A standout feature of Lenovo ThinkPad laptops, and business laptops in general, has always been the port selection. That's why it's no surprise that the upcoming ThinkPad X1 Yoga Gen 8 has many modern ports, like USB 3.2 Type-A and HDMI 2.0 (it also has a headphone jack and an optional Nano SIM slot). But what about Thunderbolt 4, which unlocks the ability to use external GPUs? Thankfully, the ThinkPad X1 Yoga Gen 8 does indeed have Thunderbolt 4 ports. In fact, it has two, both of which are located on the left side.
Why is it great that the ThinkPad X1 Yoga Gen 8 has Thunderbolt 4?
So, what makes the Thunderbolt 4 ports on the ThinkPad X1 Yoga Gen 8 so great? Thunderbolt might use the USB-C connector, but the technology partly helps boost the power of the upcoming ThinkPad model beyond the integrated Intel Iris Xe graphics. Since Thunderbolt 4 supports PCIe signaling, you'll be able to plug external GPUs into the device when it's at a desk and get a performance boost for things like video editing, as well as running GPU-intensive tasks like CAD software.
You also get support for connecting two 4K displays at 60Hz to help boost your productivity. And we also can't forget the range of Thunderbolt-certified monitors and accessories, too. It's why we suggested some of our favorite accessories for you below.
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Lenovo ThinkPad Universal Thunderbolt 4 Dock
This is the official Thunderbolt dock for the ThinkPad X1 Yoga Gen 8. It has a plethora of extra ports and also can charge your device while it's connected.
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Razer Core X
The Razer Core X is an external GPU enclosure. You'll need to provide your own GPU, but this enclosure lets you boost the GPU power of your ThinkPad X1 Yoga Gen 8 for higher-end tasks like video editing.
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ThinkVision P27u-20 27-inch Monitor
Lenovo's own ThinkVision P27u-20 is a 4K 27-inch monitor. It sports Thunderbolt 4 technology that lets you connect this display to your ThinkPad with a single cable. It also has great color accuracy.
The Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga Gen 8 is set for release later this year in April, and it'll start at $1,729. Rest assured that when that date arrives and you have the product in your hands, you should have no issues connecting any Thunderbolt 4 accessories you want. We'll do our best to update this guide with a link to buy it once Lenovo's product page goes up. Until then, you might want to check out some of the other best business laptops, most of which also have Thunderbolt.