I’ve been trying out Lenovo’s latest Ultralight notebook, the X1 Carbon, and it’s a terrific product in nearly all aspects. The Ultralight is the class of thin and light machines championed by Intel. It’s intended to spawn Windows models that match the popular MacBook Air, which represents one of Apple’s fast-growing computer segments. Ultralights have a thin profile, a solid-state disk drive, a 13-15-inch display and decent battery life. They typically weigh about 3 pounds. (Apple also offers an Air with an 11-inch display.)
The model I tested costs about $1,300. It has a moderately speedy 1.8 gigahertz CPU, a 128 gigabyte solid-state drive, 4GB of memory and a 3G radio. Other X1 Carbon models go up to $1,700. From my experience with my 11-inch MacBook Air, I’d recommend upgrading to a 256GB solid-state drive, especially if you want to store photos and music collections. That adds an additional $280.
The X1, at first glance, looks much like other ThinkPads, with an understated matte black finish. The bottom of the notebook is smooth and devoid of the jumble of vents, fasteners and stickers found on previous models. The Carbon designation refers to the carbon material used for the enclosure. Lenovo states that it’s as strong as aluminum at one-third the weight. I found the computer to have a rigid structure with no give, providing a feeling of ruggedness and durability.
Two of the X1’s best features are its 14-inch 1,600 x 900 pixel display and full-size keyboard. The display is brighter than those on previous models and has a non-glare matte finish. It was easy to view over a wide angle and to use outdoors, and is one of the best displays I’ve encountered on a ThinkPad. That resolution is about equivalent to HD video, which technically is 1,080 pixels high.
The keyboard maintains its edge over those in all other notebooks. It’s spacious with a slightly modified key shape. The lower edge of each key has a smiley shape that’s designed to better match the shape of your fingertips, and make it less likely that you’ll strike an adjacent key. It has a TrackPoint, a staple of ThinkPads, as well as a large glass trackpad with two physical buttons. The trackpad supports multi-finger gestures.
The X1 comes with Windows 7 installed along with a $15 upgrade offer to Windows 8 Pro when it becomes available later this year. While normally you might want to wait for the new OS, Windows 8 may not be something you want to rush into. It has an entirely new interface that’s designed to also work with a touch screen. As a result, the interface will take some time to get used to.
The X1 Ultrabook weighs, as Lenovo describes it, 2.99 pounds, and is about 3/4-inch thick, tapering to about a half-inch at the front. The X1 resumes from sleep as fast as a MacBook, thanks to Lenovo’s proprietary InstantResume feature, which it claims to be “almost four times faster” than its competition. (I assume “four times faster” really means that it starts up in one-quarter of the normal wakeup time.) In practice, I found there was essentially no wait to start up and to reconnect to a Wi-Fi hotspot that it had previously used.
Lenovo has changed its standard charger plug — it now uses a new proprietary rectangular connector. The charger is about the same size as its previous models, but charging occurs much faster, going from nearly empty to 80 percent in about a half hour. Like other Ultralights, the battery is sealed inside and only replaceable by a service technician.
There’s also a 720p camera for video conferencing, a lighted keyboard with variable brightness, and a built-in SD memory card slot. There’s no Ethernet connector — instead a USB-to-Ethernet cable is included, something that’s becoming common with this category of thin notebooks because of the bulkiness of Ethernet connectors. There is one USB 3.0 and a USB 2.0 that’s powered, even with the computer closed, useful for charging other devices. There’s also a fingerprint reader that can unlock the notebook by swiping a finger across a thin window.
Performance was excellent in all the areas that I tested, including video, some basic games, surfing and file creation. While it's not Lenovo’s fault, there is no trial Office software provided, as has been the case in the past. There is a link to download a trial copy from Microsoft, but Microsoft’s process is difficult and convoluted and I never was able to install it.
If there’s one negative, it’s battery life. While rated at up to eight hours, I barely got three hours of use with my display at about 80 percent of the maximum, and doing mostly surfing, email and writing. That's similar to what I get on my 11-inch MacBook Air.
Overall, the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon is a terrific machine to use and a pleasure to carry. It’s full of features, particularly Lenovo’s help and setup options that improve upon Windows. If I were moving from a MacBook Air to a PC, I’d likely choose the X1. Lenovo has one of the better reputations among PC companies for service and, unlike its competition, Hewlett-Packard and Dell, it’s experiencing good growth, a result of its reliability and excellent designs. (thinkpad.com)
Baker is the author of "From Concept to Consumer" published by Financial Times Press and available at Barnes & Noble, Amazon and other booksellers. He has developed and marketed consumer and computer products for Polaroid, Apple, Seiko and others; holds 30 patents; and is an Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year. Baker can be heard on KOGO AM the first Sunday of each month. Send comments to phil.baker@sddt.com. Comments may be published as Letters to the Editor. Baker's blog is blog.philipgbaker.com, and his website is philipgbaker.com.
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