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CHERLYNN LOW: The
ThinkPad X1 Carbon

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is one of the most
established laptops around,

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and this year's model
marks the seventh iteration

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of the series.

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Just like every one before
it, this X1 Carbon is

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thinner and lighter than ever.

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What else is new?

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Well, there is a brighter UHD
display with HDR 400 support,

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a better sound system,
more far-field microphones,

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and the usual processor
and performance upgrades.

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Oh, and there is
an optional carbon

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fiber weave pattern for those
bored with a plain black lid.

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But these are pretty incremental
updates, and rivals like Dell

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and HP, as well as newer
players like Microsoft

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and Huawei are giving
Lenovo stiff competition.

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So the question is,
are these minor tweaks

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enough to maintain the
excellence reputation as one

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of the best laptops around?

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[MUSIC PLAYING]

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Every time I pick up an
X1 Carbon, I'm impressed.

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The 14-inch laptop may have
a no-nonsense, business-only

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aesthetic but it
feels more luxurious

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than its exterior lets on.

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This year, Lenovo added a
carbon fiber weave to the lid

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to update the X1's
look a little.

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And I appreciate the effort
to keep things fresh,

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though you can only get
it on the UHD model.

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More important than
the appearance is

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the material that inspired it.

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This year's X1 laptop, like
its recent predecessors,

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has an extremely light
carbon fiber chassis

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covered in a gorgeous
but somewhat sensitive

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soft-touch coating.

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It's sturdy enough to absorb
a fall from your arms.

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But I've had this laptop
for just under a week,

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and it already looks a little
scuffed up from general use.

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Those who have a
ton of peripherals

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will appreciate the
X1's generous array

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of connectivity options, which
include two Thunderbolt 3 USB-C

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ports, an HDMI socket,
two USB-A jacks,

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and an ethernet extension.

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That's much more than you'll
find on the likes of the Huawei

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MateBook 14 and Surface
Laptop 2, which doesn't even

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offer USB-C power charging.

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ThinkPads consistently
have great keyboards,

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and the X1 Carbon once again
gets it right, mostly anyway.

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I love the deep travel
and comfortable keys,

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and typing on a ThinkPad
feels like a luxury compared

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to the merely decent
keyboards on the Laptop

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2 and MateBook 14.

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But I have an issue
with some of the button

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placements on the X1 Carbon.

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In particular, I hate where
the left control button sits.

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Instead of being the leftmost
button on the bottom row,

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it's actually the
second last, and

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a function key sits on the end.

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That might make
perfect sense if you're

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coming over from a MacBook.

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but as a PC person, I am
used to the arrangement being

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the other way around, and
it really messed up my flow

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when using keyboard shortcuts.

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It's really frustrating
to think you're

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hitting Control Z or Control
C and then V only to realize

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your action wasn't
undone or your text

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wasn't copied because you
pressed function instead.

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This isn't a deal breaker,
but it's annoying.

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I also wish the Page
Up and Down buttons

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were a little higher or bigger.

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Where they sit above
the left and right arrow

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keys right now
makes them too easy

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to hit when I'm trying to
jump between words instead

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of scrolling up or down.

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As usual on a ThinkPad, there
is a red pointing stick sitting

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in the middle of the keyboard.

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It's nice to have if you're a
fan but easy enough to ignore.

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Next to the trackpad
sits a fingerprint

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sensor for quickly logging it.

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It should be easier to use the
Windows Hello-enabled webcam

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above the display,
but in my testing,

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the system failed to recognize
me about 30% of the time.

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It tended to struggle in
situations that were backlit,

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but sometimes it had
trouble finding me

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even if I was sitting an arm's
length away as opposed to, say,

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being too close to the camera.

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I don't have as much of an
issue with Windows Hello

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on a Surface Laptop
2, which might be

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due to its much better camera.

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Windows Hello isn't ideal either
if you're privacy conscious

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and keep your webcam covered,
though I've got to give Lenovo

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credit for making it easy to
cover and uncover the camera

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with a built-in shutter.

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All you've got to do is slide
a lever above the screen.

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Speaking of, I have a small
complaint about the display.

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When using the keyboard
buttons to toggle brightness,

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the increase between
each step up is uneven.

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For levels one to
nine, the screen

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gets gradually brighter by
about the same amount each time.

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But from nine to
the maximum ten,

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the jump is huge
and almost blinding.

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Lenovo told me this
is normal for the X1.

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It might not be a huge
issue, but I was confused

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why the screen was so dim
until I pushed brightness

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to the 500 nit maximum.

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And the lack of a more nuanced
middle ground between the

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last two options felt limiting.

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You can get a more specific
level of brightness

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by using the on-screen
slider in Settings.

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Other than that
gripe, I generally

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enjoyed using the
X1 Carbon to watch

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Netflix or YouTube videos.

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Details were always crisp and
colors vibrant, if a little

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on the pink side.

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Audio was a little
disappointing though.

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Despite packing a new quad
speaker Dolby Atmos system,

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the X1 Carbon's sound
was slightly hollow,

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which has been a persistent
problem for the X1 series

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for a while now.

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So far, the X1 Carbon and its
eighth generation Intel Core

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i7 processor have managed
to handle my daily workload

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without a hiccup.

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More taxing tasks, like
editing photos or spreadsheets,

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went smoothly.

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But-- and don't tell my
boss I did this at work--

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playing Overcooked
was a real challenge,

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and I saw a significant lag
on the UHD model I was using.

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I don't think the integrated
Intel UHD 620 graphics here can

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really handle serious gaming.

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The X1 Carbon almost
got me through a workday

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without needing a charge.

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I unplugged my
UHD model at noon,

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and it wasn't until
about 7:00 PM that I

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got a low battery warning.

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On our battery test, the
lower res full HD X1 Carbon

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lasted 14 hours,
which is twice as

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long as the seven hours
clocked by my UHD version

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on the same test.

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The higher res model also
has a brighter screen, which

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might have caused more drain.

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Despite a smattering
of small complaints,

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I'm mostly pleased with
the ThinkPad X1 Carbon.

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It's a strong business
laptop that appeals to its

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die--hard fans for good reason.

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I love the build,
keyboard, and performance.

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And battery life is great
if you don't mind a less

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sharp and less bright screen.

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For its $1,200
starting price though,

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the X1 Carbon has serious
competition, specifically

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from the likes of
the Surface Laptop 2

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and Huawei MateBook
14, which are

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similarly powerful, albeit
arguably more attractive.

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The Laptop 2 also lasts longer.

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But Lenovo's appealing
keyboard alone may just keep

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its fans coming back for more.

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If you want more
reviews of laptops,

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phones, smart watches, or
even self-driving cars,

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subscribe to Engadget.

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Thank you for watching.

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[MUSIC PLAYING]

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