Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 11 Overview: Close to-Excellent Enterprise Ultraportable Stays the Course

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Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 11

Like

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  Stellar construct high quality
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  Nice compromise between display screen dimension and portability
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  Constructed with recycled supplies
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  Superior keyboard
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  Aggressive software efficiency and lengthy battery life

Don’t love

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  RAM soldered on so cannot broaden post-purchase
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  Touchpad is undersized

The Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 11 is the corporate’s flagship enterprise ultraportable and has grow to be the usual towards which different enterprise ultraportables are measured. The eleventh technology of the venerable X1 Carbon delivers no surprises or revolutionary upgrades from previous iterations, however you do not select a ThinkPad for surprising thrills. You select a ThinkPad for its dependability, safety and stellar construct high quality that features an industry-best keyboard. And the newest ThinkPad X1 Carbon delivers on these, supplying a trim but rugged chassis that is now a bit greener and nonetheless a pleasure to make use of.

With its 14-inch show and a pair of.5-pound weight, the laptop computer sits within the candy spot of providing sufficient display screen area to work lengthy stretches while not having to hook up with an exterior show, whereas additionally being gentle sufficient for every day journey. And with prolonged battery life, the ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 11 may also allow you to work lengthy stretches while not having to retreat to an influence outlet. Now in its eleventh iteration, the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon stays our favourite enterprise ultraportable for execs on the go.

The ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 11 sequence relies on Thirteenth-gen Intel Core processors and begins at $1,435 within the US. For this value, it affords a Core i5-1335U, 16GB of RAM, built-in Intel Iris Xe graphics, a 512GB SSD, a 1080p webcam, and a 14-inch non-touch show with a 16:10 side ratio, 1,920×1,080-pixel decision and 400-nit score. Our check system prices $1,589 and includes a Core i7-1355U chip and the identical show because the baseline mannequin however with contact help. Pricing displays Lenovo’s present reductions, that are at all times rotating. The ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 11 starts at £1,200.00 in the UK and AU$2,287 in Australia. Though that will appear expensive, its business-centric safety choices and options and durable design add to the price in comparison with a shopper laptop computer. 

In lab testing, the ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 11 carried out properly, however you will see within the charts under the penalty you pay in uncooked efficiency with the environment friendly Core i7 U-series processor in contrast with a high-powered half from Intel’s Core i7 H sequence or Apple’s highly effective M2 processor. That the X1 Carbon Gen 11 trailed the Acer Swift Go 14 with its Core i7-13700H CPU and Apple MacBook Air 15 in testing is not stunning, however it was disappointing to see it end behind the HP Dragonfly Pro, which options an environment friendly AMD Ryzen 7 U-series chip. That stated, the X1 Carbon carried out properly general. And it lasted almost 13 hours on our battery drain check, which was second solely to the long-running 15-inch MacBook Air. Typically use, it operated shortly and quietly with none hiccups or lags once I tried to emphasize it with varied multitasking eventualities. 

Lenovo does supply one Core i7 P-series CPU choice for the X1 Carbon Gen 11 in order for you extra efficiency and can be prepared to commerce some battery life to get it. Intel’s P sequence sits between the environment friendly U sequence and the high-powered H sequence. There isn’t any choice to improve the Intel Iris Xe graphics, and you’ll’t improve the reminiscence post-purchase. The RAM is soldered on, so ensure you get the quantity you need up entrance. Our check laptop computer featured 16GB of RAM, and you’ll improve to 32GB or 64GB.

Carbon copy

In case you thought the ThinkPad X1 Carbon would obtain a radical redesign for its eleventh birthday, you’d be mistaken. The ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 11 appears to be like the identical as previous variations. It is a boxy, matte-black laptop computer with purple accents and will not be mistaken for something apart from a ThinkPad. I occur to love this conventional look. It is like seeing a well-known face at a crowded celebration or a favourite member of the family through the holidays. And whereas it may be described as “boxy,” the X1 Carbon isn’t clunky or heavy. In truth, I believe it is nearly good by way of providing room to work whereas remaining gentle sufficient for every day commutes or lengthy days on the highway.

Like previous fashions, the X1 Carbon Gen 11 includes a carbon-fiber lid, magnesium-alloy keyboard deck and aluminum backside panel that enables the laptop computer to be lighter than competing fashions made primarily from aluminum however with out sacrificing power. It weighs solely 2.5 kilos, which is lighter than the 13.6-inch M2 MacBook Air (2.7 kilos) and 13.4-inch Dell XPS 13 (2.6 kilos). And each of these fashions have smaller shows than the 14-inch X1 Carbon. It is a full pound lighter than the three.5-pound, 14-inch MacBook Professional, too. Constituted of a magnesium-lithium alloy, the 14-inch Asus Expertbook B9450 is lighter at simply 2.2 kilos, however its 14-inch show has a widescreen 16:9 side ratio and is not as giant because the X1 Carbon’s 16:10 panel. I would fortunately tote round a couple of further ounces for the added display screen area of the X1 Carbon.

