Lenovo ThinkPad X390 Review

Lisa Gade reviews the Lenovo ThinkPad X390, the 2019 edition of Lenovo’s smallest X series business Ultrabook. The laptop’s display is larger than previous generations at 13.3”, and thanks to smaller bezels the overall size is similar to the older 12.5” models. The ThinkPad X390 is available with Intel 8th gen Whiskey lake quad core, 15 watt Core i5 and Core i7 processors, dual channel DDR4 RAM and an M.2 NVMe SSD. There are a variety of display options, including a matte touch screen and privacy guard display. 4G LTE, a Windows Hello IR camera, ThinkShutter for webcam privacy and fingerprint scanner are optional. The 2.84 lb / 1.28 kg notebook PC is as light as a MacBook Air, and like all ThinkPads, has passed a number of MIL Spec tests.
** Get it on Amazon: amzn.to/2LqQiaU

[@carltondsilva7489]

Lisa, your reviews are excellent, clear audio (no annoying background music or sound), clear videos. Keep up the fantastic work, you have become my mainstay for good information. Thank you for your hard work.

[@The_Flame_Imperishable]

"We're gonna look at it now." I never would have guessed that such a sentence could bring me so much joy every time I hear it.

[@UNOxDExELLOS]

I was just thinking about buying this, and you have solidified that. Thank you!

[@rukhsanaaltaf8596]

Is it good

[@AceTycho]

I'm on the market for a laptop. Yet again you are the channel I specifically look up to dive into to consider TECH & art options.

[@ThePayola123]

So,...Which laptop did you get?

[@Mart1n8891]

Great review and once again, nice t-shirt! :D

[@yardman0001]

Great review as usual Lisa, can't wait for you to hit 1M subscribers, you deserve it

[@KuyaRafi]

To the people complaining about the TN-panel. You can choose between TN and IPS and the displays are FHD. IPS consumes more power, ergo you have worse battery performance. These things are made for working, that's why lenovo allows you to CONFIGURE it to your specific needs.

[@djross95]

Great review as always, Lisa. The ThinkPad line is getting incredibly complicated, what with all the screen sizes, Yoga and non-Yoga models, etc. Good thing we have you here to sort it all out for us!

[@HeylMarketing]

Hi Lisa! Thank you for the review, and all your other ones (they're really helping me decide which Lenovo I should go with). I am curious as to what microphone you're using however, I like its compactness.

[@7Write4This9Heart7]

Awesome review, as always! Loving all the Lenovo reviews! Can't WAIT till you do the X1 Yoga 4th gen (coming out to public in July) 'cause want to know if I should still go with 3rd gen. Almost certain I will (more ports, better price, etc.), but still! lol.

[@wizard7x]

Another great review and incredible T-shirt ;)

[@alexpro9627]

Lisa wears the coolest shirts ! A joy to watch every review video you make. Thank you !

[@dakata17819132]

one of the few that have dual channel memory on the 15W cpu, nice

[@dsuess]

Lisa, I can always rely on you. Thank you again!!!

[@savtelly3817]

Just bought this. Great review!!!

[@punkonik]

Still split between the x390 and the t490s...but both of your reviews were very helpful. Thank you!

[@khaledamer3986]

Dear Lisa, thank you so much for your reviews. truly, you are doing an amazing work. could you please make a review for Lenovo S940? God bless you.

[@vectorvitale]

Thanks for the share!! I'd love to see a matchup of this vs the L380 - Which is a little more repair friendly

[@gabrielalonzo1211]

Hello Lisa . Somehow I bumped into your channel and love your reviews - I just subscribed - I am into getting a new laptop- have a MB , 10 years old but I am undecided with Apple 🍏 or Lenovo ...!

[@MrWesQ]

Thanks for the review! I ended up getting a X390 based off your video.

