2024 ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 12 REVIEW - RE-LOADED, RE-DESIGNED, OVERPRICED? 

Amazing work as usual Andrew!

I like Lenovo laptop so much cause I'm using it for years now thanks for this video David ☺️

Thanks for the review. I had long waited for the X1 gen 12 review for a long time! Thanks, Andrew!

Finally nice visual improvement...but I would always pick faster and cheaper Slim 5 14" before this 12 gen carbon! Anyway, great review Marc as always! ❤

Best review I've found well done!!

We need an AMD variant of this laptop, with the U-series processor (Ryzen 7 PRO 7840U). The battery can be bigger: about 65Wh or 68Wh or even 70Wh. I was going to ask Andrew: did the palmrest bite into your wrist? Problem with the laptop is that it collects fingerprint and it's harder to clean. It's still a great laptop geared towards business users, for those who want it.

Best RU-vid reviewer hands down... The x1 carbon need a battery pump up, at least 70k mah

Excellent review! Thank you, Andrew for a thorough outlook.

Really awesome review :)

Looking forward to the new XPS series review!

Great work Andrew! always great to see you with the latest ThinkPad coverage. I was really excited as I was thinking of picking up a X1 Carbon to be my daily computer when I want to leave my P1 Gen 6 at home. Unfortunately with this Gen 12 I feel like I might be skipping this one. I feel that this generation took some steps forward but took more steps backwards in my honest opinion. Steps forward: 1. 120 hz OLED display: Finally a high refresh rate OLED display, I just wished that it was an adaptive refresh rate monitor to help save battery life. 2. New intel core ultra processors: Meteorlake proves to help keep the heat down and innovate with efficiency. 3. Lighter and smaller footprint (at least from what it looks like): Very light and portable while maintaining this display size is impressive. Steps backward: 1. Communication bar: I personally hate the way this looks, disrupts the design and I don't care if it makes it easier to open. Plus the camera is mediocre. 2. Keyboard layout: I am not mad at the Ctrl and Fn swap as I swap them out anyways using the Lenovo Advantage software, but I hate the fact that the power button and fingerprint sensor had to be 2 separate things. It seems like a waste space for the button to be there. 3. Soldered RAM: self explanatory 4. Battery life: I appreciate the introduction to a better display but at least increase the battery size to compensate for the power draw, I'd rather sacrifice weight and size if they can at least keep it around the same size as the last gen that would be great. 5. Speakers: So disappointing that they are taking a step backwards here when I always appreciate the quality of the speakers they put (although not MacBook Pro level) they were good enough. 6. Price: So many new thin and light Core Ultra laptops with great screens and inputs are coming out and the competition isn't what it used to be, not to mention the competitiveness of Apple's MacBooks now this seems to be an oversight on Lenovo's part. I love the ThinkPads and this was the generation of the X1 Carbon I was looking forward to the most but I think I am going to have to wait until the newer versions come out.

Finally standard control and function buttons layout! I know there are fans of old inverted one out there. But for myself I can finally consider x1 carbon! And I hope there is some kind of setting in BIOS to invert buttons for Thinkpad old schoolers;)

Andrew, thank you for your profound review. I've been looking at another Lenovo ThinkPad to upgrade my current T470. I have been looking at the X1C Gen12 but I'd like one that has a 15.9" screen (more visual real estate for trading when I travel), and powerful enough to run multiple trading platforms simultaneously while on a zoom as well. Would you recommend the ThankPad P1 Gen 6? I think Lenovo is too conservative with the upgrading of their laptops. As you mentioned, The Wifi 7 card would have been a great upgrade.

Great review! I purchased a Gen 8 back in 2020. It was great for me. However, I found it to be too small for schoolwork at the time. As an Apple user, I bought an MBP 16-inch and used that for years, and I let the ThinkPad sit in the box. The ThinkPad has a SIM slot, so recently, I fired it back up and instantly realized why I originally bought this computer. It just checks all the boxes for me. So now I am looking to upgrade to the Gen 12. But I am wondering if I should wait for that new trackpad. What are your thoughts?

Hi Andrew. I just checked the Lenovo US site. Same screen setup, 1920x1200 on IPS. No OLED 2.8K reso. Where do I get that?

