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- Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 12
The new standard for business notebooks
Just when we thought the ThinkPad X series was starting to plateau, Lenovo released the ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 12. This much-needed refresh has put this laptop line back on the map as one of the best ultraportable notebooks.
Pros- 2.8K OLED display
- Powerful Intel Core Ultra 7 155H processor
- Upgraded ultraportable form factor
Cons- High price tag
- Not all models are released yet
MacBook Air (15-inch, 2023)
Apple design on full display
The MacBook Air is a laptop that needs no introduction. The sheer efficiency of its M2 chip combined with the MacBook Air’s ultraportable form factor have this daily driver notebook competing with machines well outside of its weight class.
Pros- Massive battery life
- Bright and colorful Liquid Retina display
- Thin and stylish aluminum frame
Cons- Only 60Hz refresh rate
- Weighs more than the X1 Carbon Gen 12
We are truly spoiled for choice when it comes to lightweight, ultraportable laptops. There are not only many great models, but also many great platforms vying for your interest. Thus, we return to an old rivalry: the high-performance Windows business machine versus the thoughtfully designed and user-friendly iOS laptop. To assess the state of this tumultuous rivalry, we’re looking at two of the best laptops of 2023: the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 12 and the MacBook Air (M2). Both are highly versatile notebooks suited to various uses, but which stands above the other regarding price, value and performance? Let’s find out.
Price, availability, and specs
Although both of these laptops were officially released in 2023, all Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 12 versions won’t be fully available until March 2024. The versions available now use Intel’s Core Ultra H series processors, while the versions launching next year will use Core Ultra U series processors. The ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 12 is available with a 14-inch display in either a 16GB DDR5 RAM / 512GB M.2 SSD version or a 32GB DDR5 RAM / 1TB M.2 SSD version. They are available with a starting MSRP of $2,989 and $3,489, respectively.
The MacBook Air (M2) has the advantage of coming in two display sizes: 13.6 inches and 15.3 inches. The 13-inch MacBook Air is available with either an 8-core GPU and a 256GB SSD or a 10-core GPU and 512GB SSD Storage for $1,099 or $1,399, respectively. The 15-inch MacBook is available with either a 256GB SSD for $1,299 or a 512GB SSD for $1,499. Each has 8GB RAM by default but also has a 16GB or 24GB option. There are also options to upgrade to a larger 1TB or 2TB hard drive for most. Yes, surprisingly, Apple represents the more affordable option here, but as we’ll see, the difference in specs explains this large price disparity.
Windows 11 MacOS Intel Core Ultra processors Apple M2 Up to 64GB LPDDR5x 8GB, 16GB, or 24GB Up to 2TB PCIe Gen 4 NVMe SSD 256GB, 512GB, 1TB, 2TB 57Whr 66.5-watt‑hour lithium‑polymer battery 14-inch, 16:10 aspect ratio, up to 2.8K OLED, 120Hz refresh rate, 400 nits, touch, DisplayHDR 500 True Black 15.3-inch Liquid Retina Display Up to 8MP MIPI Computer Vision camera with privacy shutter 1080P webcam Stereo speakers with Dolby Atmos Six speaker array Black Midnight, Starlight, Space Grey, Silver 2x Thunderbolt 4, 2x USB Type-A (3.2 Gen 1), HDMI 2.1, 3.5mm headphone jack USB-C, MagSafe, headphone jack 12.31×8.45×0.59 inches (312.8×214.75×14.96mm) 0.45 x 13.4 x 9.35 inches Starting at 2.42 pounds (1.09kg) 3.3 pounds
Design
While both laptops have attractive design qualities going for them, Apple rightfully has the upper edge in terms of form factor and aesthetic value. Design is kind of Apple’s thing, after all.
The M2 version of the MacBook Air uses the redesigned MacBook Air frame from the M1 version (released in 2022). Its edges have a sleek, modern curve, and its aluminum frame has a uniform thickness of about 0.45 inches. This makes it a bit thinner than the ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 12. As for the other dimensions, the 13-inch MacBook Air is obviously more portable than the ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 12, while the 15-inch version has a larger display.
Conversely, we could say the ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 12’s 14-inch size neatly bridges the gap between the two MacBook Air models. While it isn’t as thin as the MacBook Air, it is notably lighter than both the 13- and 15-inch models. This is likely due to its carbon fiber reinforced chassis, which is also more durable than Apple’s aluminum frame. But while the ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 12 is only available with its signature carbon finish, both MacBook Airs come in Midnight, Starlight, Space Gray, or Silver.
So, while a point could be made for the ruggedness and versatility of the ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 12’s 14-inch display, the MacBook Air is still the winner here. It is thinner and more visually stunning than the ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 12. Plus, you get either better portability or a larger display with the two size options.
Display
Source: Lenovo
Between these two laptop models, the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 12 has the better display, and it’s not even close. All versions of this laptop ship with a gorgeous 14-inch 2.8K (2880×1800) OLED display. OLED panels can achieve perfect black levels, so this display naturally outperforms the MacBook Air’s IPS panel in contrast ratio. This panel also has 100% DCI-P3 color support and HDR True Black 500 compatibility. Best of all, this panel has a 120Hz refresh rate. The only place it falls short of Apple is in the brightness category. This display has a max brightness of 400 nits while both M2 MacBook Airs have a max brightness of 500 nits.
