© 1996-2020 Ziff Davis, LLC. PCMark 10 and 8 are holistic performance suites developed by the PC benchmark specialists at UL (formerly Futuremark). It, too, is a tough test for multi-core, multi-threaded CPUs; lower times are better. Our expert industry analysis and practical solutions help you make better buying decisions and get more from technology. Available on configs with the 4K screen only, Lenovo Display Optimizer allows you to calibrate the panel or change it for different viewing modes such as movie editing or blue-light reduction. With the Core i7 processor, the ThinkPad got an average score of 1,308 with an average clock speed of 2.5 GHz and an average temperature of 83 degrees Celsius with a maximum of 99 degrees Celsius. As always, the ThinkPad X1 Carbon is a strong business laptop that delivers an excellent keyboard and good performance in an elegant body. Dolby Atmos Speaker System allows you to change audio profiles and adjust the equalizer. In this test, we loop a video—a locally stored 720p file of the Blender Foundation short film Tears of Steel—with screen brightness set at 50 percent and volume at 100 percent until the system quits. When I watched Tears of Steel, a 4K movie, on the high-end panel, fine details like the grout in bricks or the hairs in a character’s beard were all very prominent. Future US, Inc. 11 West 42nd Street, 15th Floor, Our two models had 256GB and 512GB NVMe drives and they transferred 5GB of files at rates of 783 and 997.9 MBps respectively. If you click an affiliate link and buy a product or service, we may be paid a fee by that merchant. The X1 Carbon (Gen 8) has the raven black stylings of a typical ThinkPad, complete with the slight red accents of its TrackPoint and power light. Gamers in recent years have been shunning passable 30fps systems for rigs capable of 60fps or more, so you can imagine their likelihood of settling for 4fps. Flawless lightweight construction Superb keyboard and display Good array of ports and configuration options The Dell XPS 13 with 1080p screen, HP Spectre x360 and HP Elite Dragonfly all lasted more than 12 hours. All configurations of the X1 Carbon come with a privacy shutter that lets you physically block your webcam and some SKUs also have an IR camera for facial recognition. Cinebench stresses the CPU rather than the GPU to render a complex image. That’s why we recommend configuring with 16GB, the highest capacity available. This newsletter may contain advertising, deals, or affiliate links. Like other ThinkPads, the X1 Carbon (Gen 8) is designed to pass MIL-SPEC durability tests, including those for extreme temperatures, spills and drops. This is essentially the lovely ThinkPad The laptop’s excellent tactile keyboard and precise pointing stick / touchpad will help you work faster and make fewer typos while the svelte design makes it easy to use on your lap or throw in a bag where you may not even feel the weight of carrying it. When I took a picture of myself in a room with plenty of sunlight, colors were muted but mostly accurate and my features were a little blurry but visible. Fine details are as sharp as the 1080p resolution permits and viewing angles are broad. Though the lightest of Lenovo's three 14-inch business notebooks (under the 2.8-pound ThinkPad T14s and 3.2-pound ThinkPad T14), the Carbon isn't the lightest on the market; the Asus ExpertBook B9450 is just 1.91 pounds. The ThinkPad X1 Carbon’s 720p webcam is unimpressive at best. Lenovo’s ThinkPad X1 Fold is the world’s first foldable PC. You can swap out the ThinkPad X1 Carbon (Gen 8)’s M.2 NVMe SSD by simply loosening the five Philip’s head screws on the bottom panel, prying the panel off and then unscrewing and pulling out the drive. The extra $557 buys you a trivially faster Core i5 with Intel's vPro remote IT management, Windows 10 Pro instead of Home, and LTE mobile broadband. Perhaps the most noticeable and important change to the ThinkPad X1 Carbon is what Lenovo calls the Adaptive Function Row. We use it to assess overall system performance for office-centric tasks such as word processing, spreadsheeting, web browsing, and videoconferencing. If you don't need the LTE, you would see little difference with the starter machine. 3DMark measures relative graphics muscle by rendering sequences of highly detailed, gaming-style 3D graphics that emphasize particles and lighting. According to Lenovo, the Thinkpad X1 Carbon is constructed of four layers of carbon fiber, together with a magnesium alloy roll-cage. Lenovo offers four other screen options: a 1080p touch screen, a 1080p touch screen with a privacy filter, a higher-resolution 2,560-by-1,440-pixel panel, and a 4K (3,840-by-2,160-pixel) Dolby Vision HDR 400 display. PCMag Digital Group. 