ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 8 Review: Don't Buy It!! 

Consider yourselves warned! 😂

ThinkView crew, keep in mind that the laptop you are reviewing is for the business crowd. To your upgrade points, I say: 1. Upgrade touchpad - Noooo! 2. Upgrade thinner bezels - Maybe, if this won't deteriorate the ruggedness of the chassis. 3. Upgrade webcam - Yessss! As a long-term X1 carbon business user, I can't agree with an "upgrade touchpad" point. Too big a touchpad comes with drawbacks, especially visible in boardroom meetings when you need to fiddle with a computer at a weird angle or work on your lap on the train or plane. Business users don't need to crop, drag, highlight etc. so often as content creators. We just need to point, click and type. Dear content creators, please keep your MacBooks to yourself and don't try to push features you need onto the devices you won't use.

Title is deliberating misleading to get viewer to watch entire video.

I'm still using a X1 Gen1 for my personal laptop. Works great for my needs. For work use a T460s in a Ultra dock with triple monitors. I feel that some of these gripes were really quite minor like the heat exhaust, that's pretty typical for ThinkPads. Most X1 models has been just a minor upgrade & refresh as the laptop even at Gen 1 was excellent, it's hard to upgrade on near perfection. As for the touchpad size I think it's fine it's the MacBook that's way oversize. Personally I use the accupoint (G spot / stick) mouse and disable the touchpad because it's faster and more accurate. The only legitimate criticism was the webcam which most laptops still have ones that really suck, even the iMac only just got a 1080p web cam and it would have been the same on the Gen7. I'd rather have thicker screen bezels if it means the screen housing is tougher to meet the mil spec. So if you've got a Gen 7 there's really no need to upgrade but that was the same from Gen 6 to 7 and most of the previous models.

Please kill that background music...

I see your point, but this is not a consumer product. You won't get the best performance, but you'll get best of the best mobility and a solid performance pack, if you're able to purchase it.

The power button is right below the right arrow key. Not difficult to remember. You don't need to feel all over the side for it.

The space station only uses Lenovo laptops. My 11yr old W520 uses 2 SSD drives and has 4 RAM ports, seamless in all Adobe software.

I'm left-handed, so hot air exhaust on the right is an advantage for me )

Gen 7 x1 Carbon also has the 10th Gen processors in it as well, so if you look around you can pick up a Gen 7 with 10th Gen Intel processors at a decent discount.

Nice review,, U did a good job ! ~Vc Phnom Penh, Cambodia 🇰🇭

I still have my 3rd Gen running on i7. Still running STRONG! Using for 3D modeling to class. Faster than the newest Apple desktop we have in our LAB. lol WTH

here's a tip for the boys and girls yelling about power button location: the right arrow keybord button shows exactly where the power button is

The power button on right side can turn on your laptop without opening it while connect to external GPU through type c

Got my X1 Gen 7 W/i7 last October. Still love it!

I'm completely agreeing with her when she says this is for business persons ... I work with X1 it is a very powerful machine, very expensive for non-business purposes.

For a thin'n'light laptop with TrackPoint, your two options are really the X1 Carbon and the X1 Extreme (which isn't as thin'n'light). Both models have tradeoffs that shouldn't exist in 2020- the X1 Carbon is somehow still on DDR3 2133MHz while a similarly-priced 13" MacBook Pro has 3733MHz DDR4 RAM. I don't need my laptop to be running its RAM at 3.7GHz, but it's 2020 and 2133MHz is lazy and lame. Furthermore, 16GB is as much as you can get, and it's soldered. I think 32GB is overkill at the moment, but we are near or at that point where 16GB isn't going to be enough in ~3-5 years and I would like to keep this thing for more than 3 years. We're probably fine at 16, but that 32 isn't even an option on Lenovo's flagship laptop is surprising. Meanwhile the X1 Extreme Gen 3 can't be configured without a dedicated Nvidia GPU. The dedicated GPU is a waste of battery life on a laptop notorious for poor battery life. Did I mention the X1 Extreme Gen 3 has poor battery life? I would buy an XPS or a MacBook before buying a ThinkPad if not for the TrackPoint, and that wasn't even Lenovo's invention. No doubt they know TrackPoint is keeping many people like me on ThinkPads. The irony is I don't recommend ThinkPads to anyone. Dell perfected the XPS last gen and MacBook Pros are very competitive in price for what you get (by the time you configure an XPS or ThinkPad with a high-res display and a non-U-series Intel CPU you're at the $1400-2000 Apple wants for a 13" MacBook Pro).

