12 ms·

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon review

110 points by mcone 9y ago

al2o3cr 9y ago
1080p screen, awful headphone audio quality, limited to 16GB of RAM, and ships full of Windows crapware - I guess "Apple has made its MacBook line worse, not better" from the intro is describing reversion to the mean.
- svennek 9y ago
  As a X1 Carbon (4th gen) and X1 Yoga (1st gen) user with FHD and WQHD (2560x1440 if memory serves) repectively , I am going back to FHD on the next versions. That resolution (WQHD) in a 14" notebook is way overkill for my late 30-something eyes... FHD looks like a sweetspot... (Also HIDPI does not work that great everywhere) Also, the X-series are light ultrabooks, not workhorses. If you want a work-horse take the P-series (take for example the P70, which is much larger and heavier, but is a beast). A quick reinstall of windows combined with installing only the lenovo solution center (or whatever it is called today) fixes the crapware problem... (or install of a linux) I am an extremely happy user with the given limitations... I do dev work, basic graphics work, database tuning/queries on it with no prolems.... I agree with the subject of the article, the X1s are done right.. even if I didn't actually read it (yet).. I also know still-happy users on gen1 and gen2 (I had a W-series there myself)...
  - lima 9y ago
    I'm using Linux and I'll never go back to FHD. Works extremely well, even the fractional scaling.
    - neverminder 9y ago
      2560x1700 13 incher here, running vanilla Ubuntu 16.04, no issues whatsoever and the screen is crystal clear.
    - sofaofthedamned 9y ago
      Same here, looks great on Gnome/Wayland but the integrated graphics sometimes can't keep up on my XPS 13.To be fair it was the same on my old retina Macbook Pro (2013). I know I lose battery because of the res, but it's pretty much worth it.
    - xur17 9y ago
      Same here. I've been surprised by how well it works.
    - notyourday 9y ago
      I'm using Linux on Toshiba Radius 12 4k with either 1 or 2 4K displays (i.e. laptop itself or laptop and external display). I got it nearly 2 years ago for $700 on sale. The screen is Amazing though I only realistically use browsers, sublime and a pile of xterms.
- fgonzag 9y ago
  I'll take battery life over QHD for my laptops. honestly most of the time I can't even see the difference. PPI wise FHD at 15" is almost same as my 2k 32" ultra wide at my desktop, and I'm supremely happy with it.
  - SmallDeadGuy 9y ago
    Not sure what you mean by FHD and 2k as they are essentially the same (2048x1080 vs 1920x1080). I assume you must mean 4k (or rather, UHD with 3840x2160) instead of 2k.
    - fgonzag 9y ago
      Dumb mistake, was supposed to be 1440p.
- gruturo 9y ago
  This will of course be a matter of personal preferences, but yes, I concur with the sentiment: Apple made its MacBook line worse, not better: - They confine better specs to the touchbar models, which I would tolerate (not love) if it had the decency of starting after the ESC key. As it is, it's an abomination which must die, die, die. - They give you USB-C ports (yay) at the expense of leaving you with zero USB-A ports (nay). - They supply you with a low spec charging cable, indistinguishable from a high spec one - They took away MagSafe which I love and has saved my laptop - They took away the SD slot (but left the headphones jack? While arguing in favor of its removal on the iPhone? A bit inconsistent?) - They massively bumped prices, making it considerably less appealing from a price/specs ratio perspective - ...and they max out at 16GB just as you criticized the Lenovo.
  - iwasakabukiman 9y ago
    For the headphone jack, I'd argue that different use cases for laptop and phones mean removing the headphone jack on one and leaving it on the other is justifiable. The other things you mentioned are definitely annoyances I run into occasionally with my MacBook Pro. > - They supply you with a low spec charging cable, indistinguishable from a high spec one What do you mean? My laptop came with an 87W charger and a cable that works fine with it.
    - gruturo 9y ago
      >> - They supply you with a low spec charging cable, indistinguishable from a high spec one >What do you mean? My laptop came with an 87W charger and a cable that works fine with it. The supplied USB-C cable only supports USB-2 data speeds (480Mbps). If you want to achieve USB-3 or 3.1 speeds (either 5Gbps or 10 Gbps), while still having the full 5A charging current supported by the 87W charger, you need to buy this $12.99 cable from monoprice: https://www.monoprice.com/product?p_id=24285 https://www.monoprice.com/product?p_id=24285 We're talking a laptop which can be configured between $2500 and $4100 and you need to go buy a better cable for it. I'm sorry but this is not the Apple I used to love.
      - 9y ago
- willtim 9y ago
  At least Lenovo provide a choice. If you want a mobile Xeon workstation with 64GB ram, they sell it.
strgrd 9y ago
Looks good on paper, and surprisingly bloat-free stock OS (just the usual Windows 10 crapware), but even with the highest bin kit, my Carbon Gen5 gets hot to the point of being uncomfortable to handle, and starts stuttering with just 5-6 Chrome tabs open. It can play Starcraft 2 for 10-15 minutes (just long enough to run a benchmark!), and then just starts giving up.
- agumonkey 9y ago
  What proc is that ?
  - strgrd 9y ago
    Intel i7-7600U @ 2.8GHz
    - derekp7 9y ago
      For the X1 Carbon and Yoga, due to the thin profile, you are better off with an i5 CPU. The i7 will thermal throttle under load, so while you will get better burst performance, the i5 is actually better performance for longer operations. I just got the X1 Yoga (i5 7300u, 16GB) and so far haven't had any thermal issues with it.
      - strgrd 9y ago
        If only there were, you know, reviews from reputable publications that included such information.
        derekp7 9y ago
        The only way to get that type of information is to follow the user forums -- there's a lot of good info on reddit /r/thinkpad. I've been researching for more than a year before I settled on the configuration I picked up.
        1gn1t10n 9y ago
fumar 9y ago
I recently made the switch from Surface Pro 4 to a ThinkPad 370 (like a smaller X1 Yoga). I was close to pulling the trigger on the X1 Carbon, but wanted a touch screen. Before the Surface, I had MacBooks and iMacs. Biggest takeaway, I love the keyboard and the TrackPoint. I was concerned about going from a high DPI screen to HD, but after a week my eyes adjusted. I will take 7ish hour battery over the Surface's 3-4. Build quality is spot-on, no issues thus far. Having 2 USB ports and 1 USB C (thunderbolt) is clutch. I use the thunderbolt port to hook up an eGPU with 1070 GTX card. I can finally play some games and edit video.
- tertius 9y ago
  Care to share whet eGPU solution you're using?
  - fumar 9y ago
    Akito Node with a MSI GTX 1070. Everything worked out of the box after installing Nvidia drivers.
DerfNet 9y ago
nice to see a modern thinkpad getting a positive review. my T420 isn't going to live forever.
- tertius 9y ago
  The T440p is waiting for you...
  - terminalcommand 9y ago
