Face Off: Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon vs. HP EliteBook Folio 1040 G3 vs. Dell Latitude 14 E7470

Just for work. At well over $1000 USD with configurations surpassing $1500, these small notebooks don't come cheap and aren't very powerful in terms of raw performance. Instead, these models offer better reliability and features that are beyond the reach of cheaper consumer notebooks. Which of these three will get the job done faster?

Allen Ngo, Published 05/16/2016 🇩🇪

Lenovo, HP, and Dell are the three biggest and most popular choices for office computers and workstations. They separate themselves from most other manufacturers by offering extensive IT and warranty services for their products to attract businesses and large-scale purchases. Thus, it's no surprise that they offer some of the best business notebooks available.

Our comparison this week focuses on the fourth generation X1 Carbon against the third generation EliteBook Folio 1040 and much more mature Latitude E7470. At 14 inches each, this size category is the middle ground between netbook-sized solutions that may be too small and larger solutions that may be too bulky.

We encourage users to check out our dedicated review pages below for more data and detailed analyses of each of the three models. This comparison is by no means a replacement, but a condensed aid for those on the fence.

Case

Case quality is very good between the notebooks as each utilizes either carbon fiber, aluminum, magnesium, or a combination thereof. The Dell notebook is exceptionally dense and is the toughest of the three in terms of rigidity and sturdiness. The HP is slightly weaker as its base can be more easily twisted while the Lenovo is comparatively weaker than its thicker ThinkPad T460s alternative. The hinges on the latter notebook tend to teeter more than the HP and Dell as well. Otherwise, all three notebook are MIL-STD 810G approved for better resistance against dust, vibrations, and other environmental factors than a standard consumer Ultrabook.

The Latitude E7470 takes this round, but not without some drawbacks worth taking into account. The Dell system is noticeably heavier and thicker than both competing models. Thus, users who prefer lighter notebooks for more comfortable use when traveling may have no problems sacrificing a little rigidity for better portability.

Winner: Dell Latitude 14 E7470

Dell Latitude 14 7000 Series E7470 HP EliteBook Folio 1040 G3 Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon 20FB-005XUS DIN A4 ❌

Ports in Comparison

Connectivity

A healthy number of ports and options are available on each notebook considering the small screen size including SIM support, HDMI, and multiple USB 3.0 ports. There are, however, some exceptions to keep in mind. For example, the Lenovo notebook is missing a Smart card reader, the HP is missing both a SD reader and mini-DisplayPort, and both the Lenovo and Dell do not have USB Type-C ports. While all models have dedicated docking ports, we expect that these manufacturers will eventually drop these proprietary connectors for the more universal USB Type-C with Thunderbolt 3 port in future revisions. Dell, for example, has told us that it will begin phasing out its docking port as the USB Type-C port allows for thinner and lighter designs.

It's also worth noting that while the HP unit is the only model with the reversible USB port, it is only Gen. 1 and offers no performance benefits over a standard USB 3.0 Type-A port.

There is no objective winner in this category due to the many non-overlapping advantages one notebook has over the other.

Winner: Tie

Ports and Connections
	Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon	HP EliteBook Folio 1040 G3	Dell Latitude 14 E7470
USB	3x USB 3.0	2x USB 3.0, 1x USB 3.0 Type-C	3x USB 3.0
Video-out	1x HDMI 1.4, 1x mDP 1.2	1x HDMI	1x HDMI, 1x mDP
Audio	1x 3.5 mm combo	1x 3.5 mm combo	1x 3.5 mm combo
Other	MicroSD reader, SIM slot, OneLink+, Kensington Lock	SmartCard reader, SIM slot, Docking port, Kensington Lock	SD reader, SIM slot, SmartCard reader, Docking port, RJ45 Ethernet, Kensington Lock
Storage Bays	1x M.2	1x M.2	1x M.2

Input Devices

The keyboards of all three notebooks offer better than average feedback and travel with the X1 Carbon being the best. Key travel here is slightly shallower than on the ThinkPad T460s, but is still deeper and crisper than on both the Folio 1040 G3 and Latitude 14 E7470. This also means that the X1 Carbon is a tad louder and with more clatter, but this is mere nitpicking. Frequent users of the Arrow keys may want to avoid the HP as its Up and Down keys are much smaller and softer than the other two.

