Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Launched. Details and Specifications.

Posted on 15 May 2012, Last updated on 17 March 2023 by

The X1 is probably the most referenced laptop by commenters on Ultrabook News so I’m sure many of you will be excited to know that it’s being updated and will be offered, alongside the original X1, as the Lenovo Thinkpad X1 Carbon. This isn’t just an Ivy Bridge CPU/GPU update, it’s a full re-work that brings it down to under 3lbs in weight. That’s about 1.35 KG, for a 14” Ultrabook.

Lenovo X1

The X1 Carbon is the second Ultrabook that we’ve seen that is built on a carbon fiber chassis. (The LuvBook X is also the lightest Ultrabook in its screen class.) Screen resolution is 1600×900 and is said to be wide-angle, but not IPS. As shown in the image above, it’s matt and it folds back flat.

The ThinkPad Precision Keyboard looks very much the same as the one we’re testing in the U300S right now but it has the touchpoint button, a fingerprint reader and the Thinkpad style mouse buttons. It will be backlit too. RapidCharge and 3G/4G options will be available.

In terms of ports we’re seeing:

  • Full SD card slot
  • Headphone/headset
  • Mini Display port
  • USB 3.0
  • USB 2.0

CPU details are under embargo which makes sense if it’s a true Ultrabook but expect similar options to other devices across the i3, i5 and i7 range. Storage will be 128Gb or 256GB SSD. Lenovo also announced a USB 3.0 docking station. We suspect that will be similar to the Toshiba Dynadock USB 3.0 and a fairly universal product.

Pricing has not been made public but this is clearly going to be a device that extends will into the $2K range. As far as we can tell, Lenovo did not announce any Ivy Bridge update for the existing X1. Availability: Summer 2012

Lenovo X1 -2Lenovo X13

From the press release:

ThinkPad X1 Carbon: The Lightest Professional Ultrabook
Created for those who demand the highest levels of performance, mobility, entertainment and design, the ThinkPad X1 Carbon exceeds Ultrabook™ specifications by using a premium carbon fiber rollcage to create a durable UltrabookTM weighing less than three pounds. Other premium features include 3G connectivity for anywhere anytime access, Lenovo RapidCharge for a near-full battery charge in 30 minutes and Intel vPro technology for manageability. “We crafted the ThinkPad X1 Carbon with premium carbon fiber material in order to make it incredibly thin and light, yet durable,” said Lu Yan, senior vice president, Think Product Group, Lenovo. “Our new ThinkPad laptop portfolio embodies much of the innovative thinking exemplified in the X1 Carbon, such as a backlit keyboard, super-bright high definition display, Dolby® Home Theatre® and rich communications features that balance business performance with personal use.”

Via Notebookcheck.net and The Verge who have some hands-on pictures.

18 Comments For This Post

  1. Danyal Zafar says:

    $2k? No one’s going to pay more than $1000 for this laptop. Lets see

  2. Adam says:

    I had my work pay for an almost $2K Thinkpad X60 a few years back with all the options; the extra batteries, battery wedge, etc… Once its all said and done they’re pretty expensive and the ultimate in mobility for those we don’t care about looks.

    They’re god-awful ugly but I’ve never had a machine that had more mobility or better build quality; the things are TANKS for being so light. Function buttons for anything you could ever want; they definitely spend the time that everyone else spends on making an attractive laptop on making a functional laptop.

    Adam

  3. Robert says:

    it all sounded very nice and exciting until i read it´s going to be well into 2000 … i am already streching it with my intention of buying the samsung series 9 which will stop short of 2000 .. going above it thats were it stops for me .

  4. Chippy says:

    Be careful. I said it would ‘extend’ in to the 2K range. Just like the ‘cheap’ Sony Ultrabooks when you add the big ssd, high-end CPU option. They start at below $1K! If you ask for my guess, I think we’re probably talking $1300 starting price.

  5. robert says:

    thanks for clarifying that chippy i jumped the gun there

  6. vjachi says:

    up to 2K I think, like Sony. For 2K Lenovo will offer 4G, 512 or 1GB SSD, 8-16 GB RAM. core i7 and so on
    For around 1000-1200 we will probably get core i5, 128 GB SSD, 4 GB RAM without 4g :)

  7. Robert says:

    ok that sounds more reasonable ;) how well do you think it will compare to the samsung series 9 ?

  8. vjachi says:

    Well it’s hard to say from photos only. Both looks great, but for me personally Samsung’s design is sexier.
    To judge them we need to wait for tests – battery life, noise, cooling, keyboard as prime criterion. For some the performance will be important – base speed, SSD speed and so on :)

  9. MP says:

    I could have done without the thinkpad mouse buttons – don’t like them at all. Apart from that I like it.

    vjachi :
    Well it’s hard to say from photos only. Both looks great, but for me personally Samsung’s design is sexier.
    To judge them we need to wait for tests – battery life, noise, cooling, keyboard as prime criterion. For some the performance will be important – base speed, SSD speed and so on

    Yeah, noise is actually my #1 factor when getting a new laptop. Even if it’s perfect in all other regards, I wouldn’t buy it if it started to use the fan when browsing or watching a movie. My current ASUS UL30VT with an SSD is real quet and I expect my next laptop to be even more quiet.

    Anyway, will definitely be interesting to see some testing done on this guy!

  10. ali says:

    So now as AMD is much better option for ultra books will you announce the brands and models that will support them?

    Imagine samsung series 5 or acer s3 with amd for 600 dollars :)

    can’t wait :)

  11. ace says:

    lol… amd a much better option? ridiculous…

  12. concordus says:

    you are just misinformed, that why I am asking for more information and tests about AMD, because actually it is better on price, power consumption, GPU power than Ivy Bridge, and thats all I need in ultra portable, don’t care about price Intels with more CPU power that wont be used and battery life will suffer.

  13. portable guy says:

    Any details on the X230?

  14. jeff says:

    I can’t seem to find any info on what the CPU options are for the X230. I’m hoping there’s a 3612QM option. Too bad the resolution seems to be the same low 1366×768 though there may be a 1600×900 option.

  15. DavidC1 says:

    These Ivy Bridge based systems better not use Geforce 610M and call them “discrete” when it significantly underperforms the iGPU in IVB.

    Does anyone know why they do that? The Lenovo U410 is supposed to feature the 610M. They like wasting money?

  16. artaman says:

    I had a similar argument with some people in forums regarding the old HD 3000 vs the graphics in AMD E-450 APU.
    In 3dmark the HD 3000 thrashes the AMD one; however may people claimed that purely due to better driver support, AMD is in real life better especially for games.

    Maybe the same stands for HD 4000 vs 610m

  17. DavidC1 says:

    In the case of HD 3000 vs E-450’s GPU, some poorly implemented HD 3000 ends up worse than the E-450(like the Samsung Series 9 one). And they are both integrated graphics.

    But 610M is a discrete, which adds additional cost, and increases power usage. Even if there was some gain, its a bad decision on the manufacturer part.

  18. Robert says:

    Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon hmm this one actually makes me rethink it looks like a great alternative to the samsung series 9 .. it has the matt screen too and
    the sound and keyboard might be considerably better
    .. i think the samsung trackpad issue was dealt with through software updates however reviewers have voiced slight dissapointment with its sound .. unless samsung series 9 ivy bridge also brings improvement in these areas the thinkpad might be my new direction.

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