full, with more bass.

One last note — the Xiaomi 12 Pro’s haptics are stupendous, perhaps the best in any phone right now. I love typing on this phone, as I get strong, precise feedback with each finger peck. Unlocking the phone with the fingerprint scanner also brings a satisfying jolt that I don’t get from another Android phone.

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Xiaomi 12 Pro: Cameras

• Main camera has a large image sensor and just the right amount of pixels for superb photos
• Automatic moving subject tracking useful in videos
• Just a 2x telephoto zoom, however

The Xiaomi 12 Pro packs a triple 50MP lens array covering the usual wide, ultra-wide, and telephoto focal length — the latter, however, is just a 2x optical zoom, which is disappointing in 2022. Heck, even a previous phone in this series (Xiaomi 10 Pro) could do 5x optical zoom.

But the main camera is really good: it uses Sony’s new IMX707 sensor with an image sensor size of 1/1.28-inches. This isn’t as large as the sensor seen in the Xiaomi 11 Ultra, but it’s larger than what can be found inside the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra, OPPO Find X5 Pro, iPhone 13 Pro Max, and Google Pixel 6 Pro. Having such a large image sensor means the camera pulls in a lot of light naturally. That, coupled with pixel-binning technology (the 50MP sensor really outputs a 12.5MP shot), means the phone almost never has to use night mode except in pitch black conditions.

The above set of photos, all captured by the Xiaomi 12 Pro’s main camera, look great: dynamic range is superb in every shot, there’s natural bokeh that separates subjects in the foreground from the background, all the neon lights are well exposed and not blown out. However — and this could be considered good or bad depending on your preferences, the Xiaomi 12 Pro tends to exaggerates colors and contrast. Below are comparison shots against the Galaxy S22 Ultra.

The reds in Xiaomi’s shots are much punchier than Samsung’s shots, the contrast between shadows and illuminated areas are more dramatic. Samsung’s shots are more accurate to real life, but Xiaomi’s shots could appear more visually striking to some people. This is ironic, because this dialed-up contrast look is what Samsung used to do before it toned it down to aim for a more natural look.

The Xiaomi 12 Pro’s ultra-wide, while still packing 50 million pixels, uses a smaller, weaker Samsung JN1 sensor. Unlike the OnePlus 10 Pro, Xiaomi does not opt for a super-wide 150-degree angle — a wise move in my opinion, as tighter framing reduces distortion and improves image sharpness.

The ultra-wide lens also uses four-in-one binning technology to churn out a respectable 1.28-micron size, so even in low light scenes, images are impressively noise-free, although these shots are clearly not as sharp as the same shots captured by the main camera if you pixel peep. The OPPO Find X5 Pro’s ultra-wide is still better — details are sharper if you zoom in and examine — because of the large image sensor, but I prefer Xiaomi’s ultra-wide to the Galaxy S22 Ultra’s.

The telephoto camera’s 2x optical zoom range disappoints me, someone who loves taking 5x, 10x shots all around the city. But because it, too, is a 50MP sensor that then uses pixel-binning, I find the Xiaomi 12 Pro’s portrait shots (which uses the telephoto) to be better than the Find X5 Pro or Galaxy S22 Ultra’s, at least at night (which is when I prefer to test cameras because low light scenes make for more challenging scenarios).

Anything beyond 2x zoom is digital zoom, so of course, the Xiaomi 12 Pro’s 10x zoom looks bad compared to the Galaxy S22 Ultra’s 10x shot.

The selfie camera is fine: a 32MP shooter that produces binned 8MP selfies. Like all other Asian phones, the selfie camera app can apply a “beauty filter,” but unlike some brands like Vivo and Samsung (which will whiten and smooth your skin no matter what setting you choose) Xiaomi actually gives you the option to really turn it off for a more natural look. In really low light situations, selfies are really soft, however.

As I said, Xiaomi does offer beauty filters for those who want them, and Xiaomi’s version offers a lot of features: you don’t just get to slim your face, or enlarge your eyes, but you can also fix your hairline by making it lower or higher. You can see my hairline (forehead size) in the first two pics below are different — and the effect looks pretty natural.

These extra camera modes is what makes Xiaomi’s cameras more fun to play with than other phones, in my opinion. Two of my favorites are “Clone” mode and “Sky Editor,”. These are not new — we’ve covered them before in previous Xiaomi phone reviews — but with these, you can easily snap a video or photo with two instances of the same person, or change the sky’s colors and cloud formation with a couple of taps. You can probably do this with a third party app, but these apps tend to be ad-filled or cost money. Xiaomi has these built into their native camera apps.

The clone feature is part of Xiaomi’s camera app.

Video

The Xiaomi 12 Pro’s main camera produces pretty good videos. In well-lit conditions (like the first 10 seconds of the video sample below) you can see stabilization and lighting are all top tier, as well as audio input. There’s also a nice natural bokeh around my head for a more professional look. At night, the stabilization is not the strongest (iPhones and Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra can do better), but Xiaomi’s video footage is noticeably better lit than the Galaxy S22 Ultra’s. The ultra-wide camera is solid during well-lit conditions but really suffers at night in terms of stabilization and lighting. I’d still give the overall edge to the Galaxy S22 Ultra for the best video camera in Android phones right now, but the Xiaomi 12 Pro can settle for second place with the OPPO Find X5 Pro and Vivo X70 Pro Plus.

A new video trick Xiaomi brings to the 12 Pro is automatic object tracking. This is turned off by default, but once turned on, the Xiaomi 12 Pro’s camera app will automatically lock on to a subject/object and keep focus even as the subject is moving around the frame. It works really well, as can be seen below. This feature allows you to pull off cinematic tricks like rack focus.

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Xiaomi 12 Pro: Software

• MIUI 13 over Android 12 brings zippy, whimsical animations
• Missing some basic Android 12 functionality like force rotate
• Settings panel overly complicated

The Xiaomi 12 Pro runs MIUI 13 over Android 12, and the overall experience is fine, but MIUI has a few quirks I don’t like. I’ll start with the good: I find MIUI’s animations to be particularly smooth and fluid, noticeably more so than One UI, which means I can really feel the 120Hz when I’m doing basic things like scrolling and closing apps than on the Galaxy S22 Ultra. I’d rank the animation fluidity as a virtual tie between ColorOS and MIUI right now. Xiaomi has also fixed the bug that has been around the last two years of MIUI: you can now activate one hand mode even with gesture navigation (before, you could only do so with button navigation). Overall, MIUI is a good-looking UI that doesn’t offend me the way, say, FunTouch OS used to.

Now let’s nitpick: MIUI has an overly complicated settings panel that buries some basic settings. For example, the phone ships with button navigation out of the box, and if you want to switch to gestures, you must dive into this settings page called “Full Screen Display” that is a separate page from the main “Display” section. If you want to set Always-On Display, that is also in a separate settings page from the main Display page. Anytime I jump to a Xiaomi phone, it always takes me an extra minute or two to set up the phone compared to setting up a Samsung or OPPO device.

