{"id":13341,"date":"2012-10-25T16:00:11","date_gmt":"2012-10-25T21:00:11","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/techcitement.com\/?p=13341"},"modified":"2013-02-07T14:18:47","modified_gmt":"2013-02-07T20:18:47","slug":"techcitement-review-does-the-thinkpad-x1-ultrabook-live-up-to-its-legacy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/techcitement.com\/hardware\/techcitement-review-does-the-thinkpad-x1-ultrabook-live-up-to-its-legacy\/","title":{"rendered":"Review: Does The ThinkPad X1 Carbon Ultrabook Live Up To Its Legacy?"},"content":{"rendered":"

I’m often asked by friends what laptop they should buy. As my home system is designed around Apple devices, those friends are surprised when I almost always answer, “Lenovo.” My first laptop was a ThinkPad 380. In the almost 20 years that I’ve been using and repairing laptops, I’ve always found the Thinkpad line to be of the highest quality and best value. I’m throwing that out there so everyone is clear that I may be slightly biased.<\/p>\n

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You never forget your first brick.<\/p><\/div>\n

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Lenovo was an early member of Intel’s high-end Ultrabook<\/a> initiative. The goal was to create high-end, lightweight notebooks that could challenge Apple’s dominant ultralight, the MacBook Air. Except Intel was sort of late to the party, because Lenovo has been one of the few companies directly targeting the Air, most strongly with their X series. Who can forget the brilliant ad for the Lenovo\u00a0 ThinkPad X300, challenging Apple’s images of a MacBook Air as easy enough to store in an envelope?<\/p>\n

[yframe url=’http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=_hnOCUkbix0′]<\/p>\n

Lenovo’s previous Ultrabook entries have been part of the more consumer-oriented<\/a> IdeaPad line. Recently, however, the company announced it would bring the Ultrabook style to the venerable business-class ThinkPad family. While the ThinkPad T430u is pending release, I was given a chance to review the slightly-cooler named ThinkPad X1 Carbon<\/a>. Because I miss my X31, I jumped at the chance. But is the X1 a worthy successor to the previous generations of Lenovo ultralights?<\/p>\n

First Impressions<\/h3>\n

One thing I can’t help but notice when I look at other companies’ Ultrabooks is that they look the same. They all ape Apple’s metallic look at the bare minimum and sometimes go a bit closer. Lenovo, however, chooses to stay with the company’s signature black body, thinning it out a bit. While this choice may seem dull to some, it actually has the impact of making the X1 Carbon stand out in a sea of silver. Another standout feature is the carbon nano-fiber body (hence the name). The body feels a bit rubbery to the touch at first , but it also feels a lot less slick or hot than metal-encased Ultrabooks. X1 is less of a fingerprint magnet.<\/p>\n

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All X1 photos are\u00a0 from Lenovo, unless specifically stated. Because I am a crap photographer, that’s why.<\/p><\/div>\n

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The (deliciously backlit) keyboard is different from the traditional, well-loved ThinkPad keyboard. Thinkpad devotees will recognize \u00a0the standard pointing mouse, plus a large trackpad option. I usually eschew trackpads when there’s a pointing stick, but this big boy is actually tempting. Lenovo has thrown in a fingerprint-reader, which is standard these days, as well.<\/p>\n

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I don’t care if I personally have no use for a fingerprint reader – they’re just cool.<\/p><\/div>\n

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The right side gives you a 4-in-1 media reader, combination headphone\/microphone jack, Mini DP port for video out, USB 3 port, and security port.<\/p>\n

The left side has a WiFi toggle, second USB 3 port, fan exhaust, and DC in. Carbon’s DC in port looks kind of like some sort of data port. I have to say, I rather like it.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

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For the more visual minded.<\/p><\/div>\n

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The back has a surprise for you in the addition of a SIM slot. Useful for those who want 3G data on the go.<\/p>\n

X1 comes with a 14″ anti-glare screen with a 1600 x 900 resolution. While the X1’s screen is no MacBook Pro with Retina display, it’s great to use, especially with the anti-glare coating. More computer manufacturers need to make glare prevention a serious priority. Atop the screen you’ll find the 720p webcam.<\/p>\n

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I don’t know if HD webcams are a killer app, but they’re expected by now.<\/p><\/div>\n

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The Software<\/h3>\n

I assume the X1 will\u00a0eventually\u00a0come loaded with Windows 8, but for now, it runs Windows 7 Professional. There are no issues with the OS, and I’d be shocked if there had been. What I do have an issue with, however, is that Lenovo threw an insane amount of software on to the X1. Sure, some are apps that most would have downloaded anyway (Adobe Reader, Skype, and Google Chrome). Others, however, feel like bloat. There’s a Lenovo Appshop, Lenovo Cloud Storage by SugarSync, Lenovo ThinkVantage tools, UltraPro PDF maker trial (which is also your default PDF reader, so why bother with Adobe?), Splashtop Remote\/Streamer (a good value, but a distinctly specialized tool), Verisign VIP, a bunch of Intel tools that I suspect come with every UltraBook, MS Office 2010 trial, Absolute Data Protect, and Evernote.<\/p>\n

