ThinkPad X1 Carbon 2020 Review: Familiar business laptop with a new power adapter
Lenovo only gives its business flagship ThinkPad X1 Carbon a small update this year. The chassis is identical to the previous model and the German Lenovo shop does not list the WQHD panel anymore; customers can choose between a matte LowPower 1080p screen, a matte 1080p touchscreen, as well as a glossy 4K display. There is also a new version of the ePrivacy screen with an integrated privacy filter and an advertised brightness of up to 500 nits.
The processors are updated to Intel's Comet Lake chips (10th gen), but these CPUs were already available for the 2019 ThinkPad X1 Carbon in the U.S. in the beginning of 2020 and we have already reviewed a corresponding model. Now we want to see if there are any additional changes or if you can just get a 2019 model, which are currently sold with big discounts.
Our test sample is a Campus unit with a Core i7 processor, 16 GB RAM, 512 GB PCIe-SSD storage, and the LowPower 1080p display for 1549 Euros (~$1742, without Windows). The corresponding top seller unit for regular customers has the designation 20U90003GE and retails for 1999 Euros (~$2249) including Windows 10 Pro.
We will focus on the display as well as the new processor in our review. Please have a look at our previous reviews of the 2019 ThinkPad X1 Carbon for more details on the case, the input devices, and the speakers.
Rating | Date | Model | Weight | Height | Size | Resolution | Best Price |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
90.2 % | 07/2020 | Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon 2020-20UAS04T00 i7-10510U, UHD Graphics 620 | 1.1 kg | 14.9 mm | 14.00" | 1920x1080 | |
90.5 % | 02/2019 | HP Elitebook x360 1040 G5 i7-8650U, UHD Graphics 620 | 1.4 kg | 16.9 mm | 14.00" | 1920x1080 | |
92.1 % | 06/2020 | Apple MacBook Pro 13 2020 2GHz i5 10th-Gen i5-1038NG7, Iris Plus Graphics G7 (Ice Lake 64 EU) | 1.4 kg | 15.6 mm | 13.30" | 2560x1600 | |
87.2 % | 09/2019 | Dell Latitude 7400-8N6DH i7-8665U, UHD Graphics 620 | 1.5 kg | 18.9 mm | 14.00" | 1920x1080 | |
88.5 % | 03/2020 | Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon G7 20R1-000YUS i7-10510U, UHD Graphics 620 | 1.2 kg | 15.4 mm | 14.00" | 3840x2160 |
Case - Only visual changes for the ThinkPad
The case is basically identical to the 2019 ThinkPad X1 Carbon. Only the X1 logo on the lid is not located directly next to the ThinkPad logo and not on the opposite side anymore. The high stability and the very low weight of the 14-inch laptop (1082 grams/~2.4 lb) did not change, either, but this was not necessary. However, the smooth surfaces are still prone to fingerprints or dirt and can quickly look a bit greasy.
Connectivity - Thunderbolt 3 and USB Type-A
There are no changes in terms of ports, either. In addition to two Thunderbolt 3 ports, you get regular USB Type-A connectors, a native LAN connection (adapter included) and a full-size HDMI port. Customers still do not get a card reader.
Communication - Wi-Fi 6, but not LTE-ready
The update to Comet Lake CPUs also includes a Wi-Fi 6 module, in this case Intel's AX201. The ThinkPad can clearly beat its predecessor when it receives data in our standardized test with the router Netgear Nighthawk AX12, but the old 9560 Wi-Fi module is even a bit faster when you send files.
Similar to last year's model, you have to decide if you want LTE connectivity ahead of the purchase. It is not possible to add an LTE module later, because both the internal antennas and the SIM-card slot at the rear are missing on models without LTE from the factory.
Webcam - ThinkPad with 720p Webcam
Input Devices - ThinkPad with clattery TrackPoint buttons
After the ThinkPad X1 Carbon got thinner last year, Lenovo also had to reduce the key travel from 1.8 to 1.5 mm (0.071 to 0.059 inches). You can notice this difference and this means that the 2019 ThinkPad X1 Carbon as well as the 2020 model do not offer the best keyboard you can get in a ThinkPad anymore. Yes, we are nitpicking here, and the keyboard is still superior to many other slim business laptops, but thicker ThinkPads like the new ThinkPad T14, for example, just offer a slightly better typing experience thanks to the longer travel.