Some basic Android features, like force rotate (the ability to rotate an app even if your phone’s overall setting has locked orientation) is missing here. I use this feature a lot, as I like to scroll through the phone while laying horizontally on the bed, so I need to lock the main orientation to prevent auto-rotating. None of these are major software issues, but it’s annoying enough that I’d prefer to use ColorOS or OneUI.

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Xiaomi 12 Pro: Overall Performance, Battery Life and Charging

• Good battery life that can last a full day of heavy use
• The phone can run hot during intense gaming sessions — in fact, it couldn’t last a 20-minute stress test on 3D Mark when rival phones could
• Great screen and speaker make for a great movie watching machine

With a Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 and either 8GB or 12GB of RAM, the Xiaomi 12 Pro would perform like a champ, right? Not quite. While the phone zips around for most regular tasks, the thermal situation here is problematic. Xiaomi advertises a cooling system that includes “large heat dissipation graphite sheets,” but it doesn’t seem to work well.

I first noticed the phone running really hot during an extended gaming session, so I installed 3D Mark and ran the “Wild Life Stress Test,” and the Xiaomi 12 Pro could not finish the 20-minute test, as it succumbed to overheating and shut down the app. I tried it again a few hours later, and again the Xiaomi 12 Pro could not finish the test — I got another message saying the phone has overheated (the first screenshot below). The Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra and OPPO Find X5 Pro had no problem finishing the 20-minute test.

However, the Xiaomi 12 Pro’s general benchmark numbers when not being put through prolonged stress (Geekbench and 3D Mark’s shorter Wild Life test) show impressive scores that beat the Galaxy S22 Ultra. And again — in normal usage, I encountered no lag, no stutter, so the overheating problem is only an issue if you really push the phone’s GPU. This could be a dealbreaker for mobile gamers, but if you don’t game too much, it should not be an issue. I took the phone out for an afternoon of shooting under intense sunlight and saw no issues either.

Thanks to the large speakers and beautiful screen, the phone is great for media consumption. Reception, call quality, connectivity all worked flawlessly for me.

Battery life is fine; on a workday, the phone can easily go a full day away from a charger, on a weekend day when I am out for 12-14 hours and using the phone heavily, the Xiaomi 12 Pro can eek to the finish line. Last Saturday, I took the phone out filming and it came home after 13 hours with 8% battery. The Galaxy S22 Ultra has better battery life, but the Xiaomi 12 Pro’s battery life is satisfactory to me. The 120W charging brick being included makes a huge difference, as a simple 5-10 minute top-up in the late afternoon will surely add enough juice to the phone for all night out. From my testing, the phone charged from 0% to 100% in 25 minutes with the included 120W charger.

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Who should buy the Xiaomi 12 Pro?

If you’re in the market for a new Android flagship, the Xiaomi 12 Pro offers a lot of what you’d want: a display that is great and not noticeably inferior to anything else on the market; a top-end SoC, and a really good main camera. But its ultra-wide and zoom system is not as good as rivals, and the overheating issue could be problematic to those who plan on playing mobile games often.

While the nearly $400 price gap between the Xiaomi 12 Pro and the OPPO Find X5 Pro (price converted from EUR) is large enough that should convince many to pick Xiaomi over OPPO, I’m not sure the $200 price difference between Xiaomi 12 Pro and Galaxy S22 Ultra is large enough, as Samsung just brings a more polished and versatile package all around. I suppose the Xiaomi 12 Pro should be compared to the Galaxy S22 Plus (not the Ultra), in which case I think Xiaomi 12 Pro holds up very well.

But like I said, I think there will be a Xiaomi 12 Ultra coming, one that will be more equipped to tackle Samsung’s best of the best. But knowing this also puts the Xiaomi 12 Pro in a sort of lame duck spot — if you want to save money, you’re better off getting the Xiaomi 12, if you want Xiaomi’s best slab offering, everyone knows this isn’t quite it. So despite the Xiaomi 12 Pro being a good flagship, there are propositions above and below it that take the spotlight away from it.

Xiaomi 12 Pro

The Xiaomi 12 Pro brings a gorgeous display panel, awesome main camera, and a Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 at a price tag quite a bit lower than the Galaxy S22 Ultra or OPPO Find X5 Pro

View at Xiaomi

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How to restore your bricked Apple Watch using your iPhone

Apple has finally released iOS 15.4 and watchOS 8.5 to the public — following weeks of beta testing. These major updates bring plenty of new features and improvements, such as the Unicode 14.0 emoji. Notably, though, they allow Apple Watch users to restore their bricked devices with just an iPhone. Prior to this change, users had to go to an Apple repair center to get their watches fixed. This was particularly problematic to users in regions with no authorized service providers. They would have to mail their watches to a different country or simply bin them. Now, Apple has made it very simple to recover a dead watch wirelessly. Here are the steps you need to follow to restore your Apple Watch with your iPhone.

Restore Apple Watch with iPhone

An Apple Watch can get bricked if a software update is interrupted or fails. You will either see a red exclamation mark on its screen, or a graphic showing an iPhone next to an Apple Watch. If you see either of the the screens on your watch do the following:

• Ensure that your iPhone is running iOS 15.4 or later. Your watch must be running watchOS 8.5 or later as well. If you don’t meet one of these conditions, then the process won’t work.
• Unlock your iPhone, turn on Bluetooth, and connect to a Wi-Fi network — preferably a 2.4GHz one, as sometimes this doesn’t work on 5GHz ones.
• Place your watch on its wireless charger.
• Double click the Side Button of your Apple Watch.
• A pop-up will appear on your iPhone prompting you to recover the Apple Watch. Tap on Continue, and wait for the process to complete after you go through the prompts.
• If you’ve met all of the conditions and this prompt doesn’t pop up on your iPhone, then you will need to contact Apple Support and potentially send it to an authorized service provider for repairs. While this hassle-free process is very useful, the company states that it sometimes doesn’t work.

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To avoid bricking your Apple Watch, always leave it on its charger when it’s updating its operating system and don’t click any of its buttons until the software update completes.

Have you ever bricked an Apple Watch? Let us know in the comments section below.

The post How to restore your bricked Apple Watch using your iPhone appeared first on xda-developers.

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Samsung Galaxy Book 2 Pro vs LG gram: What’s the best ultralight laptop?

Samsung’s Galaxy Book 2 Pro series is looking to be one of the best lightweight laptops of 2022. Much like its predecessor, the Galaxy Book 2 Pro is all about being thin and light, but Samsung isn’t the first to lean on this design trait. LG’s gram lineup is also very focused on having a very lightweight chassis, and LG has been doing it for longer. Can the Galaxy Book 2 Pro steal the LG gram’s thunder? Let’s compare them and find out.

To be fair, LG has yet to refresh its gram lineup with Intel’s 12th-generation processors, so Samsung has a major advantage right off the bat. Still, we’ll be comparing the Galaxy Book 2 Pro to the 2021 LG gram lineup, because there are some other differences that are worth keeping in mind. Let’s take a look.

