It's a Moto X40 with a skin on top, right?
Snapdragon 8, gen 2
Android 13 / MYUI 5.0
6.7" OLED @ 165 Hz
Under display fingerprint sensor
Curious what you'll think of it!
It will be interesting to read your thoughts.
What version of Android is it running? 12 or 13?
What is Lenovo update policy on this phone? Monthly updates, quarterly and for how long? One year, 2 or 3 or more? Is that just security or OS?
I have been let down by Lenovo update policy on a few Android devices and I would really like to know the official policy and depending how long you keep it, if they actually stick to what they say and deliver timely updates.
What are the advantages of a thinkphone over say a Moto phone? Does it have extra features that connect to a Thinkpad PC? Sort of like Samsung Galaxy phones and the Galaxy book laptops?
The cost for the hardware doesn't seem great but not too terrible either.
Interested to see what you think of the camera setup too. Battery life and screen quality.
This is an interesting concept for Lenovo. If they do it right there could potentially be a decent market for these phones.
I wonder though in the current climate of distrust between China and USA and corporate espionage being a big thing for CCP if big corporations would buy these for their business? Seems Apple would be a better choice security wise or Samsung.
I think Lenovo should charge more and offer a more flagship level device but since this is the first generation only time will tell what direction they will go.
Good luck with your new device. Look forward to your thoughts and experience.
Yes please. Review soon.This is a placeholder.
I have just received a Lenovo Thinkphone and will be posting a bunch of stuff here.
More coming ...
A lot of the link to Windows development is due to Samsung. If you look at Microsoft official supported phones page you will see almost all the phones officially supported are Samsung devices. Not even Pixel is officially supported last time I checked.Today was the first day I am using this as a work phone. I still have settings and other things to do. This is my forst Moto device since the original Razr. That was a ground breaking phone.
Tools:
Thinkpad X13 Hybrid, Thinkphone.
I used a supplied app: Link to Windows and the built in functionality that Lenovo provides.
Connecting was simple. During setup I was asked if I wanted to link my device to my pc. I did not initially.
Later I went back and once linked, not sure if this is Lenovo, the phone acted as secondary pc item.
I tested:
Video calls on Teams and could swap from one device to the next and back
Phone calls, Wi-Fi or carrier, able to answer on either and move back and forth (WF6 and 5G).
Files, photos, video, messages, etc. all work as if it was one device with two screens.
I thought having two monitors and though that might be a challenge ... it wasn't.
This was on par with what I have used in the Apple world with an iPhone and a MBP.
I need to do a bunch more digging into this but it is as if it is all one pc with multiple inputs and views that I can pickup and stroll around with. Pretty slick. I could do a PowerPoint on the pc and control from the phone.
It isn't perfect and there were a couple of times something just didn't work or a notification was off by minutes. Overall though it is very usable. Unless Lenovo drops this I foresee better integration and flexibility going forward.
As to how this impacts battery life, I have not finished fully setting this up and fine tuning it, after 90 minutes of Teams video, 30 minutes speaker call, several regular calls, multiple emails, read and reply, multiple IM (Teams) and texts, plus a few files transfers, I still was at 83% battery.
One item that may be a setup issue; with Display set to Auto (60 - 120) there were several times where the video (call) stuttered or mildly pixelated. I did not test at 144hz.
btw - just got the April security update. Nice.
More to come.
A lot of the link to Windows development is due to Samsung. If you look at Microsoft official supported phones page you will see almost all the phones officially supported are Samsung devices. Not even Pixel is officially supported last time I checked.
I looked up what the app can do and with Samsung devices you can mirror your phone on your PC and as you said use Android apps from your phone on your PC. Can't do that with Apple.
The list of functionality is pretty impressive and as you said it is not perfect but most everything works pretty well. You can test your s23 ultra and the thinkphone and see comparatively speaking see what differences there are between them.
