Mascom International stocks the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga 3rd Gen Keyboard in the Canadian French layout at KSh 10,000, available now at our Nairobi CBD store. It is a genuine Lenovo part, brand new and sealed, supplied as the keyboard on its own. The Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga 3rd Gen Keyboard fits the 2018 convertible sold as machine types 20LD, 20LE, 20LF and 20LG. Keys light up from below and carry bilingual legends such as Échap, Début, Fin, ImpEc and AltCar. Find us at Old Mutual Building, First Floor Room 4, Kimathi Street.
Some X1 Yoga 3rd Gen laptops in Nairobi arrive as Canadian imports, carried home by Kenyans who studied or worked in Montreal, Ottawa and Toronto. When one key dies, typing in either language slows down, and an external keyboard ruins a convertible's portability, which is why fitting the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga 3rd Gen Keyboard properly pays off. The Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga 3rd Gen Keyboard returns the laptop to the exact layout its owner learned on. It serves embassy IT teams around Gigiri, teachers at French-curriculum schools, interpreters, and NGO staff reporting to francophone head offices. Each of them writes French and English in the same afternoon, often in the same email.
A US replacement plus a Windows language switch leaves blank keys where accents should be printed. Mascom International keeps the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga 3rd Gen Keyboard in its proper bilingual form, priced KSh 2,000 above our UK and US keyboards for these machines because far fewer arrive in Kenya. Buyers throughout Kenya tell us they would rather pay once for the right legends than squint at stickers for years. Message us your bottom label on WhatsApp for a free fit check, or walk in and compare it against your old keyboard.
Common Questions About the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga 3rd Gen Keyboard
Which laptops does the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga 3rd Gen Keyboard match?
The Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga 3rd Gen Keyboard matches the 2018 X1 Yoga, machine types 20LD, 20LE, 20LF and 20LG. Those four codes appear on the regulatory label under the laptop, next to the serial number. The 3rd Gen also shipped with 8th Gen Intel Core processors, which Windows lists under System in Settings. If the code or chip does not match, Mascom International will point you to the keyboard that does before you spend anything.
Which keys change on the CSA layout, and how do I type accents with it?
The CSA layout renames navigation keys in French, adds a key beside left Shift and uses a tall Enter key. Accents come in two ways: some letters such as é have their own key, while others are reached by holding AltCar, the right Alt key. Choose Canadian Multilingual Standard in Windows language settings. After that, every symbol printed on the keycap is what appears on screen in Word, Outlook and WhatsApp Desktop.
Who gets the most from this keyboard, and who should pick the UK or US version?
Owners whose 3rd Gen left the factory with Canadian French keys get the most value, along with anyone who types French daily. Interpreters, francophone journalists and students from Rwanda, Burundi and the DRC studying in Nairobi fall into that group. English-only users should skip it. The X1 Yoga Gen 2 and Gen 3 keyboard in UK or US layout costs KSh 8,000 at Mascom International and matches how most Kenyans already type.
Can I dim or turn off the keyboard light on the X1 Yoga 3rd Gen?
Yes, the light under the X1 Yoga 3rd Gen keyboard adjusts with Fn and Space, cycling through its brightness steps and off. Dim settings suit a dark lecture hall or an overnight bus to Kisumu without disturbing the person beside you. Full brightness helps when a blackout hits during an evening deadline. Lenovo controls the light in firmware, so the shortcut works on a fresh Windows installation with no utility to download.
Can a 3rd Gen keyboard go into an X1 Yoga 2nd Gen laptop?
Mascom International sells this Canadian French keyboard specifically for the 3rd Gen and stocks a separate Canadian French listing for 2nd Gen machines, types 20JD to 20JG. Ordering by generation is the safest route. Both models are 14-inch convertibles from consecutive years, so owners sometimes assume one part covers both. Send us the label photo and we confirm, rather than leaving you to discover a mismatch with the laptop already open.
Should I replace the whole keyboard or just a few broken keycaps?
Replace the whole keyboard when several keys fail, the backlight flickers, or keys stop responding without visible damage. Those faults sit in the membrane or circuit, which a new keycap cannot fix. One snapped cap with a working switch underneath is a smaller job, though matching Canadian French caps are hard to find locally. At KSh 10,000, a complete new keyboard resets every key, the light and the cable at once.
Will this keyboard cope with the humidity in Mombasa and the coast?
The Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga 3rd Gen Keyboard handles coastal humidity well when the laptop is stored dry between uses. Keep the machine in a padded sleeve rather than on a damp windowsill, and avoid typing with wet hands after the beach or the gym. Salt air settles as a film on keycaps over weeks. A cloth lightly dampened with isopropyl alcohol removes it without harming the printed legends.
What happens inside my laptop during the keyboard swap?
Lenovo mounts this keyboard from inside the chassis, so the technician removes the bottom cover and several internal components to reach it. The old keyboard then lifts out, the new one is screwed into place, and its ribbon cable clicks into the system board connector. Everything else goes back as it was. Your files, Windows installation and settings remain untouched, because the storage drive is not wiped during the repair.
How quickly can I get the keyboard if I live outside Nairobi?
Mascom International delivers the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga 3rd Gen Keyboard to every Kenyan county with payment on arrival. Buyers in Nakuru, Eldoret, Kisumu or Mombasa receive it the next business day, and Nairobi orders arrive the same day. You check the bilingual legends when the parcel lands, then pay. That gives an upcountry technician time to book the repair as soon as the part is in hand.