As for the touchpads, the notebooks here diverge significantly. The Lenovo system includes both a touchpad with integrated mouse keys (clickpad) and three dedicated mouse keys right above it while the HP uses just a simple clickpad. The Dell is the best of both worlds as it includes a standard touchpad with all five dedicated mouse keys surrounding it. This setup is more accurate than the HP as users will not need to rely solely on the clickpad while granting users more options than the Lenovo. The slight downside is that the Dell touchpad is a bit smaller than on the Lenovo (10 x 5.4 cm vs. 10 x 5.8 cm). Otherwise, the touchpads on all three notebooks are smooth with the staple TrackPoint nub available on two of the models.

Winner: Keyboard -- Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon

Touchpad -- Dell Latitude 14 E7470

Display

The WQHD displays on each of the three notebooks offer excellent clarity and sharpness, but there are some notable differences between them as the panels are not all identical. First, the Lenovo notebook carries the dimmer backlight while the Dell notebook can be much brighter at 380 nits. The Dell display also has the deeper black levels and subsequently higher contrast than both the Lenovo and HP. Color coverage is nearly identical between the three models at about 95 percent of sRGB.

We've also provided data from our X1 Carbon FHD SKU in the table comparison below as it is worth noting that its display backlight is almost 20 percent brighter than on the WQHD SKU without sacrificing contrast. Gamut, however, is comparatively narrower on this lower resolution SKU.

Winner: Dell Latitude 14 E7470

Displays at a Glance
	Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon WQHD	HP EliteBook Folio 1040 G3	Dell Latitude 14 E7470
Size	14-inch IPS matte	14-inch IPS matte	14-inch IPS glossy
Native Resolution	2560 x 1440	2560 x 1440	2560 x 1440
Pixel Density	210 PPI	210 PPI	210 PPI
Panel ID	Panasonic VVX14T058J00	AUO1136	AUO B140QAN

	Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon 20FB-005XUS	Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon 20FB003RGE	HP EliteBook Folio 1040 G3	Dell Latitude 14 7000 Series E7470
Display
Display P3 Coverage	58.9	66.7	67.9	67.2
sRGB Coverage	83.1	94.7	96.8	95.9
AdobeRGB 1998 Coverage	60.3	68.4	70	69.3
Response Times
Response Time Grey 50% / Grey 80% *	47.2 ?(18.8, 28.4)	44 ?(17, 27)	46.4 ?(16.4, 30)	48 ?(15, 33)
Response Time Black / White *	27.6 ?(4.4, 23.2)	24 ?(5.2, 18.8)	26.4 ?(6.8, 19.6)	27 ?(7, 20)
PWM Frequency		220 ?(90)
Screen
Brightness middle	321.7	272	327	380
Brightness	301	268	316	354
Brightness Distribution	89	95	87	81
Black Level *	0.294	0.32	0.35	0.26
Contrast	1094	850	934	1462
Colorchecker dE 2000 *	3.96	2.61	4.39	3.11
Colorchecker dE 2000 max. *	6.69	6.43	7.27	6.73
Greyscale dE 2000 *	3.15	3.31	4.69	4.35
Gamma	2.34 ^94%	2.35 ^94%	2.15 ^102%	2.37 ^93%
CCT	7082 ^92%	6360 ^102%	7101 ^92%	6771 ^96%
Color Space (Percent of AdobeRGB 1998)	53.8	63	62.52	62
Color Space (Percent of sRGB)	82.7	95	96.71	96
Total Average (Program / Settings)

* ... smaller is better

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon FHD color profile

Performance

CPU Performance

Lenovo, HP, and Dell all offer multiple CPU options beyond what we have here, so this comparison is only between the configurations on hand.

The three dual-core ULV Skylake processors in these systems have very few differences between them. In terms of performance, their base and maximum Turbo Boost clock rates are quite close with nearly identical Lx cache sizes. Still, the slightly faster Core i7 in the Dell just barely edges out both the Lenovo and HP according to CineBench benchmarks.

See our dedicated CPU pages on the i7-6500U, i5-6300U, and i7-6600U for more benchmarks and comparisons.

