Tech Reviews: ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 10: Beautiful, thin, sleek and powerful
The sleek and powerful ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 10 is a perfect companion for people on the go. With a body made of carbon fibre and magnesium, the 14-inch notebook weighs a mere 1.2 kilos, while its powerful battery keeps it going for up to 13 hours and its 12th Gen Intel Core processor makes it a swift powerhouse.
Lenovo released the 10th generation ThinkPad X1 Carbon notebook to mark the 30th anniversary of the first ThinkPad launched by IBM.
To mark its 30th anniversary, Lenovo is releasing 30 limited editions of the notebook with a special black carbon fibre woven cover in Thailand.
The special edition includes the classic ThinkPad logo in red, green and blue and has the words 30th Anniversary Edition etched just below the keyboard. Commemorative serial numbers are also engraved on the right hinge cap, starting from 0001.
This year, the X1 Carbon is in its 10th generation – not to be confused with the 12th generation Intel Core processor.
Though I was not lucky enough to try the limited edition, I did get my hands on the standard ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 10 notebook.
The X1 Carbon Gen 10 notebook I tried was powered by the fast 12th-generation Intel Core i7 1260P processor. It is equipped with plenty of working memory of up to 16 gigabytes of RAM (random access memory) of the latest fast DDR5 type. The processor has 12 cores – four for performance and eight for efficiency, as well as 16 threads or virtual cores to make multi-tasking speedy.
During the test, I found that the X1 Carbon Gen 10 notebook started up and shut down instantly, and ran business applications like LibreOffice fast and smoothly. The notebook runs on Microsoft Windows 10 Pro operating system.
Novabench reported that the X1 Carbon Gen 10’s overall score is 15% better than a mid-level gaming PC of 2021, and its CPU score is 90% better, but its GPU (graphic processing unit) is 55% lower.
However, if compared to a budget laptop released last year, the ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 10’s scores are 151% higher overall, 177% more for CPU and 126% more for GPU.
The keyboard is also large and comfortable for typing, plus it comes with a good quality full-high definition webcam and four 360-degree microphones built on the top of the screen and both sides of the webcam. The mics use integrated AI-based noise cancellation and Dolby Voice for clarity during video conferencing.
The body of the notepad has been designed so it doesn’t get too hot. The ThinkPad keyboard is designed to take in air, while the two fans and rear ventilation ensure the X1 Carbon Gen 10 can be used for long hours without getting overheated.
The display is bright and beautiful with a 2,240x1,400 pixel resolution and 300 nits brightness. This means it is great for TikTok clips and movies.
Despite its thin and sleek look, the X1 Carbon Gen 10 is also tough as it meets the US Department of Defence’s MIL-STD 810H standards. After having passed 12 standard tests and over 200 quality checks, it has proved it can run in extreme conditions.
The notebook comes with all the necessary ports. It has two USB-C Thunderbolt 4 ports, a USB-A 3.2 Gen 1 port and HDMI 2.0b. The first Thunderbolt port is used for recharging the battery as well, while the other can be used for expansion, such as connecting to an external monitor or an expansion dock. The right-hand side also has a headphone/mic combo port.
The Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 10 starts off at 56,000 baht depending on the CPU model, amount of RAM and storage capacity as well as other customisable options. The 30th-anniversary edition has a suggested retail price of 108,490 baht.
Key specs
Processor: 12th Generation Intel Core i7-1260P (E-cores up to 3.40GHz, P-cores up to 4.70GHz)
OS: Windows 10 Pro 64
Memory: 16GB Soldered LPDDR5 5200MHz
Storage: 512GB M.2 2280 SSD
Display: 14-inch 2.2K (2240x1400), IPS panel
Graphics: Intel Iris Xe graphics integrated with processor
Camera: FHD 1080p with Privacy Shutter
Battery: Up to 13.1hrs (57Whr)
Dimensions: 315.6 x 222.5 x 14.95 mm
Weight: 1.12kg
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