I don't even look at the touchpad cause one of the main reasons for me to buy a Thinkpad is the trackpoint.

I think videos need support engsub buy "mình nghe hok hiểu gì ráo, sẵn nghe tuyện thêm av " và chắc còn mới nên mong reviewer càng ngày càng tự nhiên hơn, Chúc cho kênh mới của thinkview càng lớn mạnh ❤❤❤❤

Thank you! Excellent review! Nobody has mentioned PWM which is a deal killer for me

Very helpful review, thank you kindly.

She got paid by apple for giving negative reviews, she wear apple watch and put the macbook on shelve for brand recognition I am using this laptop from quite a while and this is the best laptop I have ever used and also the reason she is providing doesn't make sense like finger scanner and power button so I am recommending this laptop, Thumbs up go a head

Good call on the power button. I'm months into my 7G ownership and STILL have to look for mine. Great review. In depth and thorough.

I got an X1 Carbon Gen 7 (Intel Core i7 10th Gen) manufacturered on 03/2020 and the X1 is parallel with the ThinkPad logo on the display cover :)

OK so now it is 2024. I can get a gen 8 for $399. A gen 7 for $275 The 8has a 1 tb HD the 7 a 256 tb HD. Your choice would be?

I like your honest review. good.

Hope its more reliable than my X1C7. My exp with the X1C7 fully kitted out with a 4k display and i7-8565U - six fucking service calls to Lenovo. Here was my experience. 1) Known thunderbolt controller firmware bug caused the system to misread battery state causing random shutdowns (going from 100% to 0% reading in an instant after a full charge). This ultimately would cause the system to become unable to be powered by AC. Ended in mobo replacement. 2) Botched Mobo repair by Lenovo tech (see 1). They installed the incorrect Mobo and Windows did me the courtesy of nuking my GRUB (I primarily live in Linux but dual-boot). Needed another Mobo replacement. Tech forgot to properly connect the speakers. I pulled up a wiring diagram and fixed it myself. 3) Beep code error, display adapter. Began with graphical corruption and "wave" pattern randomly oscillating through the output from the display. Ended in a beep code/non-functional system. Lenovo sent me a warranty replacement unit. 4) Fan failure, the tech didn't replace the thermal paste either and I didn't notice (often heat sinks come with thermal paste pre-applied). This would become a problem later on despite watching the heat levels. 5) Beep code - display adapter issue same as #3 along with fan failure like #4. I was watching the heat output from the CPU and it was well within tolerances but it was still a problem apparently. Ended in motherboard and 6) Beep code still there after Mobo replacement. Was fine for like an hour or two before the issue returned. My previous laptop was a Thinkpad T450. Where is it? In the hands of my husband's grandfather. At 6 years old, the T450 is still humming along strong without a single issue. I have since moved on to a T480s and it's been stellar in comparison. Much better build quality (no keyboard or palm rest flex), better battery life, DDR4 memory brings a performance boost - it even has an empty RAM slot so I bumped it up to 24GB RAM. TLDR: Stick to the T series, avoid the X1 carbon. I suspect that the x86 architecture has reached the end of the line for "how thin can you get?". This is probably why apple defected to ARM architecture. Apple did the exact same thing when they were stuck on the PowerPC G4 chips because the G5 was too hot and power hungry for mobiles (prototypes Powerbook G5 units caught fire due to heat iirc). Apple ultimately defected to....Intel. Its also revealing that my brother in law had a similar experience with his Microsoft Surface - system cooking its own innards/inadequate cooling in the thin and light design. The x86 architecture simply cannot handle the ultra-thin/ultra-light designs like the x1 carbon/surface/etc. Moral of the story: It can be thin but only so thin. Would not get an X1. I have since chosen to have Lenovo replace the X1 with a T14s with the AMD CPU. Hopefully it proves to be more reliable.

why do you need a bigger touchpad? Whats the benefit?

The one real reason not to buy the X1C8... the Ryzen 4750u in the Thinkpad T14s destroys it in CPU and GPU power for less money.

