Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon 2017 (Core i7, Full-HD) Laptop Review

There are multiple ways to get a ThinkPad X1 Carbon. The first option is Lenovo's own online store, where the systems can be configured within a certain scope, so you can build a machine based on your requirements. Another option is the Topseller program from common retailers. Those systems are pre-configured models and there are currently three Topseller models in Germany. We listed them in the table below:

Another – much more affordable – option is the Campus program, but it is limited to a certain user group. Students, teachers and eligible scientific employees can easily save a couple of hundred Euros with these special models. Our test sample is such a Campus model: The ThinkPad X1 Carbon for 1,599 Euros with a powerful Core i7-7500U processor, 16 GB RAM, FHD IPS display and a fast 512 GB NVMe-SSD. The components are therefore similar to the high-end Topseller SKU, but there is a catch: Our test model is usually shipped without operating system (was kindly installed by Campuspoint) and there is no support for WWAN modules. The usual "WWAN-ready" (prepared antennas) is not applicable for the X1 Carbon 2017 in general; LTE is either included or not supported at all, because the necessary antennas are not prepared.

The previous ThinkPad T460s managed to reduce the gap to the ThinkPad X1 Carbon, so Lenovo went back to the drawing board and designed a new chassis for the current X1 Carbon 2017. It is even smaller than before (~1 cm less width and depth) and also lighter – the test model is extremely portable at just little more than 1.1 kg and can basically be stored anywhere.

Lenovo still uses a hybrid magnesium alloy for the base unit. The tactile feeling of the smooth surfaces is basically identical to the ThinkPad T470s. The new chassis design did not hurt the stability. Everything is extremely rigid and sturdy, and we can only warp the keyboard area slightly with a lot of pressure. You will not notice it in practice though.

The lid is made of a CFRP/GFRP hybrid (carbon fiber reinforced plastic/glass fiber reinforced plastic). The stability cannot keep up with the base unit, but we are still very happy with the performance. You need a lot of force to twist the display or dent it, but we could not provoke picture distortions or ripples on the screen. One typical weakness of ThinkPads is often the lower bezel between the hinges, which can easily be warped. This is only a minor issue on the test model and pressure only resulted in minor backlight bleeding.

We were not fully satisfied with the metal hinges of the previous ThinkPad X1 Carbon. Lenovo improved the construction and the hinges have no problem with the light screen. It can be opened with one hand and you can adjust it very precisely; bouncing is prevented very effectively. The maximum opening angle is still 180 degrees. 

The perfect case then? Not quite. The build quality is extremely good in general, but there is a small flaw at the bottom cover. One user mentioned that the rear left corner of the cover is not sitting perfectly on the base and you can hear a slight clatter when you tap it. This is also the case for our test model, so this might be a general issue of the series. However, this can hardly change the excellent overall impression.

You will immediately notice the color scheme. Lenovo now switched back to black for many models including the ThinkPad X1 Carbon as well as the ThinkPad T470s, but the ThinkPad X270 still uses the dark-gray chassis, which hardly changed since the ThinkPad X240. This impression continues when we carry the notebook around, because it just feels pretty bulky, despite the low weight of 1370 grams – not only compared to its siblings.

The larger ThinkPad T470s is even a tad lighter at 1364 grams and noticeably thinner than the small 12.5-inch model, but it obviously has a bigger footprint (also see comparison below). The new X1 Carbon 2017 is noticeably more compact than its predecessor since both the width and the depth were reduced by ~1 cm each. This means our test sample is right between the X1 Carbon 2016 and the X270 in this respect. We would always prefer the bigger display over the slightly smaller footprint.

Despite the two universal USB ports, Lenovo fortunately implements a number of other ports. Two more regular USB 3.0 ports (USB 3.1 Gen.1 Type-A, 1x left, 1x right), a full-size HDMI port (1.4) and a Mini-Ethernet jack are not bad considering the slim construction. There is a corresponding adapter for the Mini-Ethernet jack in the box, just like an HDMI-VGA adapter (see picture). There is no criticism for the performance of the USB ports; we determined an average transfer rate of 384 MB/s in combination with the external Samsung SSD T3.

We could not use our usual SD reference card, so we switched to our microSD reference card we usually use for smartphone reviews. It is the Exceria Pro M401 from Toshiba with advertised transfer rates of up to 95 MB/s (read) and 80 MB/s (write), respectively. AS SSD determines a decent maximum transfer rate of almost 83 MB/s, but jpg-pictures (~5 MB each) are copied at just 61 MB/s.

