Lenovo’s fifth generation ThinkPad X1 Carbon is out in the market and it seems very promising. Like its predecessors, the X1 Carbon is a tough laptop. It is not for those looking for an eye-candy. This laptop seriously means business and that is its edge over competitors. This laptop is for those who want to work on the go or otherwise as well and require a heavy duty laptop that won’t fail them.
The Carbon series has long established itself as a laptop for business users and thorough professionals. It is made up of carbon fiber paired with a magnesium alloy. These materials provide durability to the laptop as well as a texture that feels soft to touch. This adds some extra grip to the laptop and also appeases the senses. Its materials make it excellent for rough use as well as keep the laptop light weight in order to be carried around everywhere with ease. For enhanced security of data and information of the user, the X1 Carbon comes with a fingerprint sensor placed near the touchpad.
Display
The X1 Carbon carries a 14-inch display with slim bezels, thinner than its previous models. All of the Carbon’s competitors either sport a 4k panel or at least a modern QHD panel but not the Carbon. It still dazzles with a 1080p display and has no plans of changing that anytime soon. Also, there is no touch screen strictly making it a no-nonsense, serious work laptop.
The display comes with an anti-glare coating, therefore, making it very comfortable to work on even outdoors. The color and contrast are reasonably good. Although blue color stands out a little more than required because of its backlit LCD display. This technology is a little flawed because it makes the image appear cooler than usual. But nothing too obvious or annoying, the overall display is great.
Ports
The X1 Carbon comes equipped with two USB 3.0 Type-A ports, two Thunderbolt 3 (USB Type-C) ports, one micro-Ethernet port with adapter, a MicroSD card reader with Micro-SIM card slot, one HDMI port, and a microphone and headphone jack combined into one.
Keyboard
Despite its overall slim structure, the X1 Carbon has a spacious keyboard with very comfortable keys that travel a great deal and do not tire the fingers during heavy usage. Also, the fact that its keys are concave feels very satisfying during typing.
With regards to its keyboard comfort level, the X1 Carbon is much better than its competitors like the HP Spectre x360 and even the MacBook Pro 13. The keyboard is backlit and also spill-resistant.
Touchpad and TrackPoint Stick
Where the keyboard spaciousness is leading the X1 Carbon ahead of its competition, the touchpad is a slight disappointment because it is not too big. It does support multi touch gestures and complies with the Windows standards of the ‘Precision Touchpad’.
The Carbon also has a little Trackpointer in the middle of its keyboard. The purpose of this little red button is to be used as a mouse without having to move your hands away from the keyboard. The accompanying mouse buttons can be found on top of the touchpad. This is a convenient feature especially for users on the go, those who travel a lot while working.
Speakers
All Carbons like the 2017 model have speakers placed at the bottom end of the laptop at the front. Lying on a flat surface, these speakers produce a loud and clear sound. There may be less depth but clarity is unbeatable.
The position of the speakers may, however, pose a problem when the laptop is not lying on a flat surface, such as in your lap. That’s when sounds are muffled a little and not as clear. This may not be the best laptop to watch movies on. But then again, it is not intended for fun. Like we mentioned before, the Carbon means business. The sound quality is great for video calls and listening to information.
Speed
This laptop comes with a fast dual-core processor. The basic models come with Core i5-7200U but upgrade to Core i7-7600U is available.
Battery
The X1 Carbon possesses a 57 watt-hour internal battery. With its 1080p power saving display and its large battery, the battery life is exceptionally long, almost 11 hours at a stretch. This makes it a great laptop for travelers and those who have to work on the go.
Portability
Since the laptop uses materials like the carbon fiber and comes with slimmer bezels, the laptop weighs a mere 2.49 pounds. This is lighter as compared to the Carbon’s competitors, the Dell XPS 13 and the HP Spectre x360 as well as the MacBook Pro 13.
Warranty
Although like most laptops, the basic model of the X1 Carbon comes with a year’s warranty, the high-end models boast a 3-year warranty, unlike any others. This is great provided the high-end models are very expensive, even more than the basic model and a 3 years warranty provides some consolation and peace of mind there.
Final Verdict
In a nutshell, the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon is an amazing work laptop. If you need a laptop that can do all the hard work for you and do not care too much about its looks, in short, if you prefer functionality over form, then this is the ideal option for you.
It is fast, easy to carry around thanks to its light weight, sports a strong and durable chassis, a cutting-edge hard drive, boasts a stellar battery life and the overall experience of working on the laptop especially its keyboard is very gratifying. It feels great to the touch and is very inviting. Be sure that this is a laptop that will last a long time and is ideal for carrying around without any worries since it is so tough and rugged.
True it falls behind its competitors in quality of display and design but the X1 Carbon is no toy. It is a serious work laptop and can withstand long hours of work, day in and day out, has a great keyboard, again great to work on for long hours and is extremely travel-friendly with its amazing battery and light weight. The Carbon series does not disappoint and once again came up with a great iteration for this year. It is the undefeated champion of productivity.