X1 Carbon Gen 2 (Haswell)

I understand the reason for dropping the processor performance in order to up the graphics to HD5000, but I'm still a little worried about the specs for the i7-4550. Could someone with more experience say what the "real-world" drop of from the 4600 to the 4550 would be?

 

SOME LATEST NEWS FOR YOU GUYS.

Here are customizable spces that will come up in a few days.

•Intel® Core™ i7-4550U
•Intel® Core™ i7-4600U
•Intel® Core™ i5-4200U
•Intel® Core™ i5-4300U
•Intel® Core™ i5-4200U

•14.0 WQHD (2560x1440), 300nit, IPS / Touch and Non-touch both configurable
•14.0 HD+ (1600x900) 260nit

•Intel® HD Graphics 5000, 8GB
•Intel® HD Graphics 4400, 4GB


•4GB DDR3L SDRAM 1600 MHz
•8GB DDR3L SDRAM 1600 MHz



•WQHD：331.0 x 226.5 x 13.2
•WQHD Touch：331.0 x 227.1 x 13.9
•HD+：331.0 x 226.8 x 13.6



WWAN: Sierra Wireless 7355 – Gobi 5000、Ericsson HSPA+(N5321) (I suppose this is LTE in US)


•Intel® Centrino® 7260 (Wilkins Peak 2 AC) 2x2 AC+Bluetooth 4.0
•Intel® Centrino® 7260 (Wilkins Peak 2) 2x2 AGN+Bluetooth 4.0
•Intel 7260BN (2x2 BGN) Bluetooth 4.0



•SSD M.2 2280
•128GB
•256GB eDrive
•512GB Intel®
•240GB SSD
•180GB SSD



NFC


You should thank me

 

Thanks bud.

 

Can someone explain to me the various SSD options? Why are some listed as edrives and others as SSD? Why is the 240gb drive more expensive than the 256gb drive? I am assuming it is just the brands that are different, but it would be nice to know which is which and what is the better option.

Hoping we can order the customizable machines this week.

 

Will this be Verizon LTE friendly? The X1C was supposed to be, but as we know that didn't work out that way.

 

Thanks to everyone on this thread who has provided helpful information. I have had the i7 configuration for a couple of weeks now and am extremely happy with it. Hopefully my datapoint can be useful for those of you who are still undecided. At the moment, I have two machines to compare it to: my trusty old X61 and an HP Elitebook Folio 9470m.

Screen --- I am sitting in a chair with a large glass window at my side and bright light (barely overcast) coming in. The X1C is just as readable as the matte screens on the X61 and HP. It is slightly more reflective if you tilt it the right way, but I haven't found a position where it made a difference (the light washed out the matte screens before the extra reflectivity could be a problem). I am very happy with the screen, though the X61 (1024x768, TN assumed) and HP (1366x768, TN assumed) don't provide much competition.

Keyboard Feel --- It is a Thinkpad keyboard, and I am very happy with it. In my opinion, it is much better than the keyboard on the HP, as well as my recollection of the Asus keyboard I used recently. There is something about having keys that are not perfectly flat that makes it a lot easier to know where your fingers are, and it definitely feels like the Thinkpad keyboards I have always liked. For those comparing to an HP, the HP keyboard feels cheaper. For example, the delete key on mine already failing in a way that you have to hit it just so for it to register, e.g. when doing ctrl+alt+delete to log in. The HP keyboard is also perfectly flat, and I hit wrong keys all the time. I'm not sure if this is the same keyboard as other elitebooks, though.