In addition to the wired Gigabit-Ethernet port, Lenovo equips the ThinkPad X1 Carbon with WiFi modules from Intel. Our test model is equipped with the M.2 adapter Dual-Band Wireless-AC 8265. It is a 2x2 module (2.4 & 5 GHz) with a maximum transfer rate of 867 Mbps in ac-networks. The Intel 8265 supports Bluetooth 4.2 in theory, but it is limited to 4.1 by the OS according to Lenovo. We did not experience any issues with the WiFi connection and our WLAN test with the router Linksys EA8500 (1m distance) also determines very good results.

We are a bit disappointed – especially on our test model – by the WWAN support. The corresponding M.2 slot is there, but there are no prepared antennas. "WWAN-ready" is not available for the ThinkPad X1 Carbon 2017. The device is either shipped with the corresponding LTE module or not; it is not upgradeable.

The manufacturer also offers an optional 802.11ad adapter (Intel 18625) with WiGig support, which is required for the optional wireless docking station. You can combine WWAN and WiGig on the ThinkPad X1 Carbon. NFC is optional, but not available on our test model.

The security equipment with numerous passwords, TPM, the comfortable fingerprint scanner and the Kensington Lock is as comprehensive as usual, but larger ThinkPads still have an advantage in this respect. The X1 Carbon cannot be equipped with a SmartCard reader, which is mainly a problem for large companies or requires an external adapter, respectively. The spec sheet lists an optional IR camera with Windows Hello support, but there are currently no corresponding SKUs.

The warranty period is typical for this class at 36 months and includes an on-site service, but the battery is only covered for one year. It is possible to extend the warranty period to five years and the manufacturer offers additional services like accidental protection.

Please see our Guarantees, Return Policies and Warranties FAQ for country-specific information.

As per usual, you can control the cursor via touchpad and the red TrackPoint, which has three dedicated mouse buttons. The latter obviously work with the touchpad as well.

Lenovo also improved this area. There is no more useless stripe between the dedicated buttons and the touchpad. Lenovo also uses a glass touchpad, which provides excellent gliding capabilities. Similar to all the other modern ThinkPads, it is a so called Precision touchpad, which means the inputs are processed by Windows directly. We liked the mouse replacement a lot and both movements as well as gestures (up to four fingers) are executed flawlessly. The touchpad is implemented as ClickPad, where the lower half can be pushed down. We once again get a very even and rich clicking sound on both sides. The whole touchpad is a bit lowered in the palm rest and therefore easy to find with the fingers.

The dedicated TrackPoint buttons were slightly changed and improved, because they are very well-integrated and there is no clatter - contrary to the T470s. The two buttons also provide similar feedback and clicking sounds.

The only drawback of this solution is the comparatively small touchpad surface. We only get 10 x 5.8 cm due to the dedicated buttons. This is sufficient, but many competitors just offer more space.

It is no surprise that such a compact laptop cannot replace a grown-up mobile workstation. Lenovo still equips the ThinkPad X1 Carbon with modern Kaby-Lake ULV processors, which are even used for some 15-inch business laptops nowadays. The combination with SSDs (there are no conventional hard drives) results in a pretty powerful and responsive laptop for your regular office days. You either get 8 or 16 GB LPDDR3-RAM (dual-channel) depending on the SKU. Optional dedicated GPUs are not available, so the graphics output is only handled by the integrated GPU of the processor.

The configuration of the ThinkPad X1 Carbon 2017 does not differ from the other 2017 ThinkPads we reviewed so far: sustained power consumption of up to 25 Watts and a rather conservative temperature limit at 75 °C. Our Core i7-7500U reaches the temperature limit: The maximum clock of 3.5 GHz drops to ~3.3-3.4 GHz after 50% of the Cinebench R15 Multi Test due to the temperatures. This means you cannot use the full performance under sustained load, but the Turbo utilization for short load periods is still decent in general.

The CB Multi score is basically on par with the supposedly faster i7-7600U from the ThinkPad T470s. The i7-7600U, which is also available for the X1 Carbon 2017, should have similar issues compared to the T470s.

We also check the processor performance under sustained with a loop of the CInebench R15 Multi Test. The results is not really good, because the clocks will already drop significantly in the second run. The clocks fluctuate between 2.9-3.2 GHz after the third run and the resulting 324 points are even slightly behind the regular Core i5-7200U inside the ThinkPad T470, which can maintain the maximum 3.1 GHz.

