Laptops

Lenovo ThinkPad X13: Power in portability and performance

This laptop means business

Published

December 11, 2020

Andre Ibarle

Restarting our lives these past months have gotten most of us looking back on how we began our journey into our professional lives.

As I reminisce fond memories of being a rookie in the professional world, I remember the first time I sat alongside clients from big organizations. I was brought back to those times I was nervously listening to discussions with fancy jargon, taking down notes, glancing on spreadsheets displayed on their ThinkPads, then I remembered.

ThinkPads have always been there, and for good reason — reliability.

Lenovo truly has the formula to create the perfect balanced laptop. With the Lenovo ThinkPad X13, Lenovo took their game up to the next level.

Never out of style for business

Lenovo’s ThinkPad line has always been reminiscent of its predecessors’ design. The ThinkPad X13 maintains the sleek and professional build of the previous generations of ThinkPads in a compact form factor.

A 13-inch body at just 2.84 pounds, the X13 is an easy everyday carry. Slide it in your bag and you’ll even barely notice it’s there.

“It looks like an office laptop,” is the comment I got from my sister who saw the ThinkPad X13. Yes, to some, its aesthetic may be somewhat lackluster with its magnesium-aluminum black chassis. It’s not going to make heads turn, but surely it’s one which subtly says you mean business.

Power when you need it

This particular model is powered by an AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 4650U along with 8GB DDR4 RAM, 240GB PCIE SSD Storage. This isn’t yet the most powerful configuration you could get for this model. Regardless, I was eager to test its performance on heavier tasks as the AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 4650U CPU is a 6-core CPU with 12 logical threads that comes packed with an impressive integrated graphics processor.

Testing out some video editing, the X13 was able to render my three-minute HD video quite fast leaving it very slightly behind my desktop PC. The 12 threads of the 4650U definitely carries the weight of this task and though playback did have some stutter. I guess that is to be expected with this 8GB DDR4 variant. A reason you may want to consider getting the 16GB or higher for the ram as an option upon purchase since memory upgrade isn’t available on the X13.

While video editing on a laptop isn’t something that I’d prefer to do, it is a function I’d appreciate to have when caught in a situation that I’d need it.

As for everyday office work, the X13 will breeze through it as it definitely has more than enough horsepower to let you tackle the daily grind.

As for gaming, I powered up Grand Theft Auto V on the ThinkPad X13 because, why not? Work hard, play hard, right?

The X13 performed quite well with just the integrated graphics of the Ryzen 5 PRO 4650U. Most graphical settings were placed on high and the unit kept the temperature and fan noise at manageable levels. I’d say just warm enough to let you know that something a bit more power intensive is running.

Speaking of power, the internal battery was able to reach an uptime of 10 hours and 20 minutes before the battery saver mode kicked in at 20%. Decent enough that it could probably get by a whole casual work day on a single charge.

Anti-glare display

My deciding factor when choosing a laptop boils down mostly on its display and overall user experience. The ThinkPad X13’s 13.3-inch 1080p IPS display is a matte anti-glare panel. At first didn’t mean much to me but after a few hours working on it, the display panel exhibited where it certainly excels at.

Word documents felt paper white, something I’d associate closely with the feel of using a Kindle device. It is very forgiving to my eyes that it didn’t cause me the usual eye strain experienced on most other monitors.

For creatives, this isn’t what I would say the end-all ideal display for photo and video editing as it felt a bit dim for my taste but being an IPS panel, you can expect accurate color reproduction. The display also didn’t show significant color shifting on various viewing angles. The choice to have 1440p would have been a welcome option but I guess at 13 inches, 1080p is sufficient.

Above the display is the front facing camera which has decent enough quality for video conferencing. A unique feature though, is that the camera has its own physical switch to activate for use and also to block its view to prevent unauthorized access when not in use. A nifty feature which I think all laptop cameras should come equipped with.

A sound choice

Going into this review, I didn’t think I’d have to mention the sound that comes out of this device. As most laptops, you’d expect that this would have speakers for the sake of hearing whatever it is that’s playing on it. But with the X13, the sound was relatively good.

Though not something that would blow you away, the sound coming from this device was full and richer that it doesn’t sound like it was coming from a tiny source and is very acceptable for a laptop. I guess there’s a reason why Lenovo had a Dolby Audio logo printed on the right hand portion of the palm rest.

