X1 Carbon Gen 5 review

Hello everyone,


Today’s review is the Thinkpad X1 Carbon Gen 5 (2017). The X1 Carbon is meant to be the smallest and lightest ultrabook in the Thinkpad offering.




This configuration (test unit)

• Core i5 7300U (ULV, 2core) using cTDP UP configuration (25w)
  
  
• 8GB LPDDR3 dual channel, onboard
  
  
• 256GB M.2 NVME (Toshiba XG4, thnsf5256gpuk)
  
  
• 14” FHD
  
  
• W10 Pro x64 Factory license
  
  
• Black color
  
  
• 3 year NBD on-site warranty
  
  
• 8265AC wifi, no WWAN

Price as configured: US $1825, excl tax.

Price listed above is a CTO quote from the base configuration provided through Lenovo website, premade models/units and/or orders placed from perks website will differ in price (usually much cheaper).

*NOTE: If you only like to have the option to upgrade to 16GB of onboard memory, you have to upgrade the CPU from an i5-7200U to a i5-7300U for $100 more (US pricing as of the beginning of October 2017).





Well now, shall we begin?












Why X1 Carbon?



The X1 Lenovo’s premium business grade ultrabook, it blends the thin and light design found on popular devices nowadays with business grade build quality and features. This focus on the X1 line being a business capable ultraportable device was clearly communicated by the first generation of the X1 that launched mid 2011.

The fifth iteration of the X1 bought along the Kabylake architecture and a chassis update without leaving the essential Thinkpad features. How does the X1 Gen 5 measure up? Let’s find out together in the review below.









Build quality



It’s hard to give this device a score of anything other than "excellent" because of how strong and well done the chassis construction is.

The lower and upper (incl lid) receiver of the laptop is claimed to use carbon fiber reinforced magnesium, hence the name X1 “Carbon,” it has minimum flex (if any) for daily use and only has noticeable flex when forced to (ie: deliberately twisting the laptop). Considering the thin form factor and how little flex it has, the construction quality is beyond impressive.






Aesthetic Design



Thinkpads have always sported discreet and professional looks; the X1 is no exception and follows the standard looks of its many siblings.

Matte black color contributes well to the low profile look and further emphasizes the Thinkpad logo on the lid and palmrest which has a glowing dot on the “i” letter, used to indicate the system state (sleep, standby, off).

Keyboard backlight is colored bluish-white (non changeable), the color blends well with the chiclet keycap that’s so slightly shiny compared to the chassis color. The backlight has three states -- off, dim, and bright. The lettering on the keycap contrasts well with the color, so keys are still visible under low-light conditions if you do decide to turn the backlight off.







Display housing/hinge




The display has zero to no flex / wobble under normal use. You can open the hinge with one finger.

Bezel is quite thin at (5~6 side / 13 top)mm. I don’t consider small bezels to be an important factor in the build construction.

Flex resistance is also good due to the build quality, and you will only receive minimal screen distortion even if unrealistic stresses are applied to. In fact, it is so strong that you can open the hinge all the way, hold the laptop by one of the corners of the screen and still have almost zero screen distortion thanks to the incredible flex resistance.

Under normal use flex is almost nonexistent.

Excellent structural strength trait is replicated virtually everywhere on the chassis the display / hinge assembly included.







Screen panel

Click to open the spoiler below to find out the test methodology.

Spoiler

Test methodology.

Warm-up: 45 minutes of color-changing video played on screen, 45 minutes of mock calibration to warm up the colorimeter.

Device used: X-rite i1 DisplayPro

Software: DisplayCal.

Target: D65K, 2.2K, default luminance (max). Slowest calibration method with largest sample size, drift correction enabled.

Spoiler below to see the different brightness with different percentages

Spoiler

The included FHD display is the AUO B140HAN03.0, this 14” 60Hz 6-bit (262K colors) IPS display is the only disappointing part of the whole package. It is a mediocre IPS display with around 60% Adobe RGB and 82% sRGB (this sample) gamut coverage coupled with the ability to only display 6-bit colors makes this display’s color reproduction capability just barely passing for any kind of work that involves basic color. What’s worse is that the brightness is only 260 nits (measured using colorimeter, spec quotes 300 nits), making the display appear dim when used in brightly lit environments.


