Hands-on with Lenovo’s 2018 ThinkPad X1 Carbon, X1 Yoga, and X1 Tablet

Lenovo is launching its 2018 line of ThinkPad X1 devices at the Consumer Electronics Show this week with three new models: the 2018 ThinkPad X1 Tablet, and the latest ThinkPad X1 Carbon and ThinkPad X1 Yoga laptops.

They’re all premium thin-and-light machines designed for the business market and, unsurprisingly, they’re not cheap. Prices start at $1599 for the 2-in-1 tablet, $1709 for the laptop, and $1899 for the convertible.

But if you’re not phased by the high price tags, these are some pretty nice little computers.

I got a chance to spend a little time with the new ThinkPad X1 lineup last night, and all three models support up to an 8th-gen Intel Core i7 quad-core processor, feature high-resolution displays, and solid build quality. They also all feature some form of Lenovo’s TrackPoint system with a pointing stick in the center of the keyboard as well as a touchpad below it.

The ThinkPad X1 Tablet is a 1.9 pound tablet with a built-in kickstand that can be adjusted to nearly any angle, even allowing you to place the tablet so that it’s almost flat against a table. Add the detachable keyboard and you’ve got a 2.8 pound laptop-like device, and the keyboard has a nice solid feel to it, unlike some keyboard covers for tablets.

Lenovo went with a 13 inch, 3000 x 2000 pixel display this year, and the 3:2 aspect ratio and relatively light weight makes this tablet fairly comfortable to hold in one hand while using an active pen to write, draw, or navigate Windows 10.

While the pen is too thick to fit in a slot in the tablet, Lenovo offers a storage solution that’s a bit less flimsy than the magnets used by Microsoft’s Surface tablet and Surface Pen. The pen fits tightly into a plastic loop that slides into a slot in the tablet. Once in place, there’s very little chance of the pen falling loose accidentally.

Lenovo’s ThinkPad X1 Carbon is a 14.1 inch notebook with slim bezels and a slim design: it measures about 0.6 inches thick and weighs about 2.5 pounds.

The ThinkPad X1 Carbon will be available with up to a 2560 x 1440 pixel IPS display, it has two USB 3.0 Type-C ports, two USB Type-A ports, an HDMI port, a fingerprint sensor, a ThinkShutter camera cover, and a display that can fold down 180 degrees.

The Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga has most of the same features, but in a convertible design. Flip the lid back 360 degrees and the keys in the keyboard recess to give the back of the “tablet” a smoother surface when you’re using it in this mode. You can also use the computer in tablet or tent mode by propping it up to watch videos, make video calls, or view presentations.

This model weighs about 3.1 pounds and also measures about 0.6 inches thick.

Lenovo says all of its new ThinkPad X1 products should be available later this month.

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