    I still rock an X201 :) Arch Linux + Gnome 3 + SSD everything feels instantenous. Only thing lacking is the slugishness if I want to convert an h265 video. But that's understandable. Battery still lasts whole day (9 cell battery at 68% health).
    - tertius 9y ago
      One thing about the T440p... You can install the i7-4900MQ in it. That should help with the conversion... https://www.cpubenchmark.net/cpu.php?cpu=Intel+Core+i7-4900MQ+%40+2.80GHz https://www.cpubenchmark.net/cpu.php?cpu=Intel+Core+i7-4900M...
- Symmetry 9y ago
  If you want something like a T420 my T460p has been making me happy. Well, there was something wrong with the original trackpoint cap but I replaced it very cheaply and now I'm happy.
- sapphire_tomb 9y ago
  I just can't get excited about the keyboard on the newer ThinkPads. I want the one from my T420. :(
H1Supreme 9y ago
Can someone explain to me what the point of an i7 (or even an i5) is on a laptop? Aside from speed? They all have dual core processors. It's not like the desktop lineup where each step up gets more cores.
- sz4kerto 9y ago
  Aside from speed? Nothing. Similarly to the desktop CPUs. More cores are just one way to achieve more speed.
- chrisseaton 9y ago
  > They all have dual core processors I don't know what you mean - my pretty old laptop has an i7 with four cores and eight threads - an I7-4870HQ.
  - bluedino 9y ago
    They also make dual-core i7 CPUs - the quad-core models aren't very common.
- ty_a 9y ago
  Cache size and clock speed. In Ultrabooks i[3,5,7] are all 2 core 4 thread differentiated by cache and clock. You can get 4 core CPUs in larger laptops where the i5 is 4 core, 4 thread and i7 4/8. Similar to desktops.
  - bluedino 9y ago
    Right, 3MB vs 4MB of L2 cache in the case of the X1
- adrusi 9y ago
  Virtualization support, for one example. And some laptops do come with more cores — my 2014 Thinkpad has 4.
- peterwwillis 9y ago
  Each step up gets more cache size, turbo boost, hyperthreading, internal graphics, cpu features, and power options, depending. Also, i3/i5/i7 isn't the only thing to consider - look at the product suffix (U/Y/T/Q/H/K) that adds or removes features to that model. Compare the i3-6100U to the i7-6500U - both skylake ultra-low-power CPUs [1]. The i7 has about 30% faster effective clock speed (plus the turbo boost, which gives a small jump in clock speed when necessary, which can reduce battery usage) and 25% more cache. But another i7 model, the i7-6550U, has better graphics, even faster turbo boost, and a bunch of "Pro" Intel features that neither of the others have. Move up to the i7-6700HQ and now you have two additional cores, incredibly faster performance, even more cache, and higher limits up the wazoo. Of course, newer microarchitectures may have have more optimal code paths, slightly higher clocks, smaller dies, better graphics, and use less power. So an i5-7200U may have better performance, similar features, and use less power than an i7-6500U [2]. [1] http://cpu.userbenchmark.com/Compare/Intel-Core-i3-6100U-vs-Intel-Core-i7-6500U/m37381vsm36930 http://cpu.userbenchmark.com/Compare/Intel-Core-i3-6100U-vs-... [2] http://cpu.userbenchmark.com/Compare/Intel-Core-i5-7200U-vs-Intel-Core-i7-6500U/m153577vsm36930 http://cpu.userbenchmark.com/Compare/Intel-Core-i5-7200U-vs-...
artursapek 9y ago
This is my main dev machine, although I bought the 4th gen (right before they retired it last Fall). It's a beautiful dev machine as soon as you put Linux on it. I have the highest end specs and it runs really smooth. And as this article explains, the build quality is top notch. Highly recommended laptop.
- lj3 9y ago
  Have you had any issues with the trackpad? I have a Lenovo w530 and the trackpad is junk. The texture completely rubbed off with a few months of heavy use. The scrolling behavior is erratic on both Ubuntu 17.04 and Windows 10. It's probably the biggest factor in determining whether I buy another Thinkpad or go back to Apple.
  - sevagh 9y ago
    I don't enjoy the ThinkPad trackpad experience in Linux. When I type my sweaty palms touch it, and it never feels great. My (drastic) solution was to disable the trackpad and fully commit to a keyboard-based workflow (i3wm, tmux, emacs/vim, cvim on Chrome) with occasional usage of the trackpoint.
ribfeast 9y ago
I don't think it matters how much better Windows hardware is, or how far along the Linux subsystem gets, I only feel at home in a *nix OS. The best UX/most stable is MacOS, and it doesn't hurt that I can run Photoshop, Sketch, etc.
- deleted 9y ago
  [deleted]
- yellowapple 9y ago
  Possibly relevant: https://www.reddit.com/r/hackintosh/comments/1iybjq/is_it_possible_to_install_osx_on_x1_carbon/ https://www.reddit.com/r/hackintosh/comments/1iybjq/is_it_po... Information is dated, though; I have no idea if it's still relevant to modern X1 Carbons (or to modern macOS versions).
pedrocr 9y ago
I recommend the T460s instead to anyone considering the X1. Very similar form factor and specs but the RAM and SSD are not soldered on so it's much more future proof. I run mine with 20GB of RAM and 1TB of SSD and I don't think you can even get that in the X1. It also has a better set of connectors, including an Ethernet port. Linux runs very well in it but I assume the X1 is similar.
- YorickPeterse 9y ago
  Let's not forget to mention a somewhat important detail: the T460 weights about 1.7 kg, while the X1 only weights about 1.1 kg. It's not a huge difference, but having a lightweight laptop is a big plus when carrying it around all day.
  - svennek 9y ago
    And it is MUCH thicker (or at least it seems so side-by-side).. Which it has to be to have space for the ginourmous rj45 plug... (I can easily live with the small dongle to get native rj45 on the x1s)
    - pedrocr 9y ago
      The specs list it as 1 to 3mm thicker which doesn't seem like much.
      - gruturo 9y ago
        This is because one (the X1) is tapered - you "experience" the thin side (keyboard) while the thick part is on the back. The 450/60/70 is just a flat slab so it maintains its thickness along its whole surface (although the 460 and 70 cheat and they become thinner about 1 inch before the end, so they look a bit thinner when looked at from the front). I have a 450 and don't mind it at all.
        shimon 9y ago
        The T4[567]0s series are tapered at the edge as well. The -s suffix is the lighter version, basically similar to X1 series but with more ports/battery options/upgradability.
Roritharr 9y ago
If you like the X1 Carbon, but need more ram, the Toshiba Portege X30 is the only machine that has fully serviceable components at only 1,1kg of weight. I ordered mine with 32 GB of ram, loving it so far.
- svennek 9y ago
  Does it have up to 5 years on-site warrenty (the fix it at your place) on the next business day.. 3 years are factory default, the 2 year upgrade costs peanuts (compared to the machine)?
  - Roritharr 9y ago
    In Germany atleast thats a yes to all of those. They even put a crazy warranty on top that says that if any part of your machine has a defect in the first year, you get the full amount paid back + can keep the repaired notebook.
    - svennek 9y ago