[@zsofi5749]

and how do u like it so far? :)

[@leroylimll]

Hi Lisa, Thank you for the excellent review. I currently have this machine issued to me by my company and overall its an excellent machine just as mentioned in your review. However, there is one niggling issue that has come up. When the Charge Threshold mode is activated (55-60%), if the laptop is being pushed on running high intensity tasks / benchmarks, I noticed on my machine that is there a draw down on the battery power. A simple test I did was to charge the laptop to full (100%) and after that enable the Charge Threshold. Then I would run the high intensity tasks / benchmarks and the battery would slowly drop all the way to 55% before the charging power kicks back in. Happens when both a 45W and 65W adapter is used. Able to probably cross check against your unit in the US if that is also an issue?

[@pixelmartyr8532]

Wonderful review

[@HS-lv3is]

Thanks! I'm going to get this and do "exciting things I don't want other people to see" ;)

[@anirudhbabu09]

I like your reviews a lot!! Could you please do a review on dell vostro 5481 someday?

[@OgCollector]

Love your T-shirt!

[@karlp8484]

Great video. Can you add screen size and weight to the spec sheet?

[@kentalfonso346]

Please make a compilation of your best budget laptop for sure it will be great

[@irviantantohaditomo8917]

Hi...Lisa....I love it your channel. Would like to made a video which are comparison between Lenovo thinkpad X390 vs T490 vs X1 carbon the last gen. I am still confusing for choosing that model's. Thank you.

[@monsieurd.1573]

Soldered RAM is definitely a no go. Even the T490 with it's 8GB soldered and 1 RAM slot is not OK for me. Seems like I'll have to stick to Lenovo's budget L series. The L390 has nothing of this soldered nonsens and is only 200g more weight. 2 RAM slots and a WiFi card in a m2 slot is absolutely worth the extra carry.

[@christianclark1354]

Surely by the time you need to upgrade the RAM beyond say 32GB, you're going to want a new CPU and laptop as well.

[@tgdhsuk3589]

@@christianclark1354 not really, its quadcore, before when it was dual core u processors you make a good point but quadcore will be relevant for atleast 10 years, i mean look at how lond dual core has taken us in laptops however the problem of the l series is thunderbolt

[@kichaa13]

Because 40gb ram isn't enough?

[@monsieurd.1573]

@@kichaa13 It is not only the 40 gigs of RAM you are limited to. With soldered RAM you need to find a RAM Stick with the same speed, architecture and timings too avoid incompatibility. You are not able to utilize faster RAM at all. Worst case Lenovo uses something so wonky that only original Lenovo sticks run stable.

[@ebinom8112]

"Great video! Please, I'm thinking of buying my first Lenovo ThinkPad. Do I go for Lenovo ThinkPad E490 or E590 or the "newer" Lenovo ThinkPad E14 or E15? What do you suggest? The X and T series are not within my budget. I will appreciate your kind suggestion. Thanks :)"

[@alanyick7976]

Hi Lisa, your tees are always awesome and you give outstanding reviews! Awesome job! Is it possible if you can review the x395 (AMD)and compare this against the x390 ? It’s like half the price and it seems to have 90% of the goodies! Seems too good to be true..

[@YZ3R0T]

Great reviews with honest opinions 👍 And to be honest you are my favorite reviewer so far. I have a question to ask if you please help me with it. I want to buy a new laptop that is powerful enough to replace desktop (PC) I work a lot with huge databases so speed is a must for me. I have 2 in mind should I go with Lenovo thinkpad x1 Gen 1 or Microsoft surface book 2 15 or 13 inch. Or should I just pick a gaming laptop ( what should it be? ) even though I'm not a gamer 😭 Or do you recommend other option. It's a big deal investment as we all know high tech are no longer cheap 😥 Prices are rising and there is no doubt about it

[@thesagar2068]

great review... thanks..

[@jvz88]

I just found this laptop on Lenovo’s site last night (day before this video was uploaded) bought one right away. Upgraded to the nontouch 1080p screen and 16GB ram. (Kept the 128ssd and i5). Cant wait till it arrives. With a 30% off coupon the laptop came out to $831 out the door after taxes. Great price for the configuration.