Adaptive Keys --- Call me crazy, but there are aspects of this that I really like. For features like volume adjustments, external display settings, brightness, etc., I find it easier to use the adaptive keys than to browse the colored symbols on a typical function row. I set the row to default to function keys, which works well for the times that I do use them (roughly 10 times a day, say). If you work in an environment where the function keys are a regular part of your typing regimen, then the adaptive row will drive you crazy; however, if you just hit them occasionally for things like refreshing a web page, I think it is just fine. Personally, I'd rather have the Thinkpad keyboard feel over any other laptop I've used recently, even if it means dealing with the adaptive row for those few use cases. Note about insert, printscreen, and such: all of those "keys" are accessible by pressing and holding on the "Fn" key that switches the adaptive row. If you only use the keys infrequently, this should be enough as long as you can remember the right key combination.

Keyboard Layout --- Honestly, I had more trouble learning the "standard" keyboard on the HP. The new key layout really isn't the end of the world as many people would make you think. It's not perfect, but for me it is at least as good as any other laptop keyboard I've used recently.

Keyboard Swapping --- Not a chance. The keyboard appears to be part of the top plate of the laptop (at least, the top plate has individual holes for each key).

WWAN --- It has a sim-card tray, and the user manual has instructions for installing a WWAN card. As for a compatible card that supports Verizon LTE, I have no idea.

Noise --- I can barely hear it right now. It's extremely quiet under light load, though it does make some noise under heavier loads. I would say that it is at least as quiet as the HP and (loud) X61.

Build Quality --- The machine feels quite sturdy. If I had to pinpoint issues, there are two. First, the heat sink looks like it got nicked in manufacturing somehow (most of it is coated black, but exposed copper shows on one corner, and the copper looks slightly dinged). Second, there are two main pieces to the case, a bottom plate and the piece that houses the keyboard/ports. There is a joint around the bottom plate on the bottom of the device, and the two pieces are not perfectly flush. It could actually be by design, but it wouldn't surprise me if somebody complained about it.

 

Thanks for the review. Wondering what your thoughts are on the performance of the machine. Does it feel pretty speedy?? Is the Intel 4400 okay pushing that many pixels?

Thanks!

 

I think some of the drives (e.g the.240gb) are OPAL drives with hardware based encryption, hence the price premium. If you google edrive vs opal, you'll see a lot of discussions on Lenovo forums about it.

 

Thank you for your excellent review!

 

I am very happy with the performance and it definitely feels speedy. Photoshop launches in about 2 seconds and feels snappy, and web browsers seem to be bound only by the internet connection. That said, I cannot really tell a difference between it and the HP (i7-3667U) I have for comparison, except that the X1C might be a bit faster to boot. I also have not used anything recently that is faster on paper.

I have definitely not noticed any instance where the Intel 4400 graphics seemed deficient. I did have one time where Photoshop would crash the graphics driver every time I launched it, but that was fixed with a reboot and has not recurred. I have not tried any games.

 

Can you please please tell me about the color gamut of the display? So for example sRGB and Adobe RGB coverage.
I'll use it for photo shop from time to time so color accuracy is important.. I know lenovo laptops aren't good for color accuracy. This is my first time for think pad so I need this info. Thank you.
I have definitely not noticed any instance where the Intel 4400 graphics seemed deficient. I did have one time where Photoshop would crash the graphics driver every time I launched it, but that was fixed with a reboot and has not recurred. I have not tried any games.

 

@cw94706 Thanks very much for your review, this brought me a bit closer to buying one as soon as they're available here in Germany.

I have one relatively important issue though (at least for me) regarding the adaptive keys:

Could you do me a favor and boot into the BIOS and see if you can cycle through the different adaptive rows? You said you defaulted to the F1 - F12 keys, right? Did you have to use the windows software for that? I'm asking because I'd like to know how they implemented the adaptive keys, are they relying on drivers in the OS level, that would make supposedly more difficult to get linux up and running.

Even better would be if you could up a linux live cd and tell us what works and what doesn't. ATTENTION: If you should do that, please disable UEFI (secure boot) in your BIOS before booting the live cd.


Thanks again for taking the time!

 

i have been looking about this forum and the web in general however i havent seen anywhere where people comment on the hours that the battery lasts, could anyone tell me how much there lasts

 

@cw94706 Thanks for the review. One of the main criticisms of the U904 are the speakers. What are the speakers like on the X1?