      Please post evidence... The danish models are either 1 or 3 year "standard" warranty.. The warranty doc says: What Does this Warranty Not Cover? On-site service/repair, .... So no on-site for the danish models (there is some mentioning of on-site as an addon, but no prices)... And the "full amount back + keep laptop" sounds to good to be true..
      - Roritharr 9y ago
        http://www.toshiba.eu/generic/reliability/ http://www.toshiba.eu/generic/reliability/ I'm not a sales rep, check where you can get the warranties you need. My supplier includes 3 years on site standard.
- wodenokoto 9y ago
  How is it in terms of build quality compared to Lenovo or Apple? How does Linux run on it?
SmellTheGlove 9y ago
Has anyone gotten OSX stable on this thing yet?
YorickPeterse 9y ago
I've been using an X1 (3rd gen with the 4K display) for about 2 years now I think, and it's a great laptop for Linux. A full charge will last around 8 hours, maybe 9 or 10 if you turn of Chromium and WiFi (this all depends a bit on what you end up doing). My only complaint is that I had my display replaced 3 (or maybe already 4) times either due to dead pixels, or these white smudges on the screen (these appear to be caused by damage to the LCD). These smudges in particular keep popping up and aren't too uncommon amongst other users either. There's a new one since I last had my screen replaced, but it's fortunately only visible when looking down on the laptop from the top (even then it's hard to see).
- girzel 9y ago
  I've got the most recent generation, and in addition to killer battery life, the battery charge times are incredible. I basically don't have to think about it -- plugging it in while I'm in the shower gives it enough charge to last the day. Seems to charge about three times faster than my phone...
4ad 9y ago
Worse pixel density than a Macbook and the screen is 16:9 instead of 16:10, giving me less real vertical real screen estate than a 13 inch Macbook. I really, really, really want a new ThinkPad, but they simply cannot compete with Macbooks. For the record, I am a huge ThinkPad fan, I count 14 thinkpads around me, the most recent one I have being X240. For me, the epitome was X61T. I still have two of those in mint condition. But today, when I buy a laptop it will be a MacBook.
bluedino 9y ago
No mention of wifi performance. The last ThinkPad I had (T450s) it really wasn't that great even though I had the high-end Intel wireless option.
HankB99 9y ago
I wonder if they really did get the hinge right. The reason I ask is that I just replaced the wife's laptop because the hinges were stiff enough to beak the case around them (after years of use.) That was an economy model that we purchased off lease so it didn't sting too badly. The housing on my Y50 is cracked around the hinges. I need to open it up to clean out the dust but I'm afraid to do so. My wife's laptop was replaced with an Acer. If I were to replace mine today it would probably be with a Dell XPS 15. Only time will tell if these are any better.
- xorblurb 9y ago
  I replaced my Thinkpad by an XPS15 with a small fear that I would regret the Thinkpad, and I absolutely not. Under Windows, the Dell software is far better than the one of Lenovo (far less bloated, and far more discret). I thought that I would regret the Thinkpad keyboard, but the keyboard of the XPS is actually not bad at all (well, the Thinkpad one better, but the XPS is still largely ok for me). The only thing that I clearly regret are the lack of dedicated Page-up/Page-down keys. This is even ridiculous given there are empty space next to the arrow keys where they could have been put (same place as on the Thinkpad). Well, I can live with that.
deleted 9y ago
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polote 9y ago
Asus ux330 has basically the same characteristics but it is available for half the price
shimon 9y ago
For anyone shopping for a good deal: The Lenovo Outlet sells refurbished products for a great discount. They often get inventory in bursts, so if you want a good deal figure out your search criteria and check repeatedly. I got a T460s with great specs for around $800 a few months ago. http://www3.lenovo.com/us/en/outletus http://www3.lenovo.com/us/en/outletus
blueplastic 9y ago
I've been using Thinkpads and Macbooks on and off for the last 15 years, and this gen-5 Thinkpad is easily the best laptop I've ever owned. Some subtle features of this gen-5 laptop that may not be apparent: - The audio jack creates no hiss. If you used Thinkpads in the past with sensitive headphones, you'd hear a buzzing noise. The Macbooks never did that and this is the first Thinkpad that is a silent audio jack. - You can spill water on the keyboard and it'll just flow though. - Seriously best keyboard in class compared to all other ultrabooks. I really don't like the Macbook keyboard design... the depth on keypress is too shallow and it doesn't have the nice bounceback effect of the Thinkpads. - Battery life is around 6-7 hours, which is long lasting ThinkPad finally. I think the build quality of Thinkpads is way more functional and utlitarian than Macbooks. I like the matt screen of Thinkpads more. The touchpoint to use your index finger to move the mouse lets you keep your hand in the typing position. Fingerprint sensor is fast and works well.
baybal2 9y ago
Why do they put the touchpad off-centre to the left?
- thomastjeffery 9y ago
  Because of the numpad. That way it's centered between your palms so you don't touch it accidentally while typing.
tannhaeuser 9y ago
Looking forward to the ThinkPad Retro (http://blog.lenovo.com/en/blog/retro-thinkpad-its-alive/ http://blog.lenovo.com/en/blog/retro-thinkpad-its-alive/)
- 4ad 9y ago
  Me too! Unfortunately it was confirmed it's not 4:3, and I think it's very unlikely to be 16:10 instead of 16:9, but I still hope it will be good.
  - tannhaeuser 9y ago
    I'm after the "keyboard to die for", though I might have to retrain for the larger keyboard (coming from an XPS, the keyboard of which is no match to Lenovo's but works really well for me as well).
  - the_stc 9y ago
    If we are lucky they will go with 3:2.
- apricot 9y ago
  Same here. I really hope the keyboard is as good as old-school Thinkpads and I'm crossing my fingers for 3:2 aspect ratio.
zzzeek 9y ago
my thumbs are still on the inside of my hands so unfortunately I still cannot deal with trackpad buttons above the scrolling surface. I have an older thinkpad from my job which is a great machine but unusuable trackpad-wise due to this design. I use a cheap asus zenbook daily. Would love to have a trackpad-buttons-where-my-thumbs-are lenovo again.
- willtim 9y ago
  Those buttons are for the nipple not the trackpad. The trackpad otherwise is like an Apple trackpad.
  - zzzeek 9y ago
    Haven't used my T540P with a GUI in quite a long time, I think I may have noticed that the bottom of the trackpad is trying to be like an apple trackpad button also, however I recall it working very poorly; the whole trackpad physically clicks very nicely and definitively for the upper buttons, and on the bottom it just works like crap. Perhaps they've improved that.
- yellowapple 9y ago
  You could always use your thumbs to drive the trackpad and your fingers to drive the buttons. Personally, I mostly use the nub, so the lack of additional buttons below the trackpad doesn't bother me much.
- callahad 9y ago
