Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Ultrabook Review
by Dustin Sklavos on May 15, 2013 12:01 AM ESTSystem Performance
By this point, Ivy Bridge is old hat. We have a fairly common ultra low voltage Intel Core i5 and a speedy Intel SSD; no dedicated graphics required. This isn't Lenovo's fault, it's just the result of catching a product this late in the refresh cycle. Performance testing winds up being more of a sanity check to make sure everything is running smoothly.
That said, I did run into a hiccup during testing. In BIOS, the CPU was set to "Battery Optimized," which locked it at 600MHz. The setting labeled "Maximum Performance" actually just allows the CPU to turbo the way it's been designed to, and I feel it's worth pointing out that the "Battery Optimized" mode actually had worse running time than "Maximum Performance." This is easy enough to explain; modern processors are designed to finish tasks and go idle as soon as possible, so capping the CPU's top speed prevents it from doing exactly that and forces it to work longer.
System and CPU testing yields absolutely no surprises; the ThinkPad X1 Carbon's i5-3427U falls in line exactly where it's supposed to.
Graphics results are more of the same. The HD 4000 in the X1 Carbon puts in a strong showing (comparatively) in 3DMark's Ice Storm test, but it's basically still an Ivy Bridge HD 4000.
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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