Satisfying keyboard

Coming from a person who’s used multiple ThinkPads as daily drivers in the past, I’ve always been a big fan of their keyboard. The ThinkPad X13’s keyboard is no different.

Smaller than a full sized laptop keyboard, the X13’s certainly feels big. Keys are evenly spaced and every key press provides adequate feedback. The FN key being placed on the lower left portion of the keyboard rather than the CTRL key, however, did take some getting used to. I believe there’s a setting which allows users to flip the keys according to preference. That said, it would have been better if the keys were in traditional order out of the box. A minor criticism but nothing that really discounts how good this keyboard is.

The X13’s keyboard truly kept up to its predecessors’ reputation, really one of the most satisfying typing experiences you can get on a laptop especially for this size.

Is the Lenovo ThinkPad X13 your GadgetMatch?

People who prefer to have stylish looking gadgets might not have ThinkPads at the top of their minds when choosing a laptop. But if you’re someone who values functionality over aesthetics, the ThinkPad X13 definitely delivers.

That’s not to say that the X13 isn’t an attractive device. Show up to meetings with this on the table and you’re set to make an impression. A serious one at that.

Its robust construction, great display, exceptional keyboard and a small body that comes packed with some serious firepower. It covers everything you could possibly want and need to do on a laptop. From office work, photo and video editing, and even gaming, the Lenovo ThinkPad X13 is a solid all-arounder and is reliable enough to get the job done.

The Lenovo ThinkPad X13 is available at a starting price of PhP 54,669.

Editors' Choice

GadgetMatch Awards: Best of IFA 2026

Xiaomi 18 Fold, Govee, XGIMI, ARZOPA, Cuktech and more!

Published

September 9, 2026

GadgetMatch

We’re back at IFA 2026 in Berlin, checking out some of the coolest and most interesting tech on the show floor.

From smart home lighting and portable displays to projectors, power solutions, foldables, and more, these are some of the products and brands that caught our attention this year.

In this video, we take a look at: ‪

GOVEE‬

AI Lighting https://bit.ly/4xmY342

ARZOPA

Z3FC Portable Monitor https://bit.ly/4gRk7wD
D14 Digital Photo Frame https://bit.ly/4qYlRJ6 ‪

CUKTECH‬

30 Ultra Desktop Charging Station https://s.whaee.com/tXBornw
10 Ultra Charger https://s.whaee.com/UsWT4U2

** Use code CUKTECH09, valid until September 30

XGIMI

Xiaomi

Human x Car x Home Ecosystem

ASUS‬ x NVIDIA RTX SPARK

Watch until the end for our favorite finds from IFA 2026!

Laptops

ASUS laptops now come with three months of Google AI

5TB of cloud storage included

Published

September 7, 2026

GadgetMatch

Select ASUS and ROG laptops now come with three months of Google AI Pro or Google AI Plus at no extra cost. The offer starts September 7 and covers eligible models from the 2025, 2026, and upcoming 2027 lineups.

Google AI Pro includes 5TB of cloud storage, while Google AI Plus comes with 400GB. Both plans also provide access to a range of Google’s AI-powered tools and features.

More Google AI on ASUS laptops

Eligible customers can use the Google Gemini app, Deep Research, Google Flow, Gemini in Google apps, and Gemini Notebook, among other features. Availability varies depending on the Google AI plan and supported features.

Google AI Pro offers higher usage limits and expanded access to Google’s more capable Gemini models. It also includes additional developer and agentic tools such as Google Antigravity, Jules, and AI Studio, subject to availability and plan terms.

Google AI Plus provides elevated access to Google’s AI tools alongside features for creative generation and productivity.

The offer covers more than just AI features. Google AI Pro’s 5TB of cloud storage and Google AI Plus’ 400GB give users additional space for documents, photos, videos, research, and other projects.

Available across select ASUS models

The one-year program starts September 7 and applies to selected ASUS and ROG laptops in supported markets. Eligible models span the ROG, TUF Gaming, ProArt, Zenbook, and Vivobook families, including select 2025 and 2026 models and upcoming 2027 devices.

Customers can redeem the offer exclusively through the MyASUS app. ASUS has published the full list of eligible models and the offer’s terms and conditions on its website.

Check the full list of eligible ASUS laptops

ASUS is also running its No. 1 Quality, School-Ready Deals promotion until September 15, 2026. The promo offers additional deals for students, gamers, and professionals buying select ASUS and ROG devices.

