Lenovo ThinkCentre neo 50q Tiny QC Review a Qualcomm Snapdragon X Based 1L PC

Over the years we have looked at a lot of mini-PCs here at ServeTheHome. And while they have come in a variety of sizes – with some that are quite big while others truly live up to the title mini – it is rare that a mini-PC comes across our labs that breaks new ground. But that is exactly what we have today with the Lenovo ThinkCentre Neo 50q QC, a mini-PC based around Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X platform.

We have covered the release of the Snapdragon X platform in some detail over the past year and a half. But with the bulk of those systems aimed at the consumer laptop market, this marks the first proper Snapdragon X system to land in our labs. As a result, this gives us a chance to see what Qualcomm’s first-generation X-series platform can do – strengths and weaknesses alike – as well as evaluating how well it works as a commercial-grade mini-PC.

Partner Lenovo, for its part, is no small player in this space, and their backing carries a lot of weight here as well. Suffice it to say, our expectations are fairly high for a Lenovo-branded mini-PC.

This also marks the latest Project TinyMicroMicro PC to come in to our labs – with the Neo 50q measuring just 1 liter in volume. So a big thank you to our members for subscribing to ServeTheHome and making it possible for us purchase this mini-PC. You can find the unit at Lenovo’s web store: Affiliate Link.

Lenovo ThinkCentre Neo 50q QC External Hardware Overview

Starting as always from the outside and working our way in, the ThinkCentre Neo 50q QC looks a lot like Lenovo’s other ThinkCentre Neo mini-PCs. And it is not just a mere resemblance: Lenovo is outright reusing their chassis design between multiple PCs here. In this case, this is the same chassis that can be found on the Intel-based ThinkCentre Neo 50q Gen5, black paint job and all.

So you cannot accuse the 50q QC of not fitting in with the rest of Lenovo’s commercial PCs.

The front set of ports is a pretty bare set of options. Here you will find a 10Gbps USB Type-A port, a 10Gbps USB Type-C port – and the device’s only USB-C port altogether – as well as a 3.5mm audio combo jack, and the power button.

Interestingly, the older-style USB-A port features a higher charging capability. While the USB-C port is rated for 4.5W (5V@0.9A) of power delivery, the front USB-A port is rated for 10.5W (5V@2.1A). So all other things held equal, the USB-A port is a bit more powerful – in a literal sense.

With its included rubber feet, the 50q QC measures just 36.5mm tall. And if you remove the feet, you can shave off another 2mm to the bare-minimum 34.5mm.

There are no ventilation intakes on the top or bottom of the 50q QC – everything is done at the sides and the rear. The mini-PC does not need to sit up for any clearance. The feet are primarily there to keep it from slipping away.

The sides, meanwhile, are relatively unremarkable, but this is where more venting takes place as far as cooling goes.

Flipping the 50q QC over to its rear, we have the rest of the unit’s I/O ports. And like the chassis itself, this is a very standard Lenovo layout.

For peripherals, there are 4 USB Type-A ports here, which are helpfully numbered from 3 to 6 (ports 1 and 2 are on the front and are technically numbered as well, but they show up poorly on the silver face plate). The farthest two parts, 3 and 6, are 10Gbps USB ports. Meanwhile, the middle two ports are more mundane 480Mbps (USB 2.0) ports, better suited for peripherals like keyboards and mice.

Otherwise, for display outputs, there are a total of 3 options. Built into the mini-PC’s motherboard is both a full-sized HDMI 2.1 (18Gbps) port, as well as a DisplayPort (1.4/HBR2). Despite supporting newer tech standards, both ports are limited to 4K@60Hz outputs, as this is the best that the integrated Adreno GPU can drive.

The final display output is up towards the right, occupying a generic punch out port in Lenovo’s mini-PC design. This one is more limited however, and only supports a maximum output resolution of 1200p.

As for wired networking, Lenovo has added a basic 1Gbps RJ45 Ethernet port. It serves its purpose, but on paper it is slower than the optional 2×2 stream Wi-Fi 6E adapter that is included with Wi-Fi equipped models. On which note, to the right of the Ethernet port you will find an external antenna terminal for hooking up one of the mini-PC’s antennas.

Last, but not least, is one of Lenovo’s proprietary DC input jacks. As this is a rather minute 1L mini-PC, there is no space to put an internal power supply inside of the PC. And as it is a mini-PC as opposed to laptop (despite the laptop-grade hardware), the 50q QC does not rely on USB-C power delivery for charging. Instead, Lenovo ships it with a 65-Watt AC adapter – another shared component across their mini-PC ecosystem.

Officially, the 50q QC can also be used with a 90W adapter that Lenovo also sells. But with even the 65W adapter being overkill for the low power usage of the mini-PC, there are few reasons to use anything more than the included 65W adapter.

Finally, above it all resides the 50q QC’s exhaust vent. As noted earlier, cool air is drawn in from the sides and then eventually exhausted out of the PC out the rear. And if you take a quick look here, you will also see the sole thumbscrew needed to get inside the mini-PC, making it very easy to get inside Lenovo’s little box.

Speaking of which, let us get inside the system.