Lenovo’s ThinkPad X1 Carbon line dates again to 2012, and now, in its 12th incarnation, the laptop computer has reached a stage of maturity few different manufacturers can boast. At this time’s X1 Carbon has been honed to a wonderful level—but it might be legitimately tough to differentiate from the unique. I’d know, as a result of I reviewed it for WIRED approach again when.
The music writ massive stays the identical as ever. That is Lenovo’s flagship ultralight, the enterprise laptop computer designed to kill all others. It retains the identical dimension 14-inch LCD (with 16:10 side ratio, now at 2,880 x 1,800 pixels) that it has all the time had, with the burden now hitting 2.2 kilos— exhibiting a wholesome and regular weight reduction through the years.
I measured the thickness at 21 millimeters, largely owing to a large rubber foot that runs alongside the again of the bottom to prop the keyboard up a bit. The present chassis, in Lenovo’s phrases, is produced from “recycled aluminum, magnesium, aerospace-grade carbon fiber, in addition to post-consumer supplies which are used all through its building.”
Many different improvements listed below are incremental at finest. I imply, when the model begins speaking about “new tactile markings” on the keyboard—these little bumps on the F and J keys— we’re getting near an innovation terminus. There’s additionally a small ridge that juts out on the prime of the display the place the webcam (that includes a guide shutter) seems, plus a relocated fingerprint reader, however some other beauty adjustments are powerful to suss out.
The large information is underneath the hood, with the inclusion of the brand new Intel Core Extremely CPU, this mannequin that includes an Extremely 7 155H chip working at 1.four GHz. A small brigade of producers is dropping machines with Extremely chips this month, with the large pitch being round synthetic intelligence efficiency, higher energy effectivity, and improved built-in graphics. AI-driven benchmarks are nonetheless a brand new factor, so till I’ve a good base of outcomes to attract from, I’m reporting on my customary battery of assessments that blend varied enterprise apps and graphics benchmarks.