X1 Carbon Gen 2 (Haswell)

Here are the first informations about the new ThinkPad X1 Carbon with Haswell, the successor to the last years X1 Carbon:


Things different from the X1 Carbon (beside the new Intel plattform):
- Even thinner (17.2mm / 18.76mm with Touch) and lighter (1.27kg instead of 1.36kg), still the same 13" footprint
- New Display-Options: FHD, FHD Touch, QHD (2560x1440) IPS
- LTE and NFC available
- New OneLink Dockport available
- Same battery size, more battery life (due to the new Intel Plattform)
- New hinge design and new 5-button TouchPad
- According to this document, no more soldered RAM, one DIMM

That also means the "ThinkPad 9 Slim" Prototype won´t come to market as the X1 Carbon successor.

Taken from here: https://www.google.de/url?sa=t&rct=...RoEKPrTE1ZHaXWOnA&sig2=y9GuyZWE63UcKsEq90KIqg

 

Danke! Wie immer bestens informiert

 

No problem! But since this is an international forum, it think we should stay with English.

 

I like this design better. I never liked the way the X1C looked and felt.

 

Great find! I buy one if QHD-display support touch....

 

danke schon. Gracias. Thank you.

 

Matte available?

 

they use some sort of spray on matte finish like on the ThinkPad Yoga. From the video demo on the Youtube, it doesn't cut down reflection that much, but the amount finger smudges that it attracts is atrocious.

P.S. Having a close look at the X3, why does it looks so much like a Macbook Air 13 in design profile?

 

I think they have taken the same design as the X1 Carbon, the only things they really changed are the hinges (which is right, it is the style of the Macbook Air, which Lenovo also adopted with the S-Series) and the new TouchPad. Also, it seems to be a bit less rounded than the X1 Carbon, a bit sharper profile, but maybe it just seems so in the picture. I know there were some problems with the hinges on the X1 Carbon, especially in the Touch-version, cause the screen was so heavy that the hinges could not hold the screen in position very good.

As the developers of the X1 Carbon stated in the Lenovo Blogs, they have designed the X1 Carbon with the MBA in mind, the design bas basically a mixture of the X1 and the MBA in some way: http://blog.lenovo.com/design/developers-on-the-x1-carbon-industrial-design

What I like about the X3 compared with the X1 Carbon: The Onelink-Port (since it really makes the X3 to an business Ultrabook, a Dockingport is a must-have for business and professional users, something I have painfully learned in my time with the T430u) and the fact that it has one DIMM if the information there is really true (I hope so). Also, I hope they will use the 80mm M.2 SSD formfactor instead of the propritary form-factor they used with the X1 Carbon.

 

i think the ThinkPad X3 is really good, the only thing that is letting it down is the HDMI port, wish it has the miniDP instead (same problem as the ThinkPad Yoga).

But the battery life on the X3 seems a bit short, as compared to the Macbook Air 13, which can do over 10 hrs.

 

In the 2. slide in the startpost, there is listed a mDP port in the featurelist. I guess we will see when Lenovo finally announces the X3.

 

I'm a little disappointed with this upgrade. The only notable difference is the better screen. Only if instead of thinning down the machine, they put in a bigger battery.

 

Just like the new Yoga 2 Pro...amazing display, extremely slim form factor, excellent build quality, but absolute garbage keyboard. It's like they split the ThinkPad tablet in half and inserted a thin keyboard between the internals and the display. Why not put a similar UltraHD display in the T440p? Why? Why?! Why?!?!!

 

Thank you so much for posting ibmthink.

Judging by the slide, it appears there will be two versions, a touch and non-touch. Having the X1 Carbon, X1 Carbon Touch, and now Samsung Series 9, I really want something that offers the best of both worlds.

Since I had early trouble with both Carbon models I had to return and go with the Samsung. It offers the better display, so I hope Lenovo has caught up in that area. It appears they have with the focus on multiple display models. I want a touch model but I'll probably have to go with whatever offers the matte display. Unless they can offer the touch with a less glossy panel.

I noticed with the X1 Carbon Touch that it was one of the few touch models with a matte display. the only thing is, it appeared they had a manufacturer installed film over it to make it this way. This may be the reason a lot of people complained about the screen door effect it had.

 

Interesting specification!
There are two points I am not sure in the slides:
1.For previous x1 carbon and current x240s, the touch will increase not only thickness, but also the weight by about 150g, which makes the touch something like "additional function". The x3 touch, although 1.5mm thicker, seems get an identical weight with no-touch version. I know this is common for other brands, but I still wonder whether it is true, or just a mistake in the pdf? If the x3 touch finally comes out at 1.27kg, it will be a step further on weight than x240s.
2.The pdf shows FHD touch screen, but why not put "touch" with QHD? Does this mean QHD screen will only have a no-touch version? If so, I will choose a touch FHD since 1440p sounds not impressively like yoga2 3200x1800 screen.

 

What do you suppose "Smart keyboard with dynamic keys" mean?

 

do you know when will this be released in the USA?

thanks so much for posting.