Another thing we noticed is the quality of the TrackPoint buttons. Since the 2019 model, they are completely flat and tend to clatter much faster. We once again compare it with the buttons on the ThinkPad T14, which still uses the old design with angled buttons. These are rock solid and there is no clatter whatsoever. This also results in a slight deduction in the rating and Lenovo should fix this on its flagship device.
Display - ThinkPad panels once again from multiple suppliers
Our test sample is equipped with the 14-inch LowPower 1080p screen, which is already familiar from many 2019 ThinkPads. We also know that there are at least 4 different suppliers for the panel and you just don't know which exact model you will get. There can be noticeable differences between the panels as we have found out in our big comparison.
We lost the panel lottery on our test sample of the 2020 X1 Carbon, because it uses the BOE panel, which suffers from longer response times and there is also PWM when the brightness is at 50% or lower. However, the frequency is pretty high and should not cause any problems.
We determine an average luminance of almost 400 cd/m², and in combination with the decent black value (0.27) we get a very good contrast ratio of more than 1500:1. The subjective picture impression is good, but you will notice a color cast towards blue/green if you are used to working on calibrated displays.
|
Brightness Distribution: 90 %
Center on Battery: 421 cd/m²
Contrast: 1563:1 (Black: 0.27 cd/m²)
ΔE Color 4.7 | 0.5-29.43 Ø5, calibrated: 2
ΔE Greyscale 6.4 | 0.57-98 Ø5.3
91.5% sRGB (Argyll 1.6.3 3D)
59.5% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 1.6.3 3D)
67.1% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
91.6% sRGB (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
68.9% Display P3 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
Gamma: 2.12
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon 2020-20UAS04T00 BOE NE140FHM-N61, IPS, 1920x1080, 14.00 | HP Elitebook x360 1040 G5 AU Optronics AUO533D, IPS, 1920x1080, 14.00 | Apple MacBook Pro 13 2020 2GHz i5 10th-Gen APPA03D, IPS, 2560x1600, 13.30 | Dell Latitude 7400-8N6DH AU Optronics B140HAN, IPS, 1920x1080, 14.00 | Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon G7 20R1-000YUS BOE NV140QUM-N53, IPS, 3840x2160, 14.00 | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Display | -2% | 27% | 0% | 18% | |
Display P3 Coverage | 68.9 | 64.3 -7% | 98.8 43% | 66.1 -4% | 83 20% |
sRGB Coverage | 91.6 | 94.1 3% | 99.9 9% | 95.3 4% | 99.7 9% |
AdobeRGB 1998 Coverage | 67.1 | 65.5 -2% | 86.4 29% | 67.5 1% | 83.1 24% |
Response Times | -30% | 1549% | -10% | -25% | |
Response Time Grey 50% / Grey 80% * | 64.8 ? | 70.8 ? -9% | 46 ? 29% | 62 ? 4% | 49.2 ? 24% |
Response Time Black / White * | 30.4 ? | 34.4 ? -13% | 32.4 ? -7% | 37.6 ? -24% | 32.2 ? -6% |
PWM Frequency | 2404 ? | 735 ? -69% | 113600 ? 4625% | 201.6 ? -92% | |
Screen | 12% | 29% | 5% | -13% | |
Brightness middle | 422 | 416.3 -1% | 512 21% | 289 -32% | 532 26% |
Brightness | 395 | 400 1% | 491 24% | 286 -28% | 513 30% |
Brightness Distribution | 90 | 89 -1% | 91 1% | 91 1% | 90 0% |
Black Level * | 0.27 | 0.29 -7% | 0.32 -19% | 0.16 41% | 0.41 -52% |
Contrast | 1563 | 1436 -8% | 1600 2% | 1806 16% | 1298 -17% |
Colorchecker dE 2000 * | 4.7 | 2.69 43% | 1.7 64% | 4.7 -0% | 6.88 -46% |
Colorchecker dE 2000 max. * | 10 | 4.95 50% | 3.4 66% | 8.7 13% | 12.65 -27% |
Colorchecker dE 2000 calibrated * | 2 | 2.13 -7% | 1 50% | 1.3 35% | 2.52 -26% |
Greyscale dE 2000 * | 6.4 | 2.9 55% | 1.9 70% | 6.4 -0% | 10.5 -64% |
Gamma | 2.12 104% | 2.4 92% | 2.19 100% | 2.54 87% | 1.98 111% |
CCT | 7106 91% | 6623 98% | 6817 95% | 5977 109% | 7394 88% |
Color Space (Percent of AdobeRGB 1998) | 59.5 | 60.1 1% | 77.4 30% | 61.2 3% | 74.1 25% |
Color Space (Percent of sRGB) | 91.5 | 94.5 3% | 99.9 9% | 95.1 4% | 99.7 9% |
Total Average (Program / Settings) | -7% /
2% | 535% /
297% | -2% /
2% | -7% /
-10% |
* ... smaller is better
This color cast is confirmed by our analysis with the X-Rite i1 Pro 2 spectrophotometer and the professional CalMAN software. The color temperature is also a bit too cool out of the box and the deviations for the grayscale as well as the colors are pretty high compared to the sRGB reference color space.
