An already impressive enterprise-grade laptop has seemingly improved across the board…
So why isn’t my recommendation changing?
I’ve reviewed dozens and dozens of products for Windows Central, but laptops remain my bread and butter.
This review was made possible thanks to a review sample provided by Lenovo.
Lenovo had no input nor saw the contents of this review prior to publication.
As always, you’re also paying a premium for a commercial PC.
Subtle refinements make the new X1 Carbon an even better laptop for on-the-go work.
The packaging is plastic-free and up to 90% recycled, biobased, or sustainably sourced.
This laptop is covered by Lenovo’s 1-year limited warranty.
Familiar weaknesses remain, but it’s still an impressive machine.
The Gen 13 is on the top, and the Gen 12 is on the bottom; from left to right, it’s the USB Type-A 3.2 Gen 1 port and dual Thunderbolt 4 ports. My Gen 13 model no longer has the defunct Nano SIM slot.(Image credit: Windows Central | Zachary Boddy)
To begin, there are a lot of similarities here.
You still get MIL-STD 810H durability standard certification and a spill-resistant keyboard.
That expertly balanced hinge with one-handed opening returns, and everything looks familiar once you kick off the laptop.
The Gen 13 is on the top, and the Gen 12 is on the bottom; from left to right, it’s the HDMI 2.1 port, the USB Type-A 3.2 Gen 1 port, a 3.5mm audio jack, and the power button.(Image credit: Windows Central | Zachary Boddy)
At first glance, it may be difficult to tell anything actually changed.
Oh, but it did.
Those changes may not seem huge, butanyreduction when you’re already so slim and insubstantial are immediately noticeable.
This display is still great, but Lenovo definitely could’ve made it better a year later.
Those design refinements also come with exactly zero compromises.
There’s also still no microSD card slot, either.
However, Lenovo’s implementation is far from the best version I’ve seen.
Most people shouldn’t have any qualms with this level of color accuracy.
Purely considering the visual experience, it’s really hard to fault this display.
To summarize, OLED displays can flicker at high rates to maintain brightness, especially at dimmer levels.
You canread more about PWM dimming and flickering from my colleague atAndroidCentral.com.
As loud as these fans are, the ThinkPad X1 Carbon at least never got hot.
The gains are undeniable, but the overall narrative remains mostly unchanged.
ThinkPad X1 Carbon: AI and software
Lenovo ThinkPads offer a consistent software experience powered byWindows 11.
Yes, that means a dedicatedCopilotbutton on the keyboard.
These are some ridiculous read speeds, and while write speeds aren’t as impressive they’re still some of the best we’ve tested.(Image credit: Windows Central)
You also get two levels of white LED backlighting that looks decently consistent and offers solid visibility.
That’s a real shame.
Jumping quickly back to the aforementioned camera, it’s decent.
Much improved single-core performance helps a lot, but the new X1 Carbon still falls behind its predecessor in multi-core performance.(Image credit: Windows Central)
The quad-microphone array, enhanced by Dolby Voice, is above average for a laptop.
Good for video conferencing, not what I’d choose to use for music or other media consumption.
It’s also a surprisingly solid value.
That story continues in Geekbench 6, too, but the X1 Carbon isn’t the only Series 2 Core Ultra laptop in this range.(Image credit: Windows Central)
But that doesn’t mean last year’s weaknesses were addressed.
You absolutely need the TrackPoint
You may be few, but you are mighty.
I truly love the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon.
The new X1 Carbon enjoys a nice boost to general performance over its predecessor, likely thanks to improved single-core performance, faster SSD speeds, and better RAM.(Image credit: Windows Central)
The ThinkPad X1 Carbon (Gen 13) continues to push that vibe in the best possible way.
GPU tasks are one area where the new X1 Carbon dominates, as the new Intel Arcd 140V graphics comfortably beat last year’s version.(Image credit: Windows Central)
That doesn’t help the new X1 Carbon when encoding 4K video, though, where it still fell behind its predecessor.(Image credit: Windows Central)
This is a clean software experience, and the new Intel silicon enables new AI experiences.
At full brightness, the OLED display can burn through battery life fast, even without a heavy workload.
This keyboard is still great. Seriously, though, I want my haptic touchpad, Lenovo.
Do you need a non-touch display that folds back beyond 180-degrees? I’m not sure, but you have that here.
This camera is nothing to write home about, but you get facial recognition for logins, a physical privacy shutter, and more mics than your average laptop.
Next year, I want the haptic touchpad to be default, I want an upgraded display with dynamic refresh rate, and I want much better battery life.
