Lenovo's ThinkPad X1 Carbon and Yoga get tuned up for CES 2019
New year, new batch of modest refinements, for two of the best-made business laptops on the market.
- Coauthor of Uninvested (Random House, 2015)
Lenovo's new convertible ThinkPad X1 Yoga.
Lenovo is kicking off CES 2019 with a round of mostly incremental updates to its tried-and-true lineup of ThinkPad business laptops and accessories. On Monday, the company announced new versions of the crown jewels of its ultraportable laptop portfolio -- the ThinkPad X1 Carbon and its convertible counterpart, the ThinkPad X1 Yoga.
The 2018 edition of the ThinkPad X1 Yoga earned the title of "best two-in-one for business" from CNET last year. We got a sneak preview of this year's version and it's pretty similar -- though with a few modest aesthetic and internal upgrades. In addition to slimming the machine's profile by a few millimeters and reducing its weight by a few ounces, Lenovo has outfitted the 2019 ThinkPad X1 Yoga with a new CNC aluminum chassis, slimmer bezels and Intel's eighth-gen processors.
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga (fourth gen) specs
| Size | 14 inch |
|---|---|
| Display options | Full HD IPS touchscreen (300 nits), FHD ePrivacy, WQHD IPS touchscreen (300 nits), HDR UHD IPS (500 nits) |
| Operating system | Windows 10 Pro |
| Processor | 8th-gen Intel Core |
| Memory | Up to 16GB LPDDR3 |
| GPU | Intel UHD |
| Storage | Up to 2TB PCIe SSD |
| Connectors | 1x USB 3.1 Gen 1; 1x USB 3.1 Gen 2; 2x Thunderbolt 3; 3.5mm audio jack |
| Audio | Dolby Atmos, 4 mics |
| Security | Touch FPR, IR camera, dTPM 2.0 |
| Weight | 3.1 pounds (1.4 kg) |
| Price | Starts at $1,930 |
| Available | June 2019 |
And it carries with it all of the features that made the previous model so popular among both corporate employees and IT departments: sleek, study build; lots of display options; a killer keyboard with touchpad and TrackPoint; and serious security and encryption measures. It's only the finance department that might balk at this machine, on account of its $1,930 starting price.
The new nonconvertible version of this machine, the seventh-gen ThinkPad X1 Carbon, has an appealing carbon fiber finish and a refreshed body that's slightly thinner and lighter than the previous model, coming in at a featherweight 2.5 pounds (1.1 kg).
Otherwise, the updates are more or less the same as with the Yoga model: newer Intel processors, new camera, new Dolby Atmos speakers. The ThinkPad X1 Carbon does offer a few more advanced display options than the Yoga, however, including a 500-nit, 10-bit, 4K Dolby Vision HDR panel. Still, it's the more affordable of the pair, starting at $1,710, though the more robust configurations could easily tack on another grand or two.
Lenovo's ThinkPad line remains the gold standard for the corporate crowd and there's no reason to believe that the new X1 models will do anything to disrupt that legacy. Both will be available starting in June -- the ThinkPad X1 Carbon starting at $1,710 and the Yoga edition at $1,930. Lenovo has not yet announced international pricing or availability.
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon (seventh-gen) specs
| Size | 14 inch |
|---|---|
| Display options | FHD (400 nits), FHD touchscreen (300 nits), FHD ePrivacy (400 nits), WQHD (300 nits), HDR UHD (500 nits) 10 bit |
| Operating system | Windows 10 Pro |
| Processor | 8th-gen Intel Core |
| Memory | Up to 16GB LPDDR3 |
| GPU | Intel UHD |
| Storage | Up to 2TB PCIe SSD |
| Connectors | 2x USB 3.1; 2x Thunderbolt 3; 3.5mm audio jack |
| Audio | Dolby Atmos, 4 mics |
| Security | Touch FPR, IR camera, dTPM 2.0 |
| Weight | 2.5 pounds (1.1 kg) |
| Price | Starts at $1,710 |
| Available | June 2019 |
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