Lenovo Unveils Ultra-Light ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 13 with Intel Lunar Lake

Lenovo's Lunar Lake-powered X1 Carbon Aura Edition weighs just 2.16 pounds

At IFA 2024, Lenovo is bringing Intel's Lunar Lake CPUs to its flagship ThinkPad, while chopping off a lot of the laptop's weight. The ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 13 Aura Edition tips the scales at just 2.16 pounds, which is quite a bit lighter than its 2.42-pound predecessor. Available in November for a starting price of $1,999, this super-slim 14-inch laptop promises an AI-enhanced user experience, long battery life, and plenty of performance and flexibility. Designed to compete with the best ultrabooks, the X1 Carbon (Gen 13) has the word "Aura" in its name, because Lenovo is starting its Aura program, in which the company worked with Intel to add a few extra utilities that enhance the user experience. Along with the X1 Carbon (Gen 13) Lenovo's new Yoga Slim 7i is also an Aura Edition laptop. Both Auras have three major features: In addition to these Aura AI features, the X1 Carbon (Gen 13) will have the Copilot+ PC experiences that Microsoft has made available on Qualcomm Snapdragon-powered laptops. These include live captions, Windows Studio Effects for your webcam and Cocreator, a text-to-image feature of Windows Paint. The X1 Carbon comes with one of Intel's new Intel Core Ultra (Series 2) processors, otherwise known as Lunar Lake. It will be available with up to a Core Ultra 9 CPU (no word on the bottom end, but we expect Core Ultra 7 and Ultra 5 SKUs) with up to 32GB of RAM and up to a 2TB SSD. According to the spec sheet, we saw it will only be available with a 2.8K OLED panel, but if it's like other ThinkPad X1 Carbons, it will probably also be available with lower-end displays that use less power. As on the ThinkPad X1 Carbon (Gen 12), there will be a haptic touchpad option. According to Lenovo, the X1 Carbon and its 57 Whr battery (same capacity as prior models) will last up to 18 hours on a charge. Power efficiency is a key selling point for Lunar Lake processors as is AI prowess. Lunar Lake CPUs have built-in NPUs that can go as high as 48 TOPS while their Arc graphics can achieve as much as 67 TOPS. The DDR5 RAM is built onto the package, which allows Intel to achieve greater power efficiency and performance. The X1 Carbon (Gen 13) will come standard with Wi-Fi 7 and will have optional 5G connectivity. Like prior ThinkPad X1 Carbons, it will have two Thunderbolt 4 Type-C ports along with two USB Type-A ports and a full-size HDMI out. In addition to the X1 Carbon, Lenovo took the wraps off one additional ThinkPad and a pair of ThinkBooks. Due out in October for a starting price of $1,699, the T14s Gen 6is powered by an AMD Ryzen AI chip. It has up to 64GB of RAM - Intel Lunar Lake laptops top out at 64GB - and it weighs a mere 2.86 pounds. Its 14-inch screen will be available in two varieties, both with 1920 x 1200 resolutions but with a wider sRGB color gamut on the higher-end model. The T14s Gen 6promises 17 hours of endurance with its 58 Whr battery. It also has a full array of ports, including dual Thunderbolt 4 ports and two USB Type-A ports. For small business users who want something a little less expensive or just don't like the ThinkPad aesthetic, Lenovo's ThinkBooks fit the bill. The company has announced two new 16-inch models, the ThinkBook 16 Gen 7 and Gen 7+. Due out in October for a starting price of $749, the ThinkBook Gen 7 is powered by Qualcomm's new 8-core Snapdragon X Plus CPU, which delivers up to 45 TOPS with its NPU. It weighs a hefty 4.02 pounds but is a modest 0.66 inches thick, which leaves plenty of room for two USB-C ports, two USB Type-A ports and HDMI out. It offers up to 32GB of RAM and screens in 1920 x 1200 or 2560 x 1600 resolutions. Lenovo claims that it will get "multi-day" battery life with its 84 WHr battery. The ThinkBook Gen 7+ will not come out in North America, but it will have an AMD Ryzen AI 9 365 processor, up to 32GB of RAM and a 3.2K, 165 Hz screen with a wide color gamut. It tips the scales at 4.19 pounds and packs in several ports including a single USB 4 Type-C connector that's Thunderbolt 4 certified.