[@jvz88]

Also it should be noted that the backlit keyboard and fingerprint scanner are NOT standard and need to be optioned in for $30 and $11 respectively.

[@yezer84]

why, the newer thinkpad model is limited the upgradeable item?

[@anneleblond]

Hi, what do you think is the best "budget" editing laptop? not going toward the gaming bulky side of laptops. Cheers

[@Theprofessor1212]

I just bought the x395 with Ryzen 5 Pro and Vega 8 graphics. Love the laptop so far. I haven’t been impressed with a laptop for a long time but this one impressed me.

[@merealzab]

Is this type has an IPS display?

[@rocketscientist007]

I have almost the same but, Ryzen 7 Pro. It has a socketed wifi card.

[@rocketscientist007]

@@merealzab 13.3" FHD (1920x1080) IPS 300nits Anti-glare, Touch

[@elektron2kim666]

I'm working on an old T61. With buying missing parts, upgrades and such it's 10% of those numbers. The price is also around 10%

[@dangerousmythbuster]

The T490's chassis isn't fully snapped together.

[@Googliaooota]

A guitar pick! I like your style!

[@AKIRA_IKARI]

Would love to see a review of the Dell precision 5530 2 in 1 next!

[@paololorenzoreinoso3910]

Great review! What pen is compatible with the FHD touch screen? Can anyone give recommendations? I don't think the x390 yoga pen is necessarily compatible?

[@davidt.ashley4754]

What did you monsters do to that the T490 you used for comparison? Looks like the base cover on the left side is not snapped back on properly.

[@ShawnBuckingham]

Usually I can write very comprehensive comments. Today however. I like you - you're very relaxed, you know what you're talking about without it seeming very scripted.

[@dennisthegamer2376]

Will you review the E490? I am considering to buy this machine atm.

[@ivanpatrick9233]

I LOVE THE SHIRT! ♥️♥️

[@dr.stevenpennym.d.3241]

I just got the 10th generation i-5 with all the bells and whistles for $1,088 shipped to my door. Lisa do you think this is a good purchase?

[@dr.stevenpennym.d.3241]

When you start the computer up what do you hit to get into the BIOS?

[@MGD320]

You And ur T-Shirt :) .keep it up, and if could you review one of System 76 laptop

[@leroylimll]

I got the 45W charger and when I have the Lenovo Vantage Charge Threshold turned on, it seems that the laptop battery keeps draining even though it is plugged it. Drivers updated and have practically every part replaced. Any idea how come that happens?

[@jinoy5002]

Hows the case construction and material vs an X1 carbon?

[@billymercier6015]

~1:31 had some problems during reassembly?

[@miyagitaiga2494]

Nice review! Disappointed Lenovo soldering ram and is no longer user-upgradable. I don’t mind for the bridge buttery to be gone, and glad the company still keeps a downgraded-but-still-great keyboard, track point, rigid body, and uses a removable SSD not like Macs This will be my next purchase if my current ThinkPad is broken (which I think will not happen anytime soon😭).

[@lakan.hopeful]

Hi I would like to know, what is its graphic processing unit and if it is suitable working with 3d modeling and rendering software like rhinoceros,sketchup and keyshot?Thanks

[@lives4trauma]

You have the best shirts!

[@sujatjain1354]

Can u plz review the lenovo thinkpad x395

[@JakubJones]

I decided to repair a battery in my x230 (2012 predecesor) yesterday and it took me just two 18650 cells inside the battery to replace. On other side in X390 you cannot change even RAM in case it goes wrong. But of course, X390 is 300g lighter.

[@at29c040a]

Is there any decent guide on how to do this? Also do you need to reflash a battery controller?

