X1 Carbon Gen 2 (Haswell)

Has thinkpad's keyboard also degrade in quality and feel? I had a t61 and currently a t400s. Thinkpad's keyboard is superior to anything I've used (including mac pro, samsung, & dell). I do quite a bit of typing and is the main attraction to thinkpad for me.

 

Re HD4400 vs 5000 - doesn't the WQHD screen need to be considered? My understanding is Iris Pro has trouble pushing retina screens without occasional stutter on even basic tasks.

 

Yup right on that one. Only option that will change is the Video and SSD option. However who knows when they will release the custom models.

Fortunately I was able to purchase a 512GB m.2 SSD which Im going to part ways with and post it online for sale since it seems to be hard to come across right now and I know someone will put it to better use then myself right now. It can find a good home in a new X1 Carbon.

 

Nice. I was about to ask you how the performance is for you using the HD 4400, but I remember you posted a screen showing you have a 5000. So that won't help me. :/

 

like many others in this thread, i've been waiting for the haswell refresh of the X1C since January of 2013... but as I do a lot of Excel work, not having constant, tactile access to F2, F6 and F9 keys is beginning to look like a non-starter for me... despite all the other good stuff they have going on here...

To B00STED and IBMTHINK:
what are you thoughts on the usability of the virtual function row? i mean, you guys must also use ctrl- and alt-F4 frequently, right? do you feel weird that you can't reliably hit those keys?

What are the other windows ultrabooks that everyone else is considering? I don't really care about touch all that much, but I do game a bit and want to future-proof this laptop a little bit, so I think HD 5000 is going to be helpful in that regard. The only other option (with HD5000) I see is the Asus Zenbook Infinity... any thoughts on that instead of this new X1C?

Thanks guys!

 

Where did you find a 512gb m.2? I can't find a vendor selling anything larger than 256gb. Unless I want 10,000 units

 

I was this => <= close to ordering the touch version today. But I keep wondering if I hold out for a little bit, I'll find out how much the HD5000 will add to the cost and also maybe they'll discount slightly. But I really want order it now!

 

If I am not mistaken, the early adopters seem to get the best prices, no? (whatever the first promotion is). I think my first X1C was around $1,100. Even now, X1C's are still in the $800 area, over a year later.

 

I personally had been looking into the Fujitsu U904, Asus UX301LA, and Ativ Book 9 Plus.
Out of the above, the Fujitsu is the only business oriented ultrabook with biometrics and vPro. The Fujitsu also has an option for a 3,200x1,800 display, which is interesting (but prone to some scaling issues with windows).
Another business oriented ultrabook option is the fairly new HP EliteBook Folio 1040

I'm personally set on the Ativ Book 9 Plus for it's looks, craftsmanship, and bright 3,200x1,800 display. However, I'm still awaiting on the new X1 reviews before I pull the trigger.

If it's graphic performance you're after, I believe the Asus UX301LA is the best ultrabook our there with its Iris 5100 Graphics. Would have been my first choice if it wasn't for the flashy glass lid. People seem to like the design though.

 

I think I might like the X1C gen 2, but are any of the people that are disappointed, considering the Yoga 2? Or any other lappys? I was dead set on the Sony Vaio Pro, but it just felt too flimsy for my backpack use. And I like the 14" of the X1

 

This is somewhat true...but at the same time, we had access to discount codes if I recall from the get go. Now, I can't seem to use any sort of friends/family discount or anything of the sort on this one. Part of what's keeping me from buying. $2100 is a lot.

 

I heard good things about the Yoga 2 Pro. I also played around with it at the local Best Buy and it felt solid. Reviewers seem to say that it's one of the better bang for buck ultrabooks out there right now. I hear ya about the Vaio Pro. I really wanted to love that laptop as it's so light, but it's flimsy as hell. Funny thing is that Sony claims it's intentionally constructed that way to better absorb impacts (less brittle).

