ThinkPad X1 is Lenovo's thinnest to date

Ultra-thin ruggedised laptop comes with up to 8GB of RAM and a 160GB SSD

Lenovo will roll out its thinnest ever ThinkPad on Tuesday which is just 16.5mm thick at its leading edge and 21.3mm at its thickest point.

The 337x231.1x16.5-21.3mm ThinkPad X1 has a 13.1in screen, uses Intel's second-generation Sandy Bridge i3, i5 and i7 processors, and comes with up to 8GB of RAM and a 160GB solid state drive.

It weighs 1.7kg and has a battery life of over five hours, or 10 hours with the extended battery pack.

The chassis has passed eight military toughness tests, and the 1,366x768 display, which runs at 350 nits, is protected by Gorilla Glass for durability and scratch resistance. It also has a 2-megapixel camera for videoconferencing.

"We've got magnesium covers on the top and bottom of the unit to toughen it up further," Richard LaBennett, worldwide product manager for the X1, told V3.co.uk.

"You can stand on this system and it won't break, in fact we've been demonstrating that with customers to show how tough it is. That said, we don't advise it."

Cooling is traditionally a problem with ultrathin laptops and Lenovo has used fan technology dubbed 'Owl Wing' to produce enough air without fan noise becoming an issue. Dual air vents increase heat dissipation.

Lenovo has also included new RapidCharge battery technology, which enables the X1 to be recharged to 80 per cent within 30 minutes. The X1 also uses a custom version of Windows designed for rapid boot times, and takes around 20 seconds to get up and running, the company claims.

The keyboard has been slightly redesigned, with some little-used keys replaced by function keys for multimedia use, and is backlit for low light environments.

ThinkPad X1 is Lenovo's thinnest to date

Ultra-thin ruggedised laptop comes with up to 8GB of RAM and a 160GB SSD

The X1 uses Dolby Home Theater v4 sound and twin microphones, and includes audio settings for conference calls and single user connections so that ambient noise levels can be filtered out.

Connectivity includes two USB 2.0 ports (one powered) and a USB 3.0 port as standard. Ethernet, HDMI, Mini Display ports and a removable storage reader are built into the chassis.

The X1 will be available from 17 May in the US starting at $1,399, and will be rolled out across the rest of the world in the next few weeks.

Lenovo also announced the release of the first PC in the ThinkCentre Edge family, the 91z all-in-one desktop starting at $699.

Bill Dominici, ThinkCentre product manager for North America, told V3.co.uk that all-in-one designs are the fastest growing segment of the desktop PC market, as companies look to save space, particularly in the small and medium sized business market.

"The price point should appeal to SMBs. It's on a par with the cost of a desktop and monitor but gives you a cleaner, smaller footprint, and in some cases can save up to 70 per cent of the space used. That's a lot more room in a small office," he said.

The 91z carries Intel's second-generation Sandy Bridge i3, i5 and i7 processors and a 21.5in screen LED screen with a forward-facing 2-megapixel camera. It carries an 80GB SSD and up to 8GB of memory.

The unit comes with six USB ports, Ethernet and HMDI sockets, Wi-Fi and a six-in-one removable storage reader.

Lenovo will sell the unit exclusively through its channel partners, a strategy Dominici said is working very well for the company with similar models.