X1 Carbon Gen 2 (Haswell)

This is the first thorough review, I came across on the X1 Carbon Gen 2 :->
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon (2014) Laptop Review

All in all, its not very flattering on the X1. This is how it ends:
- Unfortunately, the new X1 Carbon's falls short when it comes to three key features: keyboard, touchpad and webcam, things that are best-in-class on other ThinkPads.
- A relatively slow SSD also holds this system back.
- New features like the Adaptive Function Row, gesture controls and voice assistant are innovative, but won't necessarily help you be more productive.
- If you want the thinnest, lightest 14-inch business Ultrabook on the market, the new ThinkPad X1 Carbon is worth a look.
- However, if you don't mind a smaller screen, get Lenovo's 12.5-inch ThinkPad X240 , which starts at just $923, instead. For nearly $400 less, you'll be rewarded with a better keyboard and touchpad, plus more than 20 hours of endurance with the extended battery.

 

Guys, if there are any more comprehensive reviews on the new X1 carbon, I would appreciate if you can supply me with the relevant links.

 

Any views on the Zenbook UX301LA? Its been out for a few months now and it has received a few very positive professional reviews.

Apparently its very fast and powerful due to the 4558U processor and the dual X110 Raid 0 SSDs. Lab tests do show that its storage approaches the speed achieved by the PCIe SSDs found in the later iteration of MacBooks. And this is one of the main reasons that the new ZenBook has been described as having the power of MacBook Pro in the compact format of MacBook Air.

Any opinions on the flagship laptop by ASUS ?

 

How are Lenovo chat reps like mushrooms?
They do best when kept in the dark and are fed lots of crap.
Obviously that dude didnt know squat.

 

The more I read ...the less impressed I am.

 

LOL at Lenovo US!
Look they deleted the customization option that was supposed to be coming soon, after having put it up there for a month!
Seriously, I waited for a month. I'm moving onto a different brand.

 

And now the i7 version is no longer on the Lenovo website.

 

You can select one of the i5 notebooks and customize it for i7 but there is no option for the 4550 i7 which means no 5000 gpu. Anyone know if that will be a future option? The option to select the 512 gb m.2 sad is there now as we'll.

 

Wow. Awful. I was actually about go for one of the preconfigured i7's. I think it's time to look for another computer.

 

You can get exactly the same spec as the preconfigured model as far as I can tell through the customization options (in the US at least). Choose the i7-4600U and the 256G SSD. The only meaningful additional option now is the 512G SSD, which is $300 more than the 256G.

EDIT: Looks like the two base models have all the same options, and differ only in that the display on the left one is WQHD non-touch, and the one on the right is multi-touch. So you could get a non-touch 2560x1440 with 512G SSD, which I think a lot of people were hoping for. Weirdly, though, if I try to configure the left one and the right one with the i7 and 512G SSD, the non-touch comes out $100 more expensive than the multi-touch. Maybe there's some accessory thrown in with the multi-touch that I'm missing?

EDIT 2: I re-checked all the options, the non-touch WQHD with the i7 & 512G is $50 more than the multi-touch with the same options. Counter-intuitive.

 

How are you guys changing any of the specs? I only see two i5 models (one with a HD+ screen and one with QHD non touch) and you can only add them to your cart, not even view the tech specs.

 

This is what I see...

 

I'm in the US, so YMMV, but I just click on "Select" and then it takes me into a configuration view with radio buttons for options.

 

Weird

 

Got it. Jesus, the configurable options are expense. Same spec as the 2099 machine that was up yesterday but with the non touch QHD and it costs $150 more.

 

I'm still just seeing Add to Cart as well.

 

Seems I am getting the "Select" option only if I go through the email Lenovo sent me this morning.

 

Same here. Oh well, seems Lenovo has limited interest in selling these things...

 

Alrighty. Ships in 5-7 days? My ship date is March 7th, with delivery a week later. I'd be pretty upset if I hadn't fully expected this. Is there any chance that calling and complaining could move that up?

 

I see the Select buttons now, just took a while for the changes to work their way through the ether.

 

In Canada u can configure it..but the best they offer is an i5-4300U LOL - but u can get 8GB RAM and 512 GB SSD but who wants that with a garbage yester-year chip. As they say in show business......NEEEXXXTTT!!

 

Mine ships 3/6/14. I heard this date tends to move. Did you get a discount?

 

How do you know the X1C2 14.0WQHD WWAN is 2560x1440? And more importantly, is it matte? Also, we're still not seeing the HD5000 option, at least I don't.

Nevermind, apparently WQHD IS 2560x1440.

 

I did not get a discount. I'm not aware of any publicly available discounts for the new X1. Are you? And yeah, I've heard this date tends to move as well, just in the wrong direction.

 

if you call or chat online, they typically give you discounts. I got mine with a 15% discount. So with the onelink pro dock, I got it for $2335 (i7, 512GB, 8.1 pro) including tax. without discount, it'd be 2715.

