X1 Carbon Gen 2 (Haswell)

X1 Carbon is now listed here in Germany in 3 configs:
Lenovo ThinkPad® New X1 Carbon Ultrabook - CampusPoint - Notebooks für Studenten, Schüler, Lehrkräfte und natürlich alle Anderen

Most significantly, there is also one model with the i7-4550U and the HD 5000: ThinkPad® New X1 Carbon Ultrabook

 

i strongly suggest you return it and think about a different brand and model since you already have big issues with the keyboard, touchpad, and panel quality. those are 3 big negatives about the machine that won't go away.

this X1 Haswell version is really nothing more than an experimental/beta testing unit and the vast majority of its initial reviews and first impressions have been quite poor. the return rate is going to be quite high as it is. in addition, the machine will not have good resale value since it's so experimental, so unless you're totally in love with it and can envision yourself happily using it for 3-5 years, it's a very bad investment.

since you want a high-res touchscreen, both the AB9+ and UX301LA are far superior options. both have excellent keyboards and touchpads, far superior panels, and of course design/style. the AB9+ has its PLS panel which performs on par with the MBR and the UX301 uses an awesome Sharp IGZO display. this X1 uses a very cheap LG display which has performed terribly for different OEM's.

 

Can you point me to some of these reviews you're referring to?

 

Can you comment on gesture control to control the mouse pointer? Wondering if this is precise and responsive enough to bypass using the trackpoint altogether since Lenovo fooked it up. Also, how is the fan noise with the i7? Thanks.

 

Windows has settings to "Make text bigger" which can be found in the Display control panel (or just search for "make text bigger"). It doesn't do perfect scaling (but I use it and overall it works well), as it relies on apps to be written correctly to scale properly. If there are any apps you use frequently that are outside the norm (Office, Web browser, etc...), it's a good idea to research if they scale correctly before buying.

You can try it on your current system to see how it works, though I hear that Win8 it better at it than Win7.

 

Where is this information coming from? Do you have a link showing that the X1 indeed uses an LG panel that has previously performed poorly for others? I've tried to find it, briefly, but I can't find out who is the supplier of the new WQHD panel, or that there are concerns about the new X1's display.

AFAIK, there have been no reviews yet, just hands-on impressions from CES.

I've been waiting for reviews to be published, so I can figure out if the keyboard will be an issue or not for my uses.

 

Exactly. That's why I'm asking droyder what he's talking about. I have only seen extensive CES hands-ons and the display looks great in all of them (though a bit reflective). Viewing angles look great too.

I'm wondering if he's referring to the LG panels that weren't as good in some of the T-series models. But I'm not familiar with too many 14" WQHD panels on other laptops. Which other ones have it?

 

LG makes some really good panels, as any big supplier of displays. You can´t judge one display-supplier because one display isn´t so good. AUO also did the horrible 1600x900 displays for the T420s/T430s, but at the same time, they are making great displays like the T440s FHD AHVA displays or the old W510-W530 FHD display.

It is very questionable to say a display is cheap just because it is from LG...without any good tests or any personal hands-on experince.

 

According to the new X1 parts list (pdf) it's an LG panel. I'm not aware of (haven't looked for) any reviews of this panel or what/if other notebooks use it.

 

Apple's MBP 15" Retina was made by LG and another mfr as well.. forget who. I know some of the LG's had issues.. not sure if that ever got resolved. Regardless, the unit I owned had and LG and it was great.

 

I looked back on droyder's previous posts. He is referring, as you correctly said, to the poorly received LG panel in the 440s. I'll continue to expect the new X1 display to be good until shown otherwise; after all, the big suppliers are capable of producing both great and not so great panels.

 

Yeah, but I'm not sure how relevant that is since they don't have the same WQHD panel on the T series.

Having said that, I found this review that sorta compliments yet puts down the display on the new X1C.
https://forums.lenovo.com/t5/X-Seri...014-X1-Carbon-owner-very-unhappy/td-p/1397621

I will get mine tomorrow and give more insight compared to a couple other laptops I have or have had in my posession recently.

 

Thought this was an interesting observation from that review:

I can see where working with several application at once could make using the adaptive strip problematic even if it is reasonably responsive to changes in active windows. And if it lags, or fails, well... If the only failsafe resort is to disable everything other than the Fn keys + a toggle to the sound, brightness etc settings then I'd much rather have traditional keys instead of potentially dodgy electronics. If this adaptive strip turns out to be buggy and unreliable people could be stuck with notebooks that are unusable and unsaleable. Don't like the risk/reward ratio here at all.

