Lenovo’s flagship business laptop, the ThinkPad X1 Carbon, has reached its 8th generation, and the latest model continues to push the boundaries of performance and portability. It sports a 14-inch screen with maximum 4K (3,840 x 2,160) resolution, up to 2TB SSD storage, and weighs a shadow over 1kg. You can spend between £ 1,141.66 (excl. VAT; £ 1,369.99 incl. VAT) and £ 1,716.66 (excl. VAT; £ 2,059.99 incl. VAT) on an off-the-shelf configuration, or you can adjust.
In the US, prices start at $ 1,331.40 and top out at $ 2,207.40.
Last year, the 7th generation ThinkPad X1 Carbon received plaudits for its power in a light, sturdy chassis. The X1 Carbon is obviously not without competitors, and this year the main rival is probably Dell’s refreshed XPS line.
The Dell XPS 15 I recently got a 15.6-inch screen in a chassis that is 344mm wide by 230mm deep by 18mm thick. The ThinkPad X1 Carbon (8th Gen) has a 14-inch screen in a chassis with a desktop footprint that is only slightly smaller (323mm x 218mm). Lenovo would be happy to find a way to limit its screen edges to get competitor to Dell’s XPS. The sides of the X1 Carbon are noticeable on the short edges (measured at 6mm), more so at the top (measured at 12mm) and even more so at the bottom (harder to measure accurately, but at least 20mm) . Dell’s InfinityEdge design increases screen height, enables more screen in the chassis, and delivers what for me is the best screen usability experience I’ve had in a while. The bottom edge on Lenovo’s flagship laptop seems extensive in comparison.
As mentioned, the Dell XPS 15 is 18mm thick, while the ThinkPad X1 Carbon 8th Gen is slimmer at 14.9mm. Also, the 15.6-inch XPS 15 weighs 1.8kg, while the ThinkPad X1 Carbon 8th Gen has a much more bag-friendly starting weight of 1.09kg.
The 14-inch ThinkPad X1 Carbon (8th Gen) is the ultra-portable of Lenovo’s ultraported, weighing in at just over 1kg.
Images: Lenovo
Despite its light weight, Lenovo does not compromise on build quality. Lenovo says the X1 Carbon has passed 12 requirements for military degrees, including for cold, dust and liquid intervention. Although I did not test all these aspects, I can say that the chassis feels robust, with only a slight amount of lag in the cover.
The black chassis with the ThinkPad X1 logo in one corner of the lid, its red light over the ‘i’ indicating that the laptop is switched on, is well known. Lenovo loves consistency in its branding, and outwardly this ThinkPad X1 hardly differs from its recent predecessors.
Internally, it is also widely known. The keyboard is backlit, the two intensities are switched by the combination Fn key / space ball. The QWERTY keys are large, their pot-belly gives them just a little more of a purpose for the fingers than usual, and their somewhat concave-shaped and noticeable bounceback ensures a pleasant typing experience. They have a soft-touch feel that adds to the positive action and they click quietly. The Enter key is large, and Lenovo has even managed to make the arrow keys, which often suffer on smaller keyboards, nice by extending the keyboard area below them a few millimeters into the wrist rest. The Fn key series now includes a few keys for conversations – handy for those of us who spend most of our time working remotely. Add all this to one of the most comfortable laptop keyboard experiences around.
The design, layout and action of the ThinkPad X1 Carbon keyboard make for one of the best typing experiences on a laptop.
Image: Sandra Vogel / ZDNet
Lenovo’s trademark TrackPoint sits in its usual home between the G, H, and B keys, and there’s a three – button array between the space ball and the touchpad to use. This means that the touchpad itself is a little less deep than normal, which makes its use a bit awkward. It has an NFC touchpoint built in, and a fingerprint sensor to the right.
Although it has a slightly larger chassis, the touchpad on the Dell XPS 15 is proportionally much larger than the X1 Carbon’s, which feels cramped by comparison. I noticed the smaller size in my review of last year’s model, and it’s probably time for Lenovo to make the touchpad bigger. Following on from the Dell XPS experience is great looking when it comes to touchpads, in my opinion.
The screen lies flat on a desk, but does not rotate anymore. If you want it, there are many 360-degree convertible options in the Lenovo stable. The screen in my review unit was a 14-inch IPS panel with FHD (1,920 x 1,080) resolution, 400 nits brightness and an anti-glare coating. It’s nice to have a non-reflective screen, and it’s very bright enough to work inside. Other options include a 4K, 500 nits glossy IPS panel with HDR400 and Dolby Vision, or an FHD anti-glare touch screen with 400 nits brightness.
Security features include the Webcam’s ThinkShutter.