 

Wow, I feel like an idiot. Thanks for the tip.

 

Ordered mine, got an 18% discount through calling.

 

You can always cancel and reorder.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

I ordered mine Jan 28. Original estimated date was similarly long, but then it actually arrived Jan 31. But maybe I was lucky.

 

Just ordered mine as well, get $233 discount through online chatting with sales rep.

//--------configuration as below---------------------------------------------------------------
4th Gen Intel Core i7-4600U Processor (4MB Cache, up to 3.30GHz)
• Windows 8.1 Pro 64
• Windows 8.1 Pro 64 - English
• X1C2 14.0WQHD MT WWAN
• 8GB PC3-12800 DDR3L on MB
• Intel HD Graphics 4400
• Keyboard Backlit - US English
• With Fingerprint Reader
• 720p HD Camera
• 512GB SSD M.2
• RapidCharge Intg X1C2 45.2Wh
• 65W Slim AC Adapter - US (2pin)
• Ethernet extension cable
• Intel Dual Band Wireless 7260AC with Bluetooth 4.0
• Integrated Mobile Broadband upgradable
• Publication - US English
• Standard Retail Packaging
• Dragon Assistant 3 - US English
• 1 Year Depot or Carry-in

 

Yep, but now I have to wait 4-5 business days to get confirmation that my cancellation was successful. sigh...

 

Any particular strategies that you used to get this?

Best I was offered was 5% off ("student discount") on a Canadian configuration. Any suggestions are very much appreciated.

 

just tell them the price is high and you need a discount. Thats what i said.
(I ordered in US, I dont know if it works in Canada)

 

Is 18% the best that is likely? I don't recall seeing the original X1 discounted at all, except for the initial launch. Even a few months later it was still pricey.

 

Guys, you might wanna look at this pdf sheet on the lenovo site:

http://www.lenovo.com/psref/pdf/tabook.pdf

On page 224 are the specs for the new X1 Carbon and there you can see that the nontouch features a anti-glare IPS display and that there should be an option to get it with HD5000. So, if you're still on the fence you might wanna consider waiting until the customisation option comes back.

 

Well, it worries me that this spec sheet does mention HD 5000 graphics, but doesn't mention any of the processors that carry it (4550u, 4650u) in the customization options. This sheet matches the X1 customization options on the website today that also don't have any of these HD5000 processors in the list... I'll chat with a rep (for what that's worth) and get back if they have an explanation.

 

Yeah, you're right. I got that link from a lenovo dealer who listed the HD5000 as an option. According to this Intel site, the only i7 processors with HD5000 are the 4550u and 4650u. I just informed them about that and I guess that is just wrong in the sheet from lenovo.

 

4650u is not going to happen, google it and you can find internal specification pdfs or Look at page around 35 there is a link for it,... Hd5000 is Not an Option for me in this Creepy 4550u with its lower Speed, its such a shame

 

They just answered me, stating they're absolutely sure that the HD5000 will come and the reference is out of date.

 

Why is the 4650u not going to happen? The whole sheet I linked doesn't contain anything about either the 4550 or the 4650.

 

Somewhere in this forum or Thinkpad-forum (German) it was mentioned that indeed the HD5000 would only be offered as the 4550u option, but I guess all bets are off. This was a preconfigured version available in Germany. Did the rep tell you when the HD5000 option would be offered?

 

They told me end of February and he specifically mentioned the 4550 and 4650. By the way, this was a (reliable) dealer and not a rep from lenovo. He even told me that I shoulnd't expect a rep from lenovo to know about this. So, that's that.

 

You all might want to look at the per-configured models in tabook/psref. They might be cheaper at this point. CostCentral and Provantage have the lowest prices.

 

Has anyone confirmed that a Verizon 3G will work on this?

 

I am planning on ordering a couple of these for work in the very near future, possibly today. Question: would people on here recommend the standard HD or the WQHD screen? (I'm not interested in touch.) I've read comments about Windows not displaying correctly on the high-res screen, but my gut would still be to go for that, assuming it's not too bad, in order to future-proof a bit.
Thoughts?
Thank you in advance.

 

Lenovo's Q&A states it only works with ATT mobile card.

 

use code 10CLOSE0217 for 10% off

 

Dangit. That was something I was hoping they would fix from Gen 1. That was the main reason I was going to consider over a Sony Vaio Pro.

 

This is why I never understood why people bought a notebook with the mobile broadband built in. Yeah, it's convenient for using the notebook without having to power on another device but a mifi/jetpack/hotspot works with my computer and my tablet and I can connect any other notebook to it instead of just the one notebook.

 

Two devices to boot up. Two devices to charge. Two devices to keep charged. Two devices to plug in at a hotel. For me, this is an annoyance, for others, it's the F-row....I'd gladly lose an F-row, to have 3G, a SD reader, and buttons above the trackpad...To each his own...