 

Unfortunately, I don't have color calibration equipment, so I don't know how to get this for you.

Unfortunately, I'm not able to try linux at the moment...maybe soon, we'll see. During the boot-up process, the adaptive keys default to function keys until you log into Windows. In the BIOS, the function keys work just fine, and you can cycle between the function keys (which includes wifi and display output controls) and the "home" row. The web browser and web conferencing rows seem to be unavailable. The home row has the volume and brightness controls, so I would conjecture that they would be available and work without explicit linux driver support, hopefully.

They sound good to me. They produce better low tones than the other devices I could compare against, and they seemed to have less of a tinny overemphasis of the high tones. Occasionally I felt like it was lacking definition in the high tones, but that's from an untrained ear. The volume is good and sufficiently variable.

 

I've been getting about 6 hours with brightness at 50%, doing light task office task and web browsing. This is using the default balanced power plan, adaptive brightness off, and bluetooth off.

If I'm not surfing the web but leave WiFi on with the same power plan, doing light task my battery life is closer to 8-9 hours.

Leaving videos playing at 60% brightness, my battery life indicator estimates 3 hours, although I've never really left it playing video long enough to drain the battery to give you a better estimate.

 

Thank you very much! Again, your comment brought me a closer to buying the X1 Carbon. The only thing missing is some experience with the Clickpad.

 

Can i ask what setup you have?

 

I got the preconfigured i7 touch model.

 

does it heat up alot? im afraid of it being so thin that it will get extremely hot, would you recommend buying it? by the ways thanks for answering my previous questions

 

I've used the clickpad on the t440s.It was smooth and accurate. The clicking mechanism didn't feel bad, just kinda...weird. It feels like more of a "thunk" than a "click." I'm hoping that the clickpad they put in the new X1C has a shallower action, which I think would improve it, but I'm not sure there's been enough time for them to go through an R&D cycle since it was first introduced. (quick rant: Why do reviewers never push any buttons in their videos!?! I don't need a full zoom on the port selection. I can see that in any of about 100 pictures posted on the web.)

I've never been a trackpoint guy, so I can't really comment on that.

 

The first reviews are bad!
New ThinkPad X1 Carbon Business Ultrabook | Lenovo (US)

 

There's nothing there that we don't already know. Most of those reviewers were complaining about the spec's that have been up for a long time. If you need more than 2 USBs, you shouldn't have bought this computer.

Although two reviewers reporting less than 3 hrs battery life is a bit troubling. I hope that doesn't forshadow quality control problems.

 

I'll post more later but I'm pretty pleased so far. I don't use the function keys all that often so I don't mind the adaptive keys at all (except for being a little slower to find the volume when I need to hit mute for a video playing out loud in the office).

I miss the old dock I had for my X220. I need to get a OneDock thing.

Battery life is great. Miles ahead of the X220.

Wish there were more than 2 USB ports but I knew that going in.

Touchscreen works and looks fine. Nice wide angle for viewing (FAR better than my partner's Samsung Series laptop).

Looks and feels great. I like the new chicklet keys (moreso than the old x220 keyboard). They have a nice springy feel. I normally hate trackpads but I find myself using this one more and more when not at my desk. Will see whether I become a trackpad guy longer term - I'm normally a religious zealot for the nub.

 

Lenovo is saying Feb 2nd or 3rd for CTO models. I am not holding my breath, but it is the first actual date I have heard from them.

 

Can someone with the touchscreen give an accurate weight, I know their is a spec sheet but I only trust that as far as I can throw it. I have seen "Starting at....." for weight so many times, but adding a high dpi touchscreen adds .5 pounds.
Im really interested to know the actual weight of the touchscreen model once its in users hands. Thx

 

It's about time!

 

It's 1.4 kg for touch
1.28 for non touch wqhd
1.3 for hd

 

?? What time?