We can correct the color cast with our calibration, but this also affects the maximum brightness, which drops by almost 60 cd/m² in the center of the screen. Some colors are still above the deviation of 3, despite the calibration. The sRGB color gamut of the BOE panel is not bad at 91.5%, but the other display versions are better in this regard.
Display Response Times
↔ Response Time Black to White | ||
---|---|---|
30.4 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined | ↗ 10.8 ms rise | |
↘ 19.6 ms fall | ||
The screen shows slow response rates in our tests and will be unsatisfactory for gamers. In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.1 (minimum) to 240 (maximum) ms. » 80 % of all devices are better. This means that the measured response time is worse than the average of all tested devices (21.5 ms). | ||
↔ Response Time 50% Grey to 80% Grey | ||
64.8 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined | ↗ 30.8 ms rise | |
↘ 34 ms fall | ||
The screen shows slow response rates in our tests and will be unsatisfactory for gamers. In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.2 (minimum) to 636 (maximum) ms. » 97 % of all devices are better. This means that the measured response time is worse than the average of all tested devices (33.7 ms). |
Screen Flickering / PWM (Pulse-Width Modulation)
Screen flickering / PWM detected | 2404 Hz | ≤ 50 % brightness setting | |
The display backlight flickers at 2404 Hz (worst case, e.g., utilizing PWM) Flickering detected at a brightness setting of 50 % and below. There should be no flickering or PWM above this brightness setting. The frequency of 2404 Hz is quite high, so most users sensitive to PWM should not notice any flickering. In comparison: 53 % of all tested devices do not use PWM to dim the display. If PWM was detected, an average of 17908 (minimum: 5 - maximum: 3846000) Hz was measured. |
The matte screen surface obviously helps outdoors and you can still see the display contents in bright environments thanks to the good luminance. Only direct sunlight should be avoided. There is no criticism for the viewing angle stability of the IPS screen.
Performance - X1 Carbon with quad-core and PCIe-SSD
Processor - Comet Lake Core i7
Lenovo switched to Intel's Comet Lake-U chips, but they are very similar to the previous Whiskey Lake processors. There are also Comet Lake chips with vPro, which is the reason we do not get Ice Lake CPUs with faster integrated graphics adapters. The ThinkPad X1 Carbon is still shipped with LPDDR3-2133 memory. AMD Ryzen processors are not available for the ThinkPad X1 Carbon.
The Core i7-10510U (no vPro) in our unit performs well and can consume around 18 Watts under continuous workloads. All in all, the new ThinkPad is even slightly slower than the old G7 model, both with Whiskey Lake and Comet Lake. However, you will not notice this difference in practice. The processor definitely does not justify an upgrade to the new model. The performance on battery power is not reduced.