 

Agreed. I handled the Asus Zenbook Prime, Samsung Series 9 series, and Sony Vaio Pro 13 all beside each other at the Microsoft store, and the Sony was so easy to flex around the keyboard. You could easily press it down. It didn't feel nearly as sturdy as their Z series models.

 

One feature I had missed in many hands-on articles and videos, since it wasn´t dicussed as much: The new X1 Carbon will have an Ambiant Light sensor, the first on a ThinkPad Notebook. It automatically regulates the Display brightness and the keyboard backlight. I was wondering before why the keyboard backlight is now so difficult to activate (since it is now in the "Function row", which is not even the standard row), I guess this explains it then, the backlight will be turned on automatically if you are working in a dark environment.

1+

The Sony Vaio Pro is one of the most "flexible" Notebooks I know.

 

Hi,

on the Lenovo CES Site are some interesting pictures from the carbon
e.g.:
http://www.lenovo.com/images/products/ces/2014/412x260/lenovo-x1-carbon.png
http://www.lenovo.com/images/products/ces/2014/450x380/450x380-lenovo-x1-carbon.png

Either they have used the wrong pictures (they aren't the old x1 either) or there will be a customization option for real F-keys and Trackpoint-Buttons - perhaps there is some hope left for the souls of the lenovo input engineers?

 

i looked at those as well. the reviews on engadget/gizmodo/theverge didn't seem to like the Ativ Book 9 as much... the all ranked Acer S7 higher... I'm not fussed about biometrics or vPro as it'll be for my personal use, but I just like "business" ultrabooks for their understated design language...

 

i really wish! but highly doubt that will happen...

 

Those are definitely old pictures. Trust me when I say there will be no option for real FN keys that are not virtual.

 

Right. These are definitely the X1 Carbon (gen 1) touch variant. The physical trackpad keys and the fingerprint reader besides the trackpad are a dead giveaway.

 

These pictures are actually the first generation X1 from 2011.^^ I think you can be sure:
- There won´t be an option for dedicated TrackPoint buttons
- There won´t be an option for physical F-keys

 

IMO the Acer is too white and the Asus' lid is too glossy. For me, coming from Thinkpads, the Samsung is the least harsh on the eyes.
I remember reading in forums about some S7 users switching over to the Samsung due to the S7's keyboard. I cannot confirm it as I've never seen an S7 myself.

Both seem to be generally well rated and it all pretty much comes down to the difference in displays, and styling of the body.

 

i completely agree. at this point, though, after waiting a whole year for the new X1C and seeing this, all i want is just a usable ultrabook with HD5000 that doesn't weight a ton and look like a pile of dung...

 

I know the feeling. I do think that the new X1 Carbon will be that machine. Despite the several ways I think it could have been better, it hits the most important marks for me. When configurable options with HD5000 become available, I'll probably order one.

Laptops have always been about compromises.

 

well... do you use excel a lot? i just can't see myself not being able to reliably hit F2, F5, F9, etc... this is not about compromises... this is rendering the computer almost utterly useless to me...

 

To be honest it was a matter of getting used to it. I struggled with not having a physical key there but eventually you train yourself to reach for the correct location even without a tactile feel. I was reminded of the first time I used a touch keyboard on an iphone. It was a horrible experience at first but then eventually came to a point where I didnt even look down at the touchscreen to type. If that comparison makes any sense.

 

I would still like to see some reviews or more extensive videos of the fn row, but I think I'll be able to live with it. I only occasionally use Excel at work. I do spend much of my time at work in Word, so the keyboard is very important, but for me the most important parts are still preserved. I understand your frustration. If I was heavily reliant on F-keys, I'd be looking for another computer. Even best case, the touch strip won't compare to real keys.

It all just seems a bit unnecessary. From what I understand the keys aren't programmable, and additional virtual keys for future software won't be possible. The touchstrip is just as hard-coded as the keys were. So what does it accomplish besides hiding some controls from you some of the time? Sure, now you get to push a button to refresh the browser or go to a previous webpage, but F5 and backspace already did that. Take away all the redundant controls and I doubt that there are so many unique functions that couldn't fit on a row of fn keys that really wasn't any bigger than the new strip is. It just feels like a gimmick.