Hardware at a Glance
	Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon	HP EliteBook Folio 1040 G3	Dell Latitude 14 E7470
CPU	2.5 GHz Core i7-6500U	2.4 GHz Core i5-6300U	2.6 GHz Core i7-6600U
TDP	15 W	15 W	15 W
RAM	8 GB LPDDR3-1866 MHz, Dual-Channel, Soldered	16 GB DDR4-2133, Dual-Channel, Soldered	8 GB DDR4, Single-Channel, 2x SODIMM slots
GPU	Intel HD Graphics 520	Intel HD Graphics 520	Intel HD Graphics 520

Cinebench R15
CPU Single 64Bit (sort by value)
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon 20FB003RGE	128 Points
HP EliteBook Folio 1040 G3	124 Points
Dell Latitude 14 7000 Series E7470	142 Points
CPU Multi 64Bit (sort by value)
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon 20FB003RGE	310 Points
HP EliteBook Folio 1040 G3	303 Points
Dell Latitude 14 7000 Series E7470	334 Points

Cinebench R11.5
CPU Single 64Bit (sort by value)
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon 20FB003RGE	1.47 Points
Dell Latitude 14 7000 Series E7470	1.61 Points
CPU Multi 64Bit (sort by value)
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon 20FB003RGE	3.46 Points
Dell Latitude 14 7000 Series E7470	3.58 Points

Super Pi Mod 1.5 XS 32M - 32M (sort by value)
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon 20FB003RGE	643 s *

3DMark
1280x720 offscreen Ice Storm Unlimited Physics (sort by value)
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon 20FB003RGE	42292 Points
1920x1080 Ice Storm Extreme Physics (sort by value)
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon 20FB003RGE	40584 Points
1280x720 Cloud Gate Standard Physics (sort by value)
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon 20FB003RGE	3484 Points
HP EliteBook Folio 1040 G3	3326 Points
Dell Latitude 14 7000 Series E7470	3727 Points
1920x1080 Fire Strike Physics (sort by value)
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon 20FB003RGE	4944 Points
HP EliteBook Folio 1040 G3	4790 Points
Dell Latitude 14 7000 Series E7470	5130 Points

PCMark 7
Score (sort by value)
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon 20FB003RGE	5350 Points
Dell Latitude 14 7000 Series E7470	5194 Points
Lightweight (sort by value)
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon 20FB003RGE	5239 Points
Dell Latitude 14 7000 Series E7470	5235 Points
Productivity (sort by value)
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon 20FB003RGE	4376 Points
Dell Latitude 14 7000 Series E7470	4374 Points
Entertainment (sort by value)
Dell Latitude 14 7000 Series E7470	3732 Points
Creativity (sort by value)
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon 20FB003RGE	9776 Points
Dell Latitude 14 7000 Series E7470	9272 Points
Computation (sort by value)
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon 20FB003RGE	15755 Points
Dell Latitude 14 7000 Series E7470	15101 Points
System Storage (sort by value)
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon 20FB003RGE	5271 Points
Dell Latitude 14 7000 Series E7470	5419 Points

PCMark 8
Work Score Accelerated v2 (sort by value)
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon 20FB003RGE	4342 Points
HP EliteBook Folio 1040 G3	4241 Points
Dell Latitude 14 7000 Series E7470	4543 Points
Creative Score Accelerated v2 (sort by value)
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon 20FB003RGE	4150 Points
HP EliteBook Folio 1040 G3	4058 Points
Home Score Accelerated v2 (sort by value)
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon 20FB003RGE	3385 Points
HP EliteBook Folio 1040 G3	3305 Points
Dell Latitude 14 7000 Series E7470	3344 Points

X264 HD Benchmark 4.0
Pass 1 (sort by value)
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon 20FB003RGE	108.6 fps
Pass 2 (sort by value)
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon 20FB003RGE	20.31 fps

* ... smaller is better

GPU Performance

While raw CPU performance is slightly in Dell's favor, GPU performance is more of a mix up between the three notebooks with no objective winner. The processors all use the same HD Graphics 520 GPU under the same 15 W TDP, so there is little headroom for any notable GPU advantages that the faster Core i7-6600U may bring over the i7-6500U or i5-6300U during real-world gaming conditions.