Of course, this doesn’t mean that the MacBook Air’s Liquid Retina Display is bad, just because it is outclassed by a more expensive panel. The M2 MacBook Air has a great display that handily outperforms other panels in its price range. It is built on an IPS panel with a wide viewing angle and great color recreation. You get high native resolutions of 2880×1864 on the 15.3-inch display and 2560×1664 on the 13.6-inch display. Both have a standard 60Hz refresh rate. The Liquid Retina Display has 100% DCI-P3 color support and uses True Tone technology to adjust the display’s color temperature dynamically to match the room’s light.
Performance
Source: Lenovo
If you need a laptop for resource-intensive uses such as video editing, gaming, or machine learning, the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 12 is generally the better choice. The current version of this laptop is powered by the Intel Core Ultra 7 155H Processor, which has a total of 16 physical cores. This includes six P-cores @3.8GHz and eight E-cores @4.8GHz, which equates to a nice balance of raw multi-core performance and power efficiency. It also has an integrated 8-core Intel Arc GPU @2.30GHz, which is about as powerful as the Radeon 780M. You can run casual 3D games on low settings and even process ray tracing effects.
All this said, the 2023 MacBook Air’s processor is still a powerful SoC in its own respect. After all, Apple’s in-house components consistently earn top marks in their respective weight classes. The reason for the disparity here is that Apple has reserved its top-tier M3 Pro chip for use in its high-end MacBook Pro models, leaving the 2023 MacBook Air to use the inferior M2 chip. iOS enthusiasts could still consider the MacBook Pro if they highly value performance, but this comes with a trade-off of a higher price tag and bulkier dimensions.
Honing back in on the technical specs of the M2 chip, it is powered by eight cores @3.5GHz: four high-performance Avalanche cores, and four efficient Blizzard cores. This split allows the MacBook Air to easily multitask resource-intensive processes and ordinary usage without compromising on power consumption. The M2 chip is available with either eight or 10 GPU cores. Focusing on the 10-core configuration makes this a fairer fight, as it can run older AAA titles like Shadow of the Tomb Raider at more than 30fps.
While neither CPU is a slouch in the performance department, the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 12 is the winner here, especially when you remove budget from the equation. Plus, Lenovo will be releasing an upgraded version of the ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 12 with Core Ultra U series processors in March 2024, at which point the performance gap will realistically widen.
Battery life
Even though we haven’t yet had a chance to go hands-on with the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 12, it’s fair to assume that it won’t match the incredible power efficiency of the M2 MacBook Air. The 15-inch version of the MacBook Air performed incredibly well in our battery test when we reviewed it earlier this year. Its 66.5Wh battery ran for as long as 10 hours during real-world usage, and that was without the new battery-saving low power mode on. It charges incredibly fast, too, with the included 70W USB-C Power Adapter.
As for the ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 12, it is expected to have sufficient battery life for on-the-go use thanks to its power-efficient Intel Ultra Core processor and its 57Whr battery (the same battery used in the last two generations of this laptop). When we reviewed the X1 Carbon Gen 11, we only got around six hours of battery life, so the Gen 12 will likely also land somewhere in this ballpark. Given that this laptop’s high-resolution OLED panel could easily cancel out any power efficiency gained by the new processors, it’s safe to say that the ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 12 won’t come close to the M2 MacBook Air’s battery life. Nonetheless, we will update this post once we have more definitive data.
Which is right for you?
The Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 12 is definitely the better laptop in terms of performance and display quality, which is to be expected considering it costs almost twice as much as the priciest version of the M2 MacBook Air. However, as this side-by-side comparison reveals, there are many more factors to consider beyond the specs when choosing the right laptop for your needs. Whether you need the higher performance of the ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 12 depends largely on how you plan to use the laptop (as well as your budget). But, again, for those who have heavy performance demands, the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 12 is the go-to choice.
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 12
Editor’s choice
The ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 12 breathes new life into this popular line of ultraportable business laptops while remaining faithful to the ThinkPad lineage. Between its new ultra-efficient processors, its gorgeous OLED display, and its much-needed visual refresh, this notebook checks all the boxes.
All this said, the MacBook Air (M2, 2023) is still a great alternative for those who highly value its sleek visual style, great battery life, and intuitive iOS platform. It still holds its own in terms of processing power, and you won’t be disappointed by its Liquid Retina Display either. The MacBook Pro (M3 Pro) might still be a more apt comparison to the ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 12 in terms of performance, but the MacBook Air (M2) definitely delivers in terms of battery life and portability. Ultimately, you can’t go wrong with either laptop option.
Apple MacBook Air 15 (M2, 2023)
Great alternative
$1449 $1699 Save
$250
The MacBook Air (M2) proves that you don’t need a top-of-the-line processor to make a truly excellent daily driver laptop. It has more than enough horsepower and battery life for any use, from multitasking productivity apps to some light gaming. It is also beautifully designed, from its ultra-thin aluminum frame to its Liquid Retina Display.
** (Disclaimer: This video content is intended for educational and informational purposes only) **
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