I thought the t440s struck the best balance by putting controls on the function keys and letting you toggle between whether they or the F-keys were active by default. But I'm not a designer at Lenovo. And ultimately there's too much good design here otherwise for me to ignore. If you know of another laptop that combines a keyboard of Lenovo's caliber with a 14" QHD screen, HD5000 graphics, and a 500 GB SSD all in a 3 pound ultrabook, please let me know.

 

right... but there's a reason why having auto correct is so important on our smartphones, and why everyone goes bonkers when it doesn't work -- we mistype every other word when our fingers can't feel their positions on the keyboard...

 

exactly... i think someone mentioned before that they did it to shave off another millimeter on thickness... which is a completely -backwards approach to designing the ultimate laptop... if they did it to make it lighter, then it may be a plausible compromise, but just to make it thinner? what possible physical benefit does that serve?

 

Valid point, I wont argue that one. It is a bit of a learning curve. I still find myself missing a key once and a while

 

Wait, what? The touch strip can't be configured to just be the regular Function row like on a real keyboard?

That's hilarious, I want to get this but how can I when I need F1, F3, F4, F5 and F8 on a regular basis??

 

All right, i thought this would happen, Lenovo US loaded up the Tech Specs here: New ThinkPad X1 Carbon Business Ultrabook | Lenovo (US)
and:

HD5000 canceled?

Seems there where some mistakes about that in some specs....
Damn...

 

HMM X1 Carbon: http://download.lenovo.com/ibmdl/pub/pc/pccbbs/mobiles_pdf/x1carbon_2_hmm_sp40a26110.pdf

Userguide: http://download.lenovo.com/ibmdl/pub/pc/pccbbs/mobiles_pdf/x1carbon_2_ug_en.pdf

Both are very interesting. The User Guide explains the Adaptive keyboard function very well, and the HMM shows how to open the X1 Carbon. The new X1 Carbon appears to be easier to service than the old X1 Carbon, you no longer have to take off the keyboard-bezel, you take off the Base-cover, like on the X240 or the T440s. Finally, there are some CRUs again: The Basecover, the 80mm M.2 SSD and the WLAN/WWAN cards.

 

I am typing from a Yoga Pro 2, despite the positive reviews I am not too thrilled about it and will be returning it.

As far as the new X1C, so far from what I am hearing, it sounds less than pleasing. But I will reserve final judgement until after I get to try it. That is assuming they plan to release a matte non-touch version with high resolution screen. Alternatives I am considering are the Fujitsu u904 (also waiting on non-touch matte screen) and if I get tired of waiting, I am considering the HP 840 g1/zbook 14.

So little choices : (

 

@IbmThink:
thank you for posting this. First looks indicate that the settings for the dynamic f-row are driver level. I guess we won't see linux support for this soon. Also, what the hell are those cloud settings good for? [tinfoil hat]integrated keylogger?[/tinfoil hat]

@Boosted: could you boot a live-usb linux and check if the row works at all? (better disable uefi secure boot in bios before booting linux)

Great that the m.2 ssd is a cru. Maybe not all hope is lost for lenovo after all.

 

Booting linux to see if the FN rows are working would be really nice, yes.

 

can't wait to see a unboxing video or review

 

Didn't boosted say that it works in bios? That means it is not at driver level but part of the firmware. Though it might not do the dynamic key stuff as there is no way to configure them.

 

Hey everyone, thanks for all the good information and discussion on here . Quick question since I haven't been able to find a clear answer elsewhere online: I'll be doing zero gaming, but planning to use Photoshop at least a few times per week and some video editing here and there. Will there be any noticeable difference with the 5000 graphics card or should i stick to 4400 for my needs?

