I got the X1 gen 2 with the 12th gen i5, I heard about thermal issues on the 11th gen, and wanted to try the newish 12th gen one instead with the E cores.

• Docked use, and non docked use

I run windows 10 slimmed down and personally debloated it, I mainly use it docked through thunderbolt 4, with 2x external 1440p monitors running at 99Hz each, which makes interaction buttery smooth. (I cant push both past 99hz)

docked, its enough for office apps, browser, and outlook. Anything more like 3d programs (like CAD) it can do but a desktop might be better for these process intensive calculations, especially when you need to do data processing or simulations.

• Battery

When using off dock power, the battery noticeably goes down as you carry it around. I wouldn't use it on battery for more than 3 hours as the charge level goes down noticeably after a few. Defiantly don't use it seriously for many meetings in a row without a large battery bank with you to charge it on-the-go.

• Build quality

Its really thin and light to carry, the lid is weighted properly and satisfying to open with one finger. The track pad is smoother than glass, your finger glides on it like some sort of super-teflon. very nice.
The keyboard is a bit small for my large hands but I can take the compromise for portability. The speakers are top class, and so is the screen at 12 inches, and nearly 2k resolution.

Its a good tablet sized computer to use a browser and office apps on. Docked, you are going to always be limited by that 16gb of soldered ram, so its usefulness as a device for multitasking is limited to a handful of chrome tabs and profiles, and some office apps. On battery power, I wouldn't use it for more than as a browser or maybe Microsoft Word/Excel.

Its a good thin laptop to use for terminal consoles for ssh, or probably IDE programming (if you can handle the small keyboard)

• Personal Con's

My only gripe with laptops nowadays in general is that the smaller 14 inch or smaller ones, usually have very small arrow keys, which is not nice when you are a daily ssh user. One thing that can happen on these keyboards the Nano's have, is that random keys can develop noticeable loud creaking/squeaking. I read online about it and apparently it can randomly happen and it just a "quirk" of the Nano, and newer carbons. My down arrow key started squeaking. Annoying. It wont always, but if I spam down arrow, it'll squeak after about 5 times and get progressively worse till the point where the entire office can hear it.

Oh also, the left side of the keyboard gets noticeably warm when typing on the laptop, thats probably the processor heat. Not great not terrible. Its distractingly hot to the touch when typing but it doesn't burn. In the winter its a good hand warmer

• After notes about docked usage:

A few notes about using it docked, Im not sure if im a noob or something, but when I put it to sleep at the end of the day, and take it home, the next day I come back with it, it seems to have to power up from a cold start, and not wake from sleep. I assume it shuts itself off completely or goes into some kind of hibernation.
The annoying thing about this cold-start is that if I have it plugged into the dock when its starting, it makes this really *Really* loud chime through the speakers.

Also, maybe im a noob at docked laptops, but simply plugging the dock in, and pressing the power button doesnt turn it on, I typically have to open the laptop, let it wake up, then dock it, login to windows, then I can close the lid and use it through my monitors and external keyboard. The process can be made a bit smoother imo, but idk how.

• Other recommendations

For something more powerful and robust with a bigger battery, bigger keyboard, but still thin and light, consider the X1 Extreme gen 5. thats the one I want to try next