I have X1 Extreme Gen 1 - i7-8850H / 32 GB memory. It is 15" inch laptop and I would like to downsize to a more modern and lighter 14" X1 Carbon, but i feel that performance upgrade will not be any significant. I use the laptop for mostly Office products, including Teams, and tons of browsing (50+ tabs open) across multiple browsers. I feel i might wait another generation and perhaps get Gen 13 at that point as my X1 Extreme Gen 1 is still performing very well for my needs.

Andrew, thank you so much for the video! I found you recently, and I still don't believe my luck! I really appreciate your huge contribution to technology and gadget reviews! Regarding the device: let me disagree with you that it was created for Microsoft Office and the browser, as you mentioned in the review, since not only can it run modern games on low to medium, but also it's suitable for photoshop, rendering at an average level, for a designers. Moreover, Thinkpad laptops have been always one of the best daily drivers for a programmers and other IT specialists and engineers as well! This is a pretty powerful premium machine for a large number of fairly heavy multimedia and work tasks, thanks to the Core Ultra 7 155h, isn't it? Unfortunately, it wasn't very clear about the sound... Seemed that the current speaker placement design played a cruel joke on him 😢 P.s.: after the swapping the Fn and Ctrl keys in the Thinkpads, the world will no longer be the same 😂

Nice PC. Camera and mics appeared good. Camera seemed better than in Unboxing. I guess updating drivers had something to do with it. Display good. Keyboard layout good. They should add in a mico sd slot. Great review as always.

Thank you for this review! On point, very informative 👍 Sad to see Intel and Lenovo still can’t provide better battery life, other wise great laptop, still the one I would get.

the ctrl and fn key look like the same size? maybe you can pop out the keycap and swap the position. then swap the function via lenovo vantage. Maybee...

Hi, Noob question here. For the gaming benchmarks does low mean low resolution ? Thanks

I sold my 10th gen X1C because its battery life was so poor with the OLED screen and the fans would come on at an annoyingly loud noise level as soon as I launched any program on it. Good to see they're improving on the noise aspect with gen 12, at least, even if the battery life has not improved. I think choosing an OLED screen on a thin and light was a mistake since it drained too much power.

Looking foward to the new g14 review

ty for video

Best Review!

can you run a test with watching youtube in chrome? I've heard of excessive fan noise just doing that.

your video is full of information

HUGE!!

Can this drive three monitors with the usb-c port using a dock?

@Andrew_Marc_David great job as always Andrew, watching your reviews is always a pleasure and one of my favorites. Wish you keep that way as long as possible in the future. Concerning this 12 gen X1 model, I've got two questions coming to my mind... First, at @9:47, benchmark with Cinebench in single-core mode : why the hell is the result so poor, even compared to the models with Ryzen 7 7840U? Getting even worse in multicore.... While on the other side this model achieves a great battery life for model with OLED screen. I must admit that I didn't expect such a great time, when one know that T/P series with OLED screen can't last more than 5-6 hours under light workload with a 7840U, I won't even speak about models with Intel chips.... On the other side, the Yoga Slim 7 gen8 with OLED screen and 7840S (which is not an U neither a HS)also lasts near 8-9 hours under light workload... I really don't understand this mismatch from Lenovo, meaning why they can't succeed in achieving homogeneity. Second question, @14:51, you said Lenovo will introduce the "sensel" haptic touchpad. This touchpad is already present on the Z series, but you're handing a model in your hands that does remind a T/P series model, or even a Thinkbook? Which Thinkpad model is this? And have you any informations when Lenovo is going to introduce haptic touchpad in these models? Best regards Andrew, keep going this way 😉

You are amazing. Please keep reviewing Dell XPS Laptops. P.K.

would be nice if you had an M3 Pro test in the charts as the M3 Max for most use cases isn't the realistic choice

It’s my next laptop, when it arrives here in Scandinavia👍🏻

You think the MacBook Air M3 13” will be better ?

X1 Carbon Gen 8 currently, mostly love weight with so much travel. Used to keyboard, layout, etc. But probably due for an upgrate. Obviously still dislike the black X1 fingerprint magnet. Thoughts on custom specced, this similiar, X1 Gen 11, Gen 12, or move to a Spectre x360? Mostly general use - Streaming, browsing, MS Office, etc. Nothing too in depth just curious on opinion before I dig into anything too deep.