Really enjoy your reviews! I’m looking for a new laptop and this helps a lot.

I have a T14s AMD for work - 2.8 pounds, so a bit heavier, but I love it. It feels sturdier and more like a MBP because of the magnesium body, despite looking like a ThinkPad. It also isn’t nearly the fingerprint magnet my X1C7 is.

I think the x1 carbon gen 8 is still the number one business laptop.

I have bought mine months ago. After some time it started to hybernate from time to time to the point that you cannot use it. I check internet for solution and other also experience it too, with no solution until now.

Please make a comparison video between xps13 9300 2020 and x1 carbon Gen 8. thanks alot!

Great review, perfectly structured, great video quality! Keep it up!

X1C7 had options for both 8th and 10th gen cpus. also you mention that the wifi is easily upgradeable. The wlan module is soldered on in both x1c7 and x1c8. Additionally the ethernet extension blocks the second thunderbolt port which means you can't charge while using ethernet if you want the most out of an external display.

Is it worth to purchase this beast for programing? C++, Java, C Python, Graphic Designing?

This girl comes across like those girls in high school that everyone wants to be friends with and treats nicely because she might help them with school stuff. Like seriously, you can tell the teachers will really like her. I love you too girl.

I'm much older than you, but by boomer standards, that touchpad is huge. I've used computers that had CRT screens that were smaller, but we were amazed that we had a video text display.

a too large touchpad will only get in the way when typing as the back part of the hands will generate (potentially) false input

They should cut the resolution to 2k and get 90hz minimum refresh. High refresh isn't just for gaming, it's just general comfort

Wow you got that wrong. Just because it's only slightly better than gen 7 doesn't mean it's a "Don't Buy It!!" Who buys every gen of a laptop? I have a gen 6 and literally all of the things you mentioned that are "the same" are different from gen 6 I got all of a year and a half ago. Plus the Intel 10th gen is a whole actual generation of architecture better than the last one

Why changing 16.9 aspect ratio. I hope they just leave that for business laptops because for the normal consumer 16.9 is the king

Good review, very professional, thank you!

Thx for 09:04-09:14 :D I like the overall neutral/dry tone.

Nice review! Subscribed

I just bought this laptop and for some reason it seems like the battery life is not as good as the 7th gen. Both with FHD displays. Also, does your G H and B keys seem a little lower than the rest of the keys because of the trackpoint? Seems very strange since I did not have that problem on my 7th gen. Don't know if its a quality control issue. This is my 4th Thinkpad. All of them I had to return because there were quality control issues. Very disappointing considering how expensive this is.

Wow, it is extremely important what you said about the PWM. Do you know what other laptop brands offer laptops with a good frequency panels?? (windows laptop)

Hello, Please help me to select a good laptop..my budget is within $1500. 1) less fatigue on my eyes- your video said Levono was fatiguing your eyes. 2) Lightweight 3) Fast speed 4) good battery life 5) good quality screen 5) good camera & audio system mainly using for work( alot of tele- conference). I was thinking about Levono X1 gen 7 or 8 but so many reviews with getting hot so quickly and fatigues my eyes. You have great knowledge with PCs and i want your recommendation. Please help.

I agree that Lenovo need to bring these machines up to date, giving them a Dell XPS style makeover. If they did that, I think they would sell LOTS of machines to business customers

Great review! Please do the X1 Extreme Gen 3!

Can you review Lenovo thinkpad T490? 😍

Thanks for mentioning PWM! I am super sensitive to that!

Thanks for the very detailed review! Can you confirm if the bottom of the laptop gets uncomfortably warm?

I bought it - Full HD. Save the UHD for the teens

How does this compare to X1 Yoga 5 Gen? Thanks!

Comprehensive review with great points but I really don’t understand the benefit of an enormous trackpad. I switch between a ThinkPad and MacBook and I’ve never noticed the change in size.

Who pays you? Dell, HP or Apple? Tell us.

i just bought the X1 Carbon and it was a utter disappointment i have to say it lasted 20 days. I was using is regularly as a student and one day while watching Netflix all I did was tilt the screen using the bottom right corner and the screen cracked. And when the model first arrived I also had a problem with the right palm rest making weird clicky sounds every time I rest my hands on it. Since I owned the old Dell XPS 13 9360 I am now thinking on giving the 9310 a go.