Samsung Galaxy Book 2 Pro vs LG gram: Specs

	Samsung Galaxy Book 2 Pro	LG gram
CPU	12th-gen 28W Intel Core i5-1240P (12 cores, 16 threads, up to 4.4GHz, 12MB cache) 12th-gen 28W Intel Core i7-1260P (12 cores, 16 threads, up to 4.7GHz, 18MB cache)	Up to 11th-gen 15W Intel Core i7-1195G7 (4-core, 8-thread, up to 5GHz, 12MB cache)
Graphics	13.3-inch: Intel Iris Xe (integrated) 15.6-inch: Intel Iris Xe (integrated) Optional: Intel Arc (discrete)	Intel Iris Xe graphics
Storage	Up to 1TB PCIe NVMe SSD	256 GB SSD 512GB SSD 1TB SSD 2TB SSD
RAM	8GB LPDDR5 16GB LPDDR5 32GB LPDDR5	8GB LPDDR4 16GB LPDDR4 32GB LPDDR4
Display	13.3-inch Full HD (1920 x 1080) Super AMOLED, 16:9, 120% DCI-P3, 500 nits (for HDR) 15.6-inch Full HD (1920 x 1080) Super AMOLED, 16:9, 120% DCI-P3, 500 nits (for HDR)	LG gram 14 14-inch Full HD+ (1920 x 1200) IPS, 16:10, 99% DCI-P3 LG gram 16 16-inch Quad HD+ (2560 x 1600) IPS, 16:10, 99% DCI-P3 LG gram 17 17-inch Quad HD+ (2560 x 1600) IPS, 16:10, 99% DCI-P3
Battery	13.3-inch 63Wh battery 15.6-inch 68Wh battery	LG gram 14 4-cell, 72Wh battery LG gram 16 and 17 2-cell, 80Wh battery
Ports	1 x Thunderbolt 4 / USB Type-C 1 x USB Type-C 1x USB Type-A (USB 3.2) 3.5mm headphone jack microSD card reader 1 x HDMI (15.6-inch model)	2 x Thunderbolt 4 (USB Type-C) 2x USB 3.2 Gen 2 x 1 (Type-A) HDMI microSD/UFS card reader 3.5mm headphone/microphone combo jack
Audio	13.3-inch Dual stereo AKG speakers (4W total) Dolby Atmos 15.6-inch Dual stereo AKG speakers (5W total) Dolby Atmos	Stereo speakers (2 x 1.5W) DTS X Ultra
Webcam	1080p Full HD webcam	720p HD webcam
Windows Hello	Fingerprint reader (in power button)	Fingerprint reader
Connectivity	Wi-Fi 6E Bluetooth 5.2	Intel Killer Wi-Fi 6 AX201 (2 x 2) Bluetooth 5.1
Color	Silver Graphite	Silver Black White
Size (WxDxH)	13.3-inch 304.4 x 199.8 x 11.2 mm (11.98 x 7.87 x 0.44 in) 15.6-inch Integrated graphics: 355.4 x 225.8 x 11.7 mm (13.99 x 8.89 x 0.46 in) Discrete graphics: 355.4 x 225.8 x 13.2 mm (13.99 x 8.89 x 0.52 in)	LG gram 14 313.4 x 215.2 x 16.8 mm (12.34 x 8.47 x 0.66 in) LG gram 16 355.9 x 243.4 x 16.8 mm (14.01 x 9.58 x 0.66 in) LG gram 17 380.2 x 260.1 x 17.8 mm (14.97 x 10.24 x 0.7 in)
Starting weight	13.3-inch 0.87kg (1.92 lbs) 15.6-inch Integrated graphics: 1.11kg (2.45 lbs) Discrete graphics: 1.17kg (2.58 lbs)	LG gram 14 0.99 kg (2.18 lbs) LG gram 16 1.19 kg (2.62 lbs) LG gram 17 1.35 kg (2.98 lbs)
Price	Starting at $1,049.99	Starting at $1,199

Performance: Intel’s 12th-generation processors make a big difference

Samsung’s Galaxy Book 2 Pro is one of the first laptops to come with Intel’s new Alder Lake processors, and they have some big advantages over their predecessors. These new CPUs have a hybrid architecture, featuring a mix of performance cores and efficient cores, and a much higher core count overall. Plus, Samsung is using P-series processors with a 28W TDP, compared to the 15W rating of the U-series processors in the LG gram.

Samsung Galaxy Book 2 Pro

As you can probably expect, this means there’s a big performance upgrade with the Galaxy Book 2 Pro.  Let’s take a look at how these processors compare against each other in Geekbench 5:

	Intel Core i5-1135G7 (average)	Intel Core i5-1240P (see test)	Intel Core i7-1195G7 (average)	Intel Core i7-1260P (see test)
Geekbench 5 score	1,244 / 4,192	1,490 / 6,548	1,450 / 4,861	1,500 / 9,896

Keep in mind that Geekbench doesn’t have an average score for 12th-generation processors yet, so these are results from a single test and they may be skewed one way or another. Still, this should give you an idea of what to expect from these new CPUs, and it’s a big improvement. You can see that the increased number of cores is clearly reflected in multi-core performance.

As far as graphics go, the integrated Intel Iris Xe will perform about the same between 11th- and 12th-generation processors. The Samsung Galaxy Book 2 Pro does have an advantage thanks to the optional Intel Arc discrete graphics option, though. It’s only available in the 15-inch model, but if you want the extra power for some light gaming, Samsung gives you the option.

The Samsung Galaxy Book 2 Pro supports the new, faster LPDDR5 RAM.

Along with 12th-gen Intel processors, you get other benefits like supports for the new LPDDR5 RAM, yet another advantage for the Galaxy Book 2 Pro. This is all to be expected, though, simply because Samsung’s laptop is much newer and LG hasn’t refreshed the gram lineup with this year’s processors yet.

Display: The Samsung Galaxy Book 2 Pro has AMOLED

Arguably one of the best things about the Samsung Galaxy Book 2 Pro is its display, and that’s because it gives you an AMOLED panel as a standard configuration. That’s a rarity in laptops, but what makes it more interesting is that it’s a Full HD (1920 x 1080) display. Typically, some premium laptops will give you the option for an OLED display, but it’s a very premium configuration, like 4K resolution. That means you have to pay a lot more, plus you’re going to take a hit in battery life if you want the perks of an OLED screen.

Samsung Galaxy Book 2 Pro

With the Galaxy Book 2 Pro, you can get those true blacks and vivid colors without paying an obscene amount of money. On the flip side, Full HD is the only option you get, so if you want a sharper display, you’re out of luck. Plus, this is a 16:9 aspect ratio, whereas many premium laptops have shifted to 16:10 or 3:2.

Meanwhile, the LG gram still uses an IPS panel, but it has some perks of its own. First off, all three models have a 16:10 aspect ratio. This taller format means you get more vertical space and more surface area, so if you’re reading a document, you can see more of the text without scrolling. Or, if you’re editing a video, you can see more tracks on your timeline. It’s a big productivity boost.

LG gram 17

LG has another advantage in resolution. The gram 14 has a Full HD+ (1920 x 1200) display, but both the gram 16 and gram 17 have a sharp Quad HD+ (2560 x 1600) panel that looks much nicer with a large display like that. Plus, the increased pixel density can also help you get more space on the screen by shrinking the size of UI elements in Windows. Overall, this is just a better display to get work done, while Samsung’s is better for media consumption.