The company’s No. 1 Quality and Service package also includes up to three years of international and local warranty, service access across more than 90 countries, and over 100 ASUS Service Centers and Drop-Off Points in the Philippines. Eligible laptops also come with one year of Local Accidental Damage Protection and up to six free device cleaning claims.

IFA 2026

TECNO MEGABOOK T15 360 unveiled at IFA 2026

Four laptops, three phones, one event

Published

September 4, 2026

Vincenz

TECNO is making its MEGABOOK lineup a little more flexible.

At IFA ShowStoppers 2026, the uprising tech brand unveils the MEGABOOK T15 360 with two more laptops and three phones tagging along.

One laptop, four modes

The MEGABOOK T15 360 series is the brand’s first laptop lineup with a 360-degree hinge and touchscreen display.

By that, it’s more than just a conventional laptop. It can also be a tablet or a portable display via Tent mode or Stand mode. This added feat makes everything more versatile as TECNO’s existing laptops are only limited to the clamshell form factor.

Both models feature a 15.6-inch screen with the standard 16:9 aspect ratio. As alluded earlier, it’s a touchscreen laptop consisting of 10-point multitouch points. There’s also optional MPP 2.0 active pen support if you want to write or draw directly on the display.

So what’s the difference?

Well, the regular T15 360 gets a Full HD 60Hz panel with 320 nits brightness.

Meanwhile, the Pro version takes it up a notch with a faster 120Hz refresh rate, sharper 2.5K display resolution, full 100% sRGB coverage, and higher 350 nits brightness.

Both laptops come in an all-metal chassis made using CNC machining. The convertible design doesn’t come at the expense of a more conventional laptop build.

Performance uncompromised

TECNO isn’t treating the T15 360 as a lightweight convertible that has to compromise on performance.

You can get up to an Intel Core Ultra 9 185H processor, paired with an LPDDR5X RAM. The storage is based from PCIe M.2 2280 SSD — with select models having a secondary M.2 slot for utmost expansion.

There’s also a 70Wh battery plus support for a speedy 65W PD GaN charger. Connectivity includes up to Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.4, alongside seven built-in ports.

Practical stuff were neither forgotten. There’s a backlit keyboard with a dedicated number pad, a fingerprint reader underneath its power button, dual speakers with DTS Ultra, a webcam, and dual digital microphones.

TECNO’s OneLeap feature also rounds things out by letting the MEGABOOK work with other TECNO’s smartphones, tablets, and other PCs for cross-device collaboration.

Two more MEGABOOKs

TECNO also brought two other MEGABOOKs to IFA.

The MEGABOOK K15S WCL is the more straightforward option. It uses Intel’s newer Wildcat Lake platform with a 16:10 display, a 70Wh battery, and 65W GaN charging — all in a premium, all-metal body.

Then there’s the MEGABOOK T17 Ultra. Ultra by its name, it goes big with a massive 17.3-inch 16:9 display. It can be configured with up to an Intel Core Ultra 9 processor and LPDDR5X memory. It also features a massive 99.99Wh battery and speedy 100W GaN PD fast charging.

Wait! There’s even more…

Beyond laptops, TECNO reveals the true form of its Next-Gen Bezelless Concept Phone at IFA 2026.

As announced more than a month ago, this concept uses a redesigned display architecture, internal stacking, structural engineering, and screen packaging to eliminate the physical black border around the display, resulting in what TECNO calls a true 0mm display border.

Beside a phone prototype, there are two consumer-ready products as well.

The POVA 8 Pro 5G Tonino Lamborghini Limited Edition combines the POVA series’ performance-focused approach with Tonino Lamborghini’s design language.

It uses a MediaTek Dimensity 7400 Ultimate 5G chipset alongside TECNO’s custom-made P1 Graphic Chip and a 5K IceShield vapor chamber cooling system. Specific details will be announced on September 4, 2026.

Meanwhile, the CAMON Slim 5G focuses on a thinner form factor, measuring just 6.39mm thick.

TECNO says it combines the CAMON line’s imaging features with AI capabilities and artistic colorways. More specifications will be revealed on September 7.

Pricing and Availability

The MEGABOOK T15 360 Series is expected to arrive in Europe by Q4 2026.

Depending on the configuration choice, the MEGABOOK T15 360 will start between EUR 899 ~ EUR 999. The MEGABOOK T15 360 Pro will cost as much as EUR 1099.

No pricing info were announced for the other MEGABOOKs and two phones as of writing.