 

I don't think you can conclude that. It probably won't show up in the specs until it's available in a configuration. You'll notice that the 512GB option for SSDs isn't listed yet either.

 

I'm a graphic designer and the whole Creative Suite works exceptionally well on my Samsung Series 9. It has 4GB of RAM and a 1.9GHz i7 (Ivy Bridge) with an HD 4000. I rarely ever see a slight hickup. I'm sure this new X1C will run it just fine.

I'm ready to purchase if I can manage to findd a discount. Anyone have ideas?

 

I spent some time with a Yoga 2 Pro. It's well built, and just small enough that the tablet mode might be fun and useful. I just didn't like the keyboard. It's really shallow.

 

I believe HD5000 is coming. This was released on Sunday, along with their press release: http://news.lenovo.com/images/20034/ThinkPad Spec Sheets.pdf

The existing tech specs on their main product page only show what they're offering right now.

 

Just put my order in for the i7/touch model. It's expect to ship on Friday. Hopefully I'll receive it next week or the following to share my experience with you guys. I did some hard thinking and figured there's almost 0 compromise on this machine and it's worth the hefty price. I'm hoping this one lives up, unlike the first flawed iterations I went through.

The one thing that stook out to me was the HD 4400 rather than the 5000, but I doubt I'll notice much of a difference. Like I said in an earlier post, I do a lot of graphic intensive work and the HD 4000 on the Samsung Series 9 has been wonderful for me. The only difference is the much higher resolution this one is pushing, but I'm sure it will be more than sufficient.

We'll see!

 

So, what are the potential downsides of this laptop besides the HD 4400 instead of HD 5000?
Also, hopefully this won't have any of the 'yellow color' problems of the Yoga 2 Pro.
Lastly, how far back can this one bend?

 

Hmm, no Windows 7? That's a showstopper right there, and completely unacceptable for a laptop that pretends to be professional grade.

No Windows 7, apparently
Extremely unusual keyboard layout
Memory limited to 8GB, SSD to 256GB

Overall, I'd say the T440s is a much better product (almost identical in size and weight, but better keyboard, more memory and storage). To me it looks like the X1 has been maneuvered into a very, very small niche, where you are forced to make significant sacrifices in functionality for some very minor gains in portability. As far as I can tell, it becomes really, really hard to find a rational justification to buy this over the T440.

P.S.: Correction, at least on their website they mention Win7 as an option.

 

Correction #2 - 512GB storage will be available and on top of that, it can be self upgraded.

Plus, saying things like the T440s is a better product or the keyboard is unusual is your opinion. I would say the T series offers the better performance potential, but it does NOT offer the same display quality or the portability of the X1C. There are trade offs and that's why they offer both based on the needs of the user.

 

According to the user guide the web browser and web conferencing adaptive modes can be disabled, making the strip a binary toggle essentially similar to traditional keyboard functions. Used that way you're trading keyboard feel for potentially dodgy electronics for no real benefit. A firmware problem could potentially affect ability to access boot/restore options if the function keys don't work on boot up. Just don't know that the benefits are worth the risks.

 

I prefer Windows 7, too. That said, I also want the high density pixel screen, which was only really supported well in Windows 8.1, I believe. So if you want the HD screen, Windows 7 is probably ok. If you want the high density screen, I think you have to go with 8.1 for a decent experience.

It turns out that I need a Windows 8.1 touch screen to test my company's software on anyway, so I'm biting the bullet and making the switch on my primary screen. I would prefer to not have to, however.

 

Well, the new X1 keyboard is unusual - that's an objective fact. Whether it's better or worse is opinion.

 

True..it is different. I actually welcome the changes. I rarely ever use the caps lock and I like that he backspace and delete are right beside each other now.

Also, I like that the Ctrl key is in the bottom left now instead of the Fn like the previous X1C. I fumbled a bit with that when I had the original X1C because most keyboards I use have the Ctrl always in that corner.

The biggest mystery is how well the Fn keys will work now.