Cinebench R15: CPU Single 64Bit | CPU Multi 64Bit
Blender: v2.79 BMW27 CPU
7-Zip 18.03: 7z b 4 -mmt1 | 7z b 4
Geekbench 5.5: Single-Core | Multi-Core
HWBOT x265 Benchmark v2.2: 4k Preset
LibreOffice : 20 Documents To PDF
R Benchmark 2.5: Overall mean
Cinebench R20 / CPU (Single Core) | |
Average of class Subnotebook (216 - 738, n=64, last 2 years) | |
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon G7 20R1-000YUS | |
Dell Latitude 7400-8N6DH | |
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon 2020-20UAS04T00 | |
Apple MacBook Pro 13 2020 2GHz i5 10th-Gen | |
Average Intel Core i7-10510U (362 - 497, n=37) |
Cinebench R20 / CPU (Multi Core) | |
Average of class Subnotebook (810 - 6314, n=64, last 2 years) | |
Apple MacBook Pro 13 2020 2GHz i5 10th-Gen | |
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon G7 20R1-000YUS | |
Dell Latitude 7400-8N6DH | |
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon 2020-20UAS04T00 | |
Average Intel Core i7-10510U (1015 - 1897, n=38) |
Cinebench R15 / CPU Single 64Bit | |
Average of class Subnotebook (91.8 - 280, n=62, last 2 years) | |
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon 2020-20UAS04T00 | |
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon G7 20R1-000YUS | |
Dell Latitude 7400-8N6DH | |
Average Intel Core i7-10510U (113 - 202, n=42) | |
HP Elitebook x360 1040 G5 | |
Apple MacBook Pro 13 2020 2GHz i5 10th-Gen |
Cinebench R15 / CPU Multi 64Bit | |
Average of class Subnotebook (514 - 2581, n=70, last 2 years) | |
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon G7 20R1-000YUS | |
Apple MacBook Pro 13 2020 2GHz i5 10th-Gen | |
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon 2020-20UAS04T00 | |
Dell Latitude 7400-8N6DH | |
Average Intel Core i7-10510U (482 - 856, n=45) | |
HP Elitebook x360 1040 G5 |
Blender / v2.79 BMW27 CPU | |
Average Intel Core i7-10510U (628 - 1051, n=31) | |
Dell Latitude 7400-8N6DH | |
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon 2020-20UAS04T00 | |
Average of class Subnotebook (201 - 1600, n=66, last 2 years) | |
Apple MacBook Pro 13 2020 2GHz i5 10th-Gen |
7-Zip 18.03 / 7z b 4 -mmt1 | |
Average of class Subnotebook (2197 - 6403, n=58, last 2 years) | |
Dell Latitude 7400-8N6DH | |
Average Intel Core i7-10510U (3747 - 4981, n=31) | |
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon 2020-20UAS04T00 | |
Apple MacBook Pro 13 2020 2GHz i5 10th-Gen |
7-Zip 18.03 / 7z b 4 | |
Average of class Subnotebook (16223 - 67444, n=57, last 2 years) | |
Apple MacBook Pro 13 2020 2GHz i5 10th-Gen | |
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon 2020-20UAS04T00 | |
Dell Latitude 7400-8N6DH | |
Average Intel Core i7-10510U (12196 - 21298, n=31) |
Geekbench 5.5 / Single-Core | |
Average of class Subnotebook (672 - 2350, n=65, last 2 years) | |
Apple MacBook Pro 13 2020 2GHz i5 10th-Gen | |
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon 2020-20UAS04T00 | |
Average Intel Core i7-10510U (977 - 1287, n=31) |
Geekbench 5.5 / Multi-Core | |
Average of class Subnotebook (4274 - 12580, n=65, last 2 years) | |
Apple MacBook Pro 13 2020 2GHz i5 10th-Gen | |
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon 2020-20UAS04T00 | |
Average Intel Core i7-10510U (2474 - 4484, n=31) |
HWBOT x265 Benchmark v2.2 / 4k Preset | |
Average of class Subnotebook (1.5 - 19.4, n=56, last 2 years) | |
Apple MacBook Pro 13 2020 2GHz i5 10th-Gen | |
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon 2020-20UAS04T00 | |
Average Intel Core i7-10510U (3.41 - 6.04, n=31) | |
Dell Latitude 7400-8N6DH |
LibreOffice / 20 Documents To PDF | |
Apple MacBook Pro 13 2020 2GHz i5 10th-Gen | |
Average Intel Core i7-10510U (50.7 - 77.8, n=27) | |
Average of class Subnotebook (40.1 - 120.5, n=57, last 2 years) | |
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon 2020-20UAS04T00 |
R Benchmark 2.5 / Overall mean | |
Apple MacBook Pro 13 2020 2GHz i5 10th-Gen | |
Average Intel Core i7-10510U (0.637 - 0.81, n=28) | |
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon 2020-20UAS04T00 | |
Average of class Subnotebook (0.4397 - 1.236, n=57, last 2 years) |
* ... smaller is better
System Performance
The ThinkPad X1 Carbon runs very well and we did not notice any problems. The benchmark results are also very good and the ThinkPad can beat the other comparison devices in the synthetic benchmarks.
