Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 12 (2024) Review

[@sygnus2164]

Lisa nice to see you're still doing reviews. I bought a Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga back in 2017 based on your review. Looking to get the Carbon Gen 12 this time.

[@AaronMal-lq5om]

When will it go on sale?

[@sygnus2164]

I ordered one direct from Lenovo in late June and got it mid-July. I ordered mine with all the bells and whistles to include OLED panel, 1TB SSD, 32gig RAM, and WAN card so it came it at $2500 with discounts.

[@kauigirl808]

It's $1500 today!

[@bigdisme5622]

​@kauigirl808 just got mine, oled screen, win 11 pro upgrade, 32g memory, 1tb ssd, Adobe acrobat pro 2020, haptic TouchPad upgrade, all for 1650 custom. Totally worth it nothing comes close

[@dr.benjaminbird7631]

If you're planning on running linux, skip this. Webcam is mipi csi and requires a lot of effort to get working. Ubuntu 24.04 beta and nightly build both have a super buddy track pad. Works sometimes (when it boots it either works or it doesn't, and it's 90% not working) - track point does work and trackpad buttons do work. Ubuntu 22, can't dim the brightness because of OLED screen, power management is crap, webcam again doesnt work, external displays over the USBC don't work and when the lid closes it doesn't go into sleep. Ubuntu 24.04 is officially released tomorrow so gonna try that. If not a lot of hacking to do. Keyboard is quite nice though. Battery life is pretty poor, about 6 and a half hours day to day tasks under ubuntu 24.04 nightly build.

[@congyu3596]

Thanks bro！This comment directly makes me more likely to choose Dell or HP.

[@dr.benjaminbird7631]

An update, if you downgrade the kernel to 6.7.10 everything seems to work fine. On further inspection there's some i2c driver race condition at boot. Web cam still doesn't work. Why on earth they would implement a mipi csi camera instead of a usb one is beyond me.

[@donny1546]

Thank you for this info! Kind regards, A fellow GNU/Linux user

[@willstikken5619]

Expecting Linux to work on a laptop the same year it is released? What sort of madness is this??? :) If you really want Linux to work on new hardware i tend to have better luck with distros like Manjaro.

[@dr.benjaminbird7631]

@@willstikken5619 ubuntu is normally really good. The 6.8 kernel is a bit buggy though it seems

[@SalemTechsperts]

Fantastic review, as always. I just really wish they would stop soldering every single port. Even APPLE have made their ports modular. As someone that has to deal with the after-sales support of these devices, the most common failure are the soldered (inherently fragile) USB-C ports. And though most shops can solder a new one on, the average consumer can't. And the Fortune 500 businesses that buy these by the hundreds don't have time for that, and simply dispose of them. It's horrible that this has become the new standard after years of having modular charging ports...

[@gravityfallscanada]

Battery life sucks!!! 😡

[@lawrencechen7521]

They were designed for business and they have contract for like 36months or so. Lenovo will fix these issues as soon as 4 hours. It make no sense to make it modular any more. I suppose you were imagine about Panasonic, their toughbook were more likely built to last and some of their machines cannot be replaced at all, therefore, they basically make all modular design (CRU). Lenovo ThinkPad now is just another variant consumer products. Therefore, you cannot see things become non-soldered. Soldering is the BEST option both for performance(LPDD5 up to 8533MHz on TBX, up to 5600MHz for non-soldered slot ram) , battery life (1Hours real usage or 3hours mobilemark difference) and reliability.

[@boredcompsciguy]

Until the spec for CAMM2 is completed, lpddr5x has to be soldered. The current CAMM spec only supports lpddr5, and in both cases there's no guarantee it'll be adopted

[@LodeStarYT]

THE GREATEST TECHNICIAN THAT'S EVER LIVED

[@mrugendra]

Thank you for the review, Lisa. Was waiting for this from you. Excellent review as always. Thank you again.

[@EPGalvez]

I still have my first-gen X1 bought in 2018 and it's still running very smoothly. That's why I kove X1!

[@tHaH4x0r]

Looks interesting. But the prices for laptops have gone absolutely insane. Not as insane of a price increase as phones yet, but still. Compared to not even that long ago the performance increase isnt even that drastic!

[@jet613]

I agree, for phones especially when you jump into foldables. Price sky rockets for a flexible display ( z fold, pixel fold, etc) . The flip phone foldable not so much.

