Lenovo X1 Carbon (2017) -v- Macbook Pro nTB (2016)
I had the Macbook Pro nTB for about 3 months after it was initially released. I sold it and recently purchased a Lenovo X1 Carbon 5th Gen (2017).. The comparison won’t be fair in some areas due to the X1’s configuration but the key thing to remember is that I paid the same price (give or take a few $$) for them both.
Macbook Pro nTB (2016) = $1499
Lenovo X1 Carbon 5th Gen (2017) = $1575**
Build quality:
Macbook Pro: 9/10
X1 Carbon: 9/10
I rate this as a tie for a few reasons. The X1 Carbon is well built and it even has a roll cage inside to protect the machine components. It has also passed like 200 military level tests for abuse. The Macbook Pro is without a doubt the better-looking machine. It’s clean and sexy looking! You can’t go wrong with either.
The X1C, while maintaining similar build quality is also almost a half a pound lighter. The Macbook Pro weighs about 3 pounds while the X!C weighs in at about 2.50 pounds..
Specs / bang for the buck:
Macbook Pro: 6/10
X1 Carbon: 9/10
It’s not even close here. The X1 Carbon demolishes the Macbook Pro. The specs are overall much better, it has twice the RAM, twice the SSD space and a much better warranty. The Macbook Pro I had came with 2 USB C ports and a head phone jack. The X1 Carbon has 2ea USB C, 2ea USB A, a full-size HDMI, an R45, a headphone jack and an SD card slot.
Performance:
Macbook Pro: 8.5/10
X1 Carbon: 9/10
The X1C flat out screams through everything. It’s fast and snappy. On my Macbook Pro I would often get the dreaded beachball and the transitions and animations would sometimes lag. None of that on the X!C under Windows 10 or Ubuntu.
Geekbench:
Macbook Pro: 3,691 & 7,148
X1 Carbon: 4,139 & 8,311
SSD Read and Write:
Macbook Pro Read 1345 and Write 1320
X1 Carbon: Read 1827 and Write 1387
Those are just a few and I could have gone on. All in all they are fairly close in most benchmarks but the X1C gets the edge for me at least as it just feels smoother and snappier than the macbook Pro did.
Keyboard:
Macbook Pro 7/10
X1 Carbon 10/10
It’s not even close here. The X!C flat out demolishes the KB on the Macbook Pro. The X1C is very comfortable to type on and I can blaze along with minimal errors. Key travel and feel of the keys is top notch! If there is one thing Lenovo is renowned for, it’s their keyboards.
The KB on the Macbook Pro is not terrible but it’s not good either. Some love it, some hate and some just tolerate it. I liked it well enough during my time with it but I did have the sticky key issues that many others face with the machine.
Trackpad:
Macbook Pro 10/10
X1 Carbon 8.5/10
Macbooks are well known for their trackpads and it easily wins here. The Macbook Pro trackpad is the best, hands down, and no one can even come close… The trackpad on the X1C is very good for a Windows machine, where most have average (at best) trackpads. The X1C has an above average trackpad in that regard. It also has the nub and trackpoint which some (me) love and use.
Screen / display:
Macbook Pro 9.5/10
X1 Carbon 8/10
The display on the Macbook is top notch, no doubt about it. It’s crisp, clear and has above average brightness. My X1C has the 1080p screen which I am fine with. It is also crisp and clear but not as visually stunning as the Macbook Pro. Windows also still has issues with scaling so I prefer a FHD screen for Windows use.
The X1C has a 14” screen as opposed to the 13.3” on the Macbook Pro. The X1C manages to cram the 14” screen into the body of a 13” laptop due to its reduced bezels.
Sound:
Macbook Pro 10/10
X1 Carbon 8/10
The Macbook Pro excels here. Sound from my Macbook was crystal clear and lound. It was amazingly good, almost great! Sound from the X1C is pretty good but nowhere even close to the Macbook Pro. I don’t have any issue with sound from the X1C but there is no doubt the Macbook Pro rules this area.
Battery Life:
Macbook Pro 7/10
X1C Windows 8.5/10
X1C Linux 9/10
With my nTB Macbook I was getting about 6 to 7 hours of battery life. This was before Apple sent out the fix so maybe it’s gotten better now. On my X1C under Windows 10 I am getting about 9-10 hours of battery life and on Ubuntu (with TLP) I am getting about 10-11 hours. The #’s on my X1C may change over time as I have limited battery cycles on it at the moment.
