Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon review
The super-thin X1 Carbon offers the features of a ThinkPad in an ultrabook format
Lenovo's ThinkPad laptops have always proven popular with business users, and the latest Thinkpad X1 Carbon offers buyers an ultrabook version of the platform, combining the latest Intel processors into a lightweight design using carbon fibre for durability.
However, ultrabook also seems to be a byword for expensive, and at £1,275, the system we looked at is definitely not for customers on a budget.
For businesses evaluating the X1 Carbon against other ThinkPads, there are other drawbacks. It has no connector for a docking cradle, for example.
As with many other ultrabooks, Lenovo has also followed the lead of Apple's MacBook Air and made the X1 Carbon a sealed unit that cannot easily be upgraded. That means the user cannot carry a spare battery to swap in for extended use away from the mains.
However, for those firms that see low weight and high performance as more important than the above, the X1 Carbon is a great ultrabook choice. First announced by Lenovo in May, the X1 Carbon is the successor to last year's slimline ThinkPad X1 model, but brings Intel's latest Ivy Bridge Core i5 and Core i7 processors. It also trims the weight and thickness to deliver one of the lightest fully specified business laptops available.
Unlike many other ultrabook models, the X1 Carbon features a 14in screen, offering a slightly larger display area for users to work with. But the system feels light at 1.36kg and is just 18mm thick, making it ideal for professionals needing to carry it with them on their travels.
For corporate users, the ThinkPad features Intel's vPro technology for remote manageability, a fingerprint scanner and Trusted Platform Module (TPM) security chip.
The ThinkPad X1 Carbon is unmistakeably a Lenovo system, featuring the distinctive black and red styling that is the hallmark of the ThinkPad brand.
Despite its slim lines, the system feels reassuringly solid, possibly due to the carbon fibre construction employed, which Lenovo claims is as strong as aluminium for just a third of the weight.
It is also well balanced, which means that when using the X1 Carbon on your lap, you can push the screen back as far as you like to reach a comfortable viewing angle, without it feeling like it might tip over.
Opened up, the X1 Carbon shows off the classic ThinkPad configuration of both a touchpad below the keyboard and a TrackPoint controller embedded in the midst of the keys. The latter device enables you to control the pointer without removing your fingers from the keyboard, making it a favourite of many professional users, although it is not liked by everyone. Either one can be disabled via the Windows Control Panel.
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon review
The super-thin X1 Carbon offers the features of a ThinkPad in an ultrabook format
The keyboard on the X1 Carbon is one of the so-called chiclet style, with large, well-spaced keys that are slightly contoured to give the feel of a full-size desktop keyboard, albeit with a little less travel.
One notable feature of the keyboard is a backlight, which can be turned off and on and set to one of two brightness levels by holding down the Fn modifier and pressing the spacebar.
Meanwhile, Lenovo's high-brightness 14in screen offers an impressive 1,600x900 resolution, delivering extra space for displaying large spreadsheets, for example.
A pair of microphones flank the 720p webcam lens, forming a dual array configuration that is supposed to help cancel out noise, according to Lenovo.
As with other ultrabooks, the X1 Carbon is not over-blessed with I/O ports, lacking even an Ethernet connector to plug into a wired LAN. Lenovo can supply a USB dongle, if this capability is required.
The left-hand edge features a single USB 2.0 port, which can be used to power devices even when the laptop is in sleep or hibernation mode. There is also a hardware switch to turn wireless functions on or off, which we approve of, plus an unusual rectangular power socket.
ThinkPads have long shared the same round power connector, which meant that power adapters were interchangeable, but the X1 Carbon appears to be too thin to accommodate this.
The right-hand edge carries a USB 3.0 port, Mini DisplayPort output for an external screen, SD Card slot and a recess for attaching a security cable.
As this ThinkPad does not have a removable battery, the SIM card slot for mobile broadband is located behind a pull-off protective flap to the rear of the system, rather than tucked away inside the battery compartment like most other laptops.
Underneath the case are two discrete slots for stereo speakers, plus one feature rarely seen on modern PCs - a reset switch. This is behind a tiny hole in the case and so can only be triggered with a paper clip.
One thing missing from the underside of the X1 Carbon is the docking connector for a desktop cradle or battery slice, which you would expect to see on a business-focused ThinkPad.
Our X1 Carbon review unit came configured with a 1.8GHz Core i5-3427U dual-core processor and 8GB memory, which is also the maximum that can be fitted. Storage consisted of a 256GB solid state disk (SSD), also the maximum configuration, but no optical drive due to the laptop's slim lines.
This configuration makes the ThinkPad responsive in use, and along with other ultrabooks, the X1 Carbon boots up rapidly, in about 30 seconds in our tests.
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon review
The super-thin X1 Carbon offers the features of a ThinkPad in an ultrabook format
Thanks to its Core i5 processor, the ThinkPad measures up with a quite decent score of 5.8 under the Windows Experience Index (WEI) performance rating tool built into Windows 7. This score was actually pegged to the performance of the Intel integrated graphics, with the CPU and hard drive showing better scores of 6.9 and 7.9, respectively.
Lenovo rates the X1 Carbon as having a battery life of up to 8.2 hours from its internal 45Whr battery pack, but as any laptop owner knows, this can vary widely depending on what you are using the system for.
In our tests using the Battery Eater Pro benchmark, the ThinkPad lasted for just one hour and 53 minutes under the tool's Classic mode which simulates a demanding workload. However, when tested under the Reader mode, which simulates less intensive activity, the ThinkPad lasted for eight hours and 55 minutes.
This huge discrepancy is partly due to Intel's Turbo Boost technology feature, which ratchets the processor clock speed up as high as 2.8GHz whenever Windows requests the highest performance state. Overall, this means that users can probably expect to see around four hours of battery life under typical use.
However, it is worth noting that the X1 Carbon includes Lenovo's own Power Manager app, part of the firm's ThinkVantage tools, which provides more fine-grained power management options than Windows does, including special Battery Stretch settings and a 30-day Standby mode that combines a deep sleep or hibernation with a rapid resume when the power button is pressed.
On the plus side, the X1 Carbon also features Lenovo's RapidCharge technology, which in our tests delivered a full battery after just an hour's charging.
The ThinkVantage tools also include a Rescue and Recovery app, Password Manager and Access Connections to manage network connectivity.
The X1 Carbon also includes Lenovo Mobile Access, a service that provides global access to mobile broadband which users can pay for as and when they need it.
Sadly, some other Lenovo software on our evaluation system was little more than unnecessary bloatware, such as SimpleTap, which provides a tablet-like user interface with a grid of large icons for launching applications.
Lenovo also included trial versions of Microsoft Office 2010, Norton Internet Security, and Absolute Data Protect, which allows users to remotely lock their computer or delete personal files in the event of theft.
Overall, Lenovo's X1 Carbon delivers the ThinkPad business laptop in a super-slim ultrabook format, without compromising on performance or ruggedness, making it well-suited for professional use on the go. But like other ultrabooks, it is limited to an internal battery and cannot be docked to a desktop cradle.