The Galaxy Book 2 Pro has a Full HD webcam.

Samsung does have a clear advantage when it comes to the camera, though. The Galaxy Book 2 Pro comes with an upgraded 1080p webcam, as opposed to the 720p camera on the LG gram. This upgraded camera also includes auto-framing and Samsung’s Studio Mode for with some extra features you can’t get on the LG gram.

For audio, both laptops have a dual-speaker stereo setup, though you should be able to get more power from the Galaxy Book 2 Pro.

Design: Two extremely lightweight laptops

Regardless of what model you choose between these two, one thing is for sure: You’re getting a laptop that’s easy to carry wherever you go. The Samsung Galaxy Book 2 Pro does win this race, though, partly thanks to its smaller 13-inch model. At just 1.92lbs, it’s slightly below the 2.18 lbs of the gram 14. The story is similar in the next size up, with the 15-inch Galaxy Book 2 Pro weighing 2.45lbs or 2.58lbs (depending on whether you get a discrete GPU), edging out the LG gram 16’s 2.62lbs. It’s a small difference, though, and they’re all extremely light for their size.

Samsung has a clearer victory in terms of thinness, with the Galaxy Book 2 Pro measuring just 11.2mm on the 13-inch model, 11.7mm on the 15-inch model, or 13.2mm if you choose to get the discrete Intel Arc GPU. Comparatively, the LG gram 14 and 16 are 16.8mm thick.

As for looks, the Samsung Galaxy Book 2 Pro is available in two color options: Silver and Graphite. Out of these, silver is a bit more interesting because while it’s silver on the outside, the inside is white, and the keyboard keys are color matched. The Graphite option is black inside and out, so it looks sleek and subdued.

All three colors of the LG gram lineup

Meanwhile, the LG gram comes in three color options: Silver, Black, or White. Not every color is available for every configuration, though, so it’s not easy to get a specific one. The white and black models have color-matched keyboards, but the silver model also has black keys, so it looks a little less interesting. Either way, both laptops look classy and sleek, if not overly interesting.

Ports: You get more with the LG gram

Finally, we come to the ports, and here LG makes up for its slightly thicker chassis by providing more options for connecting. All three models of the LG gram have the same ports: two Thunderbolt 4, two USB Type-A, HDMI, a headphone jack, and a microSD card reader. That’s a very solid setup, and it’s especially impressive if you’re getting the LG gram 14. Most laptops of that size don’t have that many ports.

Meanwhile, the Samsung Galaxy Book 2 Pro has one Thunderbolt 4 port, one standard USB Type-C ports, one USB Type-A, a headphone jack, and a microSD card slot. You can also get HDMI, but only on the 15-inch model. You miss out on one extra USB Type-A port and HDMI, and that’s likely because of this super-thin design. Plus, Samsung only has Thunderbolt 4 in one of the USB Type-C ports for whatever reason. Either way, you can always expand the ports on either laptop with a Thunderbolt dock.

The Samsung Galaxy Book 2 Pro has a 5G-enabled model, but only in some markets.

In terms of wireless standards, the Samsung Galaxy Book 2 Pro supports Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.2, giving it an edge over the LG gram and its Wi-Fi 6 support. Plus, if you want to stay connected on the move, the Galaxy Book 2 Pro will have a 5g-enabled model in some markets (but not the US, at least for now).

Final thoughts

It should be obvious that if you want more performance, the Samsung Galaxy Book 2 Pro is the way to go between these two. It’s just a newer laptop, so that’s exactly what you’d expect. What you might not expect is that it gets that much more performance while being significantly thinner and lighter than the LG gram. Plus, if you’re a fan of AMOLED displays, the Samsung laptop is the only one that offers it, and at a reasonable price.

On the flip side, the LG gram does have a taller display that’s better for productivity, and if you want one of the larger models, you’ll get a higher resolution panel, too. On top of that, you get more ports to connect peripherals without needing adapters or docks.

If you do prefer the LG gram, though, we would suggest waiting for LG to announce new models, which will almost certainly have Intel’s new processors. It may not make a ton of sense to buy a premium laptop with 11th-gen processors when 12th-gen models are starting to roll out.

Regardless, if you want to buy either of these, you can use the links below to do do so. Otherwise, you can check out our list of the best Samsung laptops you can buy right now, or maybe the best laptops overall if you don’t want a specific brand.

Samsung Galaxy Book 2 Pro

The Samsung Galaxy Book 2 Pro is an extremely thin and light laptop, but it still comes with 12th-gen Intel processors.

See at Samsung

LG gram 14

The LG gram 14 is a lightweight 14-inch laptop with a 16:10 display and 11th-generation Intel processors.

See at Amazon

LG gram 16

The LG gram 16 is a lightweight 16-inch laptop with a 16:10 display at QHD+ resolution, plus 11th-generation Intel processors.

See at Amazon

LG gram 17

The LG gram 17 is surprisingly light for a 17-inch laptop, plus it has a Quad HD+ 16:10 display and 11th-generation Intel processors.

See at Amazon

The post Samsung Galaxy Book 2 Pro vs LG gram: What’s the best ultralight laptop? appeared first on xda-developers.

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Samsung Galaxy Book 2 Pro 360 vs Lenovo Yoga 9i: What’s the best convertible?

Samsung recently introduced the Galaxy Book 2 Pro series, including the Galaxy Book 2 Pro 360 convertible. Like its predecessor, this is looking to be one of the best lightweight laptops around, especially if you want a convertible. Lenovo also recently announced the Yoga 9i Gen 7, another great convertible with a lot to offer. So, if you’re looking to buy a laptop with Intel’s 12th-generation processors, should you get the Lenovo Yoga 9i or the Galaxy Book 2 Pro 360? We’re here to find out

Aside from being convertibles with Intel’s latest processors, the Galaxy Book 2 Pro 360 and Lenovo Yoga 9i are actually quite different. The design, display, and size are all different, and there are good reasons to prefer one over the other. Let’s take a closer look to see which one is right for you.