[@briancarnell]

Looking at Lenovo's site, they want $3k for intel core ultra 7, integrated graphics, 32gb ram, 1tb SSD, and a 1920 x 1200 display. That's ridiculous.

[@brandonchutt312]

Considering the US dollar has half the purchasing power it had 10 years ago, prices should have doubled in that time frame. So actually the prices have gone down.

[@NatesRandomVideo]

@@brandonchutt312correct. People have a difficult time with this math as well as the resulting knowledge of the choices being made to do it.

[@pillow4casestudies]

@@brandonchutt312 money loses half the value in 30 years, not ten.

[@GaryJohnWalker1]

This is good. Hoping this new gen 'workstation' models don't mess it up either - that fn/ctl key switch is ace. Tradition is fine, but little improvements like this always welcome. Great review as ever.

[@JCRdz]

This is the year to upgrade. We use the 8th generation at work and it still runs great.

[@stuartgreen5631]

I’ve got a T480s and it’s the bomb. Carbon? I can’t run that fast. Long live Lenovo!

[@saintgene]

My Gen1 still serving me superbly.. 😅

[@darrenmilbrandt]

Great review. My Gen 9 had 4 motherboard replacements and Lenovo is sending me a brand new Gen 12, 7 Ultra, 32 gigs of ram, 1 TB SSD with touchscreen.

[@wheeup]

my gen 8 X1 still in daily use. Works like a charm.

[@thought-uz9nl]

May I ask X1 carbon Gen 11 and Gen 12 which one do you prefer to choose?

[@Rob_Mike_Litterst]

Hey, your review is by far the best pick for what matters to know for a Lenovo Thinkpad. Others (video reviews) are squeezing poorlyc rafted jokes and sponsors but they feel like they got a laptop in the mail to talk about whereas you seem to have a decent knowledge of Lenovo laptops.

[@bryanfury6264]

That moment when Your "friendly grandma" has more common cents than all of the reviewers and influencers put together. Well done lady Lisa, thank You for Your superb review!

[@dryeokj]

I bought X 1 Gen 6 years ago, and it still works well, except for the flickering of the monitor in the recent 1 week.

[@ashleydoe8285]

Im sorry I didn't subscribe sooner. Your reviews are top tier.

[@MorrisIriga]

Great review as usual. Don’t like that camera hump thing.

[@gearsghoul4500]

x1 carbon will always have a place in my heart

[@papagen00]

I am still using gen 1 daily.

[@oyoorichardokumu6443]

you are the best in analyzing

[@matiasignacio206]

here from my cabron x1 Carbon 6th gen ! regards from chile !!!

[@buntasbasworo2516]

well me too haha

[@online_now6834]

they have a haptic touchpad now, would have loved for that to be on this review

[@SenselInc]

Same =)

[@cliffmathew]

Their pricing strategy with very high prices and very large discounts makes me stay away. Seems like playing some psychological games to trick customers.

[@chuckdavis4130]

Great review. Thanks. I've also been using Carbon X1s since they first came out and have rarely been disappointed. Lenovo is no longer making docking stations for the Carbon X1, so I'll have to use an external dock like a CalDigit. This is probably why they moved the power switch to the side, so that the unit can be turned on without opening the lid. But............the air intakes (or exhausts) are under the keyboard. In either event, if the unit is operated with the lid closed will airflow be restricted, possibly causing overheating and throttling of the CPU/GPU/NPU?

[@alfajrdream]

Like and respect your reviews.

[@ThePlacehole]

Now that everything is soldered on, there is apparently no need to include the flimsy plastic snaps to discourage users from opening the laptop. Yay, future is amazing!

[@wclark3196]

Have a Gen 11 with WUXGA for work. Beautiful, solid, and battery that lasts all day, all in a package that's light and compact. I've even come to appreciate the nipple.

[@akin242002]

I actually like the X1 Carbon Gen 11 with an i7 1365U CPU more than the Gen 12. Better single core performance, and most traveling consulting work is doing single core CPU tasks.

[@wclark3196]

@@akin242002 Yep, that's the spec I have. Can't think of anything I'd change. I have a personal machine, an HP Envy 15.6 with i7 and 4k OLED. Much more machine than I need, but it was what was in stock when I needed to quickly buy a machine after previous one died. Heavier of course, has worked well, but that screen just sucks battery life. I can maybe squeak 5 hours out of it if I'm careful.

