Hi All,
I'm thinking of buying a new Lenovo X1 Carbon notebook. Has anyone in this forum recommend that?
Thanks!
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon
fernawwss on 06/11/2014 - 12:09
Last edited 06/11/2014 - 12:10
Last edited 06/11/2014 - 12:10
Comments
There's been a model with 512GB SSD for a few months now.
the kbd layout (of the 2nd gen) makes this not useable for me, ever
the 1st gen is ok
I would wait for the third revision, as ^Tony said the keyboard isn't that great. I owned it for 2 weeks and in the end chose the Dell XPS over it.
I agree that the 2nd gen keyboard layout is not ideal.
Do you know comparable models to this from HP or ASUS?
Nice laptop, as most Lenovo ones are, especially if you will be travelling with it or subjecting it to abuse. People here love Apple design and build quality, but their aluminium housing scratches and dents so easily. Chuck this X1 Carbon or any of Lenovo's professional grade notebooks in your bag and you won't have to worry about protecting it.
I have a T420 which I've had for years that's been dropped, chucked in a bag, kicked (accidentally), and water spilled over its keyboard and it's still going strong and still being used nearly every day as my travel companion.
If you really want to test Lenovo vs. Apple (or any other manufacturer), I'd happy challenge you to a drop test onto a wooden or office floor from waist level. No Apple user has ever accepted despite harping on about their build quality.
But you pay a massive price for this quality though. X1 Carbon is overpriced already and if you're comparing it to similarly spec'd notebooks, it's horrendously overpriced but it'll probably last you well until the others have decided to stop turning on, have had their housings tarnished and cracked…etc.
It's just whether it's worth paying for it from your perspective.
Also take a look at the Lenovo T240 - slightly bigger than the Carbon, but still a great machine. It ain't cheap, though!
funny story about X1s
its the std corporate laptop for many ASX200 type companies and govt.
when they are rolled out to staff they are given a welcome sheet on how to run it
the first note is that "we are aware the kbd is not 'traditional'… please try to understand what lenovo are doing… do not call us with complaints about it"
it got so bad that staff are asking for the v1 over the v2!
I've been using the latest model for about 4 months now. The new keyboard layout sucks balls and it takes some getting use to, I still hate it. I am a high user of function key shortcuts, and having to scroll through on the LED just to find the function keys wastes my time daily. They are somewhat configurable though so it may be fine for you. The 8GB max ram is a pain for me as well.
Everything else on it though is brilliant. It's quick, and silent. Very durable, I throw mine around heaps. The battery life is brilliant - sometimes I forget to plug it in in the mornings and way after lunchtime I'll get the low battery warning.
I was initially sceptical of the touchscreen, now I can't live without it.
We also have the T440s at work. They have all the bad things I hate about the Carbon fixed, I can't tell the difference in weight at all. I'm going to ask to swap to one of those instead so look into this model too.
if you are after a lightweight laptop then X1 is a good choice.
I really liked my v1 X1 Carbon. It was maxed out with i7 + 256GB SSD and 8GB RAM but I would consider that the minimum these days. v2 keyboard is a complete turn off for me. Otherwise, the size, build quality, feel, keyboard, touchpad etc were all great.
I have been using the 2014 version for about 4 months now. One thing I can tell you, the keyboard feels weird. The back space and delete button next to each other, takes a while to find caps lock and the functions keys. I wont recommend it if you are getting the laptop for work, it is unnecessary things you need to get used to.
it's light, portable and easy to travel with. The downside for me is that 8Gb is all the RAM you can ever have in it, and the 256Gb SSD is the largest storage in them too. Not a deal breaker, I carry a portable drive most times, but might be for someone else.