Samsung Galaxy Book 2 Pro 360 vs Lenovo Yoga 9i: Specs

	Samsung Galaxy Book 2 Pro 360	Lenovo Yoga 9i
CPU	12th-gen 28W Intel Core i5-1240P (12 cores, 16 threads, up to 4.4GHz, 12MB cache) 12th-gen 28W Intel Core i7-1260P (12 cores, 16 threads, up to 4.7GHz, 18MB cache)	12th-gen 28W Intel Core i5-1240P (12 cores, 16 threads, up to 4.4GHz, 12MB cache) 12th-gen 28W Intel Core i7-1260P (12 cores, 16 threads, up to 4.7GHz, 18MB cache) 12th-gen 28W Intel Core i7-1280P (14 cores, 20 threads, up to 4.8GHz, 24MB cache)
Graphics	Intel Iris Xe graphics	Intel Iris Xe graphics
Storage	Up to 1TB PCIe NVMe SSD	256 GB SSD 512GB SSD 1TB SSD
RAM	8GB LPDDR5 16GB LPDDR5 32GB LPDDR5	8GB LPDDR5 (5200 MHz) 16GB LPDDR5 (5200 MHz)
Display	13.3-inch Full HD (1920 x 1080) Super AMOLED, 16:9, 120% DCI-P3, 500 nits (for HDR), touch 15.6-inch Full HD (1920 x 1080) Super AMOLED, 16:9, 120% DCI-P3, 500 nits (for HDR), touch	14-inch Full HD+ (1920 x 1200), IPS, 16:10, 100% sRGB, 400 nits, Dolby Vision,  touch 14-inch 2.8K (2880 x 1800), OLED, 16:10, 100% DCI-P3, 400 nits, Dolby Vision, DisplayHDR True Black 500, touch 14-inch Ultra HD+ (3840 x 2400), OLED, 16:10, 100% DCI-P3, 400 nits, Dolby Vision, DisplayHDR True Black 500, touch
Battery	13.3-inch 63Wh battery 15.6-inch 68Wh battery	75Whr battery (supports Rapid Charge)
Ports	1 x Thunderbolt 4 / USB Type-C 2 x USB Type-C 3.5mm headphone jack microSD card reader	2 x Thunderbolt 4 ports 1 x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C port 1 x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A port 3.5mm headphone jack
Audio	13.3-inch Dual stereo AKG speakers (4W total) Dolby Atmos 15.6-inch Dual stereo AKG speakers (5W total) Dolby Atmos	Quad stereo speakers (2 x 3W woofers, 2 x 2W tweeters) by Bowers & Wilkins Dolby Atmos
Webcam	1080p Full HD webcam	2MP/1080p webcam with privacy shutter
Windows Hello	Fingerprint reader (in power button)	Fingerprint reader Facial recognition with IR camera
Connectivity	Wi-Fi 6E Bluetooth 5.2	Wi-Fi 6E Bluetooth 5.2
Color	Silver Graphite Burgundy	Oatmeal Storm Grey
Size (WxDxH)	13.3-inch 302.5 x 202 x 11.5 mm (11.91 x 7.95 x 0.45 in) 15.6-inch 354.85 x 227.97 x 11.9 mm (13.97 x 8.98 x 0.47 in)	318 x 230 x 15.25 – 16.5 mm (12.52 x 9.06 x 0.6 – 0.65 in)
Starting weight	13.3-inch 1.04kg (2.29 lbs) 15.6-inch 1.41kg (3.1 lbs)	IPS models: 1.5 kg (3.3 lbs) OLED models: 1.4 kg (3.09lbs)
Starting price	$1,249.99	$1,399

Performance: The Lenovo Yoga 9i has a beefier CPU

Like we said at the top, both the Samsung Galaxy Book 2 Pro and the Lenovo Yoga 9i come with Intel’s 112th-generation Alder Lake processors, and they’re both from the new P-series, too. These processors have a higher 28W TDP and they should deliver a big boost in performance compared to their U-series predecessors. The new Alder Lake processors use a hybrid architecture with a mixture of performance and efficient cores.

It’s not exactly a tie, though, because Lenovo is offering a higher-tier configuration option – an Intel Core i7-1280P. This is Intel’s fastest 28W CPU, and it has two extra performance cores compared to the other models. Plus, it can reach slightly higher speeds and it has more cache than those other models. That should translate to better performance across the board, especially in multi-core tasks.

	Intel Core i5-1240P (see test)	Intel Core i7-1260P (see test)	Intel Core i7-1280P (see test)
Geekbench 5 (single-core / multi-core)	1,599 / 8,176	1,500 / 9,896	1,788 / 11,628

The benchmark scores above are some of the fastest we could find for each CPU, and there aren’t enough scores on the Geekbench database to establish an average yet, but this should give you an idea of what to expect. The top-tier Core i7 model will perform significantly better in more intensive tasks. It’s worth noting that a CPU benchmark like Geekbench isn’t necessarily indicative of real-world performance, where other factors like RAM also need to be considered.

On the GPU side, all the processors have integrated Iris Xe graphics, though the Core i7 variants have 96 execution units instead of the 80 in the Core i5. The Core i7-1280P also has the GPU clocked slightly higher (1.45GHz) than the Core i7-1260P (1.4GHz).

The Samsung Galaxy Book 2 Pro 360 can have double the RAM of the Yoga 9i.

One area where the Samsung Galaxy Book 2 Pro 360 has an advantage is the RAM, since it can be configured with up to 32GB of LPDDR5 memory. Both laptops support LPDDR5, but the Galaxy Book 2 Pro can have double the capacity, which might be useful in memory-intensive applications like programming content creation. The Galaxy Book 2 Pro also has up to 2TB of storage, which is double of what the Yoga 9i offers.

Display: The Lenovo Yoga 9i has a taller screen and more premium options

One of the great things about the Samsung Galaxy Book 2 Pro 360 is that it makes OLED displays more accessible. Most laptops, including the Lenovo Yoga 9i, only offer OLED displays in premium configurations that use up a lot more battery, but with the Galaxy Book 2 Pro 360, you get a Full HD AMOLED panel, and that’s the standard configuration across the board. That means true black, vivid colors, and higher contrast at a more affordable price. There’s a downside to that, though – you can’t really go beyond Full HD if you want a sharper screen. That’s especially not great if you go with the 15-inch model. Plus, it’s still using a 16:9 aspect ratio.

The Lenovo Yoga 9i, on the other hand, has a taller 16:10 display, which is something we’re seeing more and more on premium laptops. Taller screens give you more surface area, meaning you can see more without having to scroll. Whether you’re looking at a webpage or a video timeline in Adobe Premiere, a taller screen can display more information at once.

And while the base configuration of the Lenovo Yoga 9i is a Full HD+ (1920 x 1200) IPS panel, you can upgrade to 2.8K (2880 x 1800) or Ultra HD+ (3840 x 2400) OLED options. These are naturally more expensive and they’ll use more battery, but if you want the most premium experience, the Lenovo Yoga 9i is the way to go.

That’s true in the audio department, too. The Lenovo Yoga 9i uses a soundbar hinge design that always ensures sound is aimed at you, and it has a much more impressive speaker setup to boot. With four speakers (two 3W woofers and two 2W tweeters), the Yoga 9i should offer far more immersive audio, even compared to the 15-inch Galaxy Book 2 Pro 360, which only has two speakers and a maximum output of 5W.

The Lenovo Yoga 9i has a soundbar hinge and quad stereo speakers

The two laptops are similar in the webcam department, both featuring a Full HD (1080p) camera that should help ensure you look great during video calls and meetings. The Yoga 9i does have the benefit of including Windows Hello facial recognition, which the Galaxy Book 2 Pro doesn’t have. On that note, both laptops do have fingerprint readers for Windows Hello.

Design: Portability is a clear win for the Galaxy Book 2 Pro 360

Samsung’s biggest win with the Galaxy Book 2 Pro 360 is just how thin and light it is compared to almost any other convertible out there. It’s just 11.5mm thin in its 13.3-inch model, and 11.9m in the 15.6-inch version. Plus, it weighs just 2.24lbs or 3.1lbs, depending on the size you choose. That’s very impressive, and even the larger model is thinner and almost as light as the Lenovo Yoga 9i.