PCMark 8 Home Score Accelerated v2 | 4251 points | |
PCMark 8 Creative Score Accelerated v2 | 5447 points | |
PCMark 8 Work Score Accelerated v2 | 5296 points | |
PCMark 10 Score | 4527 points | |
Help |
DPC-Latency - ThinkPad without problems
Our DPC test (including web browsing, 4K YouTube playback, Prime95) does not show any spikes, so the device is also suited for real-time audio applications.
DPC Latencies / LatencyMon - interrupt to process latency (max), Web, Youtube, Prime95 | |
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon 2020-20UAS04T00 |
* ... smaller is better
Storage Devices - Fast NVMe-SSD
The ThinkPad X1 Carbon has one M.2-2280 slot (PCIe-x4 3.0), which is equipped with a fast 512 GB NVMe-SSD from Samsung (PM981a) in our case. You can use around 441 GB after the Windows installation. Devices with preloaded Windows will have less free capacity due to the recovery partition.
The performance of the Samsung SSD is very good, and you would require a device with a newer PCIe-4.0 slot for higher transfer rates. The ThinkPad also has a free M.2-2242 slot, but this is reserved for the WWAN module. You cannot use an additional SSD according to Lenovo's spec sheet.
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon 2020-20UAS04T00 Samsung SSD PM981a MZVLB512HBJQ | HP Elitebook x360 1040 G5 Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB512HAJQ | Apple MacBook Pro 13 2020 2GHz i5 10th-Gen Apple SSD SM0512F | Dell Latitude 7400-8N6DH Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB512HAJQ | Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon G7 20R1-000YUS WDC PC SN730 SDBPNTY-512G | Average Samsung SSD PM981a MZVLB512HBJQ | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
CrystalDiskMark 5.2 / 6 | -8% | -39% | -12% | -1% | 2% | |
Write 4K | 185 | 122.7 -34% | 28.16 -85% | 118.6 -36% | 151.5 -18% | 140.8 ? -24% |
Read 4K | 50.6 | 46.57 -8% | 17.5 -65% | 44.68 -12% | 45.83 -9% | 48.6 ? -4% |
Write Seq | 1543 | 1725 12% | 1195 -23% | 1866 21% | 2060 34% | 2106 ? 36% |
Read Seq | 1509 | 2392 59% | 1470 -3% | 2173 44% | 1973 31% | 2099 ? 39% |
Write 4K Q32T1 | 488.8 | 470.6 -4% | 205 -58% | 330.9 -32% | 489.8 0% | 451 ? -8% |
Read 4K Q32T1 | 579 | 313.2 -46% | 692 20% | 343.1 -41% | 386.2 -33% | 482 ? -17% |
Write Seq Q32T1 | 2986 | 1869 -37% | 1475 -51% | 1927 -35% | 2703 -9% | 2903 ? -3% |
Read Seq Q32T1 | 3555 | 3380 -5% | 1920 -46% | 3528 -1% | 3376 -5% | 3511 ? -1% |
AS SSD | -24% | -127% | -31% | -49% | -21% | |
Seq Read | 2659 | 1816 -32% | 1300 -51% | 2381 -10% | 1786 -33% | 2412 ? -9% |
Seq Write | 2551 | 1270 -50% | 1518 -40% | 1290 -49% | 1259 -51% | 1983 ? -22% |
4K Read | 56.4 | 46.25 -18% | 14.09 -75% | 52 -8% | 45.86 -19% | 53.1 ? -6% |