First Look: Lenovo's ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 13 Adds 'Lunar Lake' & Lightens Up

I'm one of the consumer PC experts at PCMag, with a particular love for PC gaming. I've played games on my computer for as long as I can remember, which eventually (as it does for many) led me to building and upgrading my own desktop. Through my years here, I've tested and reviewed many, many dozens of laptops and desktops, and I am always happy to recommend a PC for your needs and budget. Lenovo had plenty of PCs to show off at IFA this year, and two AI-software-enhanced laptops -- featuring new "Aura Edition" branding and Intel's up-to-the-second silicon -- particularly caught our eye. In a private meeting before the announcements, Lenovo gave us a peek at AI-driven software features that will debut on these two laptops: the ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 13 Aura Edition, and the Yoga Slim 7i 15-Inch Aura Edition. The Aura suite includes toggle-able modes to adjust settings and ease workflows, access superior support options, and even tap-to-share photos between your phone and the laptop. These two laptops are halo products within Lenovo's stack, launched with the "Aura" in their names to highlight the new feature set. (Aura features will likely roll out to other machines in the future.) Watch the video above to learn more about these features and see them in action. We have additional details and specs below. What's Lenovo's 'Aura Edition' All About? The Aura feature set has three core categories: Smart Modes, Smart Share, and Smart Care. Smart Modes is the widest-ranging category, consisting of several features you can toggle on and off. Within Smart Mode, the Attention settings allow you to lock off certain websites to drown out distractions and set a timer to enable you to focus on your work. Smart Mode also includes a set of so-called Wellness features for eye care and posture warnings, plus slider on/off Shield settings for privacy alerts, VPN activation, and other security-centric functions. The next core is Smart Share, a unique AI feature powered by technology from Elliptic Labs. Through the Intel Unison technology and Elliptic's software, you can send photos from your phone to your PC just by tapping the phone against the side of the screen. You can see this in action in our video above. Even if you have other ways to transfer photos, this looks like it will be snap-simple and won't automatically share photos you didn't need to send. (Plus, it just feels futuristic.) I spoke to an Elliptic representative for some background. In this Smart Share implementation, the AI company's technology is entirely software-based, using sensors already existing in PC hardware to perform the desired functions. The software can detect the presence and motion of the phone, focusing on non-optical sensors for privacy. Unison is the avenue for this particular function, but since Elliptic doesn't require specialized hardware, you'll find other use cases. Elliptic has software on 500 million devices and has worked with Lenovo since 2019. The company is based in Norway, with offices around the world. The final portion of the Aura set is Smart Care, which pertains to warranty and customer support. Through a widget, you can access better-than-typical device and warranty information, get real-time support and troubleshooting from Lenovo technicians, and more. That's not as exciting as the tap-to-transfer stuff, perhaps, but useful. Meet the Laptops: Lenovo's ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 13 & Yoga Slim 7i Aura Editions As mentioned, these laptops would be noteworthy in their own right. Not only are these premium systems within Lenovo's stack -- the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon is consistently one of our highest-rated laptops -- but these models will run on Intel's new "Lunar Lake" Core Ultra 2-series processors. While these chips are not available yet (the first Lunar Lake laptops launch on Sept. 24), we've been reporting on Lunar Lake chips long before today. (Hit the link for a deep dive.) These are Intel's first generation of genuinely AI-ready chips, with the muscle and trillions of operations per second (TOPS) rating to qualify for Microsoft's Copilot+ PC program. Like the "Meteor Lake" platform before them, these chips include neural processing units (NPUs) on the chip die for handling local AI workloads; the Meteor Lake chips had far lower TOPS ratings, however. First, the X1 Carbon Aura Edition. This ThinkPad X1 Carbon's Gen 13 model is thinner and lighter than before, which is saying something. It weighs just 2.16 pounds and measures 0.58 inch at its thickest point. The laptop also flaunts a 14-inch 2.8K OLED display, a webcam privacy shutter, and the quality keyboard and build we're used to. Inside, the machine packs an Intel Core Ultra 9 Lunar Lake processor (the exact chip name has not been disclosed, but it's capable of 48 TOPS), up to 32GB of memory, and as much as 2TB of storage. This is a laptop for power users and executives, supplying more performance than the average ThinkPad. It supports Wi-Fi 7 for wireless connectivity, plus Thunderbolt 4 through its two USB Type-C ports. Two USB Type-A ports and an HDMI port are also on hand. The ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 13 Aura Edition will launch in November in models starting at $1,999. The Yoga Slim 7i Aura Edition, shown above, has a lower power ceiling, but it is still a premium machine aimed at users looking for more performance. This is a 15-inch laptop with a 2.8K LCD screen, though you'll also find an OLED upgrade option. It weighs 3.2 pounds, notably heavier than the X1 Carbon, but it's just about as thick. The processor is an Intel Core Ultra 7 258V chip (eight cores, capable of 48 TOPS), paired with 32GB of memory and a 1TB SSD. You'll also find two Thunderbolt 4 ports, a USB Type-A port, and an HDMI connection. The Yoga Slim 7i Aura Edition will launch this month, starting at $1,299. Stay tuned for full reviews of both laptops later this year.

