Why You Can Trust CNET Lenovo's ThinkPad X1 lineup makes it easier than ever to leave your desk behind
With flexible designs and features based heavily on customer feedback, the three new devices debuting at CES 2017 will help you get your work done from anywhere.
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Lenovo's ThinkPad X1 family is designed for the growing group of nomadic professionals who spend more and more time away from a desk. The computers are just as much for use in a conference room as they are in a coffee shop or out on a job site.
The family includes the X1 Yoga hybrid, the two-in-one X1 Tablet and the X1 Carbon laptop, but it's that last one that received the biggest update in time for a CES 2017 announcement.
Shop for Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon 5th Gen (Black), 14.0" FHD, i7, 16.0GB RAM, Win 10 Pro 64
See all pricesLike the consumer-focused Yoga 910, the Carbon has a 14-inch display but the body of a 13-inch laptop. Available in full HD and WQHD resolutions, the display doesn't have the typical wide frame or bezel found on other laptops on the top and sides, so it spans nearly the entire lid. At 2.5 pounds (1.14 kilograms) and 0.6 inch (16 mm) thick, the carbon-fiber-reinforced body is the thinnest and lightest X1 Carbon made.
Available in silver or black, the 2017 ThinkPad X1 Carbon is the thinnest and lightest Carbon ever.
The slim, light body is great for travel, but you need good battery life and top-notch wireless to be truly mobile. Lenovo claims up to 15.5 hours of runtime with the 2017 X1 Carbon. Wireless options include Intel dual-band Wireless-AC 8265, WiGig support Intel Tri-Band Wireless-AC 18265 and Qualcomm LTE-A Wireless WAN.
For security, the X1 Carbon has both a fingerprint reader and infrared camera for facial recognition to log on with Windows Hello. The fingerprint sensor handles all fingerprint images inside the fingerprint processing unit which Lenovo says prevents malicious logon access. It's also the first business-class notebook to support FIDO-enabled biometric authentication for PayPal.
Despite all its increased mobility, you'll probably still want to settle down at a desk from time to time. The X1 Carbon has two Thunderbolt 3 ports for data, video output and power, plus two USB 3.0 ports, an HDMI output and Ethernet.
If you like your laptop with a side of touch and pen input, Lenovo updated the X1 Yoga with Thunderbolt 3, WiGig and LTE-A wireless WAN, too. The new X1 Yoga keeps the beautiful OLED display from last year's model and gains seventh-generation Intel processors up to Core i7, an improved ThinkPad Pen Pro with a new soft elastomer tip for a more natural feel on glass as well as an improved rise-and-fall keyboard that fully retracts into the body when in tablet mode. It also gets an IR camera for logging on using Windows Hello facial recognition.
The modular design of the X1 Tablet lets you add on a battery, docks and even a projector.
The X1 Tablet doesn't change much at all from last year's model, but you do get new Intel processors (again up to Core i7) and WiGig and LTE-A Wireless WAN connectivity.
The ThinkPad X1 Carbon will be available in February starting at $1,350 along with the X1 Yoga starting at $1,500. ThinkPad X1 Tablet, starting at $950, follows in March. Those prices roughly convert to £1,100 and AU$1,875 for the Carbon, £1,220 and AU$2,080 for the Yoga and £775 and AU$1,320 for the Tablet.
