Trying to decide: T470s vs. X1 Carbon 5th Gen?

I am trying to decide between a T470s and an X1C5, both from the Outlet store. It turns out that if you wait for the right deal, they can be pretty close in price.

I'll be using the computer for data analysis, office work and other general use so I don't need something extremely portable or extremely powerful (especially with dGPU). I'm coming from a 13" MBP 2015 with a 2.9Ghz i5, 512GB SSD and 16GB RAM. My budget is less than $1000.

Pros of the T470s:
- More connectors, many more. Even the RJ-45 port which I haven't had on a laptop since 2012(!) I also use the SD card slot sometimes, but can also change to a MicroSD slot since I use a MicroSD slot with adapter for my camera anyway.
- Memory upgradeable. The minimum is 4GB soldered, which means an 8GB module is totally within reach for a total of 12GB. If that isn't enough, 20GB is also within reach. This makes me happy because if I run something memory-intensive, I don't have to buy a whole new laptop.
- Touchscreen available.
- 2.9 lbs - very light.

Cons of the T470s:
- Not a premium product (?)
- Slightly thicker and heavier than the X1 Carbon.

Pros of the X1 Carbon 5th Gen:
- Better screen (is that true in every case, even comparing FHD to FHD? This guy on NBR says he's very disappointed with the X1 screen)
- Smaller, lighter, sleeker. 2.5 lbs vs. 2.9 lbs.
- Thinner bezels without compromising on the webcam position.

Cons of the X1 Carbon 5th Gen:
- Not memory upgradeable, and 16GB is too expensive.
- WQHD HDR screen is too expensive.
- Lacks some ports, and unclear whether dongles (esp. Ethernet) are included with the laptop.

My current MBP has 16GB of RAM, and I'm worried that for my usage (lots of multitasking and data analysis/visualization), 8GB just won't be enough. This is why I'm leaning towards the T470s. The X1 of course has it's own draw - aesthetics and being a premium feel.

Has anyone compared a T470s to an X1 Carbon 5th Gen, and can share their insights? Is the T470s that much bigger?

 

With your use case, neither will be much of an improvement over your 2015 Mac... Unless there is a reason for you to switch software environments?

Both are in "Premium Lines" for Lenovo (P series, X series, and T series are their premium lines).

Only 6th gen X1 carbon has HDR screen.

I wouldn't even consider buying a Soldered RAM notebook in 2018 without at least 16 GB. Save up for it if you have to.

If you do a lot of typing; most reviewer's love the X1 carbon Keyboard and it has better trackpad; I haven't heard anything special about the T470s keyboard.

 

Thanks for your perspective. I think you are correct in saying, "I wouldn't even consider buying a Soldered RAM notebook in 2018 without at least 16 GB."

From the comparisons I've read, the keyboard on the T470s is as good or better than the X1C in terms of feel and key travel, so that should be OK.

I'm not switching per se, but I have been assigned the Macbook Pro for work, and I am leaving the company so I need to buy my own. I did used to have a Macbook Pro 2015 of my own, but sold it because I wasn't using it enough. Now I don't want to buy a 2 year old machine, and the MBP 2016+ is not really my thing. At the same time, Windows has apparently improved enough that I can give it a try again, given that most of my work software is either open source or Microsoft.