The Yoga 9i comes in at a maximum thickness of 16.5mm, which isn’t bad, but it’s much thicker than Samsung’s laptop. The OLED models start at 3.09lbs of weight, but the IPS configuration weighs 3.3lbs, and that’s for a 14-inch laptop. It’s significantly heavier than the Galaxy Book 2 Pro 360, so if you want something that’s easy to carry around, Samsung’s laptop is your go-to.

As for looks, the Samsung Galaxy Book 2 Pro 360 comes in three color options, including Silver, Graphite, and Burgundy. That burgundy model is what helps make it somewhat unique, since the other two colors are fairly basic. Unlike its clamshell counterpart, the Galaxy Book 360 also doesn’t have a dual-tone design or a color-matched keyboard.

Meanwhile, the Lenovo Yoga 9i comes in Storm Grey or Oatmeal, which is a somewhat pale shade of gold. These aren’t colors that stand out too much, either, but the Yoga 9i does have something in its favor, and that’s the premium look-and-feel. Lenovo gave the Yoga 9i glossy rounded edges that help it feel a bit more unique and premium. Plus, the keyboard keys are the same color as the rest of the laptop. This area is a bit more subjective, but my personal preference would go to Lenovo’s laptop as far as looks go.

Ports

Rounding things out with ports, the Galaxy Book 2 Pro has a fairly simple setup, and that’s a consequence of its ultra-thin design. You get one Thunderbolt 4 port, two standard USB Type-C ports, a headphone jack, and a microSD card reader. That card reader can be a big advantage if you want to copy files from a device like your phone or a Nintendo Switch.

The Galaxy Book 2 Pro has a microSD card slot, but the Yoga 9i has a USB Type-A port.

Aside from lacking a microSD card reader, though, the Lenovo Yoga 9i has some more ports. You get two Thunderbolt 4 ports, so you have more options to connect Thunderbolt accessories, plus a standard USB Type-C port, USB Type-A, and a headphone jack. Having the built-in Type-A port makes it easier to connect peripherals like a mouse, keyboard, or flash drive. Ultimately, you have to decide where the card reader or USB Type-A is more convenient for you.

As for wireless connectivity, both laptops are identical. Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.2 are both supported.

Final thoughts

At the end of the day, which laptop is best suited for you depends on your tastes and budget, but here’s what we can say. The Lenovo Yoga 9i can be configured with more premium specs, including a faster CPU and a more premium display. Not only that, it has a taller screen across the board, and the design itself feels a bit more premium and unique. But those premium configurations come at a cost, and if you want that top-tier CPU and display, you will be paying a lot more than for the Galaxy Book 2 Pro 360.

Samsung’s laptop offers a more balanced experience. You get a great AMOLED display as the standard configuration, and the processors you can choose from are already great, too. Plus, you have the benefit of a much thinner and lighter design that makes it easy to carry around wherever you go. It also comes with up to 32GB of RAM, but again, that will probably cost you significantly more, so you have to consider how much you want to spend.

What it ultimately comes down to is where your priorities are? The starting prices for these two laptops aren’t too far off (though the Yoga 9i is more expensive), but depending on the upgrades you want, you’ll be spending a lot more. Do you want that extra money to go towards the better display of the Lenovo Yoga 9i, or do you want the 32GB of RAM of the Galaxy Book 2 Pro? And if you stick with the base model, is it worth paying the extra price for the 16:10 aspect ratio of the Yoga 9i, or do you prefer having an AMOLED panel of Samsung’s laptop?

If you’re looking for a personal recommendation, I’d go with Lenovo’s laptop, but there are strong arguments for both sides. If you’ve made your choice, you can buy your preferred laptop below. If none of them has won you over, maybe check out the best Lenovo laptops and the best Samsung laptops to see what else each company offers. Or you can take a look at the best laptops overall if you’re interested in other brands.

Samsung Galaxy Book 2 Pro 360

The Samsung Galaxy Book 2 Pro 360 is an extremely thin and light convertible, but it still comes with powerful 12th-gen Intel processors and a stunning AMOLED display.

See at Samsung

Lenovo Yoga 9i (Gen 7)

The Lenovo Yoga 9i is a premium convertible with 12th-gen Intel processors and a 16:10 display that's available in up an Ultra HD+ configuration.

See at Lenovo

The post Samsung Galaxy Book 2 Pro 360 vs Lenovo Yoga 9i: What’s the best convertible? appeared first on xda-developers.

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Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga Gen 7: Release date, price, and everything else

At CES 2022, Lenovo refreshed its most iconic ThinkPad laptops, including the ThinkPad X1 Yoga. The latest iteration of the convertible – the ThinkPad X1 Yoga Gen 7 – packs a bunch of improvements, specifically in terms of performance. It comes with more powerful 12th-generation Intel Core processors, plus it now gives you the option for an OLED display, among other things.

Some of these improvements are applied across the ThinkPad lineup, so the X1 Yoga is very close to the X1 Carbon in many ways. Of course, it has a different form factor, plus some other differences. Here’s everything you need to know about the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga Gen 7.

Navigate this article:

• Specs
• Release date
• Price
• What’s new in the ThinkPad X1 Yoga Gen 7?
• Where can I buy it?
• FAQs

Specs

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga Gen 7 specs

	Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga Gen 7
Operating system(s)	Windows 11 Ubuntu
Processor	Up to 12th Generation Intel Core i7 with vPro, U and P series, up to 14 cores
Graphics	Intel Iris Xe graphics (up to 96 EUs)
RAM	Up to 32GB LPDDR5
Storage	Up to 2TB PCIe Gen 4 NVMe SSD
Display	14-inch WUXGA 16:10 (1920 x 1200) IPS low-power, touch, anti-glare, 400 nits, 100% sRGB 14-inch WUXGA 16:10 (1920 x 1200) IPS low-power, touch, anti-reflective, anti-smudge, 400 nits, 100% sRGB 14-inch WUXGA 16:10 (1920 x 1200) IPS low-power, touch, anti-glare, Privacy Guard, 500 nits, 100% sRGB 14-inch WQUXGA 16:10 (3840 x 2400) OLED low-power, touch, anti-reflective, anti-smudge, 500 nits, 100% DCI-P3, Dolby Vision
Audio	Dolby Atmos speaker system 360-degree quad-array microphones
Webcam	720p HD RGB webcam 1080p Full HD RGB webcam 1080p Full HD RGB + IR webcam 1080p Full HD MIPI RGB + IR webcam with Computer Vision
Security	Windows Hello: Fingerprint reader IR camera (optional) Privacy Guard display (optional) Webcam shutter Tile ready
Battery	57Whr battery 65W USB Type-C power adapter
Ports	2 x Thunderbolt 4 (USB Type-C) 2 x USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A 1x HDMI 2.0b 3.5mm headphone jack Nano SIM slot
Connectivity	Intel Wi-Fi 6E Bluetooth 5.2 Cellular options: 5G sub-6 Cat2o 4G LTE Cat16
Colors	Storm Grey
Size (WxDxH)	314.4 x 222.3 x 15.53 mm (12.38 x 8.75 x 0.61 in)
Weight	Starts at 1.38kg (3 lbs)
Starting price	$1,749

What is the release date of the ThinkPad X1 Yoga Gen 7?

