X1 Carbon Gen 4 - thoughts so far
Posted: Fri Jul 07, 2017 8:34 am
So I've been using the X1 Carbon (4th gen) for a good week now after getting it. Thought I'd share what I think of the laptop so far.
The reason why I went for the 4th gen instead of the 5th gen, is because I prefer the hinge style on the 4th gen (Lenovo retrograded back to the static ThinkPad 'edge' style hinges which I both hate looking at, and the way they feel as they open).
The keyboard and trackpoint work well enough, so I don't have any complaints there. Despite being a chiclet keyboard, the spacing is done so that the keys are 'discreet' enough and the switch action isn't mushy. Although I'm still sorely missing the blue enter key :0)
I did run into a few problems when handling the laptop. The finish is a bit slick, so it tends to slide around on my lap or in my hand(s). And placing anything on top of the laptop will also slide. The other problem is where the vent is and the power button. If you hold onto the laptop on the right side (with your right hand), you risk accidentally holding down the power button and crashing the computer. If you hold it from the bottom with your left hand, you'll most invariably place it in the middle--which your fingers can cover the vent because Lenovo placed it very close to the middle of the rear.
Since I'm so used to the classic ThinkPad series, it's natural for me to assume the audio jack is going to be on the LEFT side of the laptop. With the X1 Carbon 4th gen, it has been moved to the RIGHT side. This also makes less sense from a headphone perspective; as the cord out of the majority of headphones comes out of the left ear. Therefore the cord doesn't have to 'cross over' as both are on the left. In the case of the carbon it does cross over (unless you have a pair of headphones where the cord comes out of the right ear).
The power jack feels feels awkward to use if it's plugged in just to where its location is (and unlike other ThinkPads, it appears the power jack is directly soldered to the motherboard). Battery life thus far is satisfactory (for me), looks to have about 8-9 hours with the screen at full brightness.
Since there are so many different FRUs for keyboards and TrackPoint assemblies, I don't know which is the better of the FRUs for the X1C 4th gen. I did try out a different X1C 4th gen and it had TrackPoint buttons that I had a better liking to than the ones I got from the Lenovo FRU roundrobin.
Pros:
*decent keyboard
*trackpoint works!
*matte screen
*better hinges than the 5th gen
Cons:
*trackpoint buttons could be a bit more crisp (could be solved by getting the 'more desired' FRU but I don't know the FRU #s)
*power button is located in a poor spot
*finish is very slick causing sliding
*audio jack is on the wrong side
*vent should have been moved over and not in the middle
The reason why I went for the 4th gen instead of the 5th gen, is because I prefer the hinge style on the 4th gen (Lenovo retrograded back to the static ThinkPad 'edge' style hinges which I both hate looking at, and the way they feel as they open).
The keyboard and trackpoint work well enough, so I don't have any complaints there. Despite being a chiclet keyboard, the spacing is done so that the keys are 'discreet' enough and the switch action isn't mushy. Although I'm still sorely missing the blue enter key :0)
I did run into a few problems when handling the laptop. The finish is a bit slick, so it tends to slide around on my lap or in my hand(s). And placing anything on top of the laptop will also slide. The other problem is where the vent is and the power button. If you hold onto the laptop on the right side (with your right hand), you risk accidentally holding down the power button and crashing the computer. If you hold it from the bottom with your left hand, you'll most invariably place it in the middle--which your fingers can cover the vent because Lenovo placed it very close to the middle of the rear.
Since I'm so used to the classic ThinkPad series, it's natural for me to assume the audio jack is going to be on the LEFT side of the laptop. With the X1 Carbon 4th gen, it has been moved to the RIGHT side. This also makes less sense from a headphone perspective; as the cord out of the majority of headphones comes out of the left ear. Therefore the cord doesn't have to 'cross over' as both are on the left. In the case of the carbon it does cross over (unless you have a pair of headphones where the cord comes out of the right ear).
The power jack feels feels awkward to use if it's plugged in just to where its location is (and unlike other ThinkPads, it appears the power jack is directly soldered to the motherboard). Battery life thus far is satisfactory (for me), looks to have about 8-9 hours with the screen at full brightness.
Since there are so many different FRUs for keyboards and TrackPoint assemblies, I don't know which is the better of the FRUs for the X1C 4th gen. I did try out a different X1C 4th gen and it had TrackPoint buttons that I had a better liking to than the ones I got from the Lenovo FRU roundrobin.
Pros:
*decent keyboard
*trackpoint works!
*matte screen
*better hinges than the 5th gen
Cons:
*trackpoint buttons could be a bit more crisp (could be solved by getting the 'more desired' FRU but I don't know the FRU #s)
*power button is located in a poor spot
*finish is very slick causing sliding
*audio jack is on the wrong side
*vent should have been moved over and not in the middle
