Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Ultrabook Review
by Dustin Sklavos on May 15, 2013 12:01 AM ESTConclusion: Prosumer Grade
Much as Mark Rosewater can't go a month without mentioning how he used to write for "Roseanne," I have a hard time not mentioning my background in video production. The reason to bring it up with the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon is simple: whether you're a hobbyist or a professional in any kind of content creation field, you have a pretty good idea of what "prosumer" means. Consumer grade hardware and software are generally (but not always) not worth your time, but professional grade kit often requires a substantial investment. Thus there's the middle ground: prosumer. Prosumer kit is typically fully featured, but doesn't cost an arm and a leg. You get 90% of the power of professional grade stuff at a fraction of the cost.
That's essentially what the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon is. Weird as it sounds, the ThinkPad is basically the Windows user equivalent of a Mac and has been for a while. The name has a cachet to it, and you have a good idea of what it represents. In the case of the X1 Carbon, we get a strong and sturdy build, great quality display, and the best chiclet keyboard in the business. We also get the kind of price premium we've come to expect for the ThinkPad brand, a premium that predates Lenovo's ownership.
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I have often said that you cannot charge Apple prices for Dell products. That's not necessarily to disparage Dell, but merely to make a point: you can't make bargain consumer grade hardware and still try to sell it at a premium. The ThinkPad X1 Carbon is a fine Ultrabook, and the $1,187 touch-free entry level model is without question the best deal in the lineup (though the 4GB of DDR3 stings mightily) and easy to recommend. If you want 8GB of memory you'll have to fork over at least $200 more (you get a CPU upgrade in the process), which is a bitter pill to swallow.
Where the Carbon runs into trouble is that its price is, like its battery life, barely competitive, and the higher-priced models are almost impossible to justify. Actual business-class kit is more expensive, but the Carbon is really competing with the likes of Dell's XPS 13. Dell will sell you an XPS 13 with a 1080p IPS display, faster processor, and 8GB of memory for $1,299. Married to the 14" form factor? Not a problem, they'll give you an XPS 14 with the same resolution display for $999, and at $1,199 you can even get dedicated graphics hardware.
Ultimately, if you're still smarting from what Lenovo has done with the ThinkPad brand like I am, it can be difficult to appreciate the X1 Carbon. It bears repeating this really is an excellent Ultrabook, falling short primarily in battery life and price but otherwise pretty tough to argue with. And Lenovo has been thriving compared to some of the competition, so they must be doing something right. I just don't like how they've sacrificed the ThinkPad brand on the altar of consumerism, and the X1 Carbon doesn't buck the trend. It's a fantastic Ultrabook, but it's not enterprise.
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EzioAs - Wednesday, May 15, 2013 - link
Unless they charge it $200+ less, I don't see much value in this ultrabook. The specs aren't bad, but price is a total deal breaker.darckhart - Wednesday, May 15, 2013 - link
while i agree the specs aren't great, one key thing about the carbon x1 is that it offers all this at 3.4 lbs. i haven't found any others with comparable specs at this weight. dell's xps 14 is nearly 1.25 lbs more. so there's going to be some tradeoffs.Nightdrake - Wednesday, May 15, 2013 - link
The carbon x1 may not be heavy, but it still is a big 14" device. Most people needing light weight for traveling also need small size.lxgoldsmith - Friday, May 17, 2013 - link
actually, it's the 13.3 inch size with less bezel and more screenMohjo - Wednesday, May 15, 2013 - link
Actually, this device does not compute, mainly due to its price. Its instructive to compare it against its most likely competitor in this field at that price which is not the Macbook Air, but the 13.3" retina pro:Macbook Pro 13-inch: 2.5GHz Core i5 Vs Lenovo Carbon X1
with Retina display
2.5GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 1.8GHz dual-core Core i5
Turbo Boost up to 3.1GHz Turbo Boost up to 2.1GHz
8GB 1600MHz DDR3L-1333 4GB 1333MHz DDR3L-1333
128GB SSD 180GB SSD
Intel HD Graphics 4000 Intel HD 4000 Graphics
13.3 LED-backlit IPS @ 2560-by-1600 14" LED-backlit @ 1600x900
multi-touch trackpad multi-touch display
2xUSB3 + 2x Thunderbolt (mini DP) + HDMI 1xUSB2,1xUSB3 + Mini DP
3.57 lbs 3.44 lbs
Aluminium Unibody chassis Carbon fibre/plastic chassis
$1499 $1556
While it comes down to personal preference between OS X and Windows 8, the jury is still out on whether a vertical touchscreen on a laptop is the way to go.
I think its way overpriced considering that in most specs, the Mac beats it (flogs it in display) and costs less. And I still don't get why PC makers have separate USB2 and 3 rails, surely if Apple can afford 2 USB3 ports, then so can Lenovo.
It maybe just me, but while I like the design, I agree the OP, this should be at least $200 less.
Mohjo - Wednesday, May 15, 2013 - link
Sorry about the above table mess, didn't realise formatting wouldn't keep. Here it is more readable:retina Macbook Pro 13-inch
2.5GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 Turbo Boost up to 3.1GHz
8GB 1600MHz DDR3L
128GB SSD
Intel HD Graphics 4000
13.3 LED-backlit IPS @ 2560-by-1600
multi-touch trackpad
2xUSB3 + 2x Thunderbolt (mini DP) + HDMI
3.57 lbs
Aluminium Unibody chassis
$1499
Vs
Lenovo Carbon X1
1.8GHz dual-core Core i5 Turbo Boost up to 2.1GHz
4GB 1333MHz DDR3L-1333
180GB SSD
Intel HD 4000 Graphics
14" LED-backlit @ 1600x900
multi-touch display
1xUSB2,1xUSB3 + Mini DP
3.44 lbs
Carbon fibre/plastic chassis
$1556
w_km - Wednesday, May 15, 2013 - link
Yes indeed., the MBP destroys lenovo in this example, though I'd take off $200 from lenovo's MSRP as I've never payed full price for a ThinkPad. Also, when mentioning the touch verison, you should write "X1 Carbon Touch". There is a significant difference in the touch vs nontouch usability and vs. the MBP. Nonetheless, Apple's offerings will dominate that thin and light market so long as lenovo fails to use high-quality carbon fiber in their chassis. We're already seeing high quality-"feeling" phones such as the HTC One gain mass consideration simply due to build quality, laptops are next.FATCamaro - Wednesday, May 15, 2013 - link
This. And Lenovo's upgrades are more expensive than Apple's. Of course, Windows8 on the MBPr isn't quite as good as it is in on native PC laptops but still.mschira - Wednesday, May 15, 2013 - link
Yes the comparison to the MacBook retina is devastating.Unless one considers that the 13" retina is a bit of a flawed piece by itself, annoyingly obviously lacking the power to support its awesome display.
M.
KoolAidMan1 - Wednesday, May 22, 2013 - link
The Ivy Bridge IGP can totally support that 13" rMBP display on the desktop. Haswell will be even better given that its IGP performance is around double that of Ivy Bridge's