3D Rendering; Adobe Photoshop; Results are from the … Because the lower-end panel is matte, I saw no reflections and image quality didn’t degrade at all even at a full 90 degrees to the left or right. Colors don't quite pop but are rich and well saturated. (See more about how we test laptops.). AC/DC’s “Back in Black,” which sounds distorted or tinny on lesser laptops, was clear and clean if not overly detailed. Lenovo probably does this to avoid accidental presses, but it’s still a pain in the butt. PCMark 8, meanwhile, has a storage subtest that we use to assess the speed of the system's boot drive. A handy webcam shutter and a … On Geekbench 5, a synthetic benchmark that measures overall performance, the Core i7 config of the ThinkPad X1 Carbon (Gen 8) scored a bit less than some competitors, namely the Dell XPS 9300 (4,848) and the HP Spectre x360 (4,074), both of which have 10nm Ice Lake, Core i7-1065G7 CPUs. If you want the ultimate ultrabook for work, the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon (Gen 8) could be your best choice. Typing feel is swift and snappy, a bit shallow but with good tactile feedback. The memory and storage ceilings are 16GB and 1TB respectively; Lenovo.com's price for a maxed-out Core i7-10610U system with the 4K screen is $2,378. Techs: Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga Review: the X1 Carbon Goes Yoga Lisa Gade reviews the new ThinkPad X1 Yoga from Lenovo. We run two different 3DMark subtests, Sky Diver and Fire Strike. After 15 minutes of streaming a video, the Core i5 and Core i7 configs had touchpad temperatures of 73 / 78.6 degrees Fahrenheit while the keyboard hit a mere 86.2 / 88 degrees Fahrenheit and the underside was a modest 92.1 / 95.6 degrees Fahrenheit. This 14-inch business system combines an unbeatable screen and keyboard with MIL-STD 810G toughness to pass torture tests involving shock, vibration, and environmental extremes, yet it weighs just 2.4 pounds, less than the XPS 13 and many other ultraportables. Get instant access to breaking news, in-depth reviews and helpful tips. The high-end panel managed to reproduce an impressive 95.5%  of the DCI-P3 color gamut, which is far more colorful than the 1080p unit (71.5%) and the screens on ZenBook 13, Dell XPS 13 , HP Elite Dragonfly and HP Spectre x360. However, you can pay to extend the warranty up to five years or get added benefits such as on-site service. Interestingly, Lenovo has made one, blink-and-you’ll-miss-it change to the keyboard design since last year’s Gen 7 model. All five systems' SSD's flew through the PCMark 8 storage exercise. Lenovo has been slightly more generous with ports on this year's ThinkPad X1 Carbon than with its 2015 predecessor. HP’s Elite Dragonfly is an appealing business 2-in-1 with a gorgeous blue chassis and longer battery life, but it is still only available with older, Intel 8th Gen Core CPUs. Check out all Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon 8th Gen prices and configurati[...] Read more . While it couldn't keep up with the hot-rod T14s, the Carbon aced our most important test, exceeding the 4,000 points that indicate outstanding productivity in PCMark 10. 1 Donald Trump; 2 Who Won The Voice; 3 Trace McSorley; 4 MacKenzie Scott; 5 Tax Relief; 6 Jeff Bridges; 7 Vroom Cars Online; 8 Catastrophic Health Insurance; 9 Catie Lazarus; 10 Moderna's COVID-19 Vaccine; Top Searches … MacBook Pro vs. MacBook Air: Which 13-Inch Apple Laptop Is Best for 2020? Today's best Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon (Gen 8) deals. The ThinkPad X1 Carbon (Gen 8) has a number of useful ports, including two Thunderbolt 3 connectors (one of which is used for charging), two USB 3.1 (Gen 1) Type-A ports, a 3.5mm headphone jack and a full-size HDMI port. Nor is it cheap, though it's not outrageously overpriced; a couple of hundred bucks over the ultraportable going rate seems a fair amount to pay for one of the finest, if not the finest, laptop experiences on the planet. This product features the very latest in technology including a … Subscribing to a newsletter indicates your consent to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Apple MacBook Pro vs. Microsoft Surface Laptop 3: Which 13-Inch Premium Laptop Is Tops? However competitors offer noticeably longer endurance than the 1080p model. Its slightly larger screen, slightly preferable keyboard, and HDMI port put us on Team X1 Carbon instead of Team XPS 13, but you can't go wrong with either. Both battery numbers are a noticeable step up from X1 Carbon (Gen 7) we tested last fall which had times of 9:30 and 5:33 with its 1080p and 4K panels. I'm wondering whether i should get the Gen 8 model with the IR cam or Non-IR cam. Like most ThinkPads, the X1 Carbon (Gen 8) has both a TrackPoint pointing stick and a touchpad. As with last year’s model, the power button is located on the right side of the laptop, rather than above the keyboard; this allows you to turn the laptop on even if the lid is closed and it’s docked. Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon 7th Gen review: The 4K display is a splendid liability The 4K resolution that dazzles us is also a drag on the ThinkPad X1 Carbon's battery life. The Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon gets its name from the built-in carbon fibre 'roll cage' and lid, which keeps the chassis light, yet extremely resilient. The display of third-party trademarks and trade names on this site does not necessarily indicate any affiliation or the endorsement of PCMag. We also run a custom Adobe Photoshop image-editing benchmark. The configuration with the 4K panel was less impressive, lasting only 7 hours and 23 minutes. Top Searches Holiday Gifts. Read the full review . Two upward-firing tweeters and two downward-firing woofers pump out above-average sound, with plenty of volume and a modest amount of bass; highs and midtones are clear and it's easy to distinguish overlapping tracks. The main changes to the ThinkPad X1 Carbon in this revision round involve the display and the exterior styling of its lid. That’s about 10 percent faster than my typical score with a similar error rate. The Core i5 version got an average score of 1,112 with a clock speed of 2.2 GHz and an average temperature of 85.1 degrees Celsius and a max temperature of 97 degrees Celsius. As we’ve come to expect from Lenovo ThinkPads, the X1 Carbon (Gen 8)’s keyboard is a joy to use. Sign up for What's New Now to get our top stories delivered to your inbox every morning. We would, however, recommend buying the X1 Carbon with 16GB of RAM rather than 8GB, because if you’re doing heavy multitasking or just have a lot of tabs open, it’s very easy on any PC to exceed 8GB. He works in a catful home office in Bradenton, Florida. There was a problem. Lenovo equips the ThinkPad X1 Carbon (8th Gen) range with processors up to a 10th-generation Intel Core i7, 16GB of RAM and a choice of two batteries, with the higher-capacity one in … The top warranty plan, which has five years of on-site service, was $424 at publish time. In addition to the 4K and 1080p non-touch screen options, there’s also a 1080p touch screen with 500 nits and Privacy Guard, a 1080p 400-nit touch screen and a 2K, 300-nit screen. However, both competitors are heavier and the XPS 13 lacks USB Type-A ports. This year is no exception, though we're sad Lenovo keeps sending us relatively modest Core i5 models. The soft-touch palmrest added another level of comfort as I rested my wrists on it and racked up a strong 108 word-per-minute score (5 percent error rate) on the 10fastfingers.com typing test. However, with improved performance and battery life to go with its sleek design and snappy keyboard, the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon (Gen 8) is a compelling productivity powerhouse. While not everyone appreciates its greatness, the little red nub provides more precise navigation around the desktop and doesn’t make you lift your hands off of the home row in order to move the pointer. We time each operation and add up the total (lower times are better). We tested units with both Core i5-10310U and a Core i7-10610U processors and found both were more than capable of handling whatever tasks we threw at them, from surfing the web to transcoding videos. This way you can decide for yourself which Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon (8th Gen, 2020) model is the best bang for your buck. The ThinkPad X1 Carbon (Gen 8) comes with a couple of useful utilities and, at least on the units we tested, almost no crapware. It hasn't gotten Intel's 11th Generation "Tiger Lake" processors yet, but there's no more desirable ultraportable than Lenovo's 2.4-pound ThinkPad X1 Carbon. The eighth generation of Lenovo's ThinkPad X1 Carbon (starts at $1,331; $1,888 as tested) carries that history, having racked up more rave reviews and awards than any notebook we can think of except possibly the Dell XPS 13. Disassembly, maintenance and upgrade options . Cursor jockeys can as usual choose between the buttonless, slightly small touchpad and three-button TrackPoint embedded mini joystick, both of which are perky and precise. Colors like the greens in a computer readout and the reds in a jacket were all extremely vibrant. An X1 insignia below the lid's diagonal ThinkPad logo is the only change in the familiar matte-black design. You may unsubscribe from the newsletters at any time. Unfortunately, the RAM is soldered to the motherboard so there’s no way to upgrade it. It’s got the larger screen, durable build, and spartan looks of a business machine. Of these competitors, only the Dell XPS 13 is thinner, but by a mere 0.02 inches (and it lacks Type-A ports). NY 10036. The Good Incredibly light for a 14-inch laptop, the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon is ruggedly built, and has a better keyboard than any ultrabook-style … The aesthetics of the ThinkPad X1 Carbon haven’t changed much over the last several generations, but why mess with a good thing? The F10 and F11 keys have telephone icons on them as they can be used for VoIP call answer or hang up functions. It's conceivable that a Carbon owner might spend an hour or two with a casual or browser-based game, but it's far from a priority. Long workdays, transcontinental flights, and catch-up evenings in business hotels will be no problem. Both yield a proprietary numeric score; higher numbers are better. The ThinkPad X1 Carbon is Lenovo’s version of a crossover SUV. Both screens were bright enough for productivity, but the 4K HDR panel is a true visual treat. The screen bezels are thin, with a webcam with sliding shutter above the display; the face-recognition camera and a small fingerprint reader beside the touchpad give you two ways to skip passwords with Windows Hello. It is funny that we are living in 2020 and notebooks manufacturers are still using 1996 webcams ... Avram in this X1 Gen 8 review did you test the model with the IR Camera? Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon (8th Gen, 2020) CPU variants. As with the XPS 13, the Carbon’s slim bezels and minimal excess bulk results in … Its glass surface is smooth but gives just the right amount of friction. With stacks of as-you-like-it configuration options, it picks up PCMag Editors' Choices as regularly as punching a time clock. The result is a proprietary score indicating a PC's suitability for processor-intensive workloads. Lenovo's durable ThinkPad X1 Fold, with its detachable keyboard and revolutionary foldable screen, is the most futuristic Windows device of 2020—though far from the most practical one. The only real trialware we noticed on the two systems we tested was Microsoft Office 365, something a lot of people and companies already have a license for. However, both Core i5 and Core i7 configs bested the Asus ZenBook 13 UX334F, which has a Core i7-10510U, and the HP Elite Dragonfly we tested, which was rocking an older, Core i7-8665U. Configurations of ThinkPad X1 Carbon The ThinkPad X1 Carbon is available in a wide variety of configurations and, if you purchase it from Lenovo.com, you can even custom configure it, … The keys have a solid 1.5mm of travel and offer strong tactile feedback, along with curved, smile-shaped keycaps that make it easier to feel one’s way around. The new ThinkPad X1 Carbon is Lenovo’s halo entry into the high-end business Ultrabook market. The ThinkPad X1 Carbon (Gen 8) is only available with integrated Intel HD graphics, which makes it power efficient, but not a machine worth gaming on. If you want to use this Ethernet port on its own, you’ll need to buy a Lenovo dongle that costs $20. A bent paper clip removes a tiny tray at the rear that holds the optional SIM card. Using an early 2018 release of the Creative Cloud version of Photoshop, we apply a series of 10 complex filters and effects to a standard JPEG test image. The top row combines function keys for volume and brightness with shortcuts for answering and hanging up on calls in Skype for Business and Microsoft Teams, as well as dedicated Home and End keys (Page Up and Page Down are next to the cursor arrows). You only live once. The ThinkPad X1 Carbon (Gen 8) is available with five different screen options and we tested both the base model, 1080p non-touch screen and the high-end 4K HDR screen (also non-touch). Whether you’re a corporate executive in a large company, a small business person or a prosumer, there’s a lot to like about the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon (Gen 8). In low light, the image quality was just plain awful with my face looking really blurry and washed out. The ultimate in lightweight productivity, the ThinkPad X1 Carbon (Gen 8) combines a best-in-class keyboard with a stunning screen and strong endurance. Colors stayed true even at wide viewing angles (up to 90 degrees left and right) but since the screen is glossy, intense ambient light such as sunlight makes it harder to see at those angles and even shows some reflections head on. However, it lacks some necessities, like an SD card reader, or upgradable memory. After fully recharging the laptop, we set up the machine in power-save mode (as opposed to balanced or high-performance mode) where available and make a few other battery-conserving tweaks in preparation for our unplugged video rundown test. None of the competitors came close to either score. The ThinkPad X1 Carbon (Gen 8) delivers all day battery life with its 1080p non-touch screen, as it lasted 10 hours and 45 minutes on our battery test, which involves continuous web surfing, video streaming and OpenGL tests over Wi-Fi at 150 nits of brightness. The low-end configuration we tested was slightly more expensive ($1,472)  because it carried a Core i5-10310U CPU and Windows 10 Pro The high-end model we tested goes for $1,989 and was packed with all the top-of-the-line features, except that it had a 512GB SSD rather than a 1TB model. Visit our corporate site. The same video wasn’t quite as sharp or colorful on the 1080p ThinkPad X1 Carbon screen, but the viewing angles were better. PCMag, PCMag.com and PC Magazine are among the federally registered trademarks of Ziff Davis, LLC and may not be used by third parties without explicit permission. It's a breeze to stash in any briefcase. To see how the ThinkPad X1 Carbon performs under stress, we took both configurations and ran Cinebench R20 on them 20 times and logged the results and the clock speeds. The ThinkPad X1 Carbon with Core i7 took 18 minutes and 28 seconds to transcode a 4K video to 1080p using Handbrake while the Core i5 model finished in 19 minutes and 51 seconds. Lets you switch among music, movie, dynamic, game, and voice presets or play with equalizer! Middle-Of-The-Pack finish for the ThinkPad X1 Carbon with a magnesium alloy roll-cage Inc an... A touchpad Future US, Inc. 11 West 42nd Street, 15th Floor, York... Found that the Non-IR camera was far better than the IR camera can see their basic specs in butt. Plan, which is fully threaded to make use of all available processor and... Change to the keyboard design since last year ’ s about 10 percent faster than my typical score with similar! 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