 

To elaborate on the adaptive keys:

You can configure it in software to JUST show the function keys and nothing else. However, this means you will not have keyboard based control over your volume and brightness. This is annoying but maybe not that much of an issue as you can adjust volume and brightness via Windows as well.

If you decide to allow it to cycle through the various key layouts, there is a slight lag when the FN key is hit, and the next layout is brought up.

For me, the other issue is I like having hard F keys. I use F2 (rename files), F4 (close window), F5 (refresh), F11 (full screen) all the time. Not being able to feel those out is definitely annoying. If they were going to go with this ridiculous "feature", at least they could have added plastic dividers or ridges to demarcate each button.

 

I love thinkpad to death. Had my first one more than 10 years ago. I remember how much I love the X60, X61 all the way to my current X230 (I enjoyed TPY too but I returned it). I also enjoyed my first original X1C along with occasional T series and the old Z. I moved on finally because of quality and pricing issues. I was going to get the new X1C but looks like the price of the X1C CTO with QHD, 8GB, and SSD will be more than 1400-1500. I took a leap of faith and bought Fujitsu U904. It is very similar in size and specs with the carbon. The U904 is actually thinner, lighter, and supposedly better QHD+ screen (IGZO - used in Ipad air) plus built in NIC. I hope I can live without the little red dot trackpoint and TP Keyboard. Bought one from newegg for 1350. Let see what happens next

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M7fcJM6iunA

 

Hi, can you please post some feedbacks once you have your u904? we have people unsure about going either u904 or new x1c, http://forum.notebookreview.com/fuj...febooks-u904-s904-look-pretty-awesome-18.html and i am one of them.

And I've looked up newegg but the price shows 1585 instead 1350. Can you help me out with this? thank you very much!

 

The price at newegg is higher now. I guess I got lucky yesterday. Also I have $100 off coupon. That's why I pulled the trigger yesterday.

I just got shipment conformation from newegg today. I will definitely post my review. I am just not sure if I should post it here or at fujitsu site. I am not a big fan fujitsu. I only have TP for the last 10 years...before that only Dell's

 

Lucky you! Looking forward to see your review!

 

You missed my point, the desktop version has a much faster CPU and a much higher TDP so the numbers are not comparable, even if the model number is the same. And in any case there's no way in hell an ultrabook could fit Iris Pro graphics. If it gets a 5000 series option at all it's not going to be Iris.

 

Any reviews for this yet?

 

I'm also wondering this. I know in Win8 there is scaling but many apps don't support it and still, it's said to not be perfect. So then the question is if there's any point of getting the 2560x1440 model if you're just using it for business apps and not gaming nor WindowsUI/Metro. It feels like it would be more annoying than helpful. Haven't tried running Desktop mode on a 2560x1440 so I can't tell but I would guess it would be too small for most eyes?

 

So I was about to start raving about my X1C that I just received. Loving the display, the keyboard, build quality, etc. I had no gripes and was just browsing away when suddenly the screen did the full glitch. I recognize this as what happens when something's messed with the motherboard/display adapter. So I gave it a reset. All was normal and then it happened again. I was able to replicate it 3-4 times and it keeps happening. I never dropped it or anything. It was always just stationary.

I can't believe this. I had problems with the first gen non-touch and touch. I was hoping by now they have improved.

 

The "scaling" in Windows 8 is no different from the scaling in Windows 7. Or Vista. Or XP, for that matter. No, it's only perfect for fonts, and some applications, quite a few, in fact, do not apply scaling. This means that such applications (e.g., Photoshop) become unusable.

It really depends on your applications, and your personal preferences. For myself, the answer is no, there's no point, and it's a less than useless gimmick.

P.S.: Give it another year, and if we're lucky then Windows 9 will come out with a decent desktop graphics subsystem (instead of the antiquated crap that's in Windows now), and application vendors may have caught up as well.

 

Thanks to those that have given us their first impressions. Personally I can't handle the keyboard especially since we're running Linux so we've just ordered a new round of the T440s. Hopefully they are not too bulky and allow us to work easily from coffee shops etc.

 

@urbanglowcam,
Oh, thats looks very bad, I am sorry for you. You are really unfortunate....clearly an DOA.