4K Write | 158 | 104.1 -34% | 24.25 -85% | 134.8 -15% | 147.9 -6% | 131.1 ? -17% |
4K-64 Read | 1317 | 1342 2% | 725 -45% | 530 -60% | 885 -33% | 1201 ? -9% |
4K-64 Write | 1786 | 1209 -32% | 169.6 -91% | 1177 -34% | 950 -47% | 1726 ? -3% |
Access Time Read * | 0.047 | 0.043 9% | 0.172 -266% | 0.05 -6% | 0.058 -23% | 0.05525 ? -18% |
Access Time Write * | 0.024 | 0.035 -46% | 0.155 -546% | 0.032 -33% | 0.074 -208% | 0.05394 ? -125% |
Score Read | 1640 | 1569 -4% | 869 -47% | 820 -50% | 1110 -32% | 1495 ? -9% |
Score Write | 2199 | 1440 -35% | 346 -84% | 1441 -34% | 1224 -44% | 2055 ? -7% |
Score Total | 4682 | 3790 -19% | 1667 -64% | 2652 -43% | 2885 -38% | 4303 ? -8% |
Copy ISO MB/s | 2034 | 1719 | 1384 | 1894 ? | ||
Copy Program MB/s | 450.3 | 499.6 | 525 | 539 ? | ||
Copy Game MB/s | 1024 | 1091 | 1008 | 1193 ? | ||
Total Average (Program / Settings) | -16% /
-17% | -83% /
-90% | -22% /
-23% | -25% /
-29% | -10% /
-11% |
* ... smaller is better
Dauerleistung Lesen: DiskSpd Read Loop, Queue Depth 8
GPU Performance - Old UHD Graphics
The Comet Lake processors of the current ThinkPad X1 Carbon are still equipped with the old UHD Graphics 620. The iGPU can handle everyday office tasks and even multimedia applications (4K video playback, video editing via QuickSync) with ease, but it is too slow for gaming.
Thanks to the dual-channel memory configuration, the performance of the iGPU is very good, but the overall performance level is still very low. The newer iGPU from the Ice Lake CPUs is more than twice as fast. The graphics performance of the X1 Carbon is stable and is not reduced on battery, either. Still, the ThinkPad is hardly suited for gaming, only very simple or old titles will run smoothly at low details.
3DMark 11 Performance | 2240 points | |
3DMark Ice Storm Standard Score | 71820 points | |
3DMark Cloud Gate Standard Score | 9816 points | |
3DMark Fire Strike Score | 1239 points | |
3DMark Time Spy Score | 497 points | |
Help |
low | med. | high | ultra | 4K | |
The Witcher 3 (2015) | 18.2 | 12.1 | |||
Dota 2 Reborn (2015) | 85.8 | 49.6 | 23 | 20.2 | 7.3 |
X-Plane 11.11 (2018) | 13.9 | 10.3 | 10.9 | 6.59 | |
Far Cry 5 (2018) | 16 | ||||
F1 2019 (2019) | 30 | 12 |
Emissions
System Noise - X1 Carbon with quiet fan
The 8th generation of the ThinkPad X1 Carbon is once again a very quiet companion. There are basically three fan speeds, but the first one is hardly audible from a normal sitting distance at 30.2 dB(A). If you stress the device, it will result in 31.6 dB(A) or up to 33.9 dB(A), which is pretty much identical to the 2019 predecessor. The quiet murmur is not annoying and we did not hear any other electronic sounds from our test unit, either.
