Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 14 OLED vs. IPS - A difficult decision
We just reviewed the new high-end business laptop ThinkPad x1 Carbon Gen 14 from Lenovo and it is once again a very good business companion. We reviewed the base model with the regular IPS touchscreen, but we also had the chance to test another device with a matte OLED screen (without touch) and we checked both the display performance as well as the battery runtimes.
Before we are talking about the image quality, however, we have to start with the chassis, because there are three different chassis versions overall and SKUs with touchscreens have slightly thicker lids. The IPS models (both touch) also use an aluminum base unit, while OLED models (touch and non-touch) get a magnesium baseunit. The advertised starting weight of less than 1 kg can only be realized with the matte OLED panel without touch. Our OLED SKU tipped the scale at 989 grams, while the IPS model was 150 grams heavier at 1.14 kg, which is very noticeable in a direct comparison. The magnesium baseunit also offers better stability, which also slightly improves the typing experience on the OLED model.
Display - Full-HD IPS Touch vs. 2.8K OLED
Now we are coming to the image quality and Lenovo offers five different panel options in total. In addition to our IPS touchscreen (1920 x 1200 pixels, 60 Hz), we also had the chance to the test the matte OLED screen without touch (2880 x 1800 pixels, 120 Hz, matte, anti-reflective). The OLED options offers advantages like deeper blacks, higher contrasts, fast response times as well as the support of HDR contents with a high brightness. However, there is also PWM flickering, and even though the frequency is high and the amplitude is small, sensitive users will be better off with the IPS panel. It offers decent image quality, but the frequency of 60 Hz is a bit disappointing. Both displays should be calibrated if possible or you should use our calibrated profiles. After the calibration, both panels are well-suited for image editing, even though Lenovo does not include a profile for sRGB on the OLED SKU. Both panels also suffer from a slightly grainy image on bright contents, even though the OLED is actually a bit worse here. The following measurements and CalMAN screenshots are from the OLED panel (Samsung); the corresponding information for the IPS panel is available in our review.
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Brightness Distribution: 99 %
Center on Battery: 531 cd/m²
Contrast: ∞:1 (Black: 0 cd/m²)
ΔE ColorChecker Calman: 2.3 | ∀{0.5-29.43 Ø4.71}
calibrated: 1.2
ΔE Greyscale Calman: 3 | ∀{0.09-98 Ø4.96}
92.4% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 3D)
100% sRGB (Argyll 3D)
99.9% Display P3 (Argyll 3D)
Gamma: 2.23
CCT: 6606 K
| Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 14 OLED ATNA40HQ09_0, OLED, 2880x1800, 14", 120 Hz | Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 14 21V70075GE B140UAX01.1, IPS, 1920x1200, 14", 60 Hz | |
|---|---|---|
| Display | -18% | |
| HDR Peak Brightness (cd/m²) | 1137 | |
| Display P3 Coverage (%) | 99.9 | 69.8 -30% |
| sRGB Coverage (%) | 100 | 99.1 -1% |
| AdobeRGB 1998 Coverage (%) | 92.4 | 72 -22% |
| Response Times | -6706% | |
| Response Time Grey 50% / Grey 80% * (ms) | 0.42 ? | 42 ? -9900% |
| Response Time Black / White * (ms) | 0.49 ? | 17.7 ? -3512% |
| PWM Frequency (Hz) | 1200 | |
| PWM Amplitude * (%) | 22 | |
| Screen | -63% | |
| Brightness middle (cd/m²) | 531 | 540 2% |
| Brightness (cd/m²) | 529 | 524 -1% |
| Brightness Distribution (%) | 99 | 93 -6% |
| Black Level * (cd/m²) | 0.3 | |
| Colorchecker dE 2000 * | 2.3 | 5 -117% |
| Colorchecker dE 2000 max. * | 4.9 | 12.2 -149% |
| Colorchecker dE 2000 calibrated * | 1.2 | 1.1 8% |
| Greyscale dE 2000 * | 3 | 8.3 -177% |
| Gamma | 2.23 99% | 2.22 99% |
| CCT | 6606 98% | 7068 92% |
| Contrast (:1) | 1800 | |
| Total Average (Program / Settings) | -2262% /
-1159% |
* ... smaller is better
We also took some comparison photos to show the reflections from the screens. The two following images were taken inside against a window, where the IPS model performs a bit better. We also took comparison photos under direct sunlight, where the OLED panel has the slight advantage.
Battery Runtime
If we are looking at the battery runtime, the low-power IPS touchscreen is the clear winner. At an adjusted brightness of 150 nits, our review unit managed more than 23 hours in our Wi-Fi test, while the OLED model (also tested at 60 Hz) "only" manages 13.5 hours, so almost 10 hours less. At full SDR brightness (which is comparable), the difference is also massive at 14.2 vs. 7.6 hours in favor of the IPS model.
| Battery Runtime | |
| WiFi Websurfing | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 14 21V70075GE | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 14 OLED | |
| WiFi Websurfing max. Brightness | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 14 21V70075GE | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 14 OLED | |
Verdict - Both versions are not ideal
The situation with the different displays as well as the effects on the chassis as well as the battery runtime of the new ThinkPad x1 Carbon Gen 14 is complex and there is no clear recommendation. If you want the lightest and slimmest version, you have to get one of the two OLED screen without touch functionality. This is the only way to get the weight below 1 kg. The IPS model is only available as a touchscreen, but is clearly superior in terms of battery runtime. By the way, we do not recommend the ePrivacy IPS panel with the integrated privacy filter, because it heavily affects the image quality.
The situation is problematic for potential users, because it is a bit confusing and to be honest, neither version is really ideal. Our preferred option would be a matte IPS panel with 120 Hz, which would be ideal for work and it would not have any issues with PWM flickering. Please see our comprehensive review for more information about the new ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 14.
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