I tested the new modular ThinkPad, and it's the repairable future I'm hoping for

ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 14 Aura Edition

pros and cons

Pros

• Incredibly light.
• Modular "Space Frame" plan is simply a triumph for repairability.
• Brilliant display.
• The quintessential premium ThinkPad.

Cons

• Soldered RAM.
• Average artillery life.
• Gets pricey with upgrades.

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Lenovo announced its 14th-generation ThinkPad X1 Carbon astatine CES 2026 to a batch of buzz, clutching the Best laptop of CES award for its innovative modular plan and committedness to repairability, portion earning an awesome 9/10 from repairability modular iFixit. 

Yes, it's a ThinkPad done and through, with the premium touches recovered connected the X1 line: a 2.8K OLED, 64GB of RAM, and a haptic touchpad. But the header diagnostic is nether the hood: a re-designed, modular physique that allows users (or IT teams) to easy entree and regenerate idiosyncratic components including the battery, keyboard, and ports -- expanding its beingness rhythm and empowering teams to regenerate and upgrade arsenic they spot fit.  

Also: This Lenovo Yoga rivaled my MacBook Air successful ways I didn't expect it to

The X1 Carbon Gen 14 introduced the "Space Frame", a double-sided motherboard to springiness casual entree to interior components, making them individually replaceable with the modular screws connected the bottommost of the device. 

It's a invited determination from a large laptop shaper -- and connected a flagship model, nary less. As the outgo of RAM and retention continues to soar with nary extremity successful show (and the outgo of user devices with them), laptops with serviceable and upgradeable components are looking much and much attractive. 

But successful that vein, the representation itself is not upgradeable, thing Lenovo says could travel to different models successful the future. It's besides costly -- this is an X1 Carbon, aft each -- dispatching immoderate notions of modularity being synonymous with affordability. 

A measurement successful the close direction

Kyle Kucharski/ZDNET

For years, consumers person mostly submitted to the thought that you person to regenerate your full laptop if your artillery fails oregon you suffer a USB port, and manufacturers were much than blessed to oblige. Devices similar the X1 Carbon Gen 14 propulsion mainstream laptops successful the close direction, but they don't wholly alteration the crippled conscionable yet. 

The soldered RAM successful the ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 14 keeps it relegated to the premium tier, starting astatine $2,199 for the Intel Core Ultra 5 configuration with 32GB of RAM and a 256GB SSD. 

Also: Lenovo showed maine its caller ThinkPad X1 Carbon, and I didn't spot this year's upgrades coming

At slightest it's fast; the 64GB RAM is LPDDR5X-9600MT/s, portion the 32GB runs astatine 8533MT/s. Users seeking longevity volition astir apt privation to opt for the 64GB of representation if future-proofing the instrumentality is your goal, expanding the terms further.

Part of what makes modularity truthful attractive, however, is the quality to prime and take idiosyncratic elements, giving consumers the enactment for much inexpensive configurations. Lenovo is taking a much cautious attack by putting the Space Frame plan successful an costly flagship, but I'd emotion to spot aboriginal iterations of this modular attack successful affordable devices.

Hardware and build 

Kyle Kucharski/ZDNET

The hardware matches what we tin expect for the X1 Carbon: 32GB oregon 64GB of RAM, up to an Intel Core Ultra 7 355 "Panther Lake" processor with vPro (LPE-cores up to 3.60 GHz P-cores up to 4.80 GHz with Turbo Boost, 8 Cores, 8 Threads, 12 MB Cache), Wi-Fi 7, ample I/O, and the enactment for 5G with embedded eSIM functionality. 

There are respective show options that tally the terms gamut. At the apical extremity you person a 2.8K OLED touchscreen astatine 500 nits of brightness and a 120Hz VRR, and a 60Hz WUXGA IPS non-touch show connected the debased end. The OLED is surely impressive, but the IPS show is besides perfectly fine. My reappraisal portion featured the IPS astatine 500 nits, and it inactive looks and feels similar a premium concern device. 

Also: I saw the 'MacBook Pro for Linux users' for the archetypal time, and it's a legit Windows threat

Build prime is precisely what you'd expect from a ThinkPad: coagulated and premium, if no-frills. The c fibre operation results successful an incredibly lightweight chassis that's nether 1kg (about 2 pounds). It's besides precise thin, measuring conscionable 0.6 inches astatine the thickest constituent successful the back, but tapering to a bladed constituent successful the beforehand that emphasizes its lightness. 

The emblematic dispersed of ports you'd expect connected a ThinkPad are each here, including USB-C Thunderbolt 4 ports connected some sides of the instrumentality (a immense prime of beingness improvement). For the trackpad, you tin take the haptic enactment oregon instrumentality with the classical three-button ThinkPad design, and the keyboard present is excellent, arsenic 1 would expect. The 1.5mm of cardinal question feels fantastic, and Lenovo's iconic concave keycaps are truthful well-designed that the keyboard disappears from thought erstwhile you usage it. It conscionable works. 

Kyle Kucharski/ZDNET

In presumption of the webcam, Lenovo gives you the enactment to bling it retired with a 10MP Mobile Industry Processor Interface (MIPI) camera with a wide-angle 110-degree tract of view, but my instrumentality came with a much tenable 5MP RGB camera. As with astir Windows laptops successful this terms range, the camera is rather good, but tin skew overprocessed depending connected lighting.

Battery life 

I recovered the X1 Carbon Gen 14's 58Wh artillery to beryllium astir mean compared to different concern laptops successful the terms range. Battery capableness is fundamentally unchanged from the erstwhile procreation of ThinkPad X1 Carbon, alternatively relying connected the ratio improvements successful the Panther Lake CPU to transportation the efficiency. 

I got astir 7 hours of real-world usage with it, and that's exclusively with web browsing and bureau apps connected Wi-Fi -- nary videocalls. That's good, but it's a small little than I expected, each things considered. 

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Compared to the 57Whr artillery successful the Gen 13 model, it would look the 58Whr present is simply a small connected the underpowered side. Even bumping up to 60Whr mightiness person squeezed retired a small much juice, but of course, this is astir surely a plan trade-off for the Space Frame. I besides wouldn't reason that a larger capableness artillery should beryllium the superior absorption of the next-gen model. 

Performance

ZDNET's buying advice

Kyle Kucharski/ZDNET

The 14th-generation ThinkPad X1 Carbon Aura Edition is simply a palmy innovation connected a mature merchandise line, and I anticipation it opens the doorway for much repairable designs. It works truthful good not for however antithetic it is, but however good Lenovo was capable to integrate specified a large plan overhaul portion keeping the champion parts of the ThinkPad individuality intact. 

It's exceedingly lightweight, with conscionable capable horsepower and artillery beingness to suffice arsenic a powerhouse concern laptop. The fantastic keyboard, haptic touchpad -- and portion of caput knowing you tin regenerate some yourself -- marque it a standout choice. 

On the contented of price: if you don't person an endeavor fund down you, I'd suggest considering past year's model, the 13th-Gen ThinkPad X1 Carbon, which you tin drawback for fractional the price. Without the Space Frame modular design, of course.