Image: Sandra Vogel / ZDNet
There’s a 720p webcam above the screen with IR and Lenovo’s ThinkShutter, a manual slider that handles the camera’s lens. This is not consistent across all preconfigured models, so double check if you want it.
Lenovo uses the Dolby Atmos 4 speaker system, which includes profiles for use cases including film, music, voice and gaming, has a dynamic profiling setting that will adjust depending on what you are listening to, and can save your three personalized profiles. Two grids sit at the bottom of the chassis where they are in danger of becoming muffle, and two are above the keyboard. Sound output is impressive: I liked last year’s speaker lineup, and this year I found bass tones appropriately basic, spoken words clearly, and overall streaming video and music quite acceptable. Like before it actually drops when you push the volume to 100%, but at 80% it’s good, and I’ve never felt the need to go higher.
Lenovo equips the ThinkPad X1 Carbon (8th Gen) range with processors up to a 10th-generation Intel Core i7, 16GB of RAM and a choice of two batteries, with the one with higher capacity in all pre-configured models. Lenovo claims that this 51Wh battery provides up to 19.5 hours of life. All models have Intel UHD 620 Graphics and Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) integrated.
ThinkShield security is an optional extra and includes PrivacyGuard, which reduces the visual angle of the screen, making it difficult for anyone sitting next to you to view the content. It also includes PrivacyAlert – software that works with the IR camera to issue a pop-up alert when someone looks over your shoulder.
Left side (top): USB-C Thunderbolt 3 (always on); USB-C thunderbolt 3 and network extension for Ethernet dongle / dock; USB 3.1; HDMI; 3.5mm audio in / out. Right (above): power button; USB 3.1; Kensington lock slot.
Images: Sandra Vogel / ZDNet
The power switch, on the right side of the chassis, has a little white LED to let you know it’s on, and pulses when you close the lid without checking (just like the red dot on the ‘i’ of it ThinkPad logo on the lid). There are two USB-C Thunderbolt 3 ports (one of which doubles as a laptop charger), two USB 3.1 ports, a full-size HDMI port, and a 3.5mm combo headphone / mic jack. A proprietary connector provides an RJ-45 Ethernet dongle. Mobile LTE broadband is integrated in some models.
The pre-set models start at £ 1,141.66 (excl. VAT; £ 1,369.99 incl. VAT). Not all options are listed below – just the smallest and most expensive, and my review unit, which falls between the two at £ 1,399.99 (ex. VAT; £ 1,679.99 incl. VAT).
- Intel Core i5-10210U, Windows 10 Home, 14.0-inch 1,920 x 1,200 anti-glare 400 nits net touch screen, Intel UHD Graphics, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD
£ 1,141.66 (excl. VAT; £ 1,369.99 incl. VAT) - Intel Core i7-10510U, Windows 10 Pro, 14.0-inch 1,920 x 1,200 anti-glare 400 nits net touch screen, Intel UHD Graphics, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD
£ 1,399.99 (excl. VAT; £ 1,679.99 incl. VAT) - Intel Core i7-10610U, Windows 10 Pro, 14.0-inch 1,920 x 1,200 anti-glare 400 nits non-touch screen, Intel UHD Graphics, 16GB RAM, 1TB SSD
£ 1,716.66 (excl. VAT; £ 2,059.99 incl. VAT)
As mentioned earlier, Lenovo claims 19.5 hours of battery life for the 51Wh high capacity battery, which I think would be a bit of a stretch to achieve in daily use. As usual, I streamed video through several normal work sessions, with a typical workload for productivity where I write in web apps and monitor web pages. Screen brightness was automatically set to 80%, which I found.
After three hours, the battery dropped from 100% to 63%, on the basis of which many workers can achieve full battery life. That 19.5 hours, however, seems hopeful. The good news is that the battery charges quickly: Lenovo says it can go up to 0-80% in an hour.
Image: Lenovo
Conclusions
Lenovo’s ThinkPad X1 Carbon continues to evolve, and remains an excellent ultraported laptop for business users. The keyboard is comfortable to use, there is a good range of screen options, the sound quality is there with the best laptops, and mobile professionals will appreciate the range of security features.
The only question marks surround the screen edges and the touchpad: Lenovo needs to consider how the former can shrink and grow the latter.
RECENT AND RELATED CONTENT
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon (7th Gen) review: A top-quality 14-inch ultraportable company, with excellent security features
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon 6th Gen review: A peerless company ultraportable
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga (4th Gen) Review: Sleeker and lighter, yet excellent
Strong demand for PC and smart devices pushed Lenovo’s Q1 turnover to $ 13 billion
Dell XPS 15 9500 (2020) Review: Still the 15-inch laptop to beat
Laptops with the best battery life: Top choices for remote workers and students
Read more reviews