 

the X3 does have a miniDP. look at the 2nd image he posted with the specs.. it says miniDP.

 

nice miniDP phew... now this is will be a machine i am interested in.

 

So, the qHD will not support touch? Disappointing.

 

I think I saw ibmthink post a roadmap awhile ago showing a Jan-Feb release date. Seems about right with these documents showing up now.

 

I might be wrong but I want to say it'll be a gimmicky software offering from Lenovo. But who knows, maybe it'll be something more.

 

yeah, i saw that too. guess i was hoping it'd be sooner than that with the spec sheets out now.

 

ibmthink, great finding! Thank you for sharing! :thumbsup:

Have you saved this file off-line? Occasionally, original link does not work anymore. Thanks to google cache, I've managed to find a text-only excerpt from the file at Untitled but there is blank slide with Tablet 3 specs that I'm extremely interested in.

Thanks!

 

Yes, I have this presentation saved, but I can tell you, that the specs of the TPT 3 are not in this presentation. The page were they should be just says "TBC" (To Be Changed), so at the point this presentation was made, the specs were not final.

 

Here's my Chinese Google-Fu

Æ»¹û¿¿±ßÕ¾ X1½Ó°àÈËThinkPad X3Ê×Æعâ_ThinkPad±Ê¼Ç±¾µçÄÔ_³¬¼«±¾ÐÂÎÅ-ÖйشåÔÚÏß

 

Completely agree with you regarding keyboard. I couldnt stand the x230 chiclet keyboard so I put an x220 keyboard in- amazing (although ive discovered the x201 keyboard is the best, just).

If only could put an x220 keyboard on this

 

The image shows a glossy screen. Really hope the non-touch comes with a proper matte option. Glad they are still carrying Win7, Despite all the improvements being trumpeted in 8.1 I'm really comfortable with Win7.

 

Why does it say '2012' on the bottom left of the first picture? They planned it that far ahead? o_o

It's sad how it's not gonna be competing well against the MBA when it comes to battery life... then again, I guess it has the quick charge thing :/

 

With google translating the website for me, I read this:

" But though they have touch screen and trackpad, the new ThinkPad ThinkPad X3 has canceled the iconic "red dot" pointing stick, I do not know as diehard powder ThinkPad users will not accept the change."

If Lenovo does this, I will freak. I need me my red dot ;_;

but then again, the picture has the track point on it still... so I don't know anymore t_t

 

Well, the yoga 2 pro does not have a trackpoint, but that is not branded as a thinkpad.
Given that lenovo has been watering down on some of the thinkpad brands core features (e.g. maintainability, dedicated hardware switches/keys, professional keyboard layout) and even introduced a brand hybrid (thinkpad yoga) i'd not be surprised to see thinkpad branded products without a trackpoint in the future. But for the current generation i think it's a save bet that the x3 will have a t440 style keyboard/ultranav combo. Maybe even the exact same one while moving the fpr from right side to palmrest area to compensate for the smaller form factor chassis (13.3" vs 14").

 

let me do the human translation for you:

Page 1:

Apple just recently announced the new Macbook Pro, but there is no longer the whoa factor. This is especially true after the emergence of Ultrabook, many manufacturers' products have already exceeded Apple Macbook, ThinkPad flag ship model X1 Carbon is one of them. In recent days, the successor to the ThinkPad X1 Carbon has been seen for the first time, model designation ThinkPad X3.

This ThinkPad X3 model was leaked through a pdf file, the document contained all the detailed specifications and two front on pictures of the product. The ThinkPad X3 exterior inherited previous X1 Carbon's external features, and is equipped with Intel Haswell processors, furthermore the new machine contains improvement based on many complaints received about the previous generation machine.

It is understood that the ThinkPad X3 would have an even thinner and lighter chassis, the thickest point reduced from 18.8 mm to 17.2 mm, and weight was reduced from 1.36 kg to 1.27 kg; comparatively speaking the new 2013 Macbook Air 13 weighs in at 1.35 kg. The ThinkPad X3 screens reflects the consumer's demand for high resolution screen, the new LCD has upgraded resolution of 2560x1440 with IPS Touch.

The new ThinkPad X3 also solves the problem of not able to upgrade X1 ThinkPad, by providing a removable DIMM slot, where user can add their own RAM. In addition, ThinkPad X3 has OneLink Dock expansion, which further facilitates the convenience factor.

Even though it has Touch Screen and Touch Pad, the new ThinkPad X3 no longer has the iconic ThinkPad Trackpoint, i am not sure whether ThinkPad die hard fans could accept this change.

Page 2:

The latest Apple iPad 4 has a thickness of 9.4 mm, at the moment the thinnest ultrabook Acer S7 has a thickness of 11.9 mm; while the recently leaked ThinkPad Ultrabook engineering sample astonshingly has a thickness of only 9.7 mm. Without a doubt, this ThinkPad model will reset the record of Thinnest Ultrabook, fully rivaling an Apple iPad.

