Lenovo reveals carbon fiber ThinkPad X1 Ultrabook

While the ultrathin ThinkPad X1 has been available for some time now (see our in-depth review of the latest model here), Lenovo is gearing up for an update that will make it even lighter – from 3.8 pounds down to just under 3.0 pounds. In fact, Lenovo claims this will make the 14-inch ThinkPad “the lightest 14-inch Ultrabook in the industry.”

How will the manufacturer accomplish this you ask? Instead of the more typical aluminum-magnesium alloys, the Chinese manufacturer will be utilizing carbon fiber for both the chassis and the interior roll cage that high-end ThinkPads are well-known for.

“We crafted the ThinkPad X1 Carbon with premium carbon fiber material in order to make it incredibly thin and light, yet durable,” said senior VP of Think Group at Lenovo on the press release. Other features of the notebook include RapidCharge, 3G WWAN options, backlit keyboard, Lenovo’s Enhanced Experience 3.0 and, of course, Intel’s latest Ivy Bridge processors. Exactly what CPU options will be made available, however, remains to be seen.

While carbon fiber notebooks are not entirely new, they have only recently begun to appear on a number of popular mainstream notebooks such as the Dell XPS 13 or even Lenovo’s own ThinkPad T420s. However, the ThinkPad X1 Carbon may be one of the first notebook’s to have a chassis made almost completely of the reinforced polymer.

Starting prices of the ThinkPad X1 Carbon have yet to be officially announced, but expect the unit to available online starting sometime this summer. Expect our usual full review on the carbon-clad notebook in the coming months.

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