Operating System:
MacOS 9/10
Windows 8.5/10
Ubuntu 8.5/10
This is a another tricky one. I prefer MacOS over any of the other OS’s out there but MacOS is not without its issues and quirks. I still give MacOS the lead here but Windows 10 is catching up quickly. I find Windows 10 to be very stable, fast and snappy. Ubuntu works fine on the X1C and everything is working as it should like WiFi, trackpad, the nub, ect..
Warranty:
Macbook Pro 9/10
X1 Carbon 9.5/10
This is another tough one. Apple has stellar service no doubt and if you live close to an Apple store then Apple warranty has more value. If you do not live close to an Apple store then the value is decreased as you’d be stuck mailing your machine in. The Macbook Pro comes with a 1-year warranty but you can purchase Apple Care for it and extend the coverage.
My X1C came with 3-year next business day onsite warranty. Meaning they will come to my home, business or any place I happen to be within one business day to repair the machine. This is valid worldwide so if I am sitting in a hotel in Germany, England, France or wherever, that’s where the technician will go.
As with ever manufacturer YMMV as some have had terrible experience with both Apple and Lenovo. Some have has stellar experiences with them both as well.
Other / final thoughts:
My X1 Carbon was ordered in silver, which is a new color for it this year. Some long time X1C lovers will scoff at the new color and dismiss it but I kind of dig it! I am OCD and greasy print and palm smudges bother me. The normal X1C black is a greasy smudge magnet! After a few hours of use the black will look like it’s been through a war zone. My silver does not show any of these smudges and does a great job of rejecting and / or hiding them.
My X1C also has an LTE card installed. I went down to AT&T and had the machine added to my data share account and got a data SIM card for it. The LTE works great and even though I probably won’t use it often, it’s nice to have the option available.
Photos of the silver X1C:
I had the Macbook Pro nTB for about 3 months after it was initially released. I sold it and recently purchased a Lenovo X1 Carbon 5th Gen (2017).. The comparison won’t be fair in some areas due to the X1’s configuration but the key thing to remember is that I paid the same price (give or take a few $$) for them both.
Macbook Pro nTB (2016) = $1499
- Intel Core i5-6360U
- 8GB RAM 1866 MHz
- 256GB SSD
- Intel Iris 540
- Screen: 2560×1600 at 13.3"
- No LTE
- Warranty: 1-year carry in or mail
- Weight: 3.02 LBS
Lenovo X1 Carbon 5th Gen (2017) = $1575**
- Intel Core i5-7300U
- 16GB RAM 1866 MHz
- 512GB SSD OPAL 2.0
- Intel HD 620
- Screen: 1920x1080 at 14.0"
- LTE card
- Warranty: 3-year next day onsite
- Weight: 2.49 LBS
Build quality:
Macbook Pro: 9/10
X1 Carbon: 9/10
I rate this as a tie for a few reasons. The X1 Carbon is well built and it even has a roll cage inside to protect the machine components. It has also passed like 200 military level tests for abuse. The Macbook Pro is without a doubt the better-looking machine. It’s clean and sexy looking! You can’t go wrong with either.
The X1C, while maintaining similar build quality is also almost a half a pound lighter. The Macbook Pro weighs about 3 pounds while the X!C weighs in at about 2.50 pounds..
Specs / bang for the buck:
Macbook Pro: 6/10
X1 Carbon: 9/10
It’s not even close here. The X1 Carbon demolishes the Macbook Pro. The specs are overall much better, it has twice the RAM, twice the SSD space and a much better warranty. The Macbook Pro I had came with 2 USB C ports and a head phone jack. The X1 Carbon has 2ea USB C, 2ea USB A, a full-size HDMI, an R45, a headphone jack and an SD card slot.
Performance:
Macbook Pro: 8.5/10
X1 Carbon: 9/10
The X1C flat out screams through everything. It’s fast and snappy. On my Macbook Pro I would often get the dreaded beachball and the transitions and animations would sometimes lag. None of that on the X!C under Windows 10 or Ubuntu.