Thanks for the honest review. 👍

Just a few days ago I saw on Lenovo webpage offer for X1, Gen 12. Now all their discounts are gone. Prices are way to high, at least for know. Shall I get X1, Gen 11 now or wait for discount on X1, Gen 12 ?

Eagerly awaiting a review from you on the variant with haptic touchpad. Coming soon?

where do you get your jackets from dude? btw, love your intro disclaimer (and your jackets), makes it real clear

The top "camera bar" is totally stupid. They couldn't blend it better?

Waiting to see the Gen 5 T14 review.

you mentioned a few times that it's not glossy, but i'm seeing reflections frequently in your video. eg 14:00, 14:50, 17:04. do you have any videos comparing how reflective it is vs normal oled screens?

Exactly the video I was hoping to find, but at the same time, I feel like the X1C is out of the race for me, looking for something with Ryzen 8000 mobile.

Please do the Lenovo t14s gen4 with the AMD ryzen

in every thinkpad you can switch ctrl and fn keys in the bios since forever... weird though that they keep iterating back and forth with them, same as with the position of the power button!

The 2024 ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 12 is a Premium laptop for sure. The screen is gorgeous, the 1080p webcam and the internal mic quality are good. The only thing that some people may find lacking is the quality of the sound from the internal speakers versus Gen 11 which sounds fuller in my opinion. It is a decent laptop, however, to do your Microsoft Office, emails and surfing the web without a hitch. Brilliant review as always Andrew! 👍😁

It's a pity that the fn key was replaced with ctrl. The ctrl key is used much more often than fn and placing it on the edge of the keyboard is not very ergonomic. IBM came up with this for a reason

IMHO, The image quality from the camera is not good for the price of a business laptop like that. Great review!!

I was hoping to see a bigger battery life jump with Meteor Lake. Maybe with continued driver updates it will improve.

Thanks for another great review. How good is the screen really? Does it look as great and vivid as Asus? Or if it truly mate and not as beautiful as Asus indoor? Thanks

Gen 11 sounds better that Gen 12 wen music is played on speakers, Gen 11 has a richer sound in terms of deeper bass and clear treble, Gen 12 sounds muffled. Got a question though, do they offer it with a lower resolution screen of HD+ but with 120hz display coz that will be definately the best screen? Non-touch screen for me and one in Silver and not in matte black will do. A bigger glass trackpad without the buttons is a refeshing change and a welcome.

While I like that the X1 shows just how thin and light you can get with a laptop, there are tradeoffs. What will be very interesting is when the new Qualcomm Snapdragon ThinkPad and Dell Latitudes show up in a couple of months, now those I will want to see the reviews on!

We're excited for when you to get to review the version with our upgraded haptic touchpad!

i thought they put 8mp webcam into 2024 x1 carbon?

Hi, when can we see a review on the Lenovo yoga slim 7i and the IdeaPad pro 5/5i?

It's sad to what happened to the speakers but I think this is the year to get an X1 Carbon!

For anyone curious, I'm only getting about 4hrs on my lenovo with office use (chrome, outlook, excel) - the OLED display really sucks the battery. I regret my purchase. Battery life is awful.

Any idea for a time when they will release the 5G & haptic trackpad option?

One other aspect that pisses me off was that newer gen of Intel Arc graphics was supposed to be a quantum leap insofar as integrated graphics performance was concerned, and yet, it's all the same old subpar stuttery performance. If I'm paying 2.5k for a laptop I expect it to handle some tasks effortlessly, including video editting and some "casual" gaming on the side, like WoW or LoL. And yet, none of the above applies to this extremely overpriced machine. Sometimes it feels as if the thinkpad brand is largely an excuse for lenovo to put a premium price on average to bellow-average products, which happen to use the excellent old IBM design language for the exterior. At this point, a Macbook Air or a Macbook Pro are a much better investment than the X1 line. Cheaper too, with much better battery life, better keyboard (!!!) and with an OS which offers much deeper integration with the hardware.

Thanks Andrew. The one being sold from where I am is under spec'ed with just IPS display and FHD. Didn't buy it because of that.