Stock calibration from factory:





But what about usability? Personally I think the display is *okay* for regular office work and regular media consumption (eg: videos). The viewing angle isn’t exactly wide either, around 40-45 degrees before the colors begin to shift and significantly affects what is displayed on the screen, extremely poor for an IPS-type panel all-round, especially considering IPS panels tend to have a higher pricetag than TN panels regardless of quality.

An excuse that might be thrown around is that Thinkpads are designed in the first place for office work and the X1 Carbon isn’t exactly able to do anything intensive such as video editing (eg: sony vegas) or high-resolution photo editing (eg: photoshop). While this is technically correct, it doesn’t justify installing a sub-par quality screen on a premium ultrabook.

I really hate to give the X1 a bad impression on the screen, but the device really deserves it.


You can see the extended calibration result below.

Spoiler

There is a QHD option that you can select on the Lenovo website, one review indicates that the color gamut and the viewing angles are better than the FHD version: https://www.notebookcheck.net/Displ...d-X1-Carbon-2017-i5-WQHD-Laptop.242798.0.html


Further reading on color space / gamut coverage: http://www.eizo.com/library/basics/lcd_monitor_color_gamut/


Further reading on bit depth: http://www.eizo.com/library/basics/maximum_display_colors/


http://www.panelook.com/B140HAN03.0_AUO_14.0_LCM_parameter_28076.html








Keyboard




Thinkpads are always praised for their keyboard quality, and the X1 carbon doesn’t stray from expectations. The keyboard have around 2mm of travel and 68-70g actuation which equates to a very satisfying and enjoyable typing experience, this is a nice departure from excessively shallow and light keyboard characteristics found in modern ultrabooks (ie: Apple butterfly key). However, it may take some time to adjust to the (relatively) heavy keypress before being able to enjoy the typing experience fully, especially if familiar with other laptop models in general.

The layout is standard without a numpad, all of the keys are reasonably sized and you still get useful keys included, however one needs to be aware that the FN and CTRL key position are swapped compared to most other notebooks.

The backlight can be configured (by default, FN + space cycles the brightness level) with two brightness level in addition to the “off” state. It does not have an auto-timeout, meaning that it will stay on as long the as the computer is not off or in a sleep state.

One disadvantage might be that the keypress might be a little bit too heavy for comfortable gaming, however you won’t realistically be playing many games on it, considering the low powered CPU and lack of dedicated GPU.

Overall, the keyboard is a very strong point in the laptop’s package. Among one of the best in the ultrabook class and rivals most laptops in the market out there.




Trackpad








The synaptics clickpad (ultranav) paired with the red colored clit mouse is a present on most business laptops offered in the market, the X1 Carbon G5 includes these with an addition of three physical buttons.

Tracking is clean throughout different finger swipe speed; as well as detecting multi finger input up to four finger swipes. However, the trackpad suffers from the occasional cursor shifting when using one finger to click down.

Full selection of Windows advanced trackpad gestures are present alongside some basic options for the trackpad behavior.

Clicking down the trackpad requires a bit of force and you may need to adjust when using the laptop for the first time. The short actuation distance and with the crisp and clean break is complemented with fast reset which makes for a pleasant clicking experience. It also has near zero overtravel which makes follow up clicks easy. The same can be said for the three physical buttons in between the keyboard and trackpad.

The surface coating of the trackpad is balanced in terms of friction and feels pleasant for the fingers, the physical buttons have more friction when compared to.

A red pointer (clit mouse) on the keyboard is the same as always.

Overall, the trackpad is excellent both in terms of physical feel and tracking quality. It only suffers from the cursor jitter when clicked down which is normal on most windows devices.






Grease Magnet / Surface durability

The chassis coating is a rubbery matte surface. It provides excellent grip / friction on the hands which makes handling the device easy. Coating feels pleasant and soft to handle which makes typing enjoyable.

The downside is that rubberized coating absorb oil pretty well and will form a shiny spot that is fairly hard to clean out. In turn the appearance of the device will turn ugly / weird due to all the spots accumulated during normal use.

On the bright side, the coating holds up to scratches very well. Only extreme impacts and/or slashes caused by pointy items would damage the coating.