Noise Level
Idle |
| 29.5 / 29.5 / 29.5 dB(A) |
Load |
| 31.6 / 33.9 dB(A) |
| ||
30 dB silent 40 dB(A) audible 50 dB(A) loud |
||
min: , med: , max: Audix TM1, Arta (15 cm distance) environment noise: 29.5 dB(A) |
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon 2020-20UAS04T00 UHD Graphics 620, i7-10510U, Samsung SSD PM981a MZVLB512HBJQ | HP Elitebook x360 1040 G5 UHD Graphics 620, i7-8650U, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB512HAJQ | Apple MacBook Pro 13 2020 2GHz i5 10th-Gen Iris Plus Graphics G7 (Ice Lake 64 EU), i5-1038NG7, Apple SSD SM0512F | Dell Latitude 7400-8N6DH UHD Graphics 620, i7-8665U, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB512HAJQ | Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon G7 20R1-000YUS UHD Graphics 620, i7-10510U, WDC PC SN730 SDBPNTY-512G | Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon 2019-20QE000VGE UHD Graphics 620, i7-8665U, WDC PC SN720 SDAQNTW-512G | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Noise | 1% | -6% | 0% | -2% | 3% | |
off / environment * | 29.5 | 28.3 4% | 29.6 -0% | 28.6 3% | 28.2 4% | 28.4 4% |
Idle Minimum * | 29.5 | 28.3 4% | 29.6 -0% | 28.6 3% | 28.2 4% | 28.4 4% |
Idle Average * | 29.5 | 28.3 4% | 29.6 -0% | 28.6 3% | 28.2 4% | 28.4 4% |
Idle Maximum * | 29.5 | 28.3 4% | 29.6 -0% | 29.1 1% | 29.4 -0% | 28.6 3% |
Load Average * | 31.6 | 32.6 -3% | 34.4 -9% | 31.5 -0% | 31.5 -0% | 31.5 -0% |
Load Maximum * | 33.9 | 36.6 -8% | 42.1 -24% | 36.9 -9% | 41.2 -22% | 33.1 2% |
Witcher 3 ultra * | 36.1 |
* ... smaller is better
Temperature
The quiet fan in combination with the slim chassis results in a warm base unit under load. We measure slightly more than 45 °C (113 °F) in the central area (top and bottom), so you should not rest the device on your lap in this scenario. You will also get warm fingers during typing, but there are no limitations and the palm rests also stay cool all the time. The surface temperatures in everyday situations are no problem.
Similar to pure CPU load, the processor performance fluctuates during our stress test. The average values after 80 minutes are: 4x 1.1 GHz CPU, 833 MHz GPU, 82 °C (179.6 °F) SoC temperature, and 19W power consumption (CPU).
(-) The maximum temperature on the upper side is 45.2 °C / 113 F, compared to the average of 35.9 °C / 97 F, ranging from 21.4 to 59 °C for the class Subnotebook.
(-) The bottom heats up to a maximum of 45.7 °C / 114 F, compared to the average of 39.4 °C / 103 F
(+) In idle usage, the average temperature for the upper side is 24.1 °C / 75 F, compared to the device average of 30.7 °C / 87 F.
(+) The palmrests and touchpad are cooler than skin temperature with a maximum of 28.8 °C / 83.8 F and are therefore cool to the touch.
(±) The average temperature of the palmrest area of similar devices was 28.3 °C / 82.9 F (-0.5 °C / -0.9 F).
Energy Management - ThinkPad with long battery runtime
Power Consumption
Our consumption measurements do not reveal any surprises with very efficient ~3W up to 9.1W while idling with the maximum level of the keyboard illumination. The latter increases the consumption by almost 2W, so you should only use the first level of the keyboard illumination for longer battery runtimes, which is much more efficient at ~0.2W.
The maximum consumption of the X1 Carbon is 65.1W during the stress test, which is at the limit of the power adapter. However, the value quickly drops and then fluctuates between 31-40W similar to the CPU clock. This means the new and more compact PSU is sufficient.