[@william58215]

Do u have the oled or ips model?

[@lloritoovidexequield.8609]

Excellent review =) I'll be waiting for this model in the second-hand market haha. =)

[@edward699321]

Fantastic review. I just purchased the X1 Carbon Gen12 today. I hope it will be durable as I expected.

[@kasandrop]

You must be rich

[@edward699321]

@@kasandrop My current company pay part of the price (WFH policy) and Lenovo E shop have also deduce around $ 513. USD for the promotion. Compare with the Carbon x 1 gen 11 price, I have no double to choose gen 12.

[@willstikken5619]

@@kasandrop you must have a pretty low bar for "rich" when it comes to business laptops.

[@maticulex5713]

@@edward699321 what do you think of it so far?

[@wouwout]

Can we get Lisa on 1 MILLION subs asap?? Lisa deserves it!!

[@RedBeardedRabbit]

Leaving the XPS so far behind in the dust... but the battery life should be better, even with the OLED. HP figured it out...

[@bobsecondbrain9330]

The battery life is the deal breaker.

[@svettnabb]

I remember you reviewing the original too. I know Lenovo is Chinese, but damn are their laptops the best.

[@skier259]

That is the one negative that I see.

[@HiddenAgendas]

@@skier259 Negative? Lenovo is the only laptop authorized to be used by NASA. A Govt agency. Well, not sure now because of Trump put many other space agencies use it for reliability, security and piece of mind. My only concern is of course Windows and Intel processors both are known to have backdoors access for NSA and Mossad.

[@cionheart]

Still one of the best, both Lisa and the X1 Carbon 😀 I wish they would put better IPS displays in there (120 Hz, 500 nits) and battery runtime is still soso, but overall, it's still the laptop I would buy next time.

[@lawrencechen7521]

Thinkbook 13x Gen 4 worth a mention, though they have poorer keyboard, you may see it in the bestbuy. 562nit IPS 120Hz Dispatcher display,74Wh battery outlive TPX1 about 1/3, we tested a pre-built sample a month ago, it is a beast, though not bear a TP name. lol

[@denardotsula2654]

Great review Lisa

[@JohnByeBye]

I have a 10th gen, but the 120hz OLED and haptic touchpad are enticing. 👀

[@dddddan]

I upgraded from a 10th gen mainly for these 2 features, and they deliver exactly what I was looking for.

[@shekcbanny]

But why OLED display? It is supposed to be work machine that you glare at all day and OLED aka ultra-low-Hz-flickering, eye-straining, headache-inducing display . Just to watch movies ??

[@shekcbanny]

Wish the non PWM IPS came with 2.5k screen instead of oled

[@vintage0x]

My goodness Lisa, even after all these years of tech-related video reviews on youtube, there is still ~nothing~ more reassuring than "We're gonna look at it now"

[@sulfur32066]

the original idea of thinkpad has died, it's no longer an engineers machine it's all for "business" which makes me upset

[@GioSagas]

the idea of engineers has died , there are no real engineers any more just businesses entrepreneurs that think Tony Stark from the movies is cool

[@sulfur32066]

@@GioSagas I disagree actually I mean we are still here, even without fancy laptops))

[@netmaster26]

what in your opinion is considered an engineer's machine?

[@sulfur32066]

@@netmaster26 I meant durability and pressure tests as it was with original design

[@dontleaveamessage]

@@sulfur32066the 11th gen did that

[@alejandrodelavega9857]

I’ve been an X1 fan for years. Unfortunately they discontinued the 4K display. Terrible idea. Please bring back the 4K !!

[@artraft5142]

From a Marketing point of View, I can just think on this Brand name as X1 (No 1, Cancel 1) and Think Father (Think Pad)

[@willstikken5619]

Great review as always. Any chance Lenovo has sent you a ThinkPad P1? :)

[@skyhighnightlight]

Gaming ready is what is important. Work can wait.

[@hongyangsu2223]

not good enough without a >70 wh battery

[@DelgenitoEsmildo]

I love this woman. Keep up the good job.

[@userou-ig1ze]

When is the p1 gen6 up for review?? 😊

[@Ipeacocks]

Nice, Carbon has optional haptic touchpad.

[@kartunka]

Could you please tell me if the 2.8K OLED display is gloss or matte because it's not very clear from the specs?