  Have you tried keeping your left hand stationary and clicking with your left thumb, while mousing with your right hand? I find that position to be equally convenient for both the trackpad and the trackpoint. Or setting the entire trackpad to respond to clicks / taps? When I'm casually browsing, I find it very comfortable to put my thumb on the lower lip of the machine, mouse with my right index finger, and click with my right middle finger.
- hellogoodbyeeee 9y ago
  The track pad has two sets of buttons. One at the top for using with the red nipple in the keyboard and a set at the bottom of the track pad to use when you use the trackpad.
callahad 9y ago
Extremely happy with my current generation X1C running Fedora. The selection of ports hit a sweet spot for me: two full-size USB, two Thunderbolt 3, and full-size HDMI. After years with Macs, it's wonderful to finally be free from dongles.
- bdcravens 9y ago
  I didn't require a dongle until the latest generation.
  - callahad 9y ago
    With my Macbook Air, I needed a Mini-DisplayPort to HDMI adapter. With my Retina Macbook Pro I also picked up a Nexus 5X, so I needed a USB-C to USB-A adapter. With my wife's Touchbar Macbook Pro I need a USB-C to USB-A adapter and a USB-C to HDMI adapter. Finally, with the X1C, I need none of these. I have no doubt that USB-C / Thunderbolt 3 are the future, but as a transition laptop, I couldn't be happier.
jpalomaki 9y ago
After lots of thinking I eventually went with T470. The reasons: 32GB of memory, dual battery configuration (possible to swap battery while running). Drawbacks with my choice are at least the size, probably not so good display and just PCIe x2 for the SSD. There are small annoyances. The software-hardware integration is not on the level where it should be. Pretty much out of the box and for example sleep does not always work - sometimes when waking up all apps are gone. Windows 10 install is not clean, there's Lenovo and Intel stuff hanging there. I dislike for example the Intel popups that I get when changing WLAN. Yes, it is possible to clean up these, but I'd rather not spend time on that. The build in LTE feels a bit unrealiable, it is not there always when computer wakes up and sometimes I'm not able to get connection. Also Lenovo does not provide 1TB SSD that would be compatible with Microsoft eDrive specs, which allow Bitlocker to offload encryption to SSD (which is anyways doing it).
michaelmior 9y ago
> Lenovo has mostly been a good guardian of the ThinkPad brand, but it did misapply the label on its plasticky ThinkPad Edge laptops. I owned one of those and it definitely didn’t live up to the storied reputation of this portable PC. I had a ThinkPad Edge E525 for many years and I was quite happy with it for the price. I finally decided to upgrade later this year mostly because of how I had (unintentionally) physically abused the machine over the years. But I still think the Edge series was pretty nice.
reza_n 9y ago
I bought the 2nd gen ThinkPad X1 Carbon (20A7) back in 2014. Been rock solid to this day and not a single complaint. This is my main dev machine. Ive been running Ubuntu since I got it, so the 8GB of RAM has been more than enough. No driver issues or anything, high density screen has been great, CPU is fast (Intel Core i7 dual core), and battery life is still excellent. Even have the finger print reader working :)
- arketyp 9y ago
  You know, I'm even fond of the quirky keyboard layout, in the end. I will dearly be missing the backspace/delete combo once I upgrade.
alberth 9y ago
I own and prefer the smaller footprint of the Yoga 370 ... BUT ... I really dislike the glossy display. The X1 is fantastic because it's a matte finish. I really wish more laptops used a matte finish. It's so much easier on the eyes (due to lack of reflection).
pushcx 9y ago
Look hard at the review sites like the Better Business Bureau before you buy a Lenovo: https://www.bbb.org/raleigh-durham/business-reviews/computers-wholesale-and-manufacturers/lenovo-in-morrisville-nc-90064256 https://www.bbb.org/raleigh-durham/business-reviews/computer... I bought a 3rd gen X1 Carbon. Three weeks out of warranty, the display stopped working. The repair took five weeks and they put in the wrong parts, downgrading the CPU and RAM. it took three more weeks for them to even ship a new replacement. On every single interaction I was told something false about the repair process, timeline, shipping, etc - seriously, I kept a log. Every department pointed fingers at every other department, no one (even the "Executive Support" I was escalated to) even claimed to have comprehensive knowledge, let alone actually took responsibility for the process. Read the reviews. My experience wasn't unusual. Would having no laptop for nine weeks inconvenience you?
- nickfromseattle 9y ago
  My last personal laptop was a Macbook Air, however I used a 4th gen X1 Carbon in my previous role and loved it so much I bought my own after I left. Unfortunately they're a lot less pragmatic without a corporate IT help-desk to troubleshoot issues and provide replacements on demand. I consider myself very fortunate to live 45 minutes away from a Lenovo certified repair shop.
- mikedelfino 9y ago
  What brand would you recommend?
  - Harkins 9y ago
    I don't have a recommendation, I'm not familiar enough with the current models.
- tumba 9y ago
  I'll just offer a contrary anecdote. A few months ago, I had a catastrophic failure of my X260 failure (hard crash--would not power up) while on site for a client in a manufacturing facility on the south side of Chicago. I called support and within 3 hours, a tech was on site with a comprehensive set of tools and parts. The technician had been repairing ThinkPads since the late 1990s and still wore his original IBM badge along with his newer one. He ended up nearly completely disassembling and re-assembling my machine in the temporary cubical I was sitting in to replace the motherboard, but was gone within two hours and the machine has worked fine ever since. I'm sure service varies, but I always purchase the same day, onsite, four hour warranty option and try to be a little savvy about who the contracted service firm is. You can use Lenovo's website to find the certified repair firms and suggest that your ticket be dispatched to one you want. I have been buying a new ThinkPad every couple years for about 15 years. I have ambivalent feelings about the newest generations, but still find them to be the most ergonomic and comfortable option for me (TrackPoint, keyboard quality, matte display, extended battery options).
Blaine0002 9y ago
just my 2 cents after owning one for quite some time now. Avoid. Right after the warranty ended the screen has constant flickering and will sometimes turn to straight up static for 5 minutes at a time. moving the laptop hinge doesnt affect this at all which leads me to believe its a motherboard issue rather than a screen or ribbon cable issue. Besides that, the build quality is actually pretty terrible for what one of these costs and the hinge is flimsy and wobbles around when you move the laptop.
- db48x 9y ago
  Flickering in an LCD is usually caused by a bad inverter, which is an inexpensive part ($20 range) you can generally replace yourself.

