Key Takeaways
1. Lenovo’s ThinkPad X1 Extreme has been popular among business clients for its premium features and style, but it has been phased out in favor of the ThinkPad P1 with only professional-grade GPUs.
2. The new ThinkPad T1g Gen 8 offers an alternative to the P1, featuring consumer GeForce chips, making it suitable for multimedia use, but it comes with a high price tag.
3. The discontinuation of the ThinkPad X1 Extreme name may confuse customers, especially those unfamiliar with the differences between models.
4. Pricing comparisons show that the ThinkPad T1g Gen 8 starts at about €2,900, while the Yoga Pro 9i 16 is priced at €2,700, raising concerns about its market competitiveness.
5. Sales figures raise doubts about the wisdom of Lenovo’s decision to drop the ThinkPad X1 Extreme branding.
Business clients searching for a premium and stylish 16-inch laptop have been opting for Lenovo’s ThinkPad X1 Extreme for the past few years. These devices came with standard GeForce GPUs, whereas the workstation version, ThinkPad P1, featured professional-grade GPUs. In the last generation, Lenovo chose to phase out the X1 Extreme, offering only the ThinkPad P1, which was available with both consumer and professional GPUs.
New Generation Updates
In the current 8th generation, the ThinkPad P1 workstation model is again limited to only professional GPUs. If you don’t require a PRO GPU, the newly launched ThinkPad T1g Gen 8 is an alternative; it’s nearly the same as the P1 except for the graphics, which now include consumer GeForce chips. We took a close look at this new model, and while it’s an excellent multimedia laptop, it also comes with a hefty price tag.
Pricing and Customer Considerations
Given the history of this line, we believe dropping the well-known ThinkPad X1 Extreme name might not be the best move. Even if Lenovo aims to steer clear of the typical multimedia audience (who are likely to be interested in the Yoga Pro 9i 16), we doubt this will be effective due to the steep pricing. The high-end version of the Yoga Pro, with a marginally faster RTX 5070 and a superior Tandem OLED display, is priced around €2,700. Meanwhile, the ThinkPad T1g Gen 8 starts at approximately €2,900, featuring the RTX 5060 and a 60Hz 1080p display. Some business clients, who may not be fully aware of the different models, could be confused about what a ThinkPad T1g is.
Sales Figures and Future Outlook
Looking at sales numbers, we’re uncertain if Lenovo’s decision to discontinue the ThinkPad X1 Extreme branding was wise.