The New ThinkPad X1 Carbon Has a 2.8k OLED and Intel's Latest CPU

Lenovo just announced ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 13 Aura Edition, featuring Intel's fastest Core Ultra Series 2 processor. The chip enables advanced on-device AI experiences. And the notebook itself has a slim and sleek design. The second-generation Intel Core Ultra 9 is at the heart of ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 13 Aura Edition. It works with up to 32GB of fast LPDDR5 memory and up to 2TB PCIe Gen 5 SSD storage. Lenovo's internal testing shows that the 57 Wh battery (which is user-replaceable) powering this laptop can last over 18 hours. The battery gains come from the stellar performance of the Core Ultra 9 processor, which Lenovo says consumes 25% less power. At 2.16 pounds (980g), the X1 Carbon Gen 13 Aura Edition is incredibly lightweight, measuring 312.8 x 2.75 x 8.08-14.37 mm. It comes in a single Eclipse Black shade. The "Aura Edition" here refers to the AI experiences that Lenovo has packed into this laptop, including Smart Modes and Smart Share. Smart Modes automatically detect when you're on insecure Wi-Fi and connect you to a VPN, intelligently silence notifications to keep you focused, remind you to take breaks when you've been working too long, and enhance meetings with optimized webcam performance. Smart Share lets you drag and drop files between your computer and phone with a single tap. Close The X1 Carbon Gen 13 Aura Edition has a dedicated key to launch Copilot+ PC features too. But it's not available right out of the box because Lenovo is planning on activating it later in the year through updates (Microsoft is still ironing out the kinks). Live Captions, Recall, Cocreator, and Window Studio Effects are some of the features bundled in Copilot+ PC. Some of these AI features are powered by the dedicated NPU inside the Intel Core Ultra 9, clocking in at 48 TOPS. We're looking at a 14-inch 2.8K OLED anti-glare Dolby certified screen with a smooth 120Hz refresh rate. Dolby certified dual speakers and a dual microphone array are also onboard. The HD webcam has a privacy shutter, alongside an IR camera that powers face unlocking. You can configure the touchpad to respond with haptic feedback. Power users will appreciate the two Thunderbolt 4, two USB-A, one HDMI 2.1, and an audio jack port array. The ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 13 Aura Edition is expected to be available later this month, from Lenovo's online store and third-party retailers, with a starting price of $1299. Source: Lenovo