Final Thoughts
I’ve been using the ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 9 for quite a while now, I even took it on a trip across the country with me. It was able to handle everything that I could throw at it from my daily tasks like writing articles and checking e-mails to more intensive things like photo and video editing. I was pretty impressed that I was able to easily able to edit some 4K footage I shot on my drone and export it using the ThinkPad X1 Carbon without any issues. This was the only laptop I took with me on this trip so it needed to be reliable and be able to handle what I was going to throw at it.
One thing that I was really impressed with was just how light this laptop is, at just under 2.5 lbs it is the lightest laptop that I’ve ever used! This is of course thanks to the carbon fiber and magnesium chassis. Being this light made it not much of a big deal to throw the laptop in my already heavy camera bag filled with gear. I also really like the coating on the laptop, it makes it easy to pickup and carry with you. The smaller power adapter and the fact that the adapter supports Rapid Charge is for sure a plus as well!
Being a ThinkPad we of course have that amazing keyboard, red trackpoint, and some nice security features like that Fingerprint reader, Windows Hello support, privacy shutter on the webcam, and a discrete TPM chip that stores all of your personal data. For the average user these things might not be all that important, but for business and people with sensitive data these features are must-haves.
While I do like the number of ports on this laptop (2x Thunderbolt 4, 2x USB 3.2 gen 1) it would have been nice if the USB-A ports were USB 3.2 gen 2. Not sure what the limitation was here. Also the 720p webcam on the laptop is not the best, especially considering this is a laptop made for business.
When it comes to pricing the ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 9 starts at $1475.40 which comes equipped with a Core i5-1135G7, 8GB of memory, a 256 GB PCIe SSD, and the standard 1920 x 1200 display. The highest-end model will set you back $2333.40 and has the Core i7-1185G7, 16GB of memory, a 1TB PCIe SSD, and the 3840 x 2400 display. Of course you can customize your build as well.
At the end of the day I feel like if you pick this laptop up you are going to be very happy with it. I was much happier taking it with my on my trip than my big 17-inch gaming laptop. It has enough power for most people’s needs in a thin and light form factor and is also packed with great security features. Overall ThinkComputers gives the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 9 a 9 out of 10 score and our Recommended Award!
Pros:
– Thin and light (only 2.5 lbs)
– Still the best keyboard on a laptop
– 2x Thunderbolt 4 ports
– Rapid Charge
– Long battery life
Cons:
– USB-A ports are only USB 3.2 gen 1
– 720p webcam is not the best