Obviously Lenovo has done some development work to get things working as you say but basic features are available to all Android phones.
Sounds so far like it is a pretty solid device. We should be getting May update for Pixel this coming Monday and generally Samsung is about a week or so later. It will be interesting to see if the thinkphone is a couple a month behind or catches up with Pixel/Samsung phones.
Good write up. You seem like the perfect user to test the thinkphone!
That is pretty cool. Yeah for half the money it seems like a decent phone.Would have to test on my X280 as my work pc doesn’t allow it unless it is setup as a work phone. Have to check that out.
This phone has a “Red Button” on the left side that can be set to do a number of different tasks with a single or double click. Trying to get it to silence the phone when clicked and un-silence on double click.
It’s not in the same league as my S23U but it is solid so far.
That is pretty cool. Yeah for half the money it seems like a decent phone.
Face ID
Proton suite (mail/cal/drive/VPN)
I expect this phone to evolve and Lenovo to further support it long term or watch it get canceled. Hopefully evolve.Interesting device. A bit disappointed they haven't matched Samsung and Google on 5 years of security updates, but the 4 year commitment isn't bad.
It is not the secure iOS implementation. Only two of my banking apps allow its use. The fingerprint option is allowed by all.Is this a secure implementation that can be used with banking and password apps?
Proton was not preinstalled.Was this pre-installed? If so, is it bundled with a free subscription period?
It's awesome that you are liking the TP. ha ha. It is not made to be in the same league as your S23. Totally different user base and price point. The think phone is awesome imo. I have the G 5G and it is a great phone for not alot of money. The only things I wish moto would do with their devices is please install NFC to all of them, and give us some device update life. 4 years on ALL moto phones would be great.Would have to test on my X280 as my work pc doesn’t allow it unless it is setup as a work phone. Have to check that out.
This phone has a “Red Button” on the left side that can be set to do a number of different tasks with a single or double click. Trying to get it to silence the phone when clicked and un-silence on double click.
It’s not in the same league as my S23U but it is solid so far.
Oh, one more thing, does it have an SD card slot?
Including @ozazOh, one more thing, does it have an SD card slot?
Yes, it would have been great. My G 5g has the sd card slot. As does the stylus. I wish that phone makers would go back to that. Would make using the phones much better.Including @ozaz
It does not have an SD card slot.
There is no eSIM support.
With WiFi 6 and linking it to my work OneDrive it does pretty good.
Is does support dual nano-sim.
Still, SD would have been a nice touch.
True - use case between the TP and the S23U is very different. For work, the TP is proving to be a very nice fit.
Minus the "red button", I get the exact same experience from my G 5g. Motorola's are really good phones. I am impatiently waiting for the new Razr ultra.After using this as my work phone for a bit now, it has become a very nice fit. Not for everyone.
Biggest item to remember, this is not a personal daily driver for my use case.
It links to my ThinkPad very nicely allowing me to move from laptop to device and the reverse with minimal effort.
The Red Button on the side allows me to setup a number of options or apps. I use the double click to drop files from the Thinkphone to the pc.
Good speed, decent storage, smooth UI, clear calls, durable, and easy to adjust to my needs, tying it to my ThinkPad, I have a great combination for work.
I setup for Home screens
1: my Proton accounts and a couple of time wasters (aka games). Have the weather - daily breakdown by hour at the top.
2: my main work apps, mostly MS Office stuff, maps, and a calculator.
3: my calendar showing daily events. It shows current till it runs out of space and is scrollable - from Outlook
4: my work email set to focused. It shows current till it runs out of space and is scrollable - from Outlook
I used Nova as my launcher to get the infinite scroll on the home screens. Nice.
No issues to bring to light. Everything works, get 8+ hours SOT a day, and my email updates as fast as my laptop (sometimes sooner!). This has turned to be a great matchup that fits my needs very well. A thumbs up from me.
I'll drop a line now and then on this and answer any q's that show up.
Thanks!