 

A lenovo.com "Product expert" says:

-WQHD: from 2.82 lb (1.28kg)
-HD+: from 2.96 lb (1.34kg)
-WQHD Touch: from 3.15 lb (1.43kg)

which are the figures from tabook

Btw, I recently talked to the head of a major thinkpad dealer in Germany and was told that the new X1 won't ship before March due to production issues

 

Here is a short review of the 4300u model
The Australian
not very intersting, except for the benchmarks, which are the first I came across. I quote:
"18.6 frames per second for OpenGL with Cinebench <R11.5> and 2.60 points for CPU <multi> performance in high performance mode."
The first value appears to be above average, the second below.

 

Has Lenovo lost its mind???
What's wrong with allowing us to be able to customize!
I can wait for shipping. Just let us do it!!!

 

Hi All -- My X1 came today and I've installed Ubuntu 13.10 on it from a usb drive. So far, so good!

First off, I'm surprised how quickly the laptop arrived. I ordered it Tuesday and it arrived today (Friday). Not bad. I'm in Pennsylvania and it shipped from NC. YMMV. They were saying "ships in 1-3 weeks" when I ordered but it shipped next day I think.

Some quick impressions of the machine itself: I actually like the keyboard, but I never had a Lenovo before. I'm enjoying typing on it. I'm comparing it side-by-side to my HP Elitebook 8570W keyboard and i'ts much better. The screen is good. It looks slightly mottled because of the matte overlay but it's not what I would call a screendoor effect. So far I think it's not going to bother me. It's also pretty quiet so far. I'm not in love with the trackpad, but then I don't have much experience with trackpads. I think I will be using a mouse with it. Laptop feels sturdy, looks great, love the light weight. Overall look and feel is better than a macbook air in my humble opinion.

I booted Ubuntu 13.10 from a usb drive after disabling secure boot in the BIOS and changing the boot order. Get into BIOS by pressing Enter while it's booting. Wireless worked out of the box from the installation medium which is great.

So far everything I've tested is working...
Wireless: worked out of the box, no issues
Trackpad: works. 2-finger scrolling works.
Touchscreen: it works like a left-click. Gestures don't work out of the box but I think I read somewhere a way to enable them so I'm not worried about that.
"Adaptive keys": They are available in the BIOS as Fn keys. In linux they stay fixed as Fn keys and I'm not able to cycle through different sets.

That's about all I've tested so far, but haven't found any major issues. I will be using it a lot in the coming days so I'll post again if I hit any issues. Haven't tried external monitor yet. I ordered the docking station but it hasn't arrived yet.

If there's something special anyone wants me to try, let me know.

 

In case this was still being considered by some ... notebookcheck does a very thorough job at reviewing the Fujitsu U904 and its not an impressive result. In Canada that Fujitsu is nearly 2X the new Thinkpad in cost and based on the Notebookcheck review - certainly not worth the premium. Here is the link ...u need to translate the German Test Fujitsu Lifebook U904 Ultrabook - Notebookcheck.com Tests

 

Just wondering if you could check who manufactures the display panel please. Thank you.

 

I was wondering the same. To check which panel, push "Enter" when the computer is booting and prompts you to push Enter, then choose F10, then go to system tools and choose system information. Then scroll down to LCD and it will show you the manufacturer.

 

The manufacturer of the display panel is LGD. Model number LP140QH1-SPA2.

 

Good review here: Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon 2014 Edition Full Review - YouTube

 

I haven't seen this guy before, but that's probably the most helpful review to come out yet. As I expected, gesture control looks like a mostly broken gimmick. The response on the capacitive keys looked pretty good. I don't understand why there's such a delay switching between modes.

5-6 hours battery is disappointing. That's not really any better than the last generation. But, he mentioned an 8-cell battery for customizable models?? That can't be true, right?