Decorative/LED lights

The only LED light present on the X1 Carbon is the dot in the “ThinkPad” logo, and that only glows bright enough to tell what state the computer is on (blinking= sleep, fast double blink= AC adapter plugged in). During normal operations the light on the lid will turn on however the light on the palmrest is turned completely off.

Other lights are in form of indicators: FN Lock, Caps, Mute [speaker/mic], power button, USB-C charging indicator and the fingerprint reader. They glow in yellow color.

This lack of decorative elements lands itself true to the business oriented design mentality of ThinkPads.







Speakers

The X1 Carbon has two speakers facing downwards and towards the user and lacks a subwoofer, the loudness isn’t something to write about but the sound quality is enough to enjoy some videos or music on the go, some complex sounds in music are harder to appreciate.

Placement of the speakers is poorly designed, using the laptop while placed on a desk would result in your hands being around the top of where the speakers are and thus the sound is slightly different. Being placed on a non-solid flat surface also creates


Overall I don’t think the speakers are loud enough to be used in situations where multiple people are present (eg: presentation, showing something to your friends), but the sound quality is good enough to be usable for casual media consumption.

With a device like this, most of the time users are going to use a headphone / headset so the lack of speaker quality isn’t that big of a concern .






I/O


Port list

Left side

• 2x TB3 type-C, one used for charging - Both uses x4 connection speed
  
  
• 1x USB Type A
  
  
• 1x HDMI full-sized
  
  
• 1x Mini ethernet (dongle to normal ethernet included)

Right side

• 1x USB Type A with powershare (can be toggled in the BIOS)
  
  
• 1x Exhaust vent
  
  
• 1x Combined 3.5mm audio jack

Rear

• 1x combined SIM and MicroSD slot.

The selection of ports are plentiful for an ultrabook class device. Uncommonly found is the mini-ethernet port, those who prefer/need to use a wired internet connection would appreciate the inclusion.

The Thunderbolt port also runs at x4 Gen 3 speed which means that you will get maximum bandwidth when using the port.

The only downside I see so far is that you cannot use regular SD cards with the X1, only Micro SD. Even though you have a MicroSD->SD adapter it is difficult to quickly remove/insert a MicroSD card due to the port needing a paperclip or needle to be opened, similar to a smartphone’s SIM tray.


Overall you get an abundance of I/O selection for a package this small, but be aware of the MicroSD slot.





Fan noise

*Tested with most recent BIOS 1.24 [release date of 2017/Oct/08].

The fan noise on max is not so loud, but you get a relatively high pitch when full cooling performance is required. However, most of the time it is sufficient to use passive cooling for the 7600U, up until 65-68c the fans do not start to spin. The cooling system is a single fan solution with two heatpipes that exhausts through the right of the laptop, so might be uncomfortable for some users.

There isn’t a physical button or switch to activate max fan or the ability to control it via the software. You can manually control the fan if you wish using tpfancontrol.

Overall the noise of the cooling system non-existent for the most part, but can get reasonably loud with a high pitch if cooling is needed.








Cooling system.

Spoiler

Here you can see the picture of the cooling system with single fan and two heatpipes. The CPU VRM is not cooled and is a point of concern to power users who intend to take full advantage of the CPU’s processing power. This is a concern regarding the longevity of the system since cooling on the power delivery system is non-existent and therefore could eventually result in thermal runaway (VRM failure).

Retention uses 4-point screw, a nice touch that moves away from nowadays popular tri-legged heatsink. The retaining arm needs some adjustment to get an even pressure on the heatsink, but that is relatively easy to do.

There is an additional wire going through the heatsink fin, possibly going to a sensor meant to monitor heatsink temperature in addition to the CPU die. I was not able to disassemble further.





Observe the space above that is occupied in front of the heatsink fin. I would say that this big area is a missed opportunity to improve the cooling capability, a longer / larger heatsink fins could occupy the space. Currently the space is occupied by a metal cage which I presume is to strengthen that particular area of the chassis.



The heatsink contact plate has a cutout specifically made to avoid contact with the on-die PCH, while this lack of contact may look alarming, the PCH only operates below 70-75c while stress-testing the unit.