[@JakubJones]

@@at29c040a well, hardest part is battery dismantling (some general tutorials are on YT) and I didn't manage to put it together without duck tape. :-D Controller took it just fine, first cycle with new cells it was showing 2 hours remaining for like 3h, 5h (on Linux with gnome3) is I think solid for 6cell battery with 4 cells being almost 7 years old.

[@IsaacNgui]

Great review! Please do a comparison of this with the AMD variant (X395)

[@svartov8027]

+1

[@JohnSandovalesq]

+1 I have a selfish reason for wanting a review on the x395. I already bought one, but I haven't been home yet to try it out. I got it on sale in July (about the same time Amazon was doing PrimeDay) for a pretty significant discount. AMD Ryzen 5, 16GB RAM, 256 GB HD, FHD IPS non-touch display, and the fingerprint reader for $852. I saved $342 because it was on sale and got what I think will be a great machine for much less money than an X1 and with the 13" form factor I wanted. But I haven't found a single review yet. I expect it may be a bit slower than an X390 but the battery life should be better.

[@HSNG10]

Yes pls do the entire AMD series of T495, T495S and X395!

[@SuperMarioTomma95]

@@JohnSandovalesq How is it?

[@JohnSandovalesq]

@@SuperMarioTomma95 unfortunately I haven't been home yet to try it out. Still on the road working until late October. Since no one on KZbin has posted a review, I might try and put something together when I get home.

[@stephenjames5745]

Do you plan to make a video on the new X13 that replaced the X390?

[@jossrdgz8]

Help! I want to buy laptop but I don´t know which one choose among Thinkpad x390, Dell xps 13 or Lenovo s940?

[@S31Syntax]

1:30 Your ports are misaligned, the bottom cover was not properly reattached after it was disassembled.

[@HeiderJeffer]

6:58 (super-duper /ˌsuːpəˈduːpə/) This is a magic, Love you Lisa, especially when you say the (super-duper) phrase. But the 2020 Thinkpad is (super-duper) disasters. But Lisa you are always great. Keep moving, and stay safe.

[@samuelschwager]

I really lost track of all all the different model lines (X, T, P etc.). It seems the differences are really blurry sometimes.

[@alexkariotis9224]

thinkpads need to return in 16:10 display are far better than 16:9. for everyday use is better a 14" laptop or 13.3" the difference is significant or not in practice?

[@PearComputingDevices]

The Nvidia 250mx is a bit like the 130MX that's found in my Latitude 5491. Yes, it's no 1060, but it easily comes close or rivals the desktop 1030 depending on memory types. With mine being DDR5, I come fairly close to the 1050 non Ti. Sure, that's not a gamer chip by any stretch but if your doing things like CAD or Photoshop you've easily got a competent GPU on board.

[@jae3101]

I'm just here for nostalgia purposes. Purchased this for our hardware refresh a few years ago, and now that it's time do another refresh, just here taking a trip down memory lane.

[@8power0]

YOU ROCK AND THAT T-SHIRT IS THE BEST . IVY GOT MY EYE ON YOU MY DEAR BUT STILL WAITING ON THE $500.00 LENOVO LAPTOP REVIEW AND THANKS SO MUCH .

[@PearComputingDevices]

The $500 LENOVO your dreaming up is an Ideapad at best:)

[@at29c040a]

@@PearComputingDevices you can grab thinkpad x220/x230 for like 150$ (it also has tablet model with touchscreen and pen support), pack it with two ssds simultaneously (mSATA 500Gb is 160$ on amazon and 1Tb SATA is about 100$), and 16gb of ram (another 100$). And for these ~500$ you'll get decent machine with replaceable battery that is capable for everything except gaming, you can hackintosh it and when it breaks, you can buy another one and salvage all of these parts as they're replaceable. Downsides aside from GPU performance is 1366x768 display (but FHD mod is available for another 100-150$). Review from Lisa : kzbin.info/www/bejne/kHykloudeL-Db5Y