110 points by mcone 9y ago

1080p screen, awful headphone audio quality, limited to 16GB of RAM, and ships full of Windows crapware - I guess "Apple has made its MacBook line worse, not better" from the intro is describing reversion to the mean.

svennek 9y ago
As a X1 Carbon (4th gen) and X1 Yoga (1st gen) user with FHD and WQHD (2560x1440 if memory serves) repectively , I am going back to FHD on the next versions. That resolution (WQHD) in a 14" notebook is way overkill for my late 30-something eyes... FHD looks like a sweetspot... (Also HIDPI does not work that great everywhere) Also, the X-series are light ultrabooks, not workhorses. If you want a work-horse take the P-series (take for example the P70, which is much larger and heavier, but is a beast). A quick reinstall of windows combined with installing only the lenovo solution center (or whatever it is called today) fixes the crapware problem... (or install of a linux) I am an extremely happy user with the given limitations... I do dev work, basic graphics work, database tuning/queries on it with no prolems.... I agree with the subject of the article, the X1s are done right.. even if I didn't actually read it (yet).. I also know still-happy users on gen1 and gen2 (I had a W-series there myself)...
- lima 9y ago
  I'm using Linux and I'll never go back to FHD. Works extremely well, even the fractional scaling.
  - neverminder 9y ago
    2560x1700 13 incher here, running vanilla Ubuntu 16.04, no issues whatsoever and the screen is crystal clear.
  - sofaofthedamned 9y ago
    Same here, looks great on Gnome/Wayland but the integrated graphics sometimes can't keep up on my XPS 13.To be fair it was the same on my old retina Macbook Pro (2013). I know I lose battery because of the res, but it's pretty much worth it.
  - xur17 9y ago
    Same here. I've been surprised by how well it works.
  - notyourday 9y ago
    I'm using Linux on Toshiba Radius 12 4k with either 1 or 2 4K displays (i.e. laptop itself or laptop and external display). I got it nearly 2 years ago for $700 on sale. The screen is Amazing though I only realistically use browsers, sublime and a pile of xterms.
fgonzag 9y ago
I'll take battery life over QHD for my laptops. honestly most of the time I can't even see the difference. PPI wise FHD at 15" is almost same as my 2k 32" ultra wide at my desktop, and I'm supremely happy with it.
- SmallDeadGuy 9y ago
  Not sure what you mean by FHD and 2k as they are essentially the same (2048x1080 vs 1920x1080). I assume you must mean 4k (or rather, UHD with 3840x2160) instead of 2k.
  - fgonzag 9y ago
    Dumb mistake, was supposed to be 1440p.
gruturo 9y ago
This will of course be a matter of personal preferences, but yes, I concur with the sentiment: Apple made its MacBook line worse, not better: - They confine better specs to the touchbar models, which I would tolerate (not love) if it had the decency of starting after the ESC key. As it is, it's an abomination which must die, die, die. - They give you USB-C ports (yay) at the expense of leaving you with zero USB-A ports (nay). - They supply you with a low spec charging cable, indistinguishable from a high spec one - They took away MagSafe which I love and has saved my laptop - They took away the SD slot (but left the headphones jack? While arguing in favor of its removal on the iPhone? A bit inconsistent?) - They massively bumped prices, making it considerably less appealing from a price/specs ratio perspective - ...and they max out at 16GB just as you criticized the Lenovo.
- iwasakabukiman 9y ago
  For the headphone jack, I'd argue that different use cases for laptop and phones mean removing the headphone jack on one and leaving it on the other is justifiable. The other things you mentioned are definitely annoyances I run into occasionally with my MacBook Pro. > - They supply you with a low spec charging cable, indistinguishable from a high spec one What do you mean? My laptop came with an 87W charger and a cable that works fine with it.
  - gruturo 9y ago
    >> - They supply you with a low spec charging cable, indistinguishable from a high spec one >What do you mean? My laptop came with an 87W charger and a cable that works fine with it. The supplied USB-C cable only supports USB-2 data speeds (480Mbps). If you want to achieve USB-3 or 3.1 speeds (either 5Gbps or 10 Gbps), while still having the full 5A charging current supported by the 87W charger, you need to buy this $12.99 cable from monoprice: https://www.monoprice.com/product?p_id=24285 https://www.monoprice.com/product?p_id=24285 We're talking a laptop which can be configured between $2500 and $4100 and you need to go buy a better cable for it. I'm sorry but this is not the Apple I used to love.
    - 9y ago
willtim 9y ago
At least Lenovo provide a choice. If you want a mobile Xeon workstation with 64GB ram, they sell it.

strgrd 9y ago

Looks good on paper, and surprisingly bloat-free stock OS (just the usual Windows 10 crapware), but even with the highest bin kit, my Carbon Gen5 gets hot to the point of being uncomfortable to handle, and starts stuttering with just 5-6 Chrome tabs open. It can play Starcraft 2 for 10-15 minutes (just long enough to run a benchmark!), and then just starts giving up.

agumonkey 9y ago
What proc is that ?
- strgrd 9y ago
  Intel i7-7600U @ 2.8GHz
  - derekp7 9y ago
    For the X1 Carbon and Yoga, due to the thin profile, you are better off with an i5 CPU. The i7 will thermal throttle under load, so while you will get better burst performance, the i5 is actually better performance for longer operations. I just got the X1 Yoga (i5 7300u, 16GB) and so far haven't had any thermal issues with it.
    - strgrd 9y ago
      If only there were, you know, reviews from reputable publications that included such information.
      - derekp7 9y ago
        The only way to get that type of information is to follow the user forums -- there's a lot of good info on reddit /r/thinkpad. I've been researching for more than a year before I settled on the configuration I picked up.
      - 1gn1t10n 9y ago

fumar 9y ago

I recently made the switch from Surface Pro 4 to a ThinkPad 370 (like a smaller X1 Yoga). I was close to pulling the trigger on the X1 Carbon, but wanted a touch screen. Before the Surface, I had MacBooks and iMacs. Biggest takeaway, I love the keyboard and the TrackPoint. I was concerned about going from a high DPI screen to HD, but after a week my eyes adjusted. I will take 7ish hour battery over the Surface's 3-4. Build quality is spot-on, no issues thus far. Having 2 USB ports and 1 USB C (thunderbolt) is clutch. I use the thunderbolt port to hook up an eGPU with 1070 GTX card. I can finally play some games and edit video.

tertius 9y ago
Care to share whet eGPU solution you're using?
- fumar 9y ago
  Akito Node with a MSI GTX 1070. Everything worked out of the box after installing Nvidia drivers.

