Thinkpads Forum

I'm really confused. I think I want to order the X1C but everyone is saying that the screen is not very good. The people who are saying it's not very good are not specifying if they ordered it with a TN or IPS panel. So, my question is is the IPS panel bad on the X1C?

Thanks.

Has Lenovo come out with an IPS screen option for the X1C? I have only ever seen the 1600x900 TN panel, and it did not impress me.

I don't know that it's black and white, but I think peoples perceptions differ, which is why you see conflicting reports. The LCD on the X1C is not IPS, but a TN panel. I thought it was pretty good compared to most other ThinkPad screens. It's got good color, if a bit blue, and a nice sweet spot where the colors don't shift unless you're at an angle most people don't use their notebooks at. The blue can be mitigated with calibration. The notebook I've seen that most resembles the X1C screen would be the MacBook Air without the gloss of course. If your goal is to have the best screen out there, then there's probably better options, but the X1C is a nice blend of features and cost.

Yes, the Lenovo order screen says 4.0" Premium HD+ (1600x900) LED Backlit Display, 720p HD Camera, No WWAN. The Premium in Lenovo speak has always referred to an IPS screen just like when ordering the x230. Are you saying that the X1C does not come with an IPS screen? I think it does come with an IPS screen standard but maybe it's not as good as the IPS screen on the x220/230?

ThinkpadAddict wrote:Yes, the Lenovo order screen says 4.0" Premium HD+ (1600x900) LED Backlit Display, 720p HD Camera, No WWAN. The Premium in Lenovo speak has always referred to an IPS screen just like when ordering the x230. Are you saying that the X1C does not come with an IPS screen? I think it does come with an IPS screen standard but maybe it's not as good as the IPS screen on the x220/230?

X1C does NOT come with an IPS panel.

Never did, and likely never will.

Period.

I think that it does but just need to confirm. I'm not sure why it would never have an IPS screen.

ThinkpadAddict wrote:I think that it does but just need to confirm.

You can think whatever you want, this is a free country.

Confirming the existence of IPS panel on X1C might prove to be a problem, though...

I'm not sure why it would never have an IPS screen.

Then you don't understand the concept of X1C, and/or IPS technology too well..

ZaZ wrote:I don't know that it's black and white, but I think peoples perceptions differ, which is why you see conflicting reports.

Also, people's perceptions depend greatly on the price of the product. Some people expect a $1,300 laptop to have a great screen, so when the X1 Carbon's screen is "merely good", it appears "bad" psychologically.

ThinkpadAddict wrote:Yes, the Lenovo order screen says 4.0" Premium HD+ (1600x900) LED Backlit Display, 720p HD Camera, No WWAN. The Premium in Lenovo speak has always referred to an IPS screen just like when ordering the x230. Are you saying that the X1C does not come with an IPS screen?

Not just ZaZ but everyone is saying that the X1C does not come with IPS. I am looking at the order page right now, and the only option listed is "14.0" Premium HD+ (1600x900) LED Backlit Display, 720p HD Camera, No WWAN". Think about it, if Lenovo were offering an IPS option and a TN option, why would there be just one type of screen available?

The screen is SO bad. I just got mine delivered last Thursday and I'm sooooo disappointed. The machine is amazing, the rapid charge is insane, the system is super thin and the keyboard is the best one I've used on a ThinkPad, but the display, MAN. I had my X230 with IPS turned on as I booted up the X1 so I could copy my files from it. I immediately was like what the??? It's SO blue. Like severely blue like as if I had on blue sunglasses. So I googled immediately about X1 Carbon blue and started finding posts about it. I tried doing the color calibration thing to reduce the blue, but it's so bad that I feel like my screen may almost be defective. If you turn your head at all, or tilt the display, the colours all change. It's almost like the gamma is too high as text seems to disappear into the white background, and everything looks almost psychedelic. I tried the ICC profiles I've found online for it but I didn't find it helped at all, it got rid of some of the blue but the actual quality just seemed really poor. I've been spending the past few days trying to convince myself to keep it and not return it but I just can't handle it. Every time I put it to sleep and wake it up, it defaults to the normal colour profile so you have to reselect it as well. I've tried all the fixes I can find online with no luck. I ran Ubuntu live USB yesterday just as a test, and the colour is just as bad there. Really upset, because it's such an awesome machine but I just can't handle it so am returning it to wait and see if an IPS option ever comes.

The X1C screen is in fact rather good. I've seen it for myself. It has good black levels and contrast, viewing angles are well above average, brightness is very good as well and colors are far better than the X220 IPS. The X1C covers sRGB while the X220 IPS does not even come close to that.

A proper calibration is needed though as the stock settings are far from perfect.

Aurora wrote:The X1C screen is in fact rather good. I've seen it for myself. It has good black levels and therefor contrast, viewing angles are well above average, brightness is very good as well and colors are far better than the X220 IPS. The X1C covers sRGB while the X220 IPS does not even come close to that.

A proper calibration is needed though as the stock settings are far from perfect.

Thank goodness someone else has recognised that the X1C has a decent screen! Maybe the version sold in the EU is superior? My wife has the HD+ version and it is brilliant.

Mind you, we don't whinge as much over here.