[@PearComputingDevices]

at29c040a I don't think Lisa us going to focus on such an old unit. I mean if you want a sub $200 Thinkpad, even cheaper than the $500 magical price point, I've got a mint T420. So, yes Thinkpad can be found within that budget, just don't look for a new laptop Thinkpad in that budget. Personally I wouldn't buy a new Thinkpad, subjectively their value is about the same as an Apple product these days. At least you can kind of upgrade parts of the T series, but it's still nothing like their older stuff. It's still better than many other consumer laptops, I am just a snob when it comes to my own pockets. I find a better value at least in the long term in the Latitude/precision line of laptops. At least you can still upgrade the memory, swap out the WiFi cards... Lenovo like Apple has worked harder and harder to remove the pro in their products for ever so slightly thinner, cheaper chass.

[@8power0]

@@PearComputingDevices THANK YOU FOR THE REPLY , THE T420 IS AN ICON SO I WILL KEEP IT IN MIND .

[@PearComputingDevices]

8power0 Yes honestly it is. I even have the professional expansion dock and original media. It's a nice device. It's a shame the newer ones don't have that level of quality and keyboard for sure.

[@ukulanne]

Seems to be that the L390 are a better choice.

[@srbnst]

Hey Lisa! I like your t-shirt.

[@johnnychung2682]

Would be great if they made this with a thin bezel screen and a bridge battery system with upgradable ram!

[@escrape]

X3 loving the shirt.

[@paszmaty]

Its a sin against the gods to put a low-res tn panel into a modern laptop.

[@AlMaruf94]

and for 899$

[@Zydia]

Well 1080p one costs like 20€ extra xD Leggit only It departments wont do that

[@SweBeach2023]

True, TN panels on laptops need to die in a fire. But we're still living in a world where people happily buy laptops lacking a SSD so why not expect a stingy IT department to save $20 even if it makes the productivity of the workers worse.

[@bradhaines3142]

@@SweBeach2023 how would it make productivity worse? its still a screen, you can read it. few people even care to see the difference. and 20x1000 makes a bigger difference than just 20. companies dont buy 1 at a time

[@bradhaines3142]

@moo only nerds like us are bothered by that, and only because of the spec sheets. i set my 1440p phone screen down to 720 and all i notice is better battery life.

[@chuchenting]

Waiting for the thinkvook 13s review 😁

[@NileshYadav-yx8qq]

How do I on/off keypad lights on Lenovo ThinkPad X390

[@namelesstictac436]

Hey Great channel was wondering if you got any recommendations for someone with a budget of 2000$ or less who go to college next year and need a laptop both for drawing and both to work as a laptop for class Would appreciate your help (:

[@sims.3852]

EBAY thinkpad carbon x 3rd gen you can get it for around 350 Thinkpad t450 or t450s Legit anything thinkpad if you need small and to go X if you need everyday use go with the T

[@jarrodhockley]

Hopefully you will cover the upcomming Lenovo thinkpad AMD 3000 series based laptops due sometime in JUNE

[@kbhasi]

You mean the X395?

[@steffenstengardvilladsen3740]

How is the surface of the case? My old T60 and my X1 carbon (1st gen) had the nice non-slip rubber coating so you would not be afraid holding it in one hand. The new X380 yoga have a hard plastic surface which is not as pleasant for your palms and is more slippery

[@BaconSenpai]

A lot of people using these laptops don't have pristine baby silky smooth never worked a day in your life hands, so it's not a problem.

[@Piggy991]

When i worked for Lenovo i had this laptop. Loved the laptop hated the work :D

[@kbhasi]

2:37 "RAM is soldered on" I guess that if I were to get a X390 Yoga for myself, I'd have to order it with 16 or 32 GB RAM. There goes my hopes of being able to just get one with 4 or 8 GB and upgrade it later on, or I might consider getting a X380 Yoga instead. 2:55 I just noticed that it actually seems to be using USB-C PD instead of the previous "slim fit" connector! 3:10 I don't think I'll ever understand why Lenovo STILL OFFERS THE 1366×768 TFT PANEL AS STANDARD. Ugh.