 

The QC on the new ThinkPads is definitely not as good as it should be.

 

@urbanglowcam What's Lenovo saying?

 

My colleague received his Windows 7, non-touchscreen unit this week and I just got his take. Overall he's very positive about it. Says the screen is terrific, as is the keyboard. He does find the location of the backspace and escape keys is taking some getting used to but overall is OK. The function keys have some slight issues being touch-only (he's finding some lag on them). He also finds the touchpad a little difficult to use, without the buttons. And voice and hand command are "a total waste of time". But he says the screen, keyboard feel, battery life (including fast-charge) weight, AC-band wifi and overall snappiness are all great. About what you'd expect.

 

Does anyone know if this new X1 has a pentile display (as the one in the Yoga 2 pro) or a regular rgb? Perhaps someone who got the unit could check this (wood probably need a magnifying glass though).

 

Yeah, thanks. I've just had the worst luck with all three versions of the X1 Carbon. This is probably the last one for me. I was really enjoying it too. I'll post some images and insight in a bit compared to my Sandy Bridge 13.3" Samsung Series 9.

Definitely not. What's bad is that this is their flagship model too.

I spoke with two tech support agents (both very nice and knowledgeable) and both agree that it's a hardware issue. It's obvious since the display issue happens even before Windows boots sometimes. Also, I even tried completely wiping / reloading Windows 8 and the issue still persists.

 

Got the I7 version yesterday. I'd ordered the one dock pro separately to avoid any delays - the one dock has not arrived yet. Random comments:

Had issues with screen being too dim on max setting when on battery. I disabled the adaptive brightness, which fixed max brightness.

Had issue with touchpoint moving too slow, option for speed was not available on the 'Metro' mouse screens, nor from lenovo main settings. I thought i was missing the driver but it was available as an extra tab under control panel mouse properties as an extra tab. There is no option to adjust the touchpoint's acceleration - is that common for lenovo?

Clickable touchpad is a little weird, but works.

Chrome browser looked very blurry which is apparently common with high dpi screens. I changed windows to 150% scaling and then disabled display scaling for chrome under properties->compatibility. With these settings the address bar is small but chrome is very sharp. Other apps will likely have issues.

Not a fan of the adaptive strip. I use function keys a lot, time will tell how much of an inconvenience this is.

Battery seems great.

General typing on the keyboard seems fine.

With an all black screen I have uneven back lighting in the lower right portion of the screen. It is consistently noticeable on boot up with a brighter area, so far I have not noticed it during normal use.

I wish it had an SD card slot, surprised they did not engineer a location for it.

Overall it is a fast haswell machine, I'm happy with it so far.

 

It's an LED screen, there is no "back lighting". It's supposed to be uniformly black.

 

I don't think that's correct. TN and IPS screens are all still LCD panels of differing technologies. LED's provide the backlighting vs the old CCFL backlit panels.

As far as I know, OLED is the only majorly adopted screen technology being marketed that's "self illuminating" so to speak, and Thinkpads definitely don't used OLED's.

 

What's the issue with the keyboard when using Linux?

 

The T440s also uses the same crappy ClickPad. I'm so frustrated. Why are all the PC makers forcing people to go Mac.

Does ANY PC maker make a 14" ultrabook with a good keyboard+touchpad/pointer and a high-res screen that is scaled properly? Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.

 

Though not speaking from experience, how about the HP Elitebook 840? I considered it for a while but since I can't find any place to look at it in person, I couldn't commit. It has a 1080p IPS non touch screen (or a lower resolution touch screen, though I think non IPS). All the specs looked pretty good though. The configuration I built on their website was pretty expensive, but when I called HP, they offered me a hefty discount. It maxed out at 1080p so that may not be enough for you.

BTW Isn't scaling more the software than the hardware?

 

The Elitebook 840 is nice, but does not have an ultra-highres screen that I'd like. HP trackpads+pointers are generally very poor as well.

Yes, scaling is an issue with Windows and apps, which is extremely frustrating. Mac has it's issues too, but generally is much better. It's weird that Microsoft didn't see all the ultra-highres screens on the horizon and get it working in Windows 8 or even in the updated 8.1. They are involved in the industry.... ? Alas, it looks like we'll have to wait a full year before anything happens.