One particularly odd bit of bundleware has to be SimpleTap<\/a>. Essentially an additional user interface layer over Windows 7, I genuinely can’t think of any reason for this to exist. This software is going to be crazy redundant when Windows 8 comes out.<\/p>\n

For those worried about viruses, Lenovo has bundled in Norton Security. Pardon me, but ew. In the era of free, low-footprint security apps like AVG Free or Microsoft Security Essentials, this is needless bloat. Worse, it’s nagware in that it’s always reminding you to register\/update. A good AV should be invisible.<\/p>\n

If this unit was a keeper instead of a loaner, my first step would’ve been to format the drive and install Windows 7 all over again without all the bloat.
\n<\/p>\n

Performance<\/h3>\n

The X1 comes in multiple flavors: a 2 Ghz Core i7, a 1.8 Ghz core i5, or a 1.7 Ghz Core i5. My review unit is the 1.8, loaded with 4 GB of RAM. While I didn’t run any specific benchmarks, the day-to-day performance is impressive enough. Frankly, unless you’re running high-end CAD software, I can’t think of a reason why you should have any issues with this machine.<\/p>\n

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Although why you’d do CAD on a 14″ Ultrabook is beyond me.
[Photo Courtesy EnSuite Press Release]<\/p><\/div>\n

One thing I should note is that the wireless antenna\/card on the X1 worked like a champ. I have a few areas in my house where other devices get poor connectivity, but the X1 never loses the signal. Even without putting a 3G data SIM in the slot, this is great for a traveler simply for how well it latches on to WiFi.<\/p>\n

\"Courtesy

No idea where you might go to find free WiFi<\/p><\/div>\n

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Lenovo rates the X1 at a little over six and half hours of battery life. This is consistent for my experience too. I’m also more than a little pleased with how rapidly the X1 woke up from sleep and booted up. Lenovo has put some rapid charge tech on here, and I’m happy to say it works well. Although, with the great standby times on the X1, I can go an average of two days without charging it back up. When I do have to charge the device, I’m not tethered long. A device like this is simply not meant to be chained down.<\/p>\n

To be fair, the battery and boot are helped along by the SSD drive in the X1. Available in up to 256 GB, you’ve got plenty of room for the average user, on a snappy solid-state disk. One caveat though — Lenovo’s recovery image takes up a good 14 GB. Sure, it’s on a separate partition, but that’s coming out of the total storage calculation.<\/p>\n

The Strengths<\/h3>\n

You simply can’t review a ThinkPad without lavishing praise on the keyboard. While there have been some recent changes<\/a>, Lenovo continues to show that real thought has been put into how most of us interact with computers. I’m a clumsy typist on most laptop keyboards, and especially on the chiclet sort. I do a bit better with Apple’s keyboards, because I’m used to them from my MacBook. The ThinkPad X1 Carbon is even better for my accuracy, to the point that it may be a legitimate expense for me to go out and purchase a laptop with this keyboard, if only for my editor’s sake.<\/p>\n

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If I make one more typo, he may have to go to the ER.<\/p><\/div>\n

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Lenovo’s Trackpoint pointing device in the center of the keyboard is hit-or-miss;\u00a0 some people love it and some people hate it. For me, it means never having to take my hands out of the QWERTY position, so I’m a big fan. However, the all-glass, larger than average trackpad on the bottom of the device makes me want to change my habits. Lenovo’s implementation of multi-touch on the trackpad is well done, and the tactile feedback can only be described as simply satisfying.<\/p>\n

The Weaknesses<\/h3>\n

Lenovo can’t help filling up otherwise great machines with “value added” software. I get why this is done — partnership deals and whatnot — but understanding doesn’t make it less annoying.<\/p>\n

The base model starts at $1,250. At the rate new modern hardware models come out, that price feels like a large investment at first, and I’d normally make a claim about sticker shock. However, now that we’re two days out from Apple’s most recent event<\/a> and the 13″ MacBook Pro with Retina display, I’ll eat those words. The 13″ MBP costs $1,700. A traditional MacBook pro may start at $1200, but the Retina display model is more\u00a0comparable\u00a0to the X1. There are some cheaper Ultrabooks out there, but Lenovo isn’t competing with those devices. The x1 is a high-end machine clearly targeted at high-end buyers who go for products like the MacBook Pro. In that context, considering the features of the X1, you should at least be able to avoid buyer’s remorse for a year or so.<\/p>\n

Wrap Up<\/h3>\n

Light, stylish, full featured, powerful, user friendly. This is what an Ultrabook should be. The Lenovo X1<\/a> manages to make good on that feature-set without any major hardware flaws. Lenovo’s X line was the only real competition for the MacBook Air back in the day and that absolutely continues now. My only caveat to a buyer is that If Lenovo’s early Ultrabook is this good, I wonder how good the next revision will be.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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