Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Ultrabook Review
by Dustin Sklavos on May 15, 2013 12:01 AM EST_678x452.jpg)
Introducing the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon
It shouldn't be surprising to know that AMD, NVIDIA, and Intel (especially Intel) will seed hardware amongst the tech reviewing industry. Most often it goes along with a product launch, but periodically it will be kit that they feel paints their product in a particularly good light. I don't think it's a secret that Ultrabooks and touchscreens have had a little bit of trouble getting off the ground. You could argue that the whole Ultrabook branding scheme, particularly after Intel expanded the definition, was more a way of renaming and redefining the notebook than anything. That it happens to be trademarked by Intel and thus AMD cannot have an Ultrabook is, I'm sure, just a coincidence.
We've had a lot of good Ultrabooks come through, mostly at the 13.3"-and-below scale. The problem the majority suffer from is a a simple one: Intel's initial definition of the Ultrabook basically aped the MacBook Air, and so that design language essentially became the order of the day. Ironically it was really only Dell and HP that had the audacity to tinker with the specs and color around the edges, but with the ThinkPad X1 Carbon, Lenovo has produced something that is unique. It's a 14" Ultrabook, but it hopefully heralds more of the kinds of designs we can look forward to in the 14" and up Ultrabook bracket.
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Specifications | |
Processor |
Intel Core i5-3427U (2x1.8GHz + HTT, Turbo to 2.8GHz, 22nm, 3MB L3, 17W) |
Chipset | Intel QS77 |
Memory | 2x2GB integrated DDR3L-1333 |
Graphics |
Intel HD 4000 Graphics (16 EUs, up to 1150MHz) |
Display |
14" LED Glossy 16:9 1600x900 Touchscreen SHP5108 |
Hard Drive(s) | 180GB Intel SATA 6Gbps SSD |
Optical Drive | - |
Networking |
Intel Centrino Wireless-N 6205 802.11a/g/n 2x2 Bluetooth 4.0 |
Audio |
Realtek ALC269 HD Audio Stereo speakers Combination mic/headphone jack |
Battery | 4-Cell, 45Wh (integrated) |
Front Side | - |
Right Side |
SD card reader Mic/headphone combo jack Mini-DisplayPort USB 3.0 Kensington lock |
Left Side |
AC adaptor Vent USB 2.0 Wi-Fi switch |
Back Side | - |
Operating System | Windows 8 Pro 64-bit |
Dimensions |
13.03" x 8.9" x 0.74" 331mm x 226mm x 20.85mm |
Weight |
3.4 lbs 1.55kg |
Extras |
720p Webcam SSD Bluetooth Backlit keyboard Intel vPro 10-finger touch Fingerprint reader |
Warranty | 1-year depot/express warranty |
Pricing |
Starts at $1,319 As configured: $1,556 |
I understand the enterprise sector often lags a little bit behind the consumer sector; new hotness typically needs to be proven reliable before it can get shipped to the more demanding business environment. For the most part the ThinkPad X1 Carbon is as modern as a notebook can be until Haswell arrives, but there are one or two oddballs.
The Intel Core i5-3427U is a respectable CPU and difficult to find fault with, sporting a healthy 1.8GHz nominal clock that typically bumps up to 2GHz under sustained load, yet Lenovo is stingy with the memory. If you want 8GB of memory, you have to buy their top end $1,759 model; it's not even an upgrade option on the lesser models, where you're stuck with 4GB of memory. 4GB of DDR3L-1333, not DDR3L-1600 like Lenovo's competitors are shipping. Thankfully, while Lenovo's site states the X1 Carbon is limited to one DIMM, the memory is operating in dual channel mode.
Given the X1 Carbon's enterprise aspirations, the SSD is Intel kit; the specific model number isn't readily available, but it supports SATA 6Gbps and features the odd 180GB capacity. Most of what's included with the X1 Carbon is as you expect, though the high resolution display is welcome. Note that while it's listed as being glossy, the glossy coating is actually a mild one; it's too glossy to really be called a true matte display, but it's not the nightmare of reflectivity that most glossy displays are.
Finally, thankfully, wireless connectivity includes 5GHz. It still baffles me how in 2013 anyone can ship a notebook without this.
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Dustin Sklavos - Wednesday, May 15, 2013 - link
Not true! Chris Heinonen plays, so there's at least two people. ;)Exodite - Wednesday, May 15, 2013 - link
There are probably more of us than one might initially think. ;)IVIauricius - Wednesday, May 15, 2013 - link
Why do laptop makers keep putting the Ctrl and Fn keys backwards? That is one of the top reasons I purchased a Dell XPS 13 over a MacBook Air 13. Craziness.Greenthum6 - Wednesday, May 15, 2013 - link
I wondered the same before purchasing a Lenovo W520. Fortunately, you can easily switch Fn and Ctrl in BIOS. It takes 5 minutes to memorize the change and I've had zero issues with it since.chubbypanda - Wednesday, May 15, 2013 - link
It's actually the opposite, this is the layout it suppose to be. If needed Lenovo, unlike Apple give you option to switch these two.bji - Wednesday, May 15, 2013 - link
There is no "layout that is supposed to be". However there is historical precedent and Apple and Lenovo are breaking it, for what that's worth.Apple may not give you the built-in option to switch but there are free and easy to use apps that allow you to reconfigure the keyboard on OS X. Within 10 minutes of getting my rMBP I had downloaded and installed such an app and used it to switch the Ctrl and Fn keys and then popped the key caps off of the keyboard and switched them.
bji - Wednesday, May 15, 2013 - link
I should point out that you can't switch the key caps on the Lenovo since they are different sized keys. However on the Mac they are identically sized and so they can be switched with no issue.bji - Wednesday, May 15, 2013 - link
Also may I point out that back in the day when Sun worstations were de rigeur in software development, we used to remap the Control and Caps Lock keys, which on Sun keyboards were for some bizarre reason switched from where they are on a normal PC keyboard.Bob-o - Wednesday, May 15, 2013 - link
Bizarre? The UNIX world always had Control located where PC keyboards have CapsLock. Control is used much more frequently and it's a more natural location. Especially if you are an emacs user.Those of use from that world struggle with modern keyboards and xkb mappings. Luckily I still have my Type 4 and a USB adapter. :-)
bji - Thursday, May 16, 2013 - link
I'm an emacs user and I find control in the bottom left to be very usable. The "pinky pull down" to hit the control key is easy to do. However playing with my keyboard for a few moments I can see where Control where caps lock would be wouldn't even require moving the pinky finger. So I guess it's better, except that pulling the pinky down to hit control is so effortless as to make the point fairly moot.