After a day of setup, my Thinkpad X390 Yoga is nearly perfect!
Posted Jul 16, 2019, 9:15 PM UTC
2914
Looks dope! Enjoy.
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I didnt even know they do the Yoga version of the X390. How does the keyboard feel compared to non-Yoga?
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Haven't used the non-Yoga.
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Sorry about the screen.
I ordered the X390 Yoga a few weeks ago and it finally came in. It meets all of my expectations and exceeds them in many areas. I got this configuration for $1,154.30 before taxes.
- I use the included pen pretty much every second I need to navigate windows because it feels really good to use. The buttons are a bit tiny, but they work. Making notes in OneNote feels really nice. My only complaint is the size, which isn't a big deal. The palm rejection isn't perfect, but it works. Is there any software to read the pen's gestures and perform actions? I would love to be able to minimize everything by swiping up from the taskbar or using the pen to open up the window overview and action center. This would also be nice for Firefox as well so I can swipe from the edges to go back, forward, etc.
- Using this as a tablet feels weird. I don't prefer this when it is folded all the way back, but when it is angled at something like 300 degrees, it is perfect. The screen is a bit wobbly when angled like that, but it isn't terrible.
- The autorotation is not very good. Whenever I want to switch to portrait mode, it is very much a 50/50 chance at getting the autorotate to work properly with the only fix being to put the laptop to sleep and unlock it. This isn't a big deal, but it is frustrating sometimes.
- Battery life is acceptable. I could probably get seven to eight hours on this, but I don't know for sure.
- It gets hot. Not enough to bother me, but it is noticeable.
- The soldered ram and wlan cards are a tiny bit concerning. Had the model been closer to its base price, I would have gotten the L390 Yoga, which looks very similar but has upgradable ram and the wlan card is replaceable. This model does have a Thunderbolt 3 port unlike the L390 Yoga, but it is only two lanes instead of four lanes. Not that big of a deal, but I would love to have four lanes instead of the two this has, as I plan on getting an eGPU enclosure and putting a 1070 in it.
- The trackpad is decent. It tracks fine, but the size makes it awkward to use for gestures because it feels so small. Not to mention that it only clicks in on the bottom, but with the three buttons for the trackpoint above the pad, it doesn't bother me as much.
- The trackpoint is nice, but I would love to see a setting to scroll with it and use the center button as middle mouse click.
- The fingerprint sensor is in a weird spot. I do wish that it was on the power button on the side, but its current position isn't that bad.
- The keyboard is nice. Typing feels good, though I have to get used to how fn offsets control, windows, and alt.
Configuration Details
- Processor: Intel® Core™ i7-8565U Processor (1.80GHz, up to 4.60GHz with Turbo Boost, 4 cores, 8MB Cache)
- Operating System: Windows 10 Pro 64
- Display Type: 13.3" FHD (1920 x 1080, 300 nits) IPS, multi-touch
- Memory: 16GB DDR4 2400MHz (Onboard)
- Hard Drive: 512GB Solid State Drive M.2 PCIe-NVMe, Opal
- Warranty: 1 Year Depot or Carry-in
- Graphics: Integrated Intel® UHD Graphics 620
- Camera: 720p HD Camera with microphone
- Pen: ThinkPad Pen Pro (Garaged)
- Fingerprint Reader: Fingerprint Reader
- Keyboard: Backlit Keyboard - US English
- Wireless: Intel 9560 802.11AC (2 x 2) & Bluetooth 5.0
Software I installed
- Windows 10 Pro
- FalconX to center taskbar icons
- TranslucentTB to change the style of the taskbar
- Firefox with a bunch of userchrome.css modifications to get a bottom url address bar, vertical tabs that pop out, etc.
