Home Tech Lenovo’s latest ThinkPad X1 Carbon is surprisingly light

Lenovo’s latest ThinkPad X1 Carbon is surprisingly light

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Close-up of the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon, a slim black laptop showing the keyboard and touchpad

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon is a line of laptops that needs no introduction (it dates back to 2012), but even those loyal to the most ultra ultrabooks may be surprised when presented with this, the 13th edition of the laptop and a “Aura Edition” designate.

Simply unpacking the new laptop made me double check that I had received the correct computer. This is mainly due to the incredibly low weight of the new Carbon: at just 2.2 pounds, it’s the lightest ThinkPad X1 Carbon yet, by a considerable margin. (The Gen 12, released in early 2024, weighed 2.4 pounds.) It’s the lightest 14-inch laptop I’ve ever tested. Constructed variously from recycled aluminum, magnesium, carbon fiber and plastic, the machine feels almost toy-like, although at 20 millimeters thick, it at least has something to hold on to when you pick it up.

The effects of his semaglutide diet are not the only part of this story. The latest X1 Carbon has also been upgraded to an Intel Core Ultra 7 258V (Series 2) CPU, which now qualifies the laptop as a Copilot+ PC. It is also, and most prominently, branded as Aura Edition PC, distinguished by the addition of “Smart Modes” that allow the user to initiate pre-configured settings that optimize eye health, improve privacy, limit distractions, and more. They can be accessed by tapping the F8 key, which does double duty as the Mode button.

But the big question is: how did Lenovo manage to shave almost 10 percent off the weight of this laptop? Although there’s a 512GB SSD on the device, the rest of the specs are solid, including 32GB of RAM (non-upgradable) and plenty of ports: two USB-C Thunderbolt 4 ports, two USB-A 3.2 ports, and one HDMI port. full size. There is also a nano-SIM slot. So far there are no obvious signs that shortcuts are being taken.

Photography: Christopher Null

The design is top notch, for the most part. The renowned quality of the ThinkPad keyboard continues; I don’t think you’ll find a better typing experience on a laptop these days, especially one this small. Lenovo continues to offer a compact trackpad with three separate buttons along with the pointer button as an option. Separate buttons make things easier; I never realize how much I like having them until I use a laptop that includes them. And although the arrow keys are oddly small and unevenly sized, they’re easier to use than some keyboards that use half-height versions of these buttons.

The Carbon doesn’t have a touchscreen, but the 2,880 x 1,800-pixel display is sharp and quite bright, and the webcam (a shoddy 1,080p model) is placed in a small notch above. Includes a physical on/off switch right next to it; The switch is useful but a little difficult to manipulate. That little notch adds one of the few stylish touches to the chassis: a raised strip on the lid that gives you something to hold on to when opening the laptop with one hand. And, as usual, the dot above the ThinkPad “i” on the lid also lights up red.

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