CPU/GPU temps (8)

Test with 26c ambient





Test with 26c ambient and bottom cover off






Tested in a 26c ambient environment. Please note that the CPU is using cTDP up and allows a max core power draw of 25w (38-40w package) and the system is able to sustain the power draw.

The temperature of the i5 7300U (25w, using cTDP up) inside this unit is actually excellent, running below 76-77c most of the time. The caveat is that there is an artificial temperature limit set at 75c, so the “excellent” temperature of the CPU can be considered as a product of “cheating” the system. The stock thermal compound is decent enough to keep the hottest CPU core under 75c but there is a considerable temperature difference on the 2nd core.

Under normal circumstances with the stock thermal compound I do not think the CPU would ever would overheat even with the stock thermal paste, given that the temperature limiter is set to 75c.

The CPU didn’t receive a substantial drop in temps after repasting with Thermal Grizzly Conductonaut, although the difference between cores are reduced. The main benefit of using liquid metal is that the CPU was able to sustain higher clocks and take further advantage of the 25w cTDP up even when the temperature limiter of 75c kicks in as well as being able to sustain passive cooling with higher CPU power draw.







I do recommend liquid metal on the CPU due to the unit being having a severe artificial thermal limit. With this artificial limiter it is necessary to seek better thermal transfer to maintain higher performance.

If you do manage to coo the X1 below 75c, the 25w TDP will be the next limiting factor in the pursuit of performance. Even with a raised power limit, you will not be able to fully utilize the CPU and iGPU power since they will be power throttled.

Overall the X1 displayed very impressive stock temps but only due to the artificial limiter, it would be interesting to see the limit removed so that the full potential of the cooling system can be observed or at least raised by a few degrees.



Test with LM repaste




Test with LM repaste and bottom cover off








SSD temps

Spoiler

YMMV, as there is a large selection of SSDs out there. Even the X1 Comes with multiple different SSD vendors. Open the spoiler above to see this Toshiba drive perform under full load.

Temperatures were taken immediately after a second 32GBx9 test on the drive, tests were run back to back to first “warm up” the SSD.

Pretty good result, although the drive isn’t that fast. The temperature also stayed under control thanks to the included thermal pad underneath. Although I’m not entirely sure on the negative effect on dumping a portion of the SSD heat to the motherboard.





RAM

*aida64 bench / cpuz screenshot pending*

Standard of 8GB DDR3L onboard or 16GB on board as an optional paid upgrade (on some configurations), both options runs in dual channel mode (some Lenovo models runs with single channel).

It’s standard, the timing is subpar for DDR3 but I guess it’s optimized for low power consumption. It would be nice if the X1 comes with faster ram, since iGPU performance is connected to the RAM speed.

The modules are hidden behind the mylar sticker just below the CPU.

With all the component modularity of the X1, it’s quite a shame to see the RAM being soldered.








Portability






Efficient use of volume enables the X1 to retain a compact form factor even with a 14” screen and a full-sized tenkeyless keyboard. The weight is also kept to a minimum at 1.2-1.3KG (depending on hardware installed). As an everyday device, the X1 is as portable as it gets without sacrificing important features as a professional / business laptop.

The port selection is certainly the strongest feature of this device (save the SD slot). You don’t need to carry excessive amounts of dongles and still be able to connect to most modern interfaces (save for VGA and an ethernet port).

The battery capacity is large, you would get at least 9 hours of continuous usage (read below) so it's enough for get you through an entire day without the adapter.

Included with the purchase is a compact 65w USB-C charger, it can be plugged into either of the USB-C (TB3) port on the device to charge the battery. It also works on some Dell laptops that accepts USB-C as a power input, untested on other devices.

Overall, being a 14” ultrabook device, the X1 Carbon G5 is probably one of the most convenient devices you can lug around. The included charger can also be used on a limited amount of other devices that supports USB-C charging.







