I think it says more about the state of software today than anything else, when 4GB of RAM and a CPU that's faster than the laptop I was using 10 years ago (compare https://www.cpubenchmark.net/cpu.php?cpu=Intel+Core+Duo+T240... and https://www.cpubenchmark.net/cpu.php?cpu=Intel+Pentium+4415Y...) is still considered "slow" for those everyday tasks that haven't changed in 10 years.
The 2015 model actually had 4 GB, but that was a 12.9" screen and substantially pricier.
They stuck with the same 4 GB in 2018's redesign unless you buy the very expensive 1TB storage option, in which case it's silently bumped up to 6 GB. Apple oddly doesn't even advertise that difference, it only came out through benchmarking.
Hopefully the 2020 refresh bumps it up to 8 GB which I think would future proof new devices for 5+ years of solid performance.
They are hostile too. Some of them won't let me build my own client or use a third party one.
X: portable for Japanese(B5, 12”)
T: portable for American/European(A4, 14”)
R: office typewriter for secretaries(A4, 15”)
A: office computer for bosses(A4, 15”)
s: experimental ultraportable
Post-Lenovo acquisition system is:
X1xx: junks for kids
X1C : MacBook killer for China(14”)
X2 : stretched office typewriters for Japanese(12” wide)
T : Proper American Portable™️(14”)
R: Still office typewriters
A: X2 but uses AMD CPU
W: the most best ones that you order only by accident Yoga: ones that flips fragile keyboard exposing 11, 13, Flex, Helix, Tablet, whateverett: experimentals
The only ones you’d care are X1C, X200, or T400 depending on your region, religion and body size.
Not going to solve your problem but...
Model lines: X is premium business, T is mainstream business, E is economy, L is legacy/economy (extra ports). So by looking at "L380 yoga" you know it's a 13" convertible with lots of ports and an 8th gen Intel CPU.
If you just took the most expensive ThinkPad, you'd probably end up with a P-series workstation, which is far from most people's definition of "best". And that's okay.
Also the battery can be swapped so you can take 2 for travelling.
They are not heavy but they are bulky indeed.
I've found it pretty pleasant for that use case, and even some light coding on it during the holidays at my parents. Compile times are not great and I've been meaning to set it up so I can use VS Code's remote feature to use it as a frontend to my home server, but actual interaction in VS code and completion etc. is totally acceptable for Rust and JS.
I'm entirely satisfied with the performance. Although mainly I'm coding in a terminal through ssh, so I don't push it much. But for videos, browsing, etc I've never had any issues.
Along with the very pleasant WSL Linux experience, I also wouldn't want to go back to a computer without a touchscreen and excellent stylus support. Of course, I could get that with an iPad Pro, but then I don't have a real computer - so I'd need 2 devices (which I used to do, and hated it). Being able to read and annotate papers with a pen (including in portrait mode) is very nice, as is presenting from a computer I can draw on directly.
I'm surprised at how long the battery lasts, and like the magnetic connection to power or docking station. The dock is really nice too, although I don't use it as much as I used to, since I'm mainly using it on my lap nowadays.
Put Linux on it and it's not so slow anymore. With 4GB of RAM you can even run the GNOME desktop (for its touch friendliness) with few or no memory issues, without ever hitting swap. The 'tablet' experience is vastly better on recent versions of GNOME than it ever was on Windows 10, and easily on a par with the new iPadOS. It actually turns tablet computers into a form factor you can use professionally.
Ubuntu support secure boot. You probably mean fastboot?
Besides that, the performance but especially the battery life is just depressing to work with. I could live with the performance if the battery life would be anything like my iPad, but for a device so slow having battery life this bad seems weird.
The other issue is the keyboard. Unless you have it on a solid surface, you have to be very careful about putting any weight on it. The keyboard will flex, which causes it to think the trackpad has been pressed. You can imagine the issues that come from that.
A Microsoft Store exchanged my keyboard for a new one, thinking it must have been a defect. After using it for a while and having the same experience, Microsoft support told me that's how the keyboard is designed and I need to be more careful when using it. OK...