I have had a big problem with the battery. just 10 months later and it doesn't recognize the battery and the support is not like the apple support. no lenovo stores in Spain. its frustrating . 10 days at least without my laptop

Which one's better, Lenovo x1 carbon gen 7 or macbook air m1?

The only bad thing for me is the webcam The other things that you mentioned are due to the tests that they make into their laptops. its the only laptop in the world that takes this kind of tests and the only that you can open without losing guarantee in this kind of machine. Touchpad size is good for me because I use the nipple as well.

It’s good for games like war thunder?

I feel like it’s the same case with the x1 extreme gen 3 vs gen 2

A really good review. And finally bought it and I love

Does it have a backlit keyboard? Great review, very honest and informative.

I like a smaller touchpad, mainly so I don’t accidentally touch it when I’m trying to use a mouse.

Looks like they implemented literally every one of your suggestions for the new generation. You should review it!

as an accountant ... it annoys the hell out of me laptops 15inch with no num pad and a crappy size of a freaking arrow key ... wtf i can deal with the specs ...

Light basic coding? This machine is made for coders.....

Cool video! Lenovo X1 Carbon vs Dell 15 XPS? Undecided!

Would one remember perpendicular to the keyboard above, as far as the location of the power button?

Comparing with expertbook b9 you reviewed before...which one do you personaly choose? And also comparing with XPS 13/15 (2020) ?

Appreciate the summary in the description

I still don’t get used to the power button. I request changing the location.

HI, there There are some mistakes on pictures of X1 gen 3, gen 5 you've shown. It's not correct. Since the fingerprint type of X1 gen3 is swipe type not area type, It seems gen 3 in your movie is gen 5 and gen 5 in your movie is gen 1 due to the blue thinkvantage button on the top of keyboard. X1C5 is the first laptop of X1C using USB-C type recharging power connector. You 'd better check pictures for your video before uploading.

4:18 I think she ment to say crisp I could be wrong tho.

Great review 👍 I build 3d architecture model and rendering, should I get Xtreme or p1 or p15? Thanks

I'm surprised to see some many reviews of Lenovo laptops yet nothing from Toshiba Portege, which is the lightest business class laptop since 2017 with fully upgradeable internals.

Great review totally agree with your upgrade comments for the X1 an opportunity missed!

Don't get confused. If it's really for business purposes most of the developers won't get allowed to use any ports because of security issues

Thank you so much. Excellent review. Could you please consider the P1 gen 3 and the P15 and P17 versions and leaving out the 'music'?

I am a graphic designer & a developer suggest me a good lenovo laptop :)

Such an honest review, i love you, thank you.

Hit all the points that I dislike about mine and wish if it was... Great review but sound a little more on the negative side.

I'm still using my lenovo T 430 laptop. It's still working and doing all the things I need to even it's so old. T 430 will last probably 2 more years. So far I just changed battery. I would say this is better than 💩🍎 🍎 is more expensive and won't last longer than 2 years.

I still can’t find a good enough reason to buy an X1 Carbon over the X390...

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it is a very fragile equipment, especially the screen and hinges. It is not recommended for students or people who must carry it from one place to another. It is a stationary machine. The power button on the side is a time bomb.

hey , do you recommand for me the t490s or the x1 carbon gen 7

Thanks to the x1 gen 8 I was able to get the gen 7 4K/i7-10th gen for $1600 from Lenovo US as end of life clearance. So thank you gen8 for giving me a good deal on gen7.

Love the crips display tho

What do you think about the Yoga X1?

Great informative video. Background music is a bit too loud and quite distracting.

It didn't change much, because "don't fix it, if it ain't broke." I think they are just doing minor changes to improve on what it already good, but there won't be any major changes. Apple does the same thing: minor changes with the iPhone.

Should I buy the Lenovo Thinkpad X13 Yoga instead?

Low-sequencing pwn panel is harmful for eyes. It’s very essential if you work all days with your laptop.

5:50 which display would be a better option? I am not an native speaker and somehow I am not able to hear clearly,, 😄 Thank you ´ as my eyes are not as much sensitive but likes quality,

Great review, you deserve way more likes and subs so I am doing my bit. Thinkpad fan with a TP X1 Gen 7 i7 8th Gen and you just made my day 😊

@7:20 good point over all though its a couple years old