Nonetheless, it's worth noting that our Dell test unit was running on single-channel RAM compared to the dual-channel setups on our Lenovo and HP. This generally impacts the performance of any integrated GPU that does not have access to dedicated VRAM, albeit the hit should be minimal.

See our dedicated GPU pages on the Intel HD Graphics 520 for more benchmarks and comparisons.

Cinebench R15 | 3DMark | 3DMark 11

Cinebench R15 - OpenGL 64Bit (sort by value)
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon 20FB003RGE	43.68 fps
HP EliteBook Folio 1040 G3	40.26 fps
Dell Latitude 14 7000 Series E7470	37.26 fps

3DMark
1280x720 offscreen Ice Storm Unlimited Graphics Score (sort by value)
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon 20FB003RGE	88058 Points
1920x1080 Ice Storm Extreme Graphics (sort by value)
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon 20FB003RGE	38151 Points
1280x720 Cloud Gate Standard Graphics (sort by value)
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon 20FB003RGE	7516 Points
HP EliteBook Folio 1040 G3	6708 Points
Dell Latitude 14 7000 Series E7470	5819 Points
1920x1080 Fire Strike Graphics (sort by value)
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon 20FB003RGE	959 Points
HP EliteBook Folio 1040 G3	900 Points
Dell Latitude 14 7000 Series E7470	744 Points

3DMark 11 - 1280x720 Performance GPU (sort by value)
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon 20FB003RGE	1386 Points
HP EliteBook Folio 1040 G3	1377 Points
Dell Latitude 14 7000 Series E7470	1264 Points

Stress Test

To test system stability, we run both Prime95 and FurMark to simulate maximum stress. These unrealistic conditions do not represent daily workloads, but are instead meant to put both the CPU and GPU at 100 percent capacity.

Both the Lenovo and HP systems will throttle their respective CPUs quite dramatically to a stable 1.3 GHz clock rate. Their GPUs, however, continue to operate in the steady 800 to 850 MHz range, so the two systems will prioritize their GPUs over the CPUs if both are stressed simultaneously. Core temperatures average in the low to mid 70 C range.

The Dell system runs exceptionally well as its CPU throttles by only 100 MHz while the GPU maintains an even higher 1000 MHz clock rate compared to the Lenovo and HP. Additionally, its core temperature averages at just under 65 C, which is noticeably cooler as well.

Winner: Dell Latitude 14 E7470

CPU and GPU Clock Rates Under Stress
	Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon	HP EliteBook Folio 1040 G3	Dell Latitude 14 E7470
Rated GPU Core Clock (MHz)	300	300	300
Stable GPU Core Clock on FurMark (MHz)	850	800	1000
Rated CPU Core Clock (GHz)	2.5	2.4	2.6
Stable CPU Core Clock on Prime95 (GHz)	1.3	1.3	2.5
Average CPU temperature	76 C	72 C	64 C

Emissions

System Noise & Temperature

When idling or running low loads, all three models are essentially inaudible as the system fans remain inactive. Users benefit from silent web browsing and word processing without the annoyance of pulsating fans that may occur on more powerful notebooks. When running medium or light gaming workloads, fan noise is loudest on the Lenovo at around 37 dB(A) compared to 33 dB(A) and 31.9 dB(A) on the HP and Dell, respectively.

Running very demanding loads will bump fan noise up to 38 dB(A) on both the Lenovo and HP. Surprisingly, the Dell system remains very quiet at just under 32 dB(A). The system is notable for being one of the quietest notebooks with an ULV Core i7 Skylake CPU.

Surface temperatures are lowest on the Dell and correlates well with our stress test results above. The HP notebook runs significantly warmer on average due to its longer heat pipes that dissipate heat across more of the surface.

Winner: Dell Latitude 14 E7470

Average Fan Noise and Surface Temperature
	Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon	HP EliteBook Folio 1040 G3	Dell Latitude 14 E7470
Fan Noise when idling	29.1 dB(A)	29.1 dB(A)	31.2 dB(A)
Fan Noise under high loads	35.6 - 38.1 dB(A)	32.6 - 37.8 dB(A)	31.9 dB(A)
Average surface temperature when idling	27.3 C	28.9 C	24.3 C
Average surface temperature under high loads	31.1 C	37.2 C	30.5 C
Ambient temperature	21.2 C	20.5 C	21.0 C

Battery Life

Runtimes are notably longer on the Lenovo compared to both the HP and Dell by as much as two hours under real-world WLAN conditions. Battery capacity is lowest on the HP and the Li-ion polymer battery packs in all three notebooks are not accessible without first removing the bottom panel. The Lenovo system is overall more energy efficient than its two competitors.