[@rafaelmdiaz11]

I love your brain ! God bless !

[@databang]

Thank you.

[@natashapi2613]

Thank you for the great review! Does someone know what's the difference between the x390 and l390 yoga?

[@dr.stevenpennym.d.3241]

Does the base mode have al backlight keyboard?

[@RuiYangFann]

Seems like the T490 was opened by the frame was not aligned properly after that

[@abhishektripathy]

Still waiting for your detailed review of Thinkpad P52

[@sidhitejomoyotjahyadi797]

can you make a comparation x390 vs x280 ?

[@SubterraneanChick]

Can’t fathom owning a ThinkPad with soldered RAM. Defeats the purpose for me. I need each and every one of my ThinkPads to love me long time. And I’m pretty sure commitment issues will get in our way. I mean...TP-X390 ships with soldered RAM which many view as eloping. I refuse to play side chick. Venus in Furs. The End.

[@BotchedGod]

Same. Any model with soldered only parts is a no go for me. Some have soldered ram with 1x slot thats fine. But to solder the wifi card too? fuck that it better support wifi 6 already then.

[@AWellesley]

@@BotchedGod Not just that, I've swapped blown wifi cards on thinkpads more than once. At the price of a Thinkpad I expect them to last and be easily repairable if something fails, that's pretty much their USP. Without that you just have mediocre ultrabook, may as well go with any other brand.

[@MrDujmanu]

Amen to that! I don't get this shift, every hardware vendor goes "slim" these days? Not everybody loves a locked blackbox!

[@nikitasushko5955]

Agree. My X230 with 16GB RAM agrees too. The Gun. Play With Fire. The War Drags On.

[@buttonsplaymusic4896]

Agree. What is Lenovo thinking? Dont they understand the X series market is just like the people commenting here? People who demand a cusomizeable, well made computer with no limits.

[@lilwashu]

Can you charge with both usb c ports?

[@rafaelmdiaz11]

I just kept watching the video over and over. What a beautiful presentation. Holy cow...let's have dinner on me !

[@stephenjames5745]

Can you please review the Thinkpad X13?

[@zamuda90]

1:35 You didnt close the T490's chassis

[@echoes28]

Huh, looks pretty promising. I found one for real cheap on eBay, might as well sell my x131e and buy this!

[@RizkiFikriansyah]

i really want this

[@Jimmyageek]

is it worth it for 300?

[@edwardblack7133]

Please where can i pick up one of those tshirts?

[@nunchukgrl2]

Please review the Yoga version! ❤️

[@huangpeng8948]

Glad that I've abandoned my X240 in exchange for a X230T. Always enjoy the older thinkpads with upgradable RAM and hard disk/SSD. X series has died since the X240 onwards.

[@johngarcia1140]

Can it be docked (non-usb)?

[@ayeayeron9216]

Can you please review the Acer Predator Triton 500?

[@aeroslythe6881]

Hey everyone! As a CS major, what should I be looking for in my prospective laptop? The Thinkpad line is very appealing but I'm not sure how much horsepower a CS student needs from their laptop and therefore am not sure which laptop is right for me. Is there a clear cut ideal or is it largely preference?Thank you in advance to anyone who can help out. P.S. Lisa, your reviews are a breath of fresh air.

[@tade420]

Hi, I am studying CS too and I am using for about year x230 with i5 3320M. Also lot of my classmates are using "old" thinkpads. It needs just few more gigs of RAM and SSD, and it is rocket! I also upgraded mine with IPS panel, because i plan to use it for few more years. Unless you do some graphics, an old i5 is good enough for school.

[@aeroslythe6881]

@@tade420 thanks again for the response. Would it ever be practical to use MacOS for the stuff you did?

[@tade420]

@@aeroslythe6881 I don't think it would be problem, but I think using linux is best choice at my school. Although, we had to use windows only software on like 2 courses(which wasn't big problem because of school desktops).