DerfNet 9y ago

nice to see a modern thinkpad getting a positive review. my T420 isn't going to live forever.

tertius 9y ago
The T440p is waiting for you...
- terminalcommand 9y ago
  I still rock an X201 :) Arch Linux + Gnome 3 + SSD everything feels instantenous. Only thing lacking is the slugishness if I want to convert an h265 video. But that's understandable. Battery still lasts whole day (9 cell battery at 68% health).
  - tertius 9y ago
    One thing about the T440p... You can install the i7-4900MQ in it. That should help with the conversion... https://www.cpubenchmark.net/cpu.php?cpu=Intel+Core+i7-4900MQ+%40+2.80GHz https://www.cpubenchmark.net/cpu.php?cpu=Intel+Core+i7-4900M...
Symmetry 9y ago
If you want something like a T420 my T460p has been making me happy. Well, there was something wrong with the original trackpoint cap but I replaced it very cheaply and now I'm happy.
sapphire_tomb 9y ago
I just can't get excited about the keyboard on the newer ThinkPads. I want the one from my T420. :(

H1Supreme 9y ago

Can someone explain to me what the point of an i7 (or even an i5) is on a laptop? Aside from speed? They all have dual core processors. It's not like the desktop lineup where each step up gets more cores.

sz4kerto 9y ago
Aside from speed? Nothing. Similarly to the desktop CPUs. More cores are just one way to achieve more speed.
chrisseaton 9y ago
> They all have dual core processors I don't know what you mean - my pretty old laptop has an i7 with four cores and eight threads - an I7-4870HQ.
- bluedino 9y ago
  They also make dual-core i7 CPUs - the quad-core models aren't very common.
ty_a 9y ago
Cache size and clock speed. In Ultrabooks i[3,5,7] are all 2 core 4 thread differentiated by cache and clock. You can get 4 core CPUs in larger laptops where the i5 is 4 core, 4 thread and i7 4/8. Similar to desktops.
- bluedino 9y ago
  Right, 3MB vs 4MB of L2 cache in the case of the X1
adrusi 9y ago
Virtualization support, for one example. And some laptops do come with more cores — my 2014 Thinkpad has 4.
peterwwillis 9y ago
Each step up gets more cache size, turbo boost, hyperthreading, internal graphics, cpu features, and power options, depending. Also, i3/i5/i7 isn't the only thing to consider - look at the product suffix (U/Y/T/Q/H/K) that adds or removes features to that model. Compare the i3-6100U to the i7-6500U - both skylake ultra-low-power CPUs [1]. The i7 has about 30% faster effective clock speed (plus the turbo boost, which gives a small jump in clock speed when necessary, which can reduce battery usage) and 25% more cache. But another i7 model, the i7-6550U, has better graphics, even faster turbo boost, and a bunch of "Pro" Intel features that neither of the others have. Move up to the i7-6700HQ and now you have two additional cores, incredibly faster performance, even more cache, and higher limits up the wazoo. Of course, newer microarchitectures may have have more optimal code paths, slightly higher clocks, smaller dies, better graphics, and use less power. So an i5-7200U may have better performance, similar features, and use less power than an i7-6500U [2]. [1] http://cpu.userbenchmark.com/Compare/Intel-Core-i3-6100U-vs-Intel-Core-i7-6500U/m37381vsm36930 http://cpu.userbenchmark.com/Compare/Intel-Core-i3-6100U-vs-... [2] http://cpu.userbenchmark.com/Compare/Intel-Core-i5-7200U-vs-Intel-Core-i7-6500U/m153577vsm36930 http://cpu.userbenchmark.com/Compare/Intel-Core-i5-7200U-vs-...

artursapek 9y ago

This is my main dev machine, although I bought the 4th gen (right before they retired it last Fall). It's a beautiful dev machine as soon as you put Linux on it. I have the highest end specs and it runs really smooth. And as this article explains, the build quality is top notch. Highly recommended laptop.

lj3 9y ago
Have you had any issues with the trackpad? I have a Lenovo w530 and the trackpad is junk. The texture completely rubbed off with a few months of heavy use. The scrolling behavior is erratic on both Ubuntu 17.04 and Windows 10. It's probably the biggest factor in determining whether I buy another Thinkpad or go back to Apple.
- sevagh 9y ago
  I don't enjoy the ThinkPad trackpad experience in Linux. When I type my sweaty palms touch it, and it never feels great. My (drastic) solution was to disable the trackpad and fully commit to a keyboard-based workflow (i3wm, tmux, emacs/vim, cvim on Chrome) with occasional usage of the trackpoint.

ribfeast 9y ago

I don't think it matters how much better Windows hardware is, or how far along the Linux subsystem gets, I only feel at home in a *nix OS. The best UX/most stable is MacOS, and it doesn't hurt that I can run Photoshop, Sketch, etc.

deleted 9y ago
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yellowapple 9y ago
Possibly relevant: https://www.reddit.com/r/hackintosh/comments/1iybjq/is_it_possible_to_install_osx_on_x1_carbon/ https://www.reddit.com/r/hackintosh/comments/1iybjq/is_it_po... Information is dated, though; I have no idea if it's still relevant to modern X1 Carbons (or to modern macOS versions).

pedrocr 9y ago

I recommend the T460s instead to anyone considering the X1. Very similar form factor and specs but the RAM and SSD are not soldered on so it's much more future proof. I run mine with 20GB of RAM and 1TB of SSD and I don't think you can even get that in the X1. It also has a better set of connectors, including an Ethernet port. Linux runs very well in it but I assume the X1 is similar.

YorickPeterse 9y ago
Let's not forget to mention a somewhat important detail: the T460 weights about 1.7 kg, while the X1 only weights about 1.1 kg. It's not a huge difference, but having a lightweight laptop is a big plus when carrying it around all day.
- svennek 9y ago
  And it is MUCH thicker (or at least it seems so side-by-side).. Which it has to be to have space for the ginourmous rj45 plug... (I can easily live with the small dongle to get native rj45 on the x1s)
  - pedrocr 9y ago
    The specs list it as 1 to 3mm thicker which doesn't seem like much.
    - gruturo 9y ago
      This is because one (the X1) is tapered - you "experience" the thin side (keyboard) while the thick part is on the back. The 450/60/70 is just a flat slab so it maintains its thickness along its whole surface (although the 460 and 70 cheat and they become thinner about 1 inch before the end, so they look a bit thinner when looked at from the front). I have a 450 and don't mind it at all.
      - shimon 9y ago
        The T4[567]0s series are tapered at the edge as well. The -s suffix is the lighter version, basically similar to X1 series but with more ports/battery options/upgradability.