If you cannot take advantage of the higher single-core frequency of the two Core i7 models, you should take a model with the Core i5, which should also have an advantage in respect to the temperatures. We will review an i5 X1 Carbon shortly to gather more information.

The processor performance is not reduced on battery power. More benchmark results for the Intel Core i7-7500U are available in our Tech section.

The system performance of the new X1 Carbon 2017 is excellent. The combination of Core i7 processor, 16 GB RAM and the fast PCIe-SSD ensures smooth operation all the time. There are hardly any delays when you launch applications and we could not determine any other issues.

This impression is supported by the synthetic PCMark 8, because the test model is at the top of the charts both in the Work as well as the Home test. It is not possible to increase the performance even further; you would have to get a configuration with the Core i7-7600U, but the differences would be very small.

We already review the integrated graphics card Intel HD Graphics 620 numerous times. The maximum core clock is 1050 MHz in combination with the Core i7 and the dual-channel memory configuration ensures that the GPU can utilize its full potential. The performance of the iGPU is more than sufficient for everyday tasks including playback of high-resolution videos. The powerful video decoder can even handle efficient video editing if the application supports Intel's Quick Sync technology.

The HD Graphics 620 of the more powerful Core i7-7600U (ThinkPad T470s) is a bit faster in the benchmarks (7-8%), but we can see a clear advantage over the slightly lower clocked version of the Core i5-7200U in combination with single-channel RAM. Depending on the test, the additional memory bandwidth will result in 15-35% more performance. A dedicated graphics card like the Nvidia GeForce 940MX, which is currently available as an option for some business laptops, is about 60% faster.

Similar to the processor, the GPU performance is not reduced on battery power. More benchmarks for the HD Graphics are available on our dedicated page.

You are limited to older or less challenging titles with the integrated graphics card of the processor. Despite the dual-channel memory configuration, however, the performance of the Intel HD Graphics 620 is only sufficient for low or medium settings. You should not even think about modern like Rise of the Tomb Raider, for example. The X1 Carbon is not a gaming notebook though, so this is no surprise. If you plan to play some games with the notebook, you might want to think about an external graphics card since the Thunderbolt 3 port (40 Gbps) does not limit the performance. Our gaming list shows what games can be played with the integrated HD Graphics 620.

The two stereo speakers leave a decent impression, even though there is obviously not much in terms of bass due to the slim construction. Movie and music playback therefore appears a bit tinny. Our audio analysis shows very linear highs and mids, which is good for voices in particular. The maximum volume is sufficient at around 78 dB(A). We already reviewed much worse speakers on business laptops.

You can obviously attach headphones or external speakers when you want to enjoy better quality for music or movies. We had no troubles with Bluetooth speakers or headphones and the stereo jack also provided a noise-free signal.

Frequency Comparison (Checkboxes select/deselectable!)

Our consumption measurements show why Lenovo ships the ThinkPad X1 Carbon 2017 with a 65-Watt power adapter, despite the ULV processor. We determine almost 41 Watts with medium workloads and even more than 48 Watts at the start of the stress test. This value will drop in accordance with the previously mentioned performance reduction and fluctuates between 39-41 Watts after a couple of minutes. The idle values are not particularly efficient at 3.84-8.6 Watts, but still decent within the comparison group.

Lenovo only adds a charging symbol at the rear USB-C jack, but both ports can be used to charge the laptop. It has a nominal power output of 65 Watts and therefore sufficient headroom to charge the battery under load if necessary.

The chassis of the new ThinkPad X1 Carbon 2017 is more compact than before, but Lenovo uses the available space very well and implements are larger battery. The capacity of the lithium-polymer battery (3 cells) is now 57 Wh and therefore 5 Wh higher – also the highest value within our comparison group.

Our battery runtime measurements leave a positive impression. Maximum load (High Performance power profile, maximum luminance, wireless modules active) results in almost 2 hours – not bad considering the increased TDP limit and the full performance on battery power. Our practical WiFi test at an adjusted luminance of 150 nits (76% for our test model) and the Balanced power profile lasts more than 8 hours – almost one hour longer than the next best competitor.

The FHD model of the ThinkPad X1 Carbon is also very enduring in the video test (Big Buck Bunny, FHD, H.264, 150 nits). It only shuts down after almost 12 hours, which once again clearly beats the competitors. The Battery Eater Reader's Test /minimum luminance, maximum power-saver, wireless off) determined a maximum runtime of almost 21 hours.

We expect shorter battery runtimes for the optional WQHD panel due to the higher power consumption. We will obviously check that as soon as the corresponding SKUs are available (probably mid 2017).