Geekbench:
Macbook Pro: 3,691 & 7,148
X1 Carbon: 4,139 & 8,311
SSD Read and Write:
Macbook Pro Read 1345 and Write 1320
X1 Carbon: Read 1827 and Write 1387
Those are just a few and I could have gone on. All in all they are fairly close in most benchmarks but the X1C gets the edge for me at least as it just feels smoother and snappier than the macbook Pro did.
Keyboard:
Macbook Pro 7/10
X1 Carbon 10/10
It’s not even close here. The X!C flat out demolishes the KB on the Macbook Pro. The X1C is very comfortable to type on and I can blaze along with minimal errors. Key travel and feel of the keys is top notch! If there is one thing Lenovo is renowned for, it’s their keyboards.
The KB on the Macbook Pro is not terrible but it’s not good either. Some love it, some hate and some just tolerate it. I liked it well enough during my time with it but I did have the sticky key issues that many others face with the machine.
Trackpad:
Macbook Pro 10/10
X1 Carbon 8.5/10
Macbooks are well known for their trackpads and it easily wins here. The Macbook Pro trackpad is the best, hands down, and no one can even come close… The trackpad on the X1C is very good for a Windows machine, where most have average (at best) trackpads. The X1C has an above average trackpad in that regard. It also has the nub and trackpoint which some (me) love and use.
Screen / display:
Macbook Pro 9.5/10
X1 Carbon 8/10
The display on the Macbook is top notch, no doubt about it. It’s crisp, clear and has above average brightness. My X1C has the 1080p screen which I am fine with. It is also crisp and clear but not as visually stunning as the Macbook Pro. Windows also still has issues with scaling so I prefer a FHD screen for Windows use.
The X1C has a 14” screen as opposed to the 13.3” on the Macbook Pro. The X1C manages to cram the 14” screen into the body of a 13” laptop due to its reduced bezels.
Sound:
Macbook Pro 10/10
X1 Carbon 8/10
The Macbook Pro excels here. Sound from my Macbook was crystal clear and lound. It was amazingly good, almost great! Sound from the X1C is pretty good but nowhere even close to the Macbook Pro. I don’t have any issue with sound from the X1C but there is no doubt the Macbook Pro rules this area.
Battery Life:
Macbook Pro 7/10
X1C Windows 8.5/10
X1C Linux 9/10
With my nTB Macbook I was getting about 6 to 7 hours of battery life. This was before Apple sent out the fix so maybe it’s gotten better now. On my X1C under Windows 10 I am getting about 9-10 hours of battery life and on Ubuntu (with TLP) I am getting about 10-11 hours. The #’s on my X1C may change over time as I have limited battery cycles on it at the moment.
Operating System:
MacOS 9/10
Windows 8.5/10
Ubuntu 8.5/10
This is a another tricky one. I prefer MacOS over any of the other OS’s out there but MacOS is not without its issues and quirks. I still give MacOS the lead here but Windows 10 is catching up quickly. I find Windows 10 to be very stable, fast and snappy. Ubuntu works fine on the X1C and everything is working as it should like WiFi, trackpad, the nub, ect..
Warranty:
Macbook Pro 9/10
X1 Carbon 9.5/10
This is another tough one. Apple has stellar service no doubt and if you live close to an Apple store then Apple warranty has more value. If you do not live close to an Apple store then the value is decreased as you’d be stuck mailing your machine in. The Macbook Pro comes with a 1-year warranty but you can purchase Apple Care for it and extend the coverage.
My X1C came with 3-year next business day onsite warranty. Meaning they will come to my home, business or any place I happen to be within one business day to repair the machine. This is valid worldwide so if I am sitting in a hotel in Germany, England, France or wherever, that’s where the technician will go.
As with ever manufacturer YMMV as some have had terrible experience with both Apple and Lenovo. Some have has stellar experiences with them both as well.
Other / final thoughts:
My X1 Carbon was ordered in silver, which is a new color for it this year. Some long time X1C lovers will scoff at the new color and dismiss it but I kind of dig it! I am OCD and greasy print and palm smudges bother me. The normal X1C black is a greasy smudge magnet! After a few hours of use the black will look like it’s been through a war zone. My silver does not show any of these smudges and does a great job of rejecting and / or hiding them.
My X1C also has an LTE card installed. I went down to AT&T and had the machine added to my data share account and got a data SIM card for it. The LTE works great and even though I probably won’t use it often, it’s nice to have the option available.
Photos of the silver X1C:
