Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 11 Laptop Review: Virtual machine beast with CPU trouble

This version of Lenovo’s flagship ThinkPad, the maxed out configuration of the X1 Carbon G11, is a very peculiar device. It has a few key selling points which make it a very strong option for people who need those features. At the same time, it is definitely a flawed, unbalanced product in a few other ways.

First the good: The combination of the very lightweight and compact chassis of the X1 Carbon, its comfortable input devices and copious security and connectivity options with the additional features of 5G, a high quality OLED panel and 64 GB of RAM definitely has its merits. Especially if you take the large amount of memory in combination with the low weight, this configuration of the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 11 offers something pretty unique on the market, as many ultramobile laptops are still limited to a lower amount of RAM like 32 GB. For certain RAM heavy work-loads, this model is a great choice.

Where it falls apart is at the processor: The 64 GB of RAM are bundled with the Core i7-1370P, but this CPU is simply too much for this slender laptop to cool. Add to this the fact that Lenovo has decreased the fan speed and power limits with firmware updates – which thankfully lowers the chassis temperatures that were toasty before – and you get a really sub-par performance under sustained load. For long rendering tasks, this model is not well suited. Sadly, you have to buy this CPU if you want 64 GB of RAM.

The same is not true for the OLED screen, which does provide a great screen quality, but considerably cuts down the battery life. At least in this case, other screens are available to choose, so you can get the combination of a good battery life and 64 GB of RAM if you buy this model with the low power IPS screen instead of the OLED panel.

Low weight and 64 GB of RAM make for a great feature combination for the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 11 – though the lackluster CPU makes this device not suitable for CPU heavy workloads.

If you want 64 GB of RAM, you can also buy the HP EliteBook 845 G10. While this device does offer a much better CPU performance with its two RAM slots, it does not match the low weight of the ThinkPad X1 Carbon at all. The same is true for the Dell Latitude 9440, which also has a worse keyboard than the HP or Lenovo business laptops. It does offer convertible features though, which neither of the other two devices have.