 

According to Lenovo: "Standard on X1 Carbon:
Battery Life: Up to 9 hours with integrated 8-cell RapidCharge battery (45Whr)"

 

I should have been more precise. Cells are never a good way to describe battery capacity. The prebuilt configurations now available are listed as 4 cell, but the features bar on the right side of the page says an 8 cell should be standard. I'm guessing that's where the confusion comes from.

The video suggested that customization would allow us to double the battery capacity. There's no way that's true, given that the battery already takes up the majority of the internal space in the computer. I expect that a 45Whr battery is the only option. My point is that a 5 hour battery life would be pretty disappointing.

 

probably due to the touch panel and high resolution?
The austratilian version has 8 cell. so it's possible the customization version will have a 8 cell option

 

Thanks for taking the time to boot up linux. Just to clarify, what do you mean by Fn keys? F1 - F12 or the default home row with loudness and brightness buttons?

 

It's the F1-F12 keys, which work fine, and then a few other keys to the right (wireless, backlight, etc.) that do nothing out of the box for me.

 

I see. At least it's not completely broken in linux. If you'll be using linux and are willing to dive into that a bit, you could contact Borislav Deianov
or Henrique de Moraes Holschuh. These two are apparently responsible for the thinkpad acpi linux drivers. Emails are at the beginning of the documentation.

https://github.com/torvalds/linux/b...2b037/Documentation/laptops/thinkpad-acpi.txt

I'm pretty sure that I'll get a X1 Carbon as soon as they're available here and I'll try and talk to them and see if there is anything we can do to get those keys working.

 

I currently have a ageing MBP 2010, I keep it because I love the trackpad gestures so much, WIndows laptops don't come close. Can anyone comment if the trackpad on the X1 2014 is any good? Is it smooth? Multi gestures aka OSX (i.e. 3, 4 finger gestures etc)?

Thanks

 

I'm not that worried about those keys, just thought others might be worried about it. I use fluxbox keymappings, so I've got Alt-Up Arrow mapped as volume up, for example. But out of interest, I ran xev to see if those keys register as events in X, with the following result:
"Fn" key (that switches what's displayed for the other keys): keycode 151
"Wireless" key: does not register
"Battery" key: keycode 235
"Backlight" key: does not register
"Settings" key: does not register

So I'm able to map the "Fn" key and "Battery" key to do something, but not the Wireless, Backlight, or Settings ones. As mentioned previously, all the F1-F12 keys work as they should, even in BIOS. I don't actually want that row to be 'adaptive', personally, so I'm fine as is.

I'm finding the touchpad unpleasant, but haven't tried to do any tweaking for it yet. Unfortunately I didn't test it long enough in Windows to see whether it behaves the same. The particular problem I have is that l move the mouse cursor to a place that I want to click, and then the actual clicking itself moves the cursor a bit so by the time the click registers the cursor is not in the right place. Wishing I had some discrete mouse buttons on it somewhere. Hopefully I can get some better behavior out of it. The nipple doesn't seem very useful either without the buttons below it.

Otherwise pretty much everything's been great. No real complaints so far other than the touchpad. I actually ran Blackguards on Wine yesterday and I was pleasantly surprised it ran well. It's not the most demanding game for graphics, but I was impressed with the performance for not having a dedicated GPU.

 

Okay I got the touchpad working much better under Linux following this advice:
Coderspiel &mdash; Senistive touchpads and Ubuntu

 

Hey sross, thanks for trying out Ubuntu. Any comment on battery life? Also, which display did you get? Thanks!

 

Haven't really tested the battery yet, so couldn't say. I have the QHD touch display.

A few other notes on my linux install. ..

Having a problem with suspend/resume in Linux. Suspend seems to work okay but then it doesn't resume and I have to power it off.

Bluetooth works. By default hci0 was soft blocked for some reason, but that was a quick fix.

Tried plugging in to an external monitor today with the mini displayport and the external display was not recognized. Xrandr didn't see it at all, strangely. Probably fixable.

So a few issues for me to work on, but I really like the laptop and glad I got it.