Technical Specifications
Part Identity and Purpose
- Genuine Lenovo keyboard for the ThinkPad X1 Yoga 3rd Gen, matching the part fitted at the factory.
- Keyboard-only replacement, meaning the palm rest, touchpad and screen assembly from your laptop are reused.
- Brings back full typing on a laptop whose keys have died, stuck, or lost their printed characters.
- Plug-and-type operation once fitted, with Windows detecting it as the built-in keyboard immediately.
- Suits individual owners repairing one laptop and IT departments refreshing a small fleet of 3rd Gen machines.
- Restores a full keyboard for a fraction of the cost of replacing the whole convertible with a newer model.
CSA Bilingual Key Map
- Échap replaces a plain Esc label, so French readers spot the key instantly without translating.
- Début and Fin sit on the Home and End keys, used constantly when editing long documents.
- ImpEc marks Print Screen, handy for capturing eCitizen or KRA iTax confirmation pages in either language.
- AltCar on the right gives access to accents and symbols printed on the lower right of keycaps.
- An ISO-style tall Enter key and extra lower-left key differ physically from ANSI US keyboards.
- Pair it with the Canadian Multilingual Standard setting in Windows so on-screen output matches each printed key.
Fit and Generation Matching
- Built for the 2018 ThinkPad X1 Yoga 3rd Gen, a 14-inch two-in-one with a hinge that folds flat.
- Fits machine types 20LD, 20LE, 20LF and 20LG, shown on the label under the chassis.
- This generation used 8th Gen Intel Core chips, giving a second way to confirm the model.
- A different Mascom International listing covers the Canadian French keyboard for 2nd Gen types 20JD to 20JG.
- Not meant for first-generation models or the redesigned 2019 and newer X1 Yoga generations.
- Typing your serial number into Lenovo's support site also confirms the generation if the bottom label has worn away.
Illumination and Key Feel
- LED lighting under the keycaps shows every bilingual legend in low light, from lecture halls to late flights.
- Fn and Space control brightness steps and off, working straight from firmware with no utility installed.
- Sculpted ThinkPad keycaps guide fingertips to the centre of each key, cutting typing errors on long documents.
- A red TrackPoint between G, H and B lets you steer the cursor without leaving the home row.
- Lowering the light on battery power helps the laptop last longer through an evening without a socket.
- Quiet, cushioned key action keeps note-taking discreet in meetings, court sessions and shared offices across Upper Hill.
Construction and Installation
- Installed from inside the chassis after the bottom cover and selected internal parts are lifted out.
- The factory-shaped frame seats flush in the top case, so keys sit level with no rocking or gaps.
- A ribbon cable joins the system board connector directly, with no soldering, adapters or cable extensions.
- Experienced ThinkPad technicians in Nairobi typically complete the swap in a single sitting with precision drivers.
- Lenovo publishes a hardware maintenance manual for this generation covering each removal and refitting step.
- Disconnecting the internal battery first protects the system board from accidental shorts while the base is open.
What Comes With It
- One factory-new Canadian French keyboard with backlight, packed to protect keycaps and its ribbon cable.
- No screws, tools, palm rest or laptop are supplied, so keep the screws removed from your old keyboard.
- Mascom International backs it against manufacturing defects for 6 months, as the Warranty section explains.
- Free WhatsApp fit confirmation from your label photo removes the guesswork before you place an order.
- In-store comparison against your old keyboard at Kimathi Street is welcome before any payment changes hands.
Package Contents
Inside the packaging you will find a single Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga 3rd Gen Keyboard with Canadian French legends and backlighting, protected against knocks and bent cables on the way to you. Only the keyboard ships. Screws, tools, a palm rest and the laptop itself are not part of the order, so retain every screw you take out. Plan the fitting with a ThinkPad technician or Lenovo's manual before opening the base.
Warranty
Mascom International covers the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga 3rd Gen Keyboard for 6 months against manufacturing defects. The cover holds for a keyboard installed correctly and used as intended, and it does not extend to spills, drops, or cables damaged during installation. Claims are handled at our Nairobi CBD store on presentation of your receipt and the keyboard.
Buying the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga 3rd Gen Keyboard from Mascom International
Mascom International stocks the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga 3rd Gen Keyboard in Black at our Nairobi CBD location: Old Mutual Building, First Floor Room 4, Kimathi Street. Walk in Monday through Saturday between 9:00 AM and 7:00 PM to hold the keyboard beside your laptop before committing.
Three ways to order:
- Call/WhatsApp +254 708 852 521
- Email info@mascomintl.com
- Order through www.mascomintl.com
Pay-on-arrival delivery reaches every Kenyan county. Nairobi and its environs receive the keyboard the same day. Nakuru, Eldoret, Kisumu, Mombasa and all other major towns receive it within 1 business day. Mandera, Wajir, Marsabit, Lamu, Tana River, and Turkana receive delivery within 2-3 business days. You inspect the parcel and pay only once it arrives.
The keyboard comes with the 6-month Mascom warranty detailed above.
Mascom International has earned its name on accurate part numbers, current Kenyan pricing and hands-on after-sales support from our Kimathi Street store.