 

Assume this meant you received a new X1 for review, yes? Any thoughts/comments? Will you be doing a formal review here or elsewhere? Thanks. :thumbsup:

 

I just sent mine back after the hardware/display issues and will look at the comparable Fujitsu, Acer, Samsung, or Asus models. But I have some feedback and pictures to give to those who are interested. I'm hoping your luck will be better than mine.

I mainly compared this to my Samsung Series 9 13.3" with the Ivy Bridge i7 processor. It also has 256 GB but only 4GB RAM. I didn't have enough time to play with the X1C (256GB / Haswell i7 / 8GB RAM), but the battery seemed to hold well. I also though the display was very good, even compared to the Samsung which I really like. It was more glossy of course, but probably not as reflective as most out there. The colors seemed very good. It's very sharp with the WQHD screen, but it might have a SLIGHT haze like someone has mentioned, due to the touch layer. I honestly think it's great and holds its own to the Samsung. In some instances, I felt it even had slightly deeper blacks even. There's still something I really like about having the matte display on the Samsung though. But the X1C also has really good viewing angles thanks to the IPS and this includes vertical angles which are usually more difficult.

The X1C is slightly bigger and thicker, but I felt it was pretty small until I compared it. Of course the display is slightly larger at 14". The keyboard on the Lenovo is much better in terms of the feel and longer travel of the keys. I also like how some of the keys are contoured to feel more natural, whereas the Samsung's are all just flat and have little travel. I didn't have a problem with the Samsung's keyboard, but the Lenovo kinda made me realize what I was missing. As far as the removal of some keys, I could care less. It didn't hinder me from doing anything. Though the adaptive touch strip for the FN keys are a little reflective (cosmetic), I wouldn't call them cheap looking. I think they work very well and even used the "F1" key to get into the BIOS. So before loading Windows, they seem to work even. I like that you can still just tap + hold say the volume key, and the volume will increase/decrease very fast. They're more responsive than I thought. I guess my only minor issues with them is that there's a one second delay when you press the toggle key and for when they actually switch. Also, I would prefer a physical key feel rather than a flat surface. But honestly, I don't use FN keys enough to care. Overall, very happy with the keyboard.

I used the webcam for about a minute or two and the picture quality seemed pretty good in low light settings. I only had it for a night so I didn't test it with anyone and didn't get to hear any feedback from the other end on how I sounded etc.

All in all, I was willing to keep it and thought it was very nice. But the fact that the display glitched, and I have now experienced a hardware issue with each and every iteration of the X1C has really turned me off from Lenovo. I've had 4 Samsung laptops and have never had a single problem with one. But again, I wish some of you the best on this machine. I just feel like it's a risk after the experience I've had.

Excuse the poor quality on the pictures, I used my phone.

 

As a past owner (and returner!) of the X1C and the X1CT, I am now a little hesitant to jump into production problems again. Last time, the X1CT was released before my X1C was fixed (1st batch).

Can some people chime in on other laptops that are worth comparing this to, I'm looking for:
- nice screen (no screen door effect)
- smallish charger
- good keyboard
- durability (I travel with backpack)
- small size
- I like the 14", but realize it's rare.

Anything else worth checking out?

 

I've been considering the Dell XPS 13. 3.02lbs, 13.3" 1920x1080 screen, 8GB dual-channel onboard RAM. I would really miss having a trackpoint though.

 

anyone know when exact will lenovo distribute x1 carbon gen 2 in canada? i am torn between getting this and the t440s and lenovo has a discount deal right now that i am not sure if the x1 carbon is worth it to wait for.

 

I'm also torn between the t440s and the new x1 carbon? Any reviews on the new x1 carbon yet?

 

Can anybody tell me how to make a ` and ~ on the new X1C?

 

This key is between the right Alt key and the right Ctrl key.

 

ugh, what were they thinking?

 

How would you guys compare this with the sony vaio pro 13? I checked the sony out and the screen was great, keyboard a little shallow, but nice. Has an SD. And very light, wasn't sure about the flex, so not sure if flex is a good thing or bad, as I'll be using is with a backpack,.

 

I can't say anything about the X1 carbon, but the Vaio Pro and Flex have bad reputations when it comes to fan noise. The Vaio Pro also has a terrible repuation when it comes to wifi reception. This is a big shame because otherwise they seem to be great machines.

 

I think the new driver fixes the wifi issues. Seriously considering it. It's so small and sharp.

 

Lenovo is now saying early February to customize the X1C due to supply shortages.