PC juggernaut Lenovo hasn’t been shy of new announcements at this year’s CES. The firm’s impressive range of Legion gaming systems continues to grow, the intriguing dual-screen ThinkBook Plus Gen 3 has been officially confirmed, and there’s even a new version of the Alexa-powered Lenovo Smart Clock.
There’s a lot to go on, yet sometimes the simplest upgrades are the most rewarding. The one that has caught our eye is the addition of a new communications bar across the refreshed ThinkPad X1 Series.
Applicable to the 10th Gen X1 Carbon, 7th Gen X1 Yoga and 2nd Gen X1 Nano, the communications bar is squeezed-in above the display and incorporates improved FHD webcam options, privacy shutter and 360-degree far field quad-array microphones. According to Lenovo, the setup allows for “a larger sensor (1.4µm) than what is usually found on laptops” and “increases image quality especially in low light conditions.”
We’ve yet to put the hardware to the test ourselves, but Lenovo’s X1 laptops have typically impressed and are already considered among the best available options for Windows PCs. Poor quality webcams have historically blighted the experience, and with the growing importance of working remotely, it is good to see the manufacturer take note of users’ real-world needs.
In our excitement over a FHD webcam we’ve almost overlooked the other new additions to the range. Processor options now include Intel 12th Gen Core, there’s faster LPDDR5 memory and PCIe Gen 4 storage, a choice of OLED display panels, and a new air-intake keyboard on the X1 Carbon and X1 Yoga that is said to improve thermal performance.
It’s hard to see a weak spot in Lenovo’s refreshed range of premium business laptops, and we won’t have to wait too long for their arrival. Launch dates, starting prices and full specifications are as follows:
ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 10 available March 2022, starting from $1,639.
ThinkPad X1 Yoga Gen 7 available March 2022, starting from $1,749.
ThinkPad X1 Nano Gen 2 available April 2022, starting from $1,659.
| X1 Carbon 10th Gen | X1 Yoga 7th Gen | X1 Nano 2nd Gen | ||
| Performance | Processors | Latest Intel 12th Gen Core with Intel vPro options including U15 and P28 processors | Latest Intel 12th Gen Core with Intel vPro options including P28 processors | |
| OS | Up to Windows 11 Pro | |||
| Memory | Up to 32GB LPDDR5 | |||
| Storage | Up to 2TB Gen 4 Performance PCIe NVMe SSD | Up to 1TB Gen 4 PCIe NVMe SSD | ||
| Graphics Options | Intel® Iris® Xe Graphics | |||
| Display | 14-inch Narrow Bezel, up to WQUXGA, 500nit, Touch AOFT option, and 2.8K OLED option | 14-inch Narrow Bezel, up to WQUXGA 4K OLED, 500nit, AOFT Touch option | 13-inch Narrow Bezel, up to 2K, 450nit, AOFT Touch option | |
| Audio | Dolby Atmos Speaker System with Dolby Voice and quad-array 360-degree Microphones | |||
| Camera | Up to FHD+IR MIPI Computer Vision camera with shutter | |||
| Battery | 57 Whr | 49.6 Whr | ||
| Security | Chip | dTPM 2.0 | ||
| Physical | Match-on-Chip Power-on Fingerprint Reader (X1 Carbon & X1 Yoga) Fingerprint Reader (X1 Nano) Camera Shutter Kensington™ lock slot (X1 Carbon & X1 Yoga) Tile App Ready MIL-STD 810H |
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| Connectivity | Ports | 2 x Thunderbolt 4 | ||
| 2 x USB-A 3.2 | ||||
| 1 x HDMI 2.0b | ||||
| 1 x 3.5mm audio jack | ||||
| Wireless | WLAN Wi-Fi 6E 802.11 AX (2×2) | |||
| Bluetooth® 5.2 | ||||
| 5G sub-6 (CAT20), 4G LTE (CAT16), 4G LTE (CAT4) for PRC (X1 Carbon & X1 Nano) eSIM and Nano SIM |
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| Design | Dimensions (W x D x H) |
315.6 x 222.5 x 14.95mm 12.42 x 8.76 x 0.59in |
314.4 x 222.3 x 15.53mm 12.38 x 8.75 x 0.61in |
From 293.2 x 208 x 14.47mm 11.5 x 8.19 x 0.58in |
| Weight | 1.12kg 2.48lbs |
1.38kg 3.00lbs |
970g 2.13lbs |
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