The Thinkpad ultrabook engineering sample not only has a thin chassis, it also weighs far less than most ultrabook or tablets, weighing in at 990 grams. In addition, it also has a 13.3 inch IPS display, with 3200x1800 resolution, supporting 10 point touch.

The reason that this Thinkpad is so thin and light, is because it uses a 0.6 mm thick high strength CFRP (carbon fibre reinforced polymer) chassis body.

It is understood that many parts on the F1 racing car all uses this material, for example the monocoque chassis. The Boeing 787, Apache Longbow also uses the CFRP material.

The 9.7 mm thickness has increased the challenge in terms of chassis stiffness and heat dissipation requirements. ThinkPad still derive its design inspiration from the F1 racing car's monocoque body, the screen casing uses honeycomb/matrix monocoque design (i think they are talking about the CFRP and GFRP system used in the T440s screen case), which guarantees reduced deformation during falls. In addition, the ThinkPad X3 also uses ThinkPad winglet fan with 1 mm thick motor, to accomplish rapid 'dust free' heat dissipation.

It is also understood that Thinkpad X3 will feature several types of AI technology like face recognition, hand gesture control and bone conduction (isn't this used for headphone?).

Page 3 talks about Thinkpad Yoga so i am not going to translate it.

Page 4 talks about new T/X/S

Anyway it seems that the article is suggesting that Trackpoint is no longer available on the X3, but as far i know this is not the case. She could be talking about this never before seen ultra thin prototype that Lenovo is working on not having trackpoint.

 

Is page 2 talking about a different laptop from page 1? There are mentions of different weights and different screen resolutions.

I hope this is the case because page 2 also mentions that it has a 13.3" display whereas the X1 has a 14" display.

Anyone willing to hazard a guess at the likely CPUs for this?

 

spec sheet says the 15W ULT versions.

i know the new premium Asus UX301LA uses the i7-4558U, so i imagine the X3 will make that available too.

and perhaps by the time the X3 is released, there will be a better version than the i7-4558U.

 

I think page 2 is talking about the leaked engineering sample.

 

Anyone know if the QHD version will be matte non-touch?


If so I might just get one! (prays)

 

I'd be happy if it was touch, glossy, QHD and not that crappy panel they put on the Ideapad Yoga 2 Pro. I have a glossy, touch IPS FHD display on my current laptop and it is beautiful. Reflections are not an issue, because I can just angle the screen slightly to move them out of my field of view--thanks to its great IPS viewing angles. It's also really easy to clean, just wipe it with a microfiber cloth. I'll never go back to matte!

 

There are PLENTY of good glossy touch options out there. Try being in the market for a matte non-touch haswell ultrabook. So don't take this one away from us too!

As far as the Yoga 2 Pro, I am sure they'll fix the issues in future firmware updates.

 

FWIW, I spoke to a Lenovo rep last week and he was reading right off an upcoming launch worksheet and it says January 28th.

 

My guess is: They are going to announce this on CES 2014.

 

unless they make 2 different versions of the 1440p panel, i doubt it. the current 1440p that Asus and others use is glossy touch.

i'm guessing the only matte option for the X3 will be the cheapest FHD version (and no IPS).

what would be great to see from an OEM is a matte QHD screen with touch.

 

I am still wondering which name the X3 actually will have in the end: On October 10th Lenovo registered a new version of the X1 Carbon at the PTCRB: Welcome to PTCRB It uses the new generation GOBI 5000 card (EM7355), which means that this is a new Haswell based X1 Carbon.

The old X1 Carbon is also listed there: http://www.ptcrb.com/vendor/complete/view_complete_request_guest.cfm?modelid=21628

Maybe they decided to keep the X1 Carbon name instead of X3? I guess we will see when the finally announce the Haswell X1 Carbon.

 

I guess they will just call it "new X1 Carbon"? https://www.google.de/url?sa=t&rct=...WSCml07-xN11zAuRg&sig2=0-HNxIwM9UmNzCvWRQPPXw

"Comming soon - ThinkPad W540 and new X1 Carbon" - this could mean we will see it before 2014 and before the CES, if it launches alongside the W540.

 

Touch wastes power and adds weight and has no productivity use. And adds cost.

 

I would say in real world it adds a smidgen of weight, takes some power and has productivity for certain people. I'm not a touch fan and am eagerly awaiting the non touch version as an upgrade for my x301, but I wouldn't generalise statements based on my views alone.

I'm sure there are plenty of people eagerly awaiting the touch x1 successor.

 

I am not basing it on my views alone or anything. Just high res touch haswell ultrabooks are plentiful. Matte non-touch ultrabooks are almost non-existent.

The only hires non-touch matte haswell ultrabooks that are rumored to come out are the Thinkpad x1 carbon successor(13") and Fujitsu lifebooku904(14"). In comparison the choices for hires touch are pretty much endless.

 

the Carbon is a 14".

 

13'' with a 14'' screen thanks to a small bezel.

 

Lenovo is about to be ready to releasing X3 demo machines to the press within 2 to 3 weeks.

 

Nice. When will they send you yours?