(Credit: Matthew Buzzi)
Lenovo just revealed the next generations of its ThinkPad X1 Carbon and ThinkPad X1 2-in-1 laptops, featuring new designs and Intel's just-launched Core Ultra “Meteor Lake” processors.
While updates to these perennial favorites are exciting in their own right—the 2023 X1 Carbon received a full five-star score from PCMag—the presence of Intel’s AI-ready Meteor Lake chips ups the ante.
We were able to spend some brief time with these systems prior to their announcement, bringing you a closer look at the designs and details below.
Leveling Up the X1's: New Carbon and 2-in-1 Machines
First up, we have the traditional clamshell ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 12. This is a 14-inch laptop, making for an inherently portable machine that measures 0.58 by 12.3 by 8.4 inches (HWD) and 2.42 pounds. Diehard users will notice a difference in size from the Gen 11 model, and for everyone else, the Gen 12 is, in fact, notably smaller.
It doesn’t sound like much on paper—the Gen 11 version measures 0.6 by 12.4 by 8.8 inches—but seeing the two together emphasizes how much has been trimmed off an already small footprint. It’s impressive, considering the screen size remains the same. You'll find a total internal redesign here, too, in part required by new internal component needs. (More on those below.)
Within that compact frame is an advanced panel, available up to a 2.8K-resolution (2,880-by-1,800-pixel) OLED touch display with a 120Hz refresh rate, which should appeal to nearly any type of worker. Otherwise, the professional-focused feature set is out here in force. A 1080p, 8-megapixel camera sits above the screen, joined by two speakers and two microphones, plus Dolby Atmos and Dolby Voice. Wi-Fi 7 is now on board for improved wireless internet speeds, as well as Bluetooth 5.2, SIM, and eSIM support.
(Credit: Matthew Buzzi)As far as physical connectivity, the X1 Carbon Gen 12 includes two USB Type-A ports, two USB Type-C ports (both with Thunderbolt 4 support), a headphone jack, and a SIM slot. It’s good to see both types of USB port survive on a laptop this slim, for a robust, practical offering for a wide range of users. The Gen 12 Carbon maxes out at Intel Core Ultra 7, 64GB of memory, and 2TB of SSD storage.
(Credit: Matthew Buzzi)This smaller, AI-enhanced mainline X1 Carbon device sounds appealing to us, but we’ll have to wait to get our hands on it for review. It’s available this month in limited configurations with an expected starting price of $2,989. A more complete range of models will launch in March 2024.
Its convertible counterpart also caught our attention. While the X1 Yoga Gen 8 didn’t quite reach a perfect score, its four-and-a-half out of five review rating still speaks to the overall quality, so the Gen 9 is a welcome sight. It’s a bit heftier than the X1 Carbon, thanks to its convertible design at 2.92 pounds, but that’s still plenty portable. It looked sharp and felt high-end, with the increased weight barely noticeable.
(Credit: John Burek)The 2-in-1 model underwent similar design improvements as the X1 Carbon, arriving with Wi-Fi 7, a fancy 120Hz 2.8K OLED touch display, and of course Intel’s new Meteor Lake chips (more on those in a moment). It comes in a differentiated “Luna Grey” color, as well as with a stylus—something not expected out of the clamshell sibling, since this machine can turn into a tablet.
Lenovo's stylus can cling to the side of the top or bottom panel magnetically, and charges via USB-C. This was done instead of an internal docking "garage" that would take up precious interior space, to prioritize the internal layout for performance and thermals. The X1 2-in-1 also maxes out at Intel Core Ultra 7, 64GB of memory, and 2TB of SSD storage.
(Credit: Matthew Buzzi)The ThinkPad X1 2-in-1 Gen 9 will be available in March 2024, with an expected starting price of $2,639.
Now, let's dive in to what those Intel Core Ultra chips mean, and what Meteor Lake has to offer now and in the future.
Intel Core Ultra Lands: Meteor Lake Chips Are Here to Help
While the redesign and added features are welcome, Intel’s new Core Ultra line of processors will take headlines now through CES 2024. The built-in neural processing unit (NPU) is made to handle AI tasks at a local level, taking the burden off the CPU and GPU as needed. It’s a lot to summarize: You can read our standalone Intel Core Ultra article for the full details on this “Meteor Lake” architecture, what an NPU can do, and the purported features of this platform.
(Credit: Rene Ramos/Intel)In shorter terms, the “Core Ultra” brand of processors (of which Meteor Lake is the first generation) will live alongside Intel’s more traditional “Core i” lineup, currently at 13th Gen “Raptor Lake” in laptops.
The Meteor Lake chips include the traditional CPU and integrated graphics, but also the new dedicated NPU to handle AI tasks at the local, system level. This is much faster than cloud processing, in instances where it's possible, and allows it to happen at all in instances where cloud processing is not.
It’s also much more time-, power-, and cost-efficient than a server running the request for you remotely—after you already bought a laptop with this new technology, of course. The NPUs will have relatively low power draw while handling these AI-based requests in the background, so as to not slow down your system. Expect these to first appear in thinner, portability-focused laptops first, like the ThinkPad X1 machines, before more widespread adoption.
If you’re wondering what exactly the scenarios are for this technology, you'll find a variety, but it’s really only just beginning. Microsoft CoPilot is going to be a major use case for this technology, though it’s not rolled out to most users yet. Built into Windows, this AI companion will answer your queries, complete tasks in a more nuanced and faster way than before, and adjust all of your PC settings in one place on request.
(Credit: Intel)On top of that, the range of major independent software that supports AI features is increasing. These can create images, apply filters, manage background blur or eye-contact correction on webcams, and much more. Each laptop maker, like Lenovo, will inevitably develop its own local AI features and advantages. We saw an example of this already in MSI’s new Prestige laptops; see a hands-on with that family at the link.
These tasks will be handled by the NPU, so your processing can stay focused on crunching data and running software. The idea is that, with these burgeoning features available, offloading them on to the NPU doesn’t over-burden the CPU (or GPU, depending on the task), which would slow down your computer. Adding features shouldn’t reduce performance, so this dual solution is the way forward for Intel.
We'll find plenty more to digest and discuss as this technology rolls out, especially as these Lenovo machines arrive in our hands for review. Check back for more Core Ultra coverage through 2024 and beyond.