[@AdventureBeforeDementia]

Thanks Lisa!

[@chalky3320]

Excellent review thanks Lisa

[@LunchboxFamily765]

Thanks for the post Lisa, Nice laptop 😊😊

[@user-eo2kc9pe8d]

Is it better to get OLED or ips ?? Will I actually notice a difference if I am only using this for Microsoft 365 and KZbin ?

[@devfric3149]

Screen is interesting. I bought an expensive laptop and was really put off by it being a mirror

[@Syres20]

Where's the link for the shirt though

[@alejandrodelavega9857]

After being a very long term X1 Carbon user, I am disappointed they no longer offer a 4K display. Time to move on to something else.

[@dyvel]

I would believe the tactile locators are not for visually impaired but for real computer users who want to look at the screen while typing with all fingers, instead of looking at the keyboard and only typing with your index fingers.

[@theprovost]

That zenbook 14 oled is looking interesting👀

[@mobiletechreview]

My review is here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/inO1oHqiaZyra7s

[@yamspaine]

Looks awesome. It has mouse buttons. It has good keyboard good display. I am ok with almost everything being soldered on, except for the storage... and they did it right. The apple silicon laptops are ewaste. when the storage wears out, throw the whole laptop away. This will last for years and years. I would like this if it were in a normal thickness laptop with a bigger battery and normal laptop cpu and better cooling. I would want the one with the gpu if I could, but this all costs a lot of money, so I'm not in the market. my x250 is great.

[@jeffersonmp4]

Please review the Thinkpad T14 gen 5 AMD version

[@user-sl8gi3vb6e]

What about the most important of all: typing experience?

[@deersakamoto2167]

Lenovo will release T14 Gen5 soon which will be super repair-friendly (they collabed with iFixit)

[@ashum8872]

Thank you for your review I want to buy laptop pls give me ur recommendation

[@giomjava]

Honestly, I ised to love this channel. Not sure how this video rubs me off the wrong way? To me this seems so much a review, but an OVERVIEW of the specs. The WORST and often mlst important thing (price!!) is an afterthought.

[@TheRockeyAllen]

Wouldn't mind it being slightly heavier but with a 70-80Wh battery

[@engshahed]

Unnecessarily it's price high! Core Ultra 9 & 64 GB models are not yet available for configuration! Like as always it's becoming a corporate laptop but it never makes sense!

[@iamdmc]

Interesting still no reason to upgrade from the Gen 10

[@Steven-e7c]

So do the touch screen models have anti-glare too?

[@eladsinay6914]

i have had different gens of this forever and love it but i think they may have missed the mark. i personally would be ok with a lightly heavier laptop (because its so light already) if it meant a slightly larger battery or screen by an inch

[@Rob-q2e]

They should put the camera behind the Screen. I’m surprise they haven’t done that yet

[@liquid_metal]

Yeh that would work great with the physical shutter...

[@lonelyphoenix7]

400 nits is a deal breaker, should be higher for that price.

[@skyhighnightlight]

Thank You matushka Lisa!!!

[@paulfunigga]

Pozhaluista

[@JaroCoD4]

This notebook made me switch to macbook after 20 years. Best decision ever.

[@nasko235679]

I know they're durable and they come with a great warranty but where I live it costs as much as a MBP 14 M3 PRO with 36 gigs of memory and twice as much as a Macbook Air. That's a whole lot of money for very little performance compared to the Macbooks, or hell even their own Yoga line-up.

[@felixbrandau4751]

i would love to see a surface pro 10 review

[@bccengiz]

Great review. But I would like to say that the price is really too high. Lenovo is a brand I like, but there are more reasonable laptops at these prices. Unfortunately, I couldn't see any extra features that would make you want to buy this laptop for this price.

[@Kumal94]

That Thinkpad it's almost as cool as that Tshirt! (Where can I get one?)

[@raselhossain4k467]

I love your videos

[@mrrolandlawrence]

i gotta say i remember the review of the X1 gen 1... it was wow a windows laptop nearly as thin as a macbook air? :O :O :O

[@borrelworst]

I was looking for a new high end laptop to replace my T14, but with Lenovo and also for all other brands: why do all the top models have an Intel chip? We all know they do not perform with regards to heat and therefore throttle and therefore do not have the consistent performance they promise, but all the brands keeps pushing the Intel based chips on their high end models. You would almost expect Intel pays all those brands. Because of this I will probably switch to Mac.