X1 -Yoga- _2-in-1_ Gen 9 (2024) Review please!!!!! One website says they shaved 0.2lbs (-0.1kg) from Gen 8. Need a verification! Also, show pen usage in a little more detail than your gen 8 review.

All options now available on Lenovo‘s Website. Time for an Update. Please test the low power screen and the new glass trackpad.

Hello, Mr. Andrew, I would like to thank you for the videos that you provide on your channel to help me choose the best portable device that suits all work. I hope that you will help me choose the best laptop this year through your visit to the CSI exhibition, and it will have the best performance and efficiency, and I will be able to work productively, design, and play in it, and it will also be of the highest quality. A wonderful screen and a good and wonderful Windows system in all aspects. It should be in a budget of 3-4 thousand dollars. Should I wait or buy? I hope you will help me. Thank youtr for everything.

I do wish the 120hz display was more widely available. I don't really care about resolution - 1080p has always been fine with me on smaller, portable devices. I just wish the 120hz was available on Thinkpads that didn't cost this much.

Hi David try compare first generation with current generation

Would be great if you could also add some alternatives at the end of each video.

Yeah definitely there is lack of sound clarity in the new gen's speakers placement !

I don’t like the reverse notch design in Lenovo laptops. Unfortunately, this design has spread to the X1 carbon. A business laptop should look cleaner. Also, both USB-C ports are on the same side. You can’t charge it on either side. Is it really that hard to put one USB-C port on each side?

I think you rated both keyboard and audio too high. Otherwise great review!

8:45 What do we think about the video...Well we think that you should have been on suits when testing the camera too ! haha

Very expensive, but nice laptop, Lenovo needs to keep pricing competitive to get this going

The battery on my laptop only lasts around 4 hours

What would be ur fav thinkpad then?

So, would you guys buy this instead of the usual MacBook Air ? I’m really trying to convince myself to skip Apple for this one and venture in the pc world. I’d most likely use it for stock market while on the go..

I have been using it for three days, fan noise is crazy! I barely run any heavy task with it yet and the fan just goes loud

We need a 2 in 1 micro sd card plus intel core h processor 1080p

Audio def better on gen11

Lenovo has refused to place the 2 USB-C ports on a daughterboard or use a 2-piece connector like Apple Macbook does. If you damage a connector (which is not difficult to do), the motherboard needs to be replaced. This one appears to be no different from previous generations.

The new speaker placement is a deal breaker for me, because the sound mumbles and is 50% lost when the laptop is sittin on your lap

How are they still working with Intel when Intel regressed in both single core performance and battery life with Meteor Lake vs previous gen?

Video camera quality is very very poor I'd have to say. Lenovo really needs to either put a seriously stellar camera, or to ditch the ugly camera bar sticking out from the lid. And it'll be nice if they make physical click buttons + haptic trackpad combo availalbe.

This certainly gives the impression of being the best there is at what it does... except maybe with that webcam. The price is beyond what I can justify at the moment, but if I were an executive type who just didn't want to compromise on portability and power (short of a dedicated gpu anyway) it would probably be near the top of my list.

Can I say a 2in1 laptop with 16 inches 4k OLED touch screen, RTX gaming performance

Gen11 have 1370p vpro and faster 5g module. Gen12 have only 165u vpro same Speed 1365u, slower 5g module, touch oled. Wifi 6e,wifi7 have 6ghz band. Routers have wifi 2.4/5 GHz bands hotspot. Real sak....

I still don't get OEM power supplies. I have a 100 watt brick that's smaller than this one and it has two USB a and two USB C ports on it.

Multicore score is horrible. If Zenbook and Spectre can score better in a similar chassis, I fail to understand such a drastic difference.

soldered ram... not a good option for the Enthusiast.

WTF? There are laptops for 2,7k with a 4080, what a joke

The speakers are such an awkward downgrade. They were one of the few things that were better compared to the T14 model. ThinkPads have always had shitty speakers. Disappointing to hear they made them even worse... Don't lenovo engineers realise business men and students also watch videos oder make zoom calls?

Any intel powered laptop is overpriced in 2024

Battery life sucks!!!

Soldered Ram and WIFI? not a ThinkPad. bye bye

Chassis looks too old school and boring

If this came with Snapdragon X Elite processors I'd buy it instantly. Sadly, it won't, because it seems to be an Intel-exclusive lineup.