Lenovo's X1 Carbon is a beautiful, beefy business laptop

Lenovo X1 Carbon.
Lenovo’s new X1 Carbon is sleeker, slimmer and more powerful.

Just in time for CES 2017, the major consumer tech show this week in Las Vegas, Lenovo is rolling out a completely redesigned version of its flagship laptop: the ThinkPad X1 Carbon. Available in February, the X1 Carbon is thinner, lighter and packs a 14-inch OLED display into a 13-inch notebook’s body thanks to its slimmer bezels.

Next to last year’s X1 Carbon, the new 2017 model looks like a totally different laptop. The system’s entire chassis has been tucked and trimmed in all of the right places to ensure its footprint is significantly smaller than its predecessor’s.

At 2.5 pounds, the new X1 Carbon is also the lightest 14-inch business notebook, though it’s just 0.1 pounds off of last year’s 2.6-pound version, according to Lenovo. Still, that’s 0.1 pounds you don’t have to carry with you during your commute.

In addition to the classic matte black styling Lenovo is known for, the company will also be offering the updated X1 Carbon with a silver finish. It’s a nice option to have, but between the two, the matte black and its soft-touch chassis is the only way to go.

X1 Carbon compared.
The new X1 Carbon on the left next to last year’s model on the right.

Speaking of the X1’s chassis, Lenovo says it has hardened the laptop’s carbon fiber body to make it more durable during travel. Or when you inevitably drop it while carrying it between meetings, either way.

Inside, the X1 Carbon gets up to a seventh-generation Intel Core i7 processor, 16GB of RAM and a 1TB solid-state drive. That’s a whole lot of performance in a small package.

Lenovo says the X1 Carbon comes with 3 Thunderbolt USB C ports, a standard USB port, a full-size HDMI jack and an Ethernet adapter port.

The X1 Carbon’s most promising aspect, though, is its 15.5-hour battery life. Yes, that sounds like an insanely long battery for a laptop and more like wishful thinking than anything else, but that’s what Lenovo is promising.

X1 Carbon ports.
The X1 Carbon features two USB C ports.

If the system can pull it off, you’ll be able to bring your laptop to work and leave your charger at home without freaking out about your battery dying halfway through the day.

The Carbon doesn’t come cheap, though. Lenovo says the system will start at $1,349. Jump up to the top of the line model with a Core i7 and 1TB SSD and you’re looking at a significant price increase.

Will the X1 Carbon be worth it? We’ll let you know when we get our hands on a review version.

More of Yahoo Finance’s coverage of CES:

What to expect this week at CES, the world’s biggest gadget show

Fiat Chrysler’s Portal concept is an upgradable car for millennials

The Norton Core is a beautiful Wi-FI router that protects your digital home

Samsung’s Family Hub 2.0 is a refrigerator you can talk to

Samsung’s new washing machine will save you time and aggravation

The biggest busts from the world’s most renowned gadget show

Email Daniel at [email protected]; follow him on Twitter at @DanielHowley.

Advertisement