[@aa-xn5hc]

Please, 16 inches. Acer swift edge 16 2024 with usb 4

[@mickeylukens622]

It looks like the SSD storage is user upgradeable. Is this true?

[@tlplayz_ytc8501]

Thinkpad is alwasy my option over other laptops.

[@Verbatino]

Yeah... Cool but: - Hard to maintenance (keyboard integrated with shell / c-cover palmrest, soldered RAM, soldered Wi-Fi) - Expensive like hell Sorry but I would prefer a standard size Thinkpad T14 gen 5... probably AMD version if they will make them - there are only clues on psref site for ThinkPad P14s Gen 5 AMD, which also looks good. I like to have ethernet port. I don't mind the weight around 1.39 kg (3.05 lbs) instead of 1.09 kg (2.40 lbs). I like to have an option to upgrade or fast fix the hardware. Thinkpad X1 Carbon is just not for me...

[@jennf2601]

What is similar to this in a 16" that's highly rated? I could only find ThinkPad T16 Gen 3 Intel (16″) from Lenovo's site showing as similar.

[@ulamss5]

Seems like about 90% identical hardware to the Asus Zenbook for almost double the price?

[@aungthuhein007]

The fingerprint button is in a completely terrible place. And I hate how the page up, page down, home and end keys are where they are. I use these keys all the time especially on laptops. You know, as much as I've only heard how these Thinkpad "ultrabooks" are good, I can never see myself buying them even if I wasn't a gamer. What the hell.

[@user-eo2kc9pe8d]

Stop whinging

[@Voy2378]

so much flex at 1:23

[@013nil]

i have watched every x1 carbon reviews of yours when they released.

[@ahmedrezk82]

As thermal fluid academic and researcher, I think we need to do more effort in heat transfer research to rise the bar of thermal throttling limit.😢

[@JohnByeBye]

Repaste with PTM7950 or Liquid Metal. You’ll see better temps and performance. Stock paste is garbage. These are ultra thin and light laptops, so diminishing returns is reached quite quickly with heat management. Repasting does help though.

[@2011Kestrel]

12th Gen. Suddenly I felt old.

[@rizaradri316]

I hope the WWAN slot supports M.2 2242 SSD

[@hvxcolors396]

So we don't get a Nano anymore then?

[@lawrencechen7521]

Lenovo may have one by the end of this year, but a new name, according to my source from Beijing,China. otherwise, Thinkbook 13x Gen is a successor of the X1Nano.

[@hyvong01]

I have a question, can i push the ssd 2230 in to the space of the 5G Card🤔 Because the option 5G is not necessary for me

[@DavidJao]

No, it's BIOS locked to Lenovo-approved cards only.

[@nitholx917]

Integrated gpu on intel chip cannot even do half what amd integrated gpu can do.

[@proautoscan]

i see no antenna cables for the 4g/5G LTE module, anyone knows anything about this ?

[@MazerRackhamX]

I think that camera bump looks bad.

[@chasvonplatten1298]

Bought one in 2017 based on your review. Loaded, north of $2,400.00. Driver issue at an update caused multi'port chargng to fail under 50 hours use. Tried to update driver for fix Lenovo issued, but denied because the battery level was below minimum of 50 percent (plug in to charge?!!!). Battery died despite my best efforts and machine has been a brick since. Multiple efforts for support, bit Lenovo customer service is worthless. I will never spend a dime for another Lenovo product as long as I live! You shouldn’t either if you are smart!

[@YosephRegassa]

Is this pc good for android devt?

[@zriha]

I don't get them, I have a X series ThinkPad, and I feel in love with that little feela, even though my main computer is already old M1 MacBook Air and it works like a charm. And now I am checking this amazing review Lisa, and thinking maybe that my main computer become a ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 12, it is around €2,149.00 where I live, and then you say about 6h of battery. With new M3 MacBook 14 inch, you can get easily 10h of battery life doing video editing, and with light work amazing 16h of battery. I mean come on, what the hell Microsoft is doing with Intel and everyone. I can easily take my MacBook Air M1 for the whole day of working, and having video calls and stuff, and it will go around 8h of batter life with ease. And this one cost only around €1k . So, yeah, I will be waiting for Gen 13 ThinkPad X1 Carbon, maybe it will offer at least 8h of battery life.