The X1 Carbon Gen 11 might not look any completely different from previous fashions, however Lenovo did make some modifications to its building. This newest X1 Carbon options 90% recycled magnesium within the palm relaxation and 55% recycled aluminum within the backside cowl. Different parts, together with the speaker and battery enclosures and energy adapter, are made partly from post-consumer recycled content material (PCC) plastics. It is among the many first ThinkPad fashions to incorporate recycled supplies, an necessary consideration for a lot of companies seeking to scale back their carbon footprint.

A laptop computer as skinny because the X1 Carbon should not have the ability to have such a snug and plush keyboard. The keys have a mushy, buttery really feel with a quiet response and but supply snappy suggestions that makes me really feel like a quick and correct typist — a sense that I can shortly lose contact with on different laptops. The keyboard can be spill-resistant and affords two-level backlighting. My solely grievance with the keyboard are the PgUp and PgDn buttons that Lenovo squeezes above the facet arrow keys. It took me a couple of days earlier than I finished by chance hitting these when trying to navigate round a doc with the arrow keys.

If you’re among the many few preferring mousing through a pointing stick relatively than a touchpad, then you definately’ll be happy to see the purple pencil-eraser nub on the heart of the newest ThinkPad X1 Carbon. The one draw back to its inclusion is the lowered dimension of the touchpad. It is relatively slim from high to backside to make room for the mouse buttons designed for use with the pointing stick. And with our check system’s contact show, you’ve 3 ways to regulate the cursor. It is too dangerous you’ll be able to’t lose the pointing stick in case you go for the contact show improve.

Lenovo affords 5 show choices for the X1 Carbon Gen 11. The baseline show is a 1,920×1,200-pixel, nontouch IPS panel rated for 400 nits of brightness. Our check system has this panel however with contact help. It’s also possible to get this show with a brighter, 500-nit score and Lenovo’s ePrivacy filter that makes it more durable for individuals — say, the passenger squeezed into the center seat subsequent to you on a redeye — to view your the display screen from the facet. The opposite two nontouch show upgrades bump up the decision: a 2.2K (2,240×1,400) IPS panel and a 2.8K (2,880×1,800) OLED.

Except you want a contact show, I like to recommend selecting one of many higher-resolution choices. Textual content was not sharp on our check pattern’s 1,920×1,200-pixel IPS panel, with letters trying fuzzy and grey as a substitute of crisp and deep black. Textual content ought to look crisper on the two.2K IPS panel and inky black on the two.8K OLED choice. Each can be found for affordable upcharges. 

Regardless of which show you select, it will be hooked up to the remainder of the laptop computer with a hinge that feels overqualified for the job. The one hinge runs almost the width of the show and affords the proper quantity of resistance. It glides easily so that you could make changes with only one finger, and it is robust sufficient to carry the show firmly in place.

In case you do go for the contact show, you will respect the antiglare coating that does an admirable job in combating glare and reflections. Many contact shows characteristic a shiny display screen coating that makes viewing the show annoying at greatest and a nightmare at worst in sure lighting conditions. You’ll view the X1 Carbon’s show underneath vibrant lights and even open air. I confirmed the show’s 400-nit score; it registered a most brightness of 410 nits on my exams with a lux meter. I used to be capable of work outdoors on a sunny day with out squinting on the display screen.

Lenovo affords a 1080p webcam on all X1 Carbon Gen 11 fashions, however our check system’s show improve additionally included an improve to the digital camera that provides IR capabilities. With the IR webcam, you should use facial recognition for simple, safe logins. The facility button additionally doubles as a fingerprint reader, supplying you with a second biometric choice. The webcam produces pretty clear, grain-free photos and includes a bodily privateness cowl so you’ll be able to guarantee no prying eyes are watching you if you aren’t on a Zoom name or different video convention. Different security measures embody self-encrypting SSDs, non-compulsory Intel vPro processors, help for Tile monitoring, discrete TPM 2.0 and FIDO authentication.

The ThinkPad X1 Carbon is designed for getting work carried out relatively than being entertained, however it nonetheless affords better-than-average audio system. It includes a quad array with two 0.8-watt tweeters and two 2-watt woofers. They produce fuller sound than the standard pair of 2-watt audio system however nonetheless fall wanting being all that helpful for listening to music and even motion pictures. Their sound, nevertheless, greater than suffices for Zoom calls and work movies.

The X1 Carbon Gen 11 eschews the minimalist method for exterior connections that many ultraportables take and affords a helpful choice of ports. It has two Thunderbolt 4 USB-C ports, two USB-A 3.2 Gen 1 ports, an HDMI 2.1 port and a combo audio jack. It helps the newest Wi-Fi 6E normal, and if you have to keep related if you’re away from a Wi-Fi community, you’ll be able to add WWAN connectivity. 

Lenovo has discovered a successful system for the ThinkPad X1 Carbon, and I am unable to fault the corporate for sticking with it. I applaud the transfer to make use of recycled supplies on this, the eleventh technology of the product, whereas sustaining the standard X1 Carbon match and really feel. It is solidly constructed but skinny and lightweight with a 14-inch, 16:10 show that is large enough that I did not really feel cramped, even throughout lengthy work stretches. Primarily based on a Core i7 U-series CPU, our check system supplied aggressive efficiency and an extended working time and stayed cool and quiet throughout operation. It is our favourite Home windows-based ultraportable for enterprise.