Does Lenovo's ThinkPad X1 Extreme have a memory card slot?

ThinkPad X1
ThinkPad X1 (Image credit: Windows Central)

Does Lenovo's ThinkPad X1 Extreme have a memory card slot?

Best answer: Yes, the second-gen Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme includes a full-size SD card reader for SD, SDHC, and SDXC formats. It's capable of taking full advantage of UHS-II SD cards for speedy transfers, and it will also work with UHS-I cards.Power and durability: Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme (Gen 2) (From $1,476 at Lenovo)Fast portable storage: Lexar Professional 2000x (From $45 at Amazon)

What's so special about a UHS-II card reader?

Compared to a UHS-I SD card reader, UHS-II offers better performance when it comes to transfer rates. This is especially important when working with large video or image files, which certainly could be the case considering the X1 Extreme's powerful internal hardware options.

With a UHS-I card reader, you can expect read speeds up to about 100 MB/s, while a UHS-II card reader tops out at about 300 MB/s. That's three times the speed, meaning you'll wait around a lot less for files to finish transferring.

This also opens up a broader market of SD cards; UHS-I cards will work with a UHS-II card reader, though you won't be able to benefit from the advanced transfer speeds. If you want excellent performance for your removable memory, we recommend checking out something like Lexar's Professional 2000x SD card, which has read speeds up to 300 MB/s. It's available in 32GB, 64GB, and 128GB sizes, with prices starting at about $45.

What other ports does the ThinkPad X1 Extreme have?

On top of an SD card reader capable of handling UHS-II SD cards, the right side of the ThinkPad X1 Extreme includes two USB-A 3.1 (Gen 1) ports, a Kensington lock slot, and an optional Smart Card reader. The left side of the laptop houses the proprietary Lenovo charging port, two Thunderbolt 3 ports, HDMI 2.0, a 3.5mm audio jack, and an input for Lenovo's RJ45 Ethernet extension cable.

With these ports, you should easily be able to connect your external accessories, and there is support for up to four external monitors. Thanks to the SD card reader and 4K display option, the X1 Extreme makes it easy to accomplish specialized work, like editing video and photos.

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Cale Hunt
Contributor

Cale Hunt brings to Windows Central more than eight years of experience writing about laptops, PCs, accessories, games, and beyond. If it runs Windows or in some way complements the hardware, there’s a good chance he knows about it, has written about it, or is already busy testing it.