Off / Standby | 0.5 / 0.69 Watt |
Idle | 2.96 / 5.9 / 9.1 Watt |
Load |
42.1 / 65.1 Watt |
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon 2020-20UAS04T00 i7-10510U, UHD Graphics 620, Samsung SSD PM981a MZVLB512HBJQ, IPS, 1920x1080, 14.00 | HP Elitebook x360 1040 G5 i7-8650U, UHD Graphics 620, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB512HAJQ, IPS, 1920x1080, 14.00 | Apple MacBook Pro 13 2020 2GHz i5 10th-Gen i5-1038NG7, Iris Plus Graphics G7 (Ice Lake 64 EU), Apple SSD SM0512F, IPS, 2560x1600, 13.30 | Dell Latitude 7400-8N6DH i7-8665U, UHD Graphics 620, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB512HAJQ, IPS, 1920x1080, 14.00 | Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon G7 20R1-000YUS i7-10510U, UHD Graphics 620, WDC PC SN730 SDBPNTY-512G, IPS, 3840x2160, 14.00 | Average Intel UHD Graphics 620 | Average of class Subnotebook | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Power Consumption | 1% | -22% | -6% | -31% | 0% | -26% | |
Idle Minimum * | 2.96 | 2.7 9% | 3.8 -28% | 3.9 -32% | 3.5 -18% | 3.81 ? -29% | 4.86 ? -64% |
Idle Average * | 5.9 | 6.5 -10% | 8.6 -46% | 6.1 -3% | 10.8 -83% | 6.94 ? -18% | 8.31 ? -41% |
Idle Maximum * | 9.1 | 11.5 -26% | 10.3 -13% | 8.2 10% | 12.5 -37% | 8.75 ? 4% | 10.4 ? -14% |
Load Average * | 42.1 | 38.7 8% | 52.1 -24% | 41 3% | 47.2 -12% | 35 ? 17% | 46.3 ? -10% |
Load Maximum * | 65.1 | 50.5 22% | 65.2 -0% | 69.7 -7% | 68.8 -6% | 47.5 ? 27% | 66.7 ? -2% |
Witcher 3 ultra * | 48.2 |
* ... smaller is better
Battery Runtime - Small improvements
The 51 Wh battery did not change and we see slight improvements in terms of battery runtime compared to the predecessor with the LowPower 1080p panel. Our practical Wi-Fi test at a brightness of 150 nits runs for little more than 10 hours, and still more than 8 hours at the maximum luminance. The slim ThinkPad even lasts almost 13 hours in our video test.
A full recharge of the battery takes 111 minutes when the device is turned on; 50% of the capacity is recharged at around 30 minutes.
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon 2020-20UAS04T00 i7-10510U, UHD Graphics 620, 51 Wh | HP Elitebook x360 1040 G5 i7-8650U, UHD Graphics 620, 56 Wh | Apple MacBook Pro 13 2020 2GHz i5 10th-Gen i5-1038NG7, Iris Plus Graphics G7 (Ice Lake 64 EU), 58 Wh | Dell Latitude 7400-8N6DH i7-8665U, UHD Graphics 620, 60 Wh | Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon G7 20R1-000YUS i7-10510U, UHD Graphics 620, 51 Wh | Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon 2019-20QES01L00 i7-8565U, UHD Graphics 620, 51 Wh | Average of class Subnotebook | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Battery Runtime | 50% | 5% | 25% | -1% | -13% | 9% | |
H.264 | 770 | 687 -11% | 862 12% | 688 -11% | 794 ? 3% | ||
WiFi v1.3 | 604 | 623 3% | 728 21% | 696 15% | 598 -1% | 562 -7% | 629 ? 4% |
Load | 95 | 187 97% | 141 48% | 76 -20% | 115.4 ? 21% | ||
Reader / Idle | 1673 | 1252 ? |
Pros
Cons
Verdict - Minor update without any real benefits
After the ThinkPad X1 Carbon got a major update last year, customers only get a minor update this time. Some regions already got the Comet Lake processor in the 2019 G7 generation; the 8th generation of the X1 Carbon now uses new processors in every region. However, the differences in terms of processor as well as graphics performance are basically non-existent and do not justify an upgrade. The only real advantage is the new Wi-Fi 6 module.
Even though there are no major upgrades, the ThinkPad X1 Carbon is still a very good business laptop with an extremely light and sturdy chassis. However, there are still the same issues like the panel lottery for the LowPower 1080p screens. The keyboard is also a bit worse since the chassis update last year. This is moaning on a high level, but the flagship ThinkPad does not offer the best keyboard anymore; thicker machines (like the T-series) have an advantage in this respect.
Lenovo does not use AMD processors for the X1-series, so the switch to the 8th generation is just a minor update. It is still a very good business laptop, but Lenovo's new ThinkPad T14s (including AMD SoCs) could be the biggest competitor.
So is it worth upgrading? The only real advantages compared to the 2019 model are the Wi-Fi 6 module as well as the slightly smaller power adapter, but this hardly justifies an upgrade. We are also eager to get our hands on the new ThinkPad T14s. It gets a new chassis and should be even closer to the X1 Carbon, but Lenovo will also sell models with AMD CPUs in addition to Intel SKUs. If we look at the first results of the inexpensive ThinkPad E15 with the AMD 4000 CPU, the AMD T14s should offer much more performance than the X1 Carbon.
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon 2020-20UAS04T00
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07/01/2020 v7
Andreas Osthoff