Even though it was announced at CES 2022 in early January, the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga Gen 7 was only made available for purchase in mid-March. This aligns with the availability of Intel’s 12th-generation U- and P-series processors.

At writing time, only one configuration is available. Lenovo will gradually roll out more configurations, so not all of them are available initially. This is common practice, especially with laptops that have a lot of configuration options. Plus, because of supply constraints, it makes sense to have a staggered launch so Lenovo can meet demand. Eventually, you’ll also be able to build your desired configuration.

What is the price of the ThinkPad X1 Yoga Gen 7?

When it launches in March, the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga Gen 7 will have a starting price of $1,749, according to Lenovo. That will be for the base configuration, but we don’t yet know what it includes. Though, based on the previous generation, it should start with an Intel Core i5, 8GB of RAM, and 256GB of storage.

From there, the prices will increase depending on your configuration. You can get better processors, more RAM and storage, a better display or webcam, and optional features like cellular network support. This all adds to the price, with processor upgraded and cellular support being particularly expensive. However, prices fluctuate, and Lenovo tends to constantly have some kind of discount running on its website, so it’s hard to say how much each upgrade will cost.

What’s new in the ThinkPad X1 Yoga Gen 7?

The Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga Gen 7 comes with a ton of improvements over the previous generation, including in performance, display, and more. Some of these upgrades are very significant, and you’ll also find them in the ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 10, which launched alongside it. Let’s take a look at what’s new.

12th-generation Intel Core processors up to 28W

The first big upgrade of the ThinkPad X1 Yoga Gen 7 compared to the previous generation is in performance. The laptop now comes with Intel’s 12th-generation processors, and that alone is a big deal. These new processors use a hybrid architecture, mixing high-performance cores and efficient cores. This gives you up to 14 cores and 20 threads, and it should mean you get more performance when you need it, but better power efficiency when it matters. These new processors also now come with support for faster LPDDR5 RAM, which this laptop includes alongside a faster PCIe Gen 4 SSD for storage.

But that’s not all. Lenovo isn’t just using the next-generation processors, it’s also upgrading to a brand-new line of processors from Intel, the P series. These processors have a TDP of 28W compared to the 15W models we’re used to seeing, and because of that, they’re that much more powerful. You still have the option for 15W processors, though, the U series. Those go up to 12 cores and 16 threads, and the P series can reach the 14 cores mentioned above.

A 4K+ OLED display

Another big upgrade Lenovo has added to its ThinkPad laptops this year is the option for an OLED display. OLED panels are different from typical LCDs in that they don’t require a backlight, so when the display wants to display black, it’s truly black. Colors are more vivid and you get higher contrast ratios this way, too. It also results in faster response times, though you probably wouldn’t notice unless you’re an avid gamer.

The Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga Gen 7 now comes with a new Ultra HD+ (3840 x 2400) OLED panel option, which replaces the old IPS display with the same resolution. That’s an extremely sharp display for its 14-inch size, and with the benefits of OLED, it’s bound to look stunning. It also reaches 500 nits of brightness, supports Dolby Vision, and covers 100% of DCI-P3, so it’s an all-around great display.

The base configuration is the same as before, however. It starts with a Full HD+ (1920 x 1200) display with 400 nits of brightness. You can upgrade it with an anti-smudge treatment or add a privacy guard to keep your information safe. This option isn’t available with the OLED panel.

A 1080p webcam

With remote work becoming mandatory in many parts of the world, online meetings and video calls became much more prominent in the past couple of years. Companies didn’t immediately adjust to this new reality, but now, Lenovo has put some series effort into having a better camera, so it goes up to 1080p resolution. The base configuration is still a 720p camera, but you can upgrade to 1080p and add Windows Hello facial recognition.

But that’s not all. There’s even a particular version of this camera that adds a feature called Computer Vision. Many Lenovo laptops give you the option to add human presence detection, which wakes up the laptop when you approach it so it’s ready to be unlocked and used. But until now, the camera may not be smart enough to tell if you were actually approaching the laptop to use it or just passing in front of it. That’s what computer vision changes; it makes the camera smarter so it can understand when someone is going to use the laptop or if it’s just someone walking in front of the camera for a brief moment.

Tile integration

One final upgrade is that the ThinkPad X1 Yoga can now be configured with a built-in Tile tracker. Tile is a platform that lets you find items by attaching a tag to them, so you can always see where they are, even if they’re far away from you. Lenovo is building it directly inside the laptop, so if you misplace it or it gets stolen, you can always find it as you would any other object. The Tile tracker even works when the laptop is off for up to two weeks.

Where can I buy the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga Gen 7?

As usual with business laptops, the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga Gen 7 is available from Lenovo first, and you can buy it below. Because of the wide range of configuration options it offers, only a few models make it to more typical retailers, and buying directly from Lenovo is the best way to get the exact specifications you want. With that being said, only one model is available at writing time, with others rolling out gradually.

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga Gen 7

The Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga Gen 7 is a powerful convertible with 12th-gen Intel processors and up to an Ultra HD+ OLED display. Plus, you can get it with a Full HD webcam.

See at Lenovo

Eventually, you may also be able to find it on Amazon or Best Buy. We’ll update this article with purchase links for other retailers when and if they become available.

FAQs

How can I configure my Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga Gen 7?

As many business laptops tend to do, Lenovo’s ThinkPad X1 Yoga typically offers plenty of configuration option for things like the processor, RAM, storage, display, and more. What’s more, many of these upgrades are independent from each other, so you can get an Intel Core i5 processor but combine it with an Ultra HD+ display. We don’t know if that will work the same way for the new generation, but it’s reasonable to expect that hasn’t changed.

Because there are so many options available, the number of different configurations you can get is very high, and prices vary a lot depending on what you choose. Plus, Lenovo is always offering some kind of discount on its website, so those prices can fluctuate a lot.

A downside to having a ton of configuration options is that if you want a specific configuration, you might need to buy the laptop straight from Lenovo or from a partner reseller that offers those options. Retailers like Amazon and Best Buy often don’t have all these models readily available.

Does the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga Gen 7 come with 5G or LTE?

Cellular connectivity is a common feature on business laptops, and there’s good reason for that. It can be hugely useful if you plan to work away from home or the office, since it lets you stay connected to the internet even when there’s no Wi-Fi around. Even if you can find Wi-Fi in a public space, it’s likely not very secure, so cellular connectivity is a big plus for security, too.

The Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga comes with a couple of different options if you want cellular connectivity. You can get support for sub-6GHz 5G (Cat20) if you want to have the fastest speeds and more bandwidth. Right now, it may not make a huge difference because 5G is still in relatively early stages, but it will probably pay off in the next few years. The laptop doesn’t support mmWave 5G, but that’s not a huge deal considering mmWave has very limited range and it’s not the easiest to find.

If you don’t see the need for 5G speeds (and prices), you can get 4G LTE connectivity (Cat16) instead. This won’t be as fast, especially as 5G evolves more, but it’s good enough to keep you reliably connected to the internet, and it’s still the most widespread type of cellular network for now.

Does the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga Gen 7 have Windows Hello?