Winner: Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon

	Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon 20FB003RGE 52 Wh	HP EliteBook Folio 1040 G3 46 Wh	Dell Latitude 14 7000 Series E7470 55 Wh
Battery Runtime
Reader / Idle	942	530
WiFi v1.3	429	309	346
Load	115	131	112

Verdict

The Latitude E7470 is the more well-rounded solution at the heavy cost of weight. The X1 Carbon is lighter, longer lasting, and more portable, though its backlight could have been brighter.

We can say right off the bat that the performance differences between these notebooks are insignificant compared to the features and displays that each model offers over the other. Thus, users may want to decide on a notebook based on its hardware qualities and less on the processor that powers it.

With that said, the Latitude 14 E7470 is easily the sturdier, quieter, and brighter notebook. Its single biggest drawback is its weight, so users will need to weigh its many benefits against this one disadvantage holding it back.

The Folio 1040 G3 runs warmer overall and with the shortest battery life. It doesn't necessarily offer anything that the Lenovo or Dell does better, and so is the middle-road solution in most aspects. It is, however, the thinnest with a standard USB Type-C port. It's lack of any kind of SD reader is an odd omission on HP's part.

Lastly, the X1 Carbon is the lightest with the longest battery life. The only major quality holding back the Lenovo from being the unanimous choice for outdoor use is its dimmer backlight compared to both the HP and Dell. We recommend the FHD SKU for this reason if comfortable outdoor usability is of utmost importance.

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon	HP EliteBook Folio 1040 G3	Dell Latitude 14 E7470
+ Lightest in weight; Carbon fiber chassis + MicroSD reader + Longer runtimes + More comfortable keyboard keys	+ Thinnest + USB 3.0 Type-C Gen. 1	+ Sturdiest; very rigid design + Ethernet port; full-size SD reader + Brightest display backlight; deeper contrast + Excellent performance under stress; less likely to throttle + Cooler operating temperatures + Quieter fan noise
- No full-size SD reader or USB Type-C - Slightly weaker hinges - Dimmer display backlight - Louder under heavy loads	- No mDP or SD reader - Higher surface temperatures - Shorter runtimes - No dedicated mouse keys; clickpad only - No TrackPoint	- Thicker, heavier - No USB Type-C

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon

HP EliteBook Folio 1040 G3

Dell Latitude 14 E7470

+ Lightest in weight; Carbon fiber chassis

+ MicroSD reader

+ Longer runtimes

+ More comfortable keyboard keys

+ Thinnest

+ USB 3.0 Type-C Gen. 1

+ Sturdiest; very rigid design

+ Ethernet port; full-size SD reader

+ Brightest display backlight; deeper contrast

+ Excellent performance under stress; less likely to throttle

+ Cooler operating temperatures

+ Quieter fan noise

- No full-size SD reader or USB Type-C

- Slightly weaker hinges

- Dimmer display backlight

- Louder under heavy loads

- No mDP or SD reader

- Higher surface temperatures

- Shorter runtimes

- No dedicated mouse keys; clickpad only

- No TrackPoint

- Thicker, heavier

- No USB Type-C

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon

Price comparison

HP EliteBook Folio 1040 G3

Price comparison

Dell Latitude 14 E7470

Price comparison

See more quick comparisons in our Face Off series:

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Allen Ngo - Lead Editor U.S. - 5319 articles published on Notebookcheck since 2011

After graduating with a B.S. in environmental hydrodynamics from the University of California, I studied reactor physics to become licensed by the U.S. NRC to operate nuclear reactors. There's a striking level of appreciation you gain for everyday consumer electronics after working with modern nuclear reactivity systems astonishingly powered by computers from the 80s. When I'm not managing day-to-day activities and US review articles on Notebookcheck, you can catch me following the eSports scene and the latest gaming news.

contact me via: @AllenNgoNBC

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