Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon 14" Gen 12 Black 2024

The Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 12 is a featherlight business machine with a keyboard that ruins you for all others. Performance is snappy for office work, and battery life is solid, but the 60Hz screen and average SSD hold it back. If you prioritize portability and typing above all else, this is one of the best on the market.

The Core Ultra 7 155U handles office multitasking without breaking a sweat, and the 16GB of fast LPDDR5X RAM keeps things snappy. Our database puts the CPU right around the middle of the pack for this class, which is perfectly fine for its intended use. The integrated Intel Graphics are a step up from older models, landing in the 55th percentile, so light photo editing is doable but don't expect to play anything beyond casual titles. The 512 GB SSD is the weakest link here, sitting in the 38th percentile, which means file transfers and boot times are just average.

Stacked against the Apple MacBook Pro M2 Pro, the ThinkPad loses badly on raw power and screen quality but wins on weight and that keyboard. The HP OmniBook X Flip and ASUS Zenbook offer better OLED displays and newer designs for similar money, making the X1 Carbon feel a bit conservative. The Microsoft Surface Laptop 7 is a closer rival with a premium build, but the Lenovo's port selection with HDMI and USB-A is way more practical for office life. You're really choosing between the ThinkPad's unmatched typing and durability versus flashier screens from the competition.

Pricing is all over the map for this config, with a wild spread from $350 to over $396,000 across vendors. Obviously, ignore the crazy high outliers. At a reasonable sale price around the lower end, this is a fantastic deal for a premium business ultrabook. At full MSRP, you're paying a serious premium for that lightweight build and keyboard. If you can snag it closer to the $1,200-$1,400 range, it's a solid buy. Just double-check the vendor's return policy given the mixed customer support experiences.

The ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 12 is basically the business laptop equivalent of a tailored suit. It's incredibly light at just over a kilogram, the keyboard is a joy to type on, and the matte black finish still looks professional years later. Lenovo stuffed an Intel Core Ultra 7 inside, which means solid everyday speed and surprisingly decent integrated graphics for an ultrabook. But this isn't a machine for everyone. The 60Hz screen and middling storage speed remind you this is built for spreadsheets and Slack, not creative work or gaming.

Creative pros and anyone who values a stunning display should look elsewhere. The 60Hz IPS panel is functional but dull compared to the OLED screens on similarly priced competitors. If you need serious graphics power for video editing or 3D work, this integrated GPU won't cut it, and you'd be better served by a MacBook Pro or a bulkier workstation laptop.

This is the laptop for the road warrior who lives in Excel, Outlook, and a dozen browser tabs. If your main concerns are weight, typing comfort, and a machine that won't fall apart in your bag, the X1 Carbon Gen 12 is a top contender. Just know you're trading a cutting-edge display and blazing SSD speeds for that legendary ThinkPad reliability and portability.