Lenovo’s new ThinkPad X1 Carbon Ultrabook is locking heads with other competing Ultrabook manufacturers, both in the field of commendable features and user-friendly functionality. The Carbon X1 may be the most impressive addition to the Ultrabook family yet, and The Zine are here to give you the 101 low-down on this exciting new piece of consumer technology.
From the get go, the X1 Carbon Ultrabook gives off the impression that it’s more suited to businesses and individuals with an emphasis on practicality rather than fashionable trends. The X1 Carbon’s black matte exterior is sleek, thin and grippy, with the inside revealing the reason behind the machine’s name – the chassis and lid are embedded with carbon fibre, making the X1 Carbon durable and resistant to most drops and shocks. Most distinguishingly however, Lenovo claims that the X1 Carbon is the lightest 14inch laptop on offer in the market weighing at a mere 1.4KG. After testing the laptop for ourselves, we give full boasting rights to Lenovo – the X1 Carbon is certainly not adding any stress in terms of weight. The hinge also allows for versatile viewing, with the screen being able to fold completely flat, although it is a little difficult to think of more than two situations where this would be necessary.
Function wise, the X1 Carbon gives the Macbook Air a run for it’s money. The base model runs on an Intel Core i5 processor with higher price tags for models using the Intel i7 processor. Applications are smooth and lag-free through the Windows 7 operating system, and very recently, Windows 8, with the laptop also being powerful enough to handle most tasks efficiently without draining too much battery power. Additionally, the trackpad is extremely responsive and accommodates multitouch gestures, such as 2 finger scrolling, and the 4 finger swipe to switch between multiple windows simultaneously.
The X1 Carbon price is perhaps on the higher end of the scale, with models ranging from approximately $1400AUD to $2000AUD. Despite the extra dollars however, the X1 Carbon and its many pros, add diversity and choice into the laptop market, and is well worth the consideration.
See the full Lenovo Ultrabook range here.