Roritharr 9y ago

If you like the X1 Carbon, but need more ram, the Toshiba Portege X30 is the only machine that has fully serviceable components at only 1,1kg of weight. I ordered mine with 32 GB of ram, loving it so far.

svennek 9y ago
Does it have up to 5 years on-site warrenty (the fix it at your place) on the next business day.. 3 years are factory default, the 2 year upgrade costs peanuts (compared to the machine)?
- Roritharr 9y ago
  In Germany atleast thats a yes to all of those. They even put a crazy warranty on top that says that if any part of your machine has a defect in the first year, you get the full amount paid back + can keep the repaired notebook.
  - svennek 9y ago
    Please post evidence... The danish models are either 1 or 3 year "standard" warranty.. The warranty doc says: What Does this Warranty Not Cover? On-site service/repair, .... So no on-site for the danish models (there is some mentioning of on-site as an addon, but no prices)... And the "full amount back + keep laptop" sounds to good to be true..
    - Roritharr 9y ago
      http://www.toshiba.eu/generic/reliability/ http://www.toshiba.eu/generic/reliability/ I'm not a sales rep, check where you can get the warranties you need. My supplier includes 3 years on site standard.
wodenokoto 9y ago
How is it in terms of build quality compared to Lenovo or Apple? How does Linux run on it?

SmellTheGlove 9y ago

Has anyone gotten OSX stable on this thing yet?

YorickPeterse 9y ago

I've been using an X1 (3rd gen with the 4K display) for about 2 years now I think, and it's a great laptop for Linux. A full charge will last around 8 hours, maybe 9 or 10 if you turn of Chromium and WiFi (this all depends a bit on what you end up doing). My only complaint is that I had my display replaced 3 (or maybe already 4) times either due to dead pixels, or these white smudges on the screen (these appear to be caused by damage to the LCD). These smudges in particular keep popping up and aren't too uncommon amongst other users either. There's a new one since I last had my screen replaced, but it's fortunately only visible when looking down on the laptop from the top (even then it's hard to see).

girzel 9y ago
I've got the most recent generation, and in addition to killer battery life, the battery charge times are incredible. I basically don't have to think about it -- plugging it in while I'm in the shower gives it enough charge to last the day. Seems to charge about three times faster than my phone...

4ad 9y ago

Worse pixel density than a Macbook and the screen is 16:9 instead of 16:10, giving me less real vertical real screen estate than a 13 inch Macbook. I really, really, really want a new ThinkPad, but they simply cannot compete with Macbooks. For the record, I am a huge ThinkPad fan, I count 14 thinkpads around me, the most recent one I have being X240. For me, the epitome was X61T. I still have two of those in mint condition. But today, when I buy a laptop it will be a MacBook.

bluedino 9y ago

No mention of wifi performance. The last ThinkPad I had (T450s) it really wasn't that great even though I had the high-end Intel wireless option.

HankB99 9y ago

I wonder if they really did get the hinge right. The reason I ask is that I just replaced the wife's laptop because the hinges were stiff enough to beak the case around them (after years of use.) That was an economy model that we purchased off lease so it didn't sting too badly. The housing on my Y50 is cracked around the hinges. I need to open it up to clean out the dust but I'm afraid to do so. My wife's laptop was replaced with an Acer. If I were to replace mine today it would probably be with a Dell XPS 15. Only time will tell if these are any better.

xorblurb 9y ago
I replaced my Thinkpad by an XPS15 with a small fear that I would regret the Thinkpad, and I absolutely not. Under Windows, the Dell software is far better than the one of Lenovo (far less bloated, and far more discret). I thought that I would regret the Thinkpad keyboard, but the keyboard of the XPS is actually not bad at all (well, the Thinkpad one better, but the XPS is still largely ok for me). The only thing that I clearly regret are the lack of dedicated Page-up/Page-down keys. This is even ridiculous given there are empty space next to the arrow keys where they could have been put (same place as on the Thinkpad). Well, I can live with that.

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polote 9y ago

Asus ux330 has basically the same characteristics but it is available for half the price

shimon 9y ago

For anyone shopping for a good deal: The Lenovo Outlet sells refurbished products for a great discount. They often get inventory in bursts, so if you want a good deal figure out your search criteria and check repeatedly. I got a T460s with great specs for around $800 a few months ago. http://www3.lenovo.com/us/en/outletus http://www3.lenovo.com/us/en/outletus

blueplastic 9y ago

I've been using Thinkpads and Macbooks on and off for the last 15 years, and this gen-5 Thinkpad is easily the best laptop I've ever owned. Some subtle features of this gen-5 laptop that may not be apparent: - The audio jack creates no hiss. If you used Thinkpads in the past with sensitive headphones, you'd hear a buzzing noise. The Macbooks never did that and this is the first Thinkpad that is a silent audio jack. - You can spill water on the keyboard and it'll just flow though. - Seriously best keyboard in class compared to all other ultrabooks. I really don't like the Macbook keyboard design... the depth on keypress is too shallow and it doesn't have the nice bounceback effect of the Thinkpads. - Battery life is around 6-7 hours, which is long lasting ThinkPad finally. I think the build quality of Thinkpads is way more functional and utlitarian than Macbooks. I like the matt screen of Thinkpads more. The touchpoint to use your index finger to move the mouse lets you keep your hand in the typing position. Fingerprint sensor is fast and works well.

baybal2 9y ago

Why do they put the touchpad off-centre to the left?

thomastjeffery 9y ago
Because of the numpad. That way it's centered between your palms so you don't touch it accidentally while typing.

tannhaeuser 9y ago

Looking forward to the ThinkPad Retro (http://blog.lenovo.com/en/blog/retro-thinkpad-its-alive/ http://blog.lenovo.com/en/blog/retro-thinkpad-its-alive/)

4ad 9y ago
Me too! Unfortunately it was confirmed it's not 4:3, and I think it's very unlikely to be 16:10 instead of 16:9, but I still hope it will be good.
- tannhaeuser 9y ago
  I'm after the "keyboard to die for", though I might have to retrain for the larger keyboard (coming from an XPS, the keyboard of which is no match to Lenovo's but works really well for me as well).
- the_stc 9y ago
  If we are lucky they will go with 3:2.
apricot 9y ago
Same here. I really hope the keyboard is as good as old-school Thinkpads and I'm crossing my fingers for 3:2 aspect ratio.

zzzeek 9y ago

my thumbs are still on the inside of my hands so unfortunately I still cannot deal with trackpad buttons above the scrolling surface. I have an older thinkpad from my job which is a great machine but unusuable trackpad-wise due to this design. I use a cheap asus zenbook daily. Would love to have a trackpad-buttons-where-my-thumbs-are lenovo again.

