The Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga (OLED) (starts at $1,394.10; $2,096.10 as tested) is an excellent business convertible with a slim, high-quality build and fast performance. This version is also the first laptop to utilize OLED technology for a beautiful and vibrant WQHD touch display, and you get faster components than we saw on the original. The price jumps up nearly $600 for these upgrades, though, which is nothing to sneeze at. While it looks gorgeous, the improved display may not be worth it for most users, and battery life is decreased as a result of the screen's extra demands. The non-OLED ThinkPad X1 Yoga remains our Editors' Choice, but this laptop shares all of the impressive features of the original, and the OLED technology is an appealing proposition for those who want or need the superior screen.

Design and Features

In terms of appearance and dimensions, the OLED X1 Yoga is nearly identical to the original version; check out the full review of the original X1 Yoga for an in-depth analysis of the laptop's build, convertibility, features, and ports. In brief, it features the same slim, high-quality carbon fiber and magnesium alloy design, and the size difference between the two is negligible. The OLED model measures 0.67 by 13.11 by 9.01 inches (HWD), while the previous unit measured 0.66 by 13.11 by 9.02 inches. Somewhat surprisingly, the new one is slightly lighter, weighing 2.87 pounds as opposed to the original's 2.98 pounds.

The real difference is, of course, the display. The OLED touch screen features a 2,560-by-1,440 (WQHD) resolution, an upgrade over the X1 Yoga's 1,920 by 1,080. As the name implies, it's not just the resolution getting a boost: The OLED technology provides a marked improvement over what was already a sharp display. Colors are rich and bright, while blacks are deep and dark. I was curious how much of a difference I'd see, but the panel really stands out, and I noticed the vibrancy from the first time the desktop loaded.

As for other features, the system is the same as the non-OLED model we reviewed, with a 256GB solid-state drive, a stylus, a fingerprint scanner, and more. The keyboard is comfortable to type on, plus the keys are backlit and flatten out as you convert to tablet mode for a better grip.

Performance

With a 2.6GHz Intel Core i7-6600U processor, 16GB of memory, and Intel HD Graphics 520, this configuration represents a processor boost and double the RAM compared with that of the non-OLED X1 Yoga. But because of the more power-hungry display, benchmark results are not so clear-cut. On the PCMark 8 Work Conventional test, the OLED X1 Yoga scored 2,718 points, which is lower than the previous X1 Yoga (2,846) and the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon (2,733), but ahead of the Dell Latitude 14 7000 Series (E7450) (2,681). The multimedia test scores were on average just slightly better than we saw from the X1 Yoga, which was already faster than comparable systems. As a whole, the OLED X1 Yoga is a quick laptop that should give you no daily productivity issues.

See How We Test Laptops

As there's no discrete graphics card, 3D and gaming scores on the OLED X1 Yoga were acceptable but unremarkable. It fell in line with the non-OLED version, scoring 5,826 points on 3DMark Cloud Gate and 386 points on Fire Strike Extreme, but you shouldn't rely on it as a gaming system. On the Heaven and Valley gaming tests at medium quality settings, the OLED X1 Yoga was able to squeak out 16 frames per second (fps) and 17fps, respectively. Considering 30fps is smoothly playable and our test is only at 720p, these numbers aren't too encouraging—you may be able to play a few titles on low settings, but not much beyond that.

Although the battery lasted 8 hours, 29 minutes, on our rundown test, the display did shave time off the result compared with the non-OLED X1 Yoga, which lasted 10:11. That's not an insignificant drop-off, but it's expected with the extra display demands, and the OLED version's battery life is still solid. Other comparable systems—the Latitude 14, the ThinkPad X1 Carbon, and the Lenovo ThinkPad Yoga 260—all lasted more than 10 hours as well, so consider these alternatives if battery life is of the utmost importance to you.

Conclusion

The Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga with an OLED display offers the same top-notch design, functionality, and performance as the original Editors' Choice X1 Yoga. The internal components also received an upgrade, so it's definitely more expensive, but the picture quality boost is clear. That said, as good as the OLED screen is, it's a premium that may not be worth it to many users, so the excellent ThinkPad X1 Yoga remains our top pick for business convertible-hybrid laptops. If you have specific interest in or need for an OLED screen, though, the display on this laptop is sharp, vibrant, and comes with our recommendation.