The business laptop market is flooded with devices that pack a ton of storage and performance into giant, nearly unliftable bodies. Workstations like Lenovo's ThinkPad W540 ($2,573, £1,606, AU$2,946) and Dell's Precision M6800 ($3,490, £2,075, AU$3,750) offer the performance of typical desktops with above average displays.
Unfortunately, both machines are hefty. The Lenovo weighs 4.46 pounds and the Dell weighs 8.37 pounds. You're not lugging those fat boys around with you.
Fortunately for the business user, there are cheaper and lighter models on the market that combine the benefits of workstation performance with top-notch consumer design. No machine accomplished this better than last year's Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon.
New model specs
In comes the 2015 ThinkPad X1 Carbon. The third-generation of the X1 Carbon line $1249 (£1150, AU$1,433) is 14 inches and built with a rugged carbon-forged chassis that houses an Intel i5 processor (or an i7 upgrade) and a full HD 1920x1080p resolution or Quad HD 2560x1440 touchscreen monitor (same as last year's version).
Unlike the old model, the 2015 ThinkPad X1 Carbon ditched the adaptive keyboard technology that combined liquid crystal and electroluminescence in favor of your typical run-of-the-mill precision keyboard. I doubt you'll miss this feature. Lenovo also brought back the TrackPad buttons, which is a huge help for speedier navigation. Last year's model had creaky hinges that didn't feel supportive enough to hold the weight of the screen. Lenovo appears to have addressed this issue with hinges that flip and flex quite fluidly.
You'll also get 50 watts per hour, an improvement on last year's 45 watts per hour, which isn't a huge bump, but every little bit helps when laptop giants like the MacBook Air run at 95 watts per hour.
Its most important feature is its portability. At 2.9 pounds, Lenovo was able to shave a few ounces off of last year's 3.15 pound model, which you can definitely feel when the device is in your hands. When compared to similar models for business users, such as the MacBook Pro 13-inch with Retina display (3.46 pounds) and the HP ZBook 14 (3.57 pounds), the ThinkPad Carbon X1 is feather-light.
The ThinkPad X1 Carbon comes with two USB 3.0 ports, one USB 2.0 port, a VGA connector, and a mini display port. Its battery operates at 50 watts per hour and storage options range from 128/180/256/360 SSD.
Flaws
Business users looking for dramatic performance will be turned off by the ThinkPad Carbon X1's Intel i5 processor (same as last year). The i5 will help you get the job done and isn't a slouch by any means, but with Intel i7 available generally, this isn't the most powerful laptop. You can upgrade to i7 but it'll cost you.
A couple of minor flaws: The laptop's giant TrackPad seems a bit unnecessary and caused several accidental scrolls. I would have preferred a smaller pad and more room for my clumsy palms. Although the machine is quite pretty, after a few days of use you'll see fingerprint smudges everywhere. Unless you're willing to constantly wipe this device, you're going to have to get used to the chassis looking like the wall of a CSI crime scene.
Early verdict
The ThinkPad Carbon X1 15 is an upgrade to last year's model. It's lighter, sturdier and more energy efficient. Unfortunately, these gains weren't dramatic and you'll find last year's model for less money online.
Unless you're willing to customize and upgrade this device with a QHD screen and an i7 processor, you're not going to get the incredible performance of a luxury business device. But I guess that isn't why you would purchase this device. If your desire is a lightweight device that falls just below the workstation class, this is a great bet.
from TechRadar: Technology reviews http://ift.tt/17coZIs
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