X1 Carbon Gen 9 vs X13 Gen 2 keyboard?

[Edward Mendelson]

I can't find any clear answer to this question, and hope the experts here can help.

Is there any difference between the keyboards on the X1 Carbon Gen 9 and X13 Gen 2? The keyboard matters a lot to me, and if the X1 has a better one, I'll grit my teeth and pay extra for that machine. Otherwise, it seems that the X13 may be a better value.

Many thanks for any information.

[RealBlackStuff]

As seen in this comparison:

. . . . .X13Gen2 X1CarbonGen9
KB type: Island Island
Numpad: No No
Backlight: Yes Yes
Key travel: 1.5 mm 1.5 mm

https://www.pcmag.com/reviews/lenovo-thinkpad-x13-gen-2
https://www.notebookcheck.net/The-Lenov ... 783.0.html

[Edward Mendelson]

Very useful - thank you. It seems that there's no obvious difference. I'll check some part numbers and see if anything interesting shows up...

[Edward Mendelson]

Similarly configured, the X1 Carbon Gen 9 and X13 Gen 2 are very similarly priced, with the carbon maybe USD100-200 more. I saved both in the cart, and will buy one or the other. I haven't bought a ThinkPad for myself since the X270 four years ago (have bought for my wife, son, and daughter-in-law, but not me), so any advice would be welcome. Machine would be used mostly when traveling.

[dr_st]

There is one key difference: the X1 Carbon has a full-width keyboard, but the X13 has a narrow keyboard which has no dedicated Insert key (it is shared with End).

[Edward Mendelson]

There is one key difference: the X1 Carbon has a full-width keyboard, but the X13 has a narrow keyboard which has no dedicated Insert key (it is shared with End).

That is VERY important, and I'll look more closely at the photos before buying. Thank you!

EDIT: And it looks as if the SSD is easy to upgrade.

[crashnburn]

There is one key difference: the X1 Carbon has a full-width keyboard, but the X13 has a narrow keyboard which has no dedicated Insert key (it is shared with End).

That is VERY important, and I'll look more closely at the photos before buying. Thank you!

EDIT: And it looks as if the SSD is easy to upgrade.

Which one did you finally choose and what config?

SSD Easier how?

[Edward Mendelson]

Which one did you finally choose and what config?

SSD Easier how?

Haven't ordered yet, but have saved carts in the hope that the price will be the same when I do order. Will almost certainly go with the X1. And I didn't mean that either one made it easier to replace the SSD - simply that the SSD is easy to replace in both, so there's no point in ordering a large SSD when I already have SSDs here that I can install.

[Ibthink]

There is one key difference: the X1 Carbon has a full-width keyboard, but the X13 has a narrow keyboard which has no dedicated Insert key (it is shared with End).

The keyboard of the X1 Carbon G9 is sadly not quite full-width anymore, though it is still wider than the X13 G2 keyboard.

[Edward Mendelson]

... and now I'm curious about what the Gen 10 will look like....

[Ibthink]

It is very likely that X1 Carbon Gen 10 will be an incremental update based on the X1 Carbon Gen 9, as Lenovo typically uses the same design for two generations or more. Though of course, with Alder Lake, CPU performance should be improved a lot.

I would expect Lenovo to announce the new X1 Carbon at CES 2022.

[dr_st]

The keyboard of the X1 Carbon G9 is sadly not quite full-width anymore, though it is still wider than the X13 G2 keyboard.

I could live with the slightly smaller keys, but the lack of dedicated Insert would be a deal-breaker. That is, if the 6-row reduced layout hadn't been one already.

[mikemex]

Another difference worth mentioning is that in the keyboard on the X1 Carbon is built in, meaning that it does not have a built-in frame and uses the laptop's palmrest as one. In such configurations the keyboard is screwed up from the bottom, and resides below the motherboard, so replacing it is quite a formidable task that requires taking the entire laptop apart.

It's much easier to replace the keyboard on the X13 Gen 2, which appears to have a traditional cartridge that you can extract from top. Not to mention that parts for the X13 are probably less expensive, since you don't need the palmrest to match the keyboard (there are several X1 Carbon palmrest layouts and each one requires a mold, which is something that drives prices up).