Windows Hello is a feature that makes it easier to unlock your PC, sign in to apps and websites, or make payments using your face or fingerprint as a password.

The ThinkPad X1 Yoga Gen 7 supports both of these forms of Windows Hello, though only a fingerprint reader is included by default. If you want an even more convenient way to unlock your PC, you can add an IR camera to your webcam configuration, so you can use Windows Hello facial recognition. This is the simplest method since you only need to look at your laptop for it to recognize you and sign you in.

Does the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga Gen 7 have an OLED display?

For years, most laptops have used LCD and IPS displays, but at the same time, we’ve seen a lot of phones starting to use OLED panels. These screens give you true blacks, more vivid colors, higher contrast, and fast response times, so they’re generally better all around.

It’s taken some time for laptops to embrace OLED, but the ThinkPad X1 Yoga Gen 7 is one of Lenovo’s first ThinkPads to embrace it. The top-tier display configuration for this convertible is now an Ultra HD+ OLED panel, replacing the IPS panel that was available before. All the other models still use a traditional LCD, though.

Does the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga Gen 7 come with a warranty?

A warranty is essential to ensure that products function as advertised and last a reasonable amount of time. That’s why some level of warranty is guaranteed by law, that being a one-year warranty service (in the United States). That’s what you get with the ThinkPad X1 Yoga out of the box (based on the other models Lenovo sells), which includes carry-in or depot services.

However, Lenovo also sells a few warranty upgrade options. You can upgrade to get onsite support for your laptop, for example, or you can extend the duration of the warranty period for a maximum of five years. This naturally costs extra, but it may be worth it if you want to make sure you can rely on your laptop for a long time to come.

Can I upgrade the RAM and storage on the ThinkPad X1 Yoga Gen 7?

With many larger laptops, especially those geared towards business users, it’s common to be able to replace or upgrade the RAM and storage inside your laptop. This is important because it allows customers to repair their PC themselves, and it can also save you money by buying a cheaper configuration now and upgrading later. Lenovo hasn’t specifically said whether you can replace the RAM and storage in the new X1 Yoga Gen 7, but we can look at the Gen 6 model for guidance.

The previous generation of the ThinkPad X1 Yoga has the RAM soldered onto the motherboard, so it can’t be replaced or upgraded by the user. That means you should ensure that the amount of RAM you choose to start with can serve you well for as long as you plan to keep the laptop.

For storage, it comes with a single M.2 2280 SSD, meaning it can be easily replaced by the user. You can save some money by buying a smaller SSD out of the box and finding a cheaper one later, especially considering these upgrades tend to be much more expensive when buying directly from the manufacturer.

Can I replace the battery in the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga Gen 7?

If you plan to keep your laptop for a long time, you might notice that after a while it won’t last as long on a charge as it used to. Instead of replacing the whole laptop, it’s probably a better idea to just replace the battery – if possible. Again, Lenovo hasn’t said specifically if this will be possible with the ThinkPad X1 Yoga Gen 7, but we can use the previous generation to make a prediction.

The battery in that model is can be replaced by the user, and you can even find a manual on how to do it on Lenovo’s support site. You’ll just need to find the right battery to buy, which you can likely get from Lenovo directly or select servicing partners.

Can the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga Gen 7 run Linux?

As popular as Windows is, some users do prefer alternative operating systems, and if that’s your case, the ThinkPad X1 Yoga gives you a couple of options. You can buy it with Linux Ubuntu out of the box, and you should also be able to get support for that operating system as a result.

If you want, you can always install a Linux distribution on your PC later, and even use a dual-boot setup with Windows 11. Driver support may vary, but you should be able to run most distributions without any big issues. However, it’s unlikely that Lenovo can provide support for any version aside from Ubuntu.

Does the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga Gen 7 have Thunderbolt?

Thunderbolt is an Intel technology that provides a lot of bandwidth (40Gbps) over a USB Type-C connection, including the ability to connect displays, other USB devices, and even external GPUs. It’s especially important in thin and light devices where regular ports can’t fit, but it’s also useful if you have a complex office setup and don’t want the hassle of unplugging everything and plugging it in every time you want to take your laptop somewhere else.

The Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga Gen 7 comes with two Thunderbolt 4 ports with 40Gbps of bandwidth each so you can connect a Thunderbolt dock or an external GPU (or both). You still get a few built-in ports, including USB Type-A and HDMI, so you’re not forced to use a dock if your setup is less complex. The only potential downside is that the two Thunderbolt ports are on the same side, which might make it harder to connect to your setup.

Does the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga Gen 7 have a good webcam?

Now that hybrid and remote work are the standard for many of us, having a good webcam is more important than ever. It took a while for companies to catch on, but thankfully, the new ThinkPad lineup embraces 1080p webcams for the most part.

The base model of the ThinkPad X1 Yoga comes with a 720p camera, which isn’t particularly great, but should still be serviceable if you don’t take a lot of calls. However, you can upgrade to a 1080p camera with 1.4μm sensor and f/2.0 aperture, which should give you that much better quality if you want to take calls more often.

There’s also an option for an infrared camera for Windows Hello support, and this year, there’s even Computer Vision. This adds smart features to the camera, like being able to tell whether someone approaching the laptop is actually going to use it or just walking by, and waking up only when it makes sense.

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Microsoft Edge can now generate alt text for images on the web

Microsoft has announced that Edge can now automatically generate alternative text (alt text) for images on the web. This is a major enhancement for web accessibility, specifically for blind or low-vision users.

Typically, these users need to use a screen reader – software that reads what’s on the screen out loud, such as the Windows Narrator – to use a computer. However, screen readers naturally can’t read images, so it’s considered good practice to add alt text to an image. What this does is provide a description of the image that screen readers can read out loud, allowing users with vision impairments to understand the full context of a page.

While adding alt text to images is a good practice to have, Microsoft says over half of the images on the internet still don’t have alt text added to them. This results in screen readers reading them as “unlabeled graphic”, so users are left not knowing what’s being displayed on a page. To address this problem, Google Chrome started auto-generating image labels all the way back in 2019, and now Microsoft is following suit.

Using this new feature, Edge can connect to Microsoft’s servers and anonymously send image data, so that alt text can be generated automatically. Images are processed with artificial intelligence to identify the elements in the picture so that it’s labeled accurately. This way, when users run into an image without alt text, Edge will say something like “Appears to be”, followed by a description of the images.

Because it involves sending data to Microsoft, this feature is disabled by default, but you can enable it by going to the Edge accessibility settings (edge://settings/accessibility) and enabling the option titled Get image descriptions from Microsoft for screen readers. You can also enable it on a page-by-page basis with a new context menu option that will be highlighted by your screen reader.

There are some situations where Edge won’t generate alt text for an image, though. For example, if a website marks specific images as decorative, they won’t be labeled, since they don’t provide any necessary context for the webpage. It also won’t work on images smaller than 50 x 50 pixels, or “excessively large images”. Finally, Edge also won’t label images that may be gory or sexually suggestive.

This feature is available now in the stable release of Edge, so as long as you have the latest version, you should be good to go. Edge usually updates automatically, but you can also download the browser here if you don’t have it yet.

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Source: Microsoft

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