willtim 9y ago
Those buttons are for the nipple not the trackpad. The trackpad otherwise is like an Apple trackpad.
- zzzeek 9y ago
  Haven't used my T540P with a GUI in quite a long time, I think I may have noticed that the bottom of the trackpad is trying to be like an apple trackpad button also, however I recall it working very poorly; the whole trackpad physically clicks very nicely and definitively for the upper buttons, and on the bottom it just works like crap. Perhaps they've improved that.
yellowapple 9y ago
You could always use your thumbs to drive the trackpad and your fingers to drive the buttons. Personally, I mostly use the nub, so the lack of additional buttons below the trackpad doesn't bother me much.
callahad 9y ago
Have you tried keeping your left hand stationary and clicking with your left thumb, while mousing with your right hand? I find that position to be equally convenient for both the trackpad and the trackpoint. Or setting the entire trackpad to respond to clicks / taps? When I'm casually browsing, I find it very comfortable to put my thumb on the lower lip of the machine, mouse with my right index finger, and click with my right middle finger.
hellogoodbyeeee 9y ago
The track pad has two sets of buttons. One at the top for using with the red nipple in the keyboard and a set at the bottom of the track pad to use when you use the trackpad.

callahad 9y ago

Extremely happy with my current generation X1C running Fedora. The selection of ports hit a sweet spot for me: two full-size USB, two Thunderbolt 3, and full-size HDMI. After years with Macs, it's wonderful to finally be free from dongles.

bdcravens 9y ago
I didn't require a dongle until the latest generation.
- callahad 9y ago
  With my Macbook Air, I needed a Mini-DisplayPort to HDMI adapter. With my Retina Macbook Pro I also picked up a Nexus 5X, so I needed a USB-C to USB-A adapter. With my wife's Touchbar Macbook Pro I need a USB-C to USB-A adapter and a USB-C to HDMI adapter. Finally, with the X1C, I need none of these. I have no doubt that USB-C / Thunderbolt 3 are the future, but as a transition laptop, I couldn't be happier.

jpalomaki 9y ago

After lots of thinking I eventually went with T470. The reasons: 32GB of memory, dual battery configuration (possible to swap battery while running). Drawbacks with my choice are at least the size, probably not so good display and just PCIe x2 for the SSD. There are small annoyances. The software-hardware integration is not on the level where it should be. Pretty much out of the box and for example sleep does not always work - sometimes when waking up all apps are gone. Windows 10 install is not clean, there's Lenovo and Intel stuff hanging there. I dislike for example the Intel popups that I get when changing WLAN. Yes, it is possible to clean up these, but I'd rather not spend time on that. The build in LTE feels a bit unrealiable, it is not there always when computer wakes up and sometimes I'm not able to get connection. Also Lenovo does not provide 1TB SSD that would be compatible with Microsoft eDrive specs, which allow Bitlocker to offload encryption to SSD (which is anyways doing it).

michaelmior 9y ago

> Lenovo has mostly been a good guardian of the ThinkPad brand, but it did misapply the label on its plasticky ThinkPad Edge laptops. I owned one of those and it definitely didn’t live up to the storied reputation of this portable PC. I had a ThinkPad Edge E525 for many years and I was quite happy with it for the price. I finally decided to upgrade later this year mostly because of how I had (unintentionally) physically abused the machine over the years. But I still think the Edge series was pretty nice.

reza_n 9y ago

I bought the 2nd gen ThinkPad X1 Carbon (20A7) back in 2014. Been rock solid to this day and not a single complaint. This is my main dev machine. Ive been running Ubuntu since I got it, so the 8GB of RAM has been more than enough. No driver issues or anything, high density screen has been great, CPU is fast (Intel Core i7 dual core), and battery life is still excellent. Even have the finger print reader working :)

arketyp 9y ago
You know, I'm even fond of the quirky keyboard layout, in the end. I will dearly be missing the backspace/delete combo once I upgrade.

alberth 9y ago

I own and prefer the smaller footprint of the Yoga 370 ... BUT ... I really dislike the glossy display. The X1 is fantastic because it's a matte finish. I really wish more laptops used a matte finish. It's so much easier on the eyes (due to lack of reflection).

pushcx 9y ago

Look hard at the review sites like the Better Business Bureau before you buy a Lenovo: https://www.bbb.org/raleigh-durham/business-reviews/computers-wholesale-and-manufacturers/lenovo-in-morrisville-nc-90064256 https://www.bbb.org/raleigh-durham/business-reviews/computer... I bought a 3rd gen X1 Carbon. Three weeks out of warranty, the display stopped working. The repair took five weeks and they put in the wrong parts, downgrading the CPU and RAM. it took three more weeks for them to even ship a new replacement. On every single interaction I was told something false about the repair process, timeline, shipping, etc - seriously, I kept a log. Every department pointed fingers at every other department, no one (even the "Executive Support" I was escalated to) even claimed to have comprehensive knowledge, let alone actually took responsibility for the process. Read the reviews. My experience wasn't unusual. Would having no laptop for nine weeks inconvenience you?

nickfromseattle 9y ago
My last personal laptop was a Macbook Air, however I used a 4th gen X1 Carbon in my previous role and loved it so much I bought my own after I left. Unfortunately they're a lot less pragmatic without a corporate IT help-desk to troubleshoot issues and provide replacements on demand. I consider myself very fortunate to live 45 minutes away from a Lenovo certified repair shop.
mikedelfino 9y ago
What brand would you recommend?
- Harkins 9y ago
  I don't have a recommendation, I'm not familiar enough with the current models.
tumba 9y ago
I'll just offer a contrary anecdote. A few months ago, I had a catastrophic failure of my X260 failure (hard crash--would not power up) while on site for a client in a manufacturing facility on the south side of Chicago. I called support and within 3 hours, a tech was on site with a comprehensive set of tools and parts. The technician had been repairing ThinkPads since the late 1990s and still wore his original IBM badge along with his newer one. He ended up nearly completely disassembling and re-assembling my machine in the temporary cubical I was sitting in to replace the motherboard, but was gone within two hours and the machine has worked fine ever since. I'm sure service varies, but I always purchase the same day, onsite, four hour warranty option and try to be a little savvy about who the contracted service firm is. You can use Lenovo's website to find the certified repair firms and suggest that your ticket be dispatched to one you want. I have been buying a new ThinkPad every couple years for about 15 years. I have ambivalent feelings about the newest generations, but still find them to be the most ergonomic and comfortable option for me (TrackPoint, keyboard quality, matte display, extended battery options).

Blaine0002 9y ago

just my 2 cents after owning one for quite some time now. Avoid. Right after the warranty ended the screen has constant flickering and will sometimes turn to straight up static for 5 minutes at a time. moving the laptop hinge doesnt affect this at all which leads me to believe its a motherboard issue rather than a screen or ribbon cable issue. Besides that, the build quality is actually pretty terrible for what one of these costs and the hinge is flimsy and wobbles around when you move the laptop.

db48x 9y ago
Flickering in an LCD is usually caused by a bad inverter, which is an inexpensive part ($20 range) you can generally replace yourself.