Battery life

System test settings

• Power saver battery config
  
  
• 135 SST, turbo disabled and CPU undervolted
  
  
• MS Edge with ublock-edge extension
  
  
• Discord with HW Accel disabled (probably one of the most power-hungry app installed here)
  
  
• Most work done were office-related
  
  
• W10 Enterprise 1607
  
  
• Lenovo power reduction utility and keyboard app installed
  
  
• iGPU 512MB allocated
  
  
• Brightness 60-80%, keyboard light off

With undervolting and custom windows power settings, the 57whr battery pack on the X1 sustained a continuous runtime of approximately 9 hours of normal. The trick here is to use Microsoft Edge, while a subpar browser on features and capability, it makes up in the energy efficiency department compared to alternatives such as Chrome or Firefox.

Higher runtimes are definitely possible if you do not run discord, I would expect around 11-12 hours of just doing basic office work.


An impressive battery life thanks to the conservative screen resolution paired with the low-powered CPU.


Here is the PCMark 8 battery test result. All apps except PCMark 8 were closed at the time of testing.











Accessibility / ease of service

Service videos for Thinkpad X1 Carbon Gen 5: https://www.lenovoservicetraining.com/showcase?sid=1224&key=TGVuZw==

Thinkpads do well on this department, the X1 is no different since you only need to remove 1 panel to access everything.

The entire bottom cover of the laptop can be removed requires removal of all 5 captive screws surrounding the top, left, and right of the cover. Once all the screws are loose, only a light force is needed to pry of the bottom cover from the laptop chassis.

Major components such as the heatsink, SSD, WLAN/WWAN, and battery are easily accessible with just a standard phillips screw, making replacements easy and user friendly.

The screen/LCD assembly is also easily removed by unscrewing the hinge points.



General Overview




Intrusion sensor




Fingerprint sensor can be removed for easy surface cleaning








Performance

The i5-7300U in this X1 performed better than most ULV CPUs in the market due to cTDP UP configuration, however it also suffers from an artificial thermal limiter making sustained load performance different depending on the ambient temperature (ie: the hotter the ambient is, the slower the CPU will have to clock down to match the 75c limit).

Given that you are not bothered by the cooling system noise, the X1 is capable of handling most light tasks.

It would be interesting to see Intel Iris enabled CPUs on the X1 Carbon due to the ability of the cooling system to handle more than 25w CPU TDP, however those CPUs are not vPro compatible and therefore not offered.





Summary:

Extremely well built chassis in addition of excellent keyboard and trackpad. The specs can be configured to match current competing ultrabook models while having the advantage of cTDP UP configuration to boost performance slightly. It would be interesting to see an Iris CPU option offered though.

The perfect laptop to those in the move (if the specs are enough to complete your task), the battery life is excellent and the I/O ports selection are aplenty for this class of device. The device is easily serviceable if need be.

While it is slightly more expensive than its consumer oriented competitors, the cost is made up by the build quality and warranty service (optional) that is offered with the machine.





Pro

+ Overall hardware package is capable of light tasks

+ Good stock thermal performance

+ Most of the time will run passively cooled

+ Long battery life

+ Build quality is excellent

+ Excellent keyboard and trackpad

+ USB-C TB3 x4 enabled on both ports

+ Included Type-C AC adapter

+ Upgradable warranty up to 5 years

+ Easy maintenance of internal parts

+ Fanspeed can be maxed out by Tpfancontrol


Con

+ 75c artificial throttle limit on the CPU

+ No option to upgrade the CPU to one with Iris graphics

+ Soldered memory is subpar, upgrade to 16GB is (in perspective of removable modules) is expensive, not including the CPU upgrade required to select 16GB memory

+ Possible to get a smaller fan with your heatsink (lottery, 50/50 chance)

+ Screen color quality is subpar (FHD)

+ Speakers could be louder



Overall a very solid ultrabook class laptop. I would recommend it to anyone who is looking for a thin and light device with great build quality and warranty options.





Album link with all picure: https://imgur.com/a/ZddoV + https://imgur.com/a/qdiq1






@Mr. Fox @Papusan @Johnksss@iBUYPOWER @ryzeki @hmscott @LunaP @Razer Customer Support @RazerCS @TomJGX @Raidriar @Khenglish @Prema @Phoenix @Meaker@Sager @don_svetlio @PendragonInc @Dackzy @Donald@HIDevolution @Zoltan@HIDevolution @GenTechPC @pat@XOTICPC @Tanner@XoticPC @woodzstack @Prostar Computer @Cass-Olé @triturbo @Ashtrix @sasuke256 @Inverhyt @Kevin@GenTechPC @n=1 @John@OBSIDIAN-PC @Kittys

 

@PsyberEMT let me not forget you eh

 

Why cripple CPU with firmware to match the 75c limit? Intel's specs say 100C

 

Excellent review as always, Mobius.