- (Firefox) UBlock Origin for adblocking
- (Firefox) TreeStyleTabs for vertical tabs
- Logitech Options for my MX Ergo
- Authy for two factor authentication
- Your Phone to sync my Pixel's messages, photos, and notifications with Windows 10
- platform-tools for using adb and fastboot for my Pixel
- Ubuntu 18.04 LTS for the Windows Subsystem for Linux
- Discord for friends
- Steam for light games
- Spotify for music
- Sublime Text 3 for editing text files
- EarTrumpet for better audio management
- OneNote for notes
- Eclipse for my CS class in the fall
- Reddit Wallpaper Changer for a different daily wallpaper
- Google Drive to sync some emulators and other files from my desktop
- OneDrive for syncing files from my desktop
EDIT: Reformatted post.
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I have the ThinkPad Yoga 260 from a couple of years ago and if you ever want to use the pen to write notes on PDFs (which is the whole reason I went with a Yoga rather than an X260), Drawboard PDF is a great app. It goes on a half-price sale from time to time.
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I have the same problem with the autorotate...
A workaround is installing an app in the windows store to watch gyroscope values. This keeps the gyroscope awake all the time without needing to close and reopen the lid.
I hate that a 1300e computer has this kind of glitches
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Congrats on the purchase!
Apparently the pen uses a capacitor instead of a battery so it charges very quickly. ("In seconds rather than minutes" was the quote I read). Also love how it has its own parking spot in the chassis.
I was seriously tempted by both the X390Y and L390Y but think I will go for a non-yoga and external drawing pad. The lack of thunderbolt on the L390 put me off too (and the smaller battery). The X390 is just a bit out of my price range. Having everything combined together, while convenient and super-cool, also feels like having all my eggs in one basket. I certainly couldn't afford to replace it if it broke.
I need the laptop for typing at work, and the pad for art typically at home. So it makes sense for me to keep them as seperate purchases. I'm even going a step further and probably going for a poor colour FHD screen, and use the savings to get an external monitor for creativity at home.
Currently trying to decide between T480 or A485 (is Intel + Thunderbolt worth the $100 difference?). Also considering the non-yoga X390 but there's no discounts on it yet in my region (Hong Kong).
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Also, I heard that the 2 lanes of Thunderbolt is only an issue if you want to route the eGPU back into the laptop display. If you use an external monitor the 2 lanes is fine.
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Wipe it :).
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And licc the Arch
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I don't know if you're still watching the comments here, but I'm giving it a go. How do you feel about the screen brightness? I'm on the edge between this one and a X280 (only two options I have right now), and I'm wondering if maybe the matte display of the X280 trumps the pen and tablet-mode of the X290Y, for my use.
How responsive is the screen when using the pen? How does it feel using it for drawing and writing?
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I feel that the screen isn't as bright as I would like, especially since I use a dark theme, but only outdoors. The brightness is fine indoors imo. The pen experience is fine for notes I think. In regards to drawing, there is no tilt support with the included pen. If you write, then it should be fine.
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Thanks for the quick reply! The pen feature is soo cool, but I might go for the X280 as I like to be flexible with where I'm working, for example close to bright windows.
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Hey, do you write with the pen a lot maybe? I've gotten the X390 recently and while making notes in OneNote sometimes it just doesn't register a stroke or draws a random straight line, did you had that happen maybe?
Also, I don't know if that's how it's supposed to work, but the pen doesn't start drawing when I just put it on the screen, I have to apply slightly more pressure for it to register the touch, is it like that for you? I only used the pen on a standalone wacom tablet which registers even the slightest touch.
If you could share your experience that'd be really helpful because I am not sure whether there's something wrong with my unit or are my expectations too high (but I paid so much for it, I want it to be _great_...)
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I use the built-in pen and it is great at least 95% of the time. The 5% comes when it draws a straight line across the screen despite me making a tiny stroke, never had a stroke not register though. I am able to just touch the screen with the pen for it to register, you might have a defective unit.
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I have that stroke issue too, guess that's normal. I sent it in for warranty
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I have another question if you don't mind, does your H key get stuck on the trackpoint sometimes?
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Nope, my H key doesn't get stuck.
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Okay, thanks
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Another redditor that I asked didn't experience the random stroke issue btw, so you might want to get yours checked too if it bothers you :)
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The only thing missing is Linux!
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I rather get the 25th anniversary one
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That touchscreen is triggering my OCD....
Nice PC tho
I don’t like the bezel inside a bezel...