Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Touch

Bottom line

The Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Touch is an excellent business laptop, experts say. By adding a touch screen and Windows 8 to the longtime favorite ThinkPad X1 Carbon, Lenovo delivers an even more effortless user experience than before. However, the newer Dell Latitude 6430u (Est. $900 and up) now outperforms it in tests.

Performance

Solid, but can't match newer rivals. The Dell Latitude 6430u blows past the ThinkPad X1 Carbon Touch in professional tests; startup, spreadsheets and file transfers all get done faster with the Dell. Still, the Carbon Touch can handle any task most business users will throw at it, with a third-gen Intel Core i5 processor, 4 GB of RAM and 128 GB solid-state drive. There were no newer Haswell processors as of this update.

Battery life is just 4.5 to 5.5 hours per charge in tests while the Dell gets more than 7 hours. The Carbon Touch runs hot under load, too. Keep it off your lap, advises TheVerge.com, "unless you have some leg hair you're not fond of."

Ergonomics

Nearly flawless, but missing some ports. A touch screen makes Windows 8 much easier and faster to navigate, experts say. The Carbon Touch's works beautifully, and it adds just a few tenths of an inch and tenths of a pound to the non-touch-screen Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon (Est. $1,230 and up) . As usual for Lenovo laptops, most experts rave over the wonderful typing experience and big trackpad. Lenovo's signature pointing stick is present and accounted for, but ports are scarce. There's no optical drive, HDMI port or Ethernet jack, although Lenovo throws in a USB Ethernet dongle.

Design

"One of the best-looking laptops." All-black carbon fiber gives the ThinkPad X1 Carbon Touch a premium feel and slick look, "like something you'd see Jason Bourne open up in his getaway car," says David Pierce at TheVerge.com. "It's one of the best-looking laptops I've ever seen." Adding touch dims the matte screen a bit and makes for a slightly narrower viewing angle than with the original X1 Carbon, but it's still bright and vivid. The screen folds back flat, which can help in cramped spaces. The Carbon Touch's 1,600 by 900-pixel resolution is "the sweet spot" for 14-inch laptops, says CNET, rendering everything sharp but not too small as a full-HD screen can sometimes do. The speakers sound typically laptop-thin, but are fine for teleconferencing or playing a few tunes in your hotel room.

Support & reliability

A tradition of reliability. Lenovo has "been known for laptop reliability for so many years," PCMag.com says, and readers now rate it even higher. Its 1-year warranty is standard among laptops, but business laptops including the Dell 6430u often get a 3-year warranty. Phone support is quick and accurate, say Laptop Magazine testers after posing anonymous questions to three different Lenovo techs. If you have a question, try the phone first; Lenovo didn't always answer queries via Facebook and Twitter quickly or correctly.

Value

Best business laptop with a touch screen. Experts agree that the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Touch is the best business laptop you can buy, if you want a touch screen. Otherwise, the newer non-touch Dell Latitude 6430u delivers faster performance and better connectivity for less.