On a slightly-side note, I love that you've tagged RazerCS - perhaps they can learn a thing or two

 

Very nice and detailed review!

Just one correction: The X1 Carbon 5 does have more than the glowing i-dot LED. Other LEDs include a green CapsLock-LED (embedded in the key), microphone and speaker mute LEDs (also embedded in these keys) as well as a Fingerprint LED (indicating the FP-reader is ready to be used) and a charging LED next to the Thunderbolt 3 ports used for charging (glowing orange or green when the power adapter is connected).

The red-dot-LED should glow all the time when the device is turned on.

 

Well that just highlights how discreet the lights are, I missed it

Probably to hide the insufficient stock cooling solution.

Without a temp limit and running on stock thermal paste it'll go near 100c I think.

 

Nah. IF you mod the BIOS to remove that it should level off in the 80s somewhere. The fan speed on these is quite tame.

 

I doubt that it's possible to do, but it would be nice.


But yeah, with LM and max fanspeed I think the X1 would handle itself well without the thermal limiter.

 

It's possible - the service centre that repairs Lenovo products once forgot to re-lock my BIOS so I had a tone of options in it. (Was a Y50, though)

 

non Thinkpad may have less security on bios I think?

 

Yeah. Exactly the same way as Dell cripple the performance

 

better cripple temp than cripple the tdp

at least the X1 carbon can still hold 25w, as opposed to the dell jokebooks that don't run past 15w without overheating I reckon

 

sign, still use the X1C 2nd generation.

 

Any coil whine ?

Sent from my SM-G955F using Tapatalk

 

Did you try the HDR display? I'm curious how it compares the OLED in my X1 Yoga 1st gen...

 

HDR display is for Gen 6 upcoming with coffee lake ULV quadcore CPU. This reviewed model is Gen 5.

 

@Gofishus aplogies I just realized I said the reviewed model is Gen 6 -_-

 

Still working on the P71?

Job will be giving me money for a "workstation", most likely will have to choose between the big 3 (Dell, Lenovo, HP). Lenovo reportedly has the best 17" 4K panel and nicest i/o selection. Otherwise they all seem to have inferior cooling

 

I still need to get the motherboard replaced at the time being. The SD card slot was DOA and lenovo is still waiting for a replacement mb. Revie w is 95% ready just missing temps and internal shots.

Cooling is horrible though, and disassembly isn't trivial like the HP.

All laptop have the same 4K panel, AUO or sharp. Not much difference between manufacturers.



I recommend you buy Clevo with quadro or the MSi WT73/WT75. Those will serve you much better in terms of I/O and stock cooling.

 

Clevo or MSI are unfortunately out of the question. Purchasing gets some sort of corporate discount from the big 3; I think 33%. That allows me to get Quadro P5000 from Lenovo and HP and P4000 from Dell. I would have to settle for P3000 from MSI or Clevo

The Lenovo uses the uncommon VVX17P051J00 4K panel from Panisonic. Both Dell and HP use the Sharp SHP1446.

Supposedly the Panisonic panel is considerably better in response time (40-60% better than the Sharp), and better gray-scale, contrast, and massively better PWM frequency (a whopping 1400 Hz). That is what had me considering it over Dell/HP

I am still going to try to convince them that I could just as easily use a GTX consumer card for my purposes.

 

Can you stack that 33% with the lenovo perks EPP? (You can find the info here " discount for new ThinkPads:" -> https://boards.4chan.org/g/thread/64627955)


Another route is to upgrade the MXM to a GTX card if your work is doable with that. @woodzstack has compatible(?) GTX1070 card with P71 model. Though you will need the 2+1-pipe GPU heatsink, the basic M620M uses 1+1-pipe.



I'm not sure about the 4K screen info, that's certainly interesting and I would want to see the 4K screen for myself as I have a FHD model here.

 

yup.

Thanks for the mention Pathan/Mobius