It is a sub-series of the ThinkPad X series designed to be extra premium with material that make them lighter and portable,[1] having been originally classed as Ultrabooks.

[7] In November 2012, Lenovo announced a touch-screen variant called the ThinkPad X1 Carbon Touch designed for use with Windows 8.

We also found that the solid-state drive delivers equally strong read and write speeds (551 MB/s and 518 MB/s, respectively),[8] which we noticed the last time we tested an Ultrabook with an Intel SSD. "

Base configuration uses an Intel Sandy Bridge 2.5 GHz Core i5-2520M (up to 3.20 GHz) with 4 GiB of RAM (up to 8 GiB), SATA SSD or hard drive, Intel Integrated HD Graphics, USB 3.0, backlit keyboard, 802.11 b/g/n WiFi and an average of eight hours of battery life.

The X1 Carbon requires the use of a dongle to access wired Ethernet and some models include 3G or 4G cellular modems.

[15] In November 2012, Lenovo announced a touch-screen variant called the ThinkPad X1 Carbon Touch designed for use with Windows 8.

With a slightly boosted battery and maybe a lower starting price, this could be a serious contender for my all-around favorite thin laptop.

"[6] In another review for CNET, Nicholas Aaron Khoo wrote, "For this geek, there are many things to like about this 14-inch (1600x900 HD+) Ultrabook when it comes to usability when traveling on economy class.

Unlike it's [sic] poorer cousin, the Lenovo IdeaPad U410, it is able to go into hibernate mode without having the user jump through hoops to enable it.

We also found that the solid-state drive delivers equally strong read and write speeds (551 MB/s and 518 MB/s, respectively), which we noticed the last time we tested an Ultrabook with an Intel SSD.

"[20] In a review for Engadget, Dana Wollman wrote, "Starting with ergonomics, this has one of the best keyboard / touchpad combinations we've seen on a laptop, and that's not even counting that signature red pointing stick.

"[20] In its review of the X1 Carbon Touch, Wired wrote, "Lenovo also hasn't forgotten about the things that users actually care about.

In its final verdict Wired stated that an "Excellent combination of performance, portability, and durability" and "the best keyboard going" make the Touch 'Wired.

"[21] The 2014 X1 Carbon features a 4th generation Intel processor and an "Adaptive Keyboard" touch bar where the function keys are normally located.

[27] In a review for Laptop Magazine, Mark Spoonauer wrote, "The ThinkPad X1 Carbon is easily one of the best business ultraportables available.

While on the pricey side, the $1,754 configuration I reviewed delivers everything I want in a laptop: long battery life, a comfortable typing experience and strong overall performance.

However, the lack of an SD card slot is annoying, and I wish the 14-inch display were as bright as it is sharp[27] In January 2016 at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES), Lenovo presented their fourth generation X1 Carbon.

[30] The ThinkPad X1 Tablet is a modular device that uses what Lenovo calls an "Ultra Connect" system to tie together removable modules such as an extra battery pack, a pico projector, a 3D camera, a detachable keyboard, etc.

The X1 tablet is powered by an Intel Core m7 processor paired with up to 16 GiB of memory and solid state drives up to 1 TiB in capacity.

Also, in contrast to the regular 14-inch ThinkPad X series models, the X1 Extreme has user-upgradable RAM and the full-power HQ-series mobile Intel CPUs.

3840 × 2160 IPS Touch In January 2019 at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES), Lenovo announced their seventh generation X1 Carbon, weighing 1.08 kilograms (2.4 lb).

3840 × 2160 OLED Touch In January 2020 at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES), Lenovo announced their eighth generation X1 Carbon.

[citation needed] In January 2021 at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES), Lenovo announced their ninth generation X1 Carbon.

[59] A 5th generation became available in June 2022 [60][61] Lenovo introduced the new ThinkPad X1 Fold 16 laptop, and it began shipping in November.

Anti-glare, Anti-reflection, anti-smudge: 2160 × 1350 IPS Touch A twelfth generation X1 Carbon was announced by Lenovo in December 2023.

The second hardware-button activates the Lenovo Aura Experience which helps sharing content between devices and more.