The ThinkPad X1 series is a line of high-end ThinkPad laptops and tablets produced by Lenovo.
The current model list contains six lines of machines: X1 Carbon - mainstream premium 14-inch model X1 Yoga - the convertible 14-inch version X1 Titanium Yoga - a convertible 13.5-inch version with titanium body X1 Extreme - 15-inch advanced ultra-light premium laptop; the same model with a Quadro GPU known as ThinkPad P1 X1 Nano - a 13-inch version - lightest thinkpad model X1 Fold - the first foldable personal computer
Launch
The first laptop with X1 branding was the ThinkPad X1 - the 13-inch sub-compact model, the thinnest and fastest charging business laptop at the time. Instead of previous 13-inch X Series models (X300 and X301), they have only one RAM slot and only one storage slot.
In early August 2012, Lenovo released the ThinkPad X1 Carbon as the 14-inch successor to the earlier ThinkPad X1. The X1 Carbon was first released in China due to the popularity of ThinkPads in that market. In November 2012, Lenovo announced a touch-screen variant called the ThinkPad X1 Carbon Touch designed for use with Windows 8. Its display makes use of multi-touch technology that can detect simultaneous inputs from up to ten fingers. On the performance of the X1 Carbon Touch's SSD, Engadget states, "The machine boots into the [s]tart screen in 11 seconds, which is pretty typical for a Windows 8 machine with specs like these. We also found that the solid-state drive delivers equally strong read and write speeds (551 MB/s and 518 MB/s, respectively), which we noticed the last time we tested an Ultrabook with an Intel SSD. "
Models
2011 - 0th generation
X1
An addition to the lightweight X series, weighing between 1.36 kg to 1.72 kg depending on configuration. It was the thinnest ThinkPad laptop to date at 16.5 (front) and 21.5 mm (rear). The screen is a LED-backlit HD infinity panel with (WXGA) resolution. Base configuration uses an Intel Sandy Bridge 2.5 GHz Core i5-2520M (up to 3.20 GHz) with 4 GiB of RAM (up to 8 GiB), SATA SSD or hard drive, Intel Integrated HD Graphics, USB 3.0, backlit keyboard, 802.11 b/g/n WiFi and an average of eight hours of battery life. The battery is internal and not removable, and there is no optical drive.
The ThinkPad X1 laptop was released by Lenovo in May 2011. Notebook Review offered a positive opinion of the ThinkPad X1, saying that it was, "A powerful notebook that combines the durability and features of a business-class ThinkPad with the style of a consumer laptop." A 13.3-inch X1 ThinkPad was announced to be available in the UK on June 7, 2011.
The specifications of the ThinkPad X1 laptop are given below: Processor: Up to Intel Core i7-2620M (2× 2.70GHz, 4MB L3) Memory: Up to 8GiB DDR3 1333MT/s (1 slot) Graphics: Intel HD Graphics 3000 Storage: 1 × SATA 6Gbit/s (320GB 7200RPM HDD, or an SSD, ranging from 128GiB to 160GiB) Battery: Up to 5.2 hours. This could be extended further to 10 hours with a slice battery.
2012 - 1st generation
X1 Carbon
The X1 Carbon features a solid-state drive (SSD) instead of a hard drive. The base model has 4GiB of memory, an Intel Core i5-3317U processor, and a 128GiB SSD. The most expensive model has an Intel Core i7 processor and a 256GiB SSD. The X1 Carbon requires the use of a dongle to access wired Ethernet and some models include 3G or 4G cellular modems.
The base model X1 Carbon has a TN screen with a resolution of 1600 by 900 pixels. The X1 Carbon weighs and measures by by (at its thickest). The X1 Carbon's roll cage is made of light-weight carbon-fiber and has a matte black finish.
In November 2012, Lenovo announced a touch-screen variant called the ThinkPad X1 Carbon Touch designed for use with Windows 8. Its display makes use of multi-touch technology that can detect simultaneous inputs from up to ten fingers.
In a review published for CNET, Dan Ackerman wrote, "At first glance, the ThinkPad X1 Carbon looks a lot like other ThinkPads, but in the hand it stands out as very light and portable. The excellent keyboard shows up other ultrabooks, and the rugged build quality is reassuring. With a slightly boosted battery and maybe a lower starting price, this could be a serious contender for my all-around favorite thin laptop."