X1 CAR🅱ON 3rd GENERATION (January 2015)

The X1 Car🅱on is Lenovo’s flagship ThinkPad model, it was released during January of 2015 using an Intel Core 5th Gen Broadwell processor. It is considered to be the proper successor of the 2012 X1 Carbon model due to the 2014 X1C2 having a terrible keyboard layout and ‘ClickPad’ integrated TouchPad & TrackPoint buttons. Although not considered a *real* IBM ThinkPad or ThonkPad, the X1C is a very thin and lightweight laptop which consists of a Magnesium/Aluminum bottom cover and a Carbon Fiber Reinforced Plastic + Glass Fiber Reinforced Plastic Lid. There is no subframe inside the laptop like in T Series or older X Series laptops (pre X240). The X1C3 is marketed to be the exclusive laptop for ThinkPad users, for those who want the sleek & thin designs of ultrabooks.

Reviews

ThinkScopes
J Powers
Digital Trends
Ching-Wan Yip
LaptopMag
MobileTechReview

Wikis

Lenovo PSREF
Hardware Maintenance Manual
ArchLinux
Wikipedia
ThinkWiki.de 🍺
ThinkWiki

Lenovo AD! ThinkPad X1 Carbon 6th Gen. Just buy it. 😛

Specifications

• 20BS
• 20BT

There are no significant spec differences between these two MTM’s, the 20BS is the “Top Seller” model, which are pre-configured laptops that are stocked at distribution and ready for immediate shipment. The 20BT are laptops that have configurations that weren’t common and require a few days or weeks to be configured to the customer’s specification.

Processor & Graphics Options

All CPUs are soldered onto the CPU board, unable to upgrade. All processors are Broadwell, dual cores with 4 threads. There were no discrete graphics card options with the processor, all CPUs came with HD 5500 onboard graphics.

Name      sSpec  Speed   Turbo  Cache  TDP  Passmark 
i5-5200U  SR23Y  2.2GHz  2.7GHz  3MB   15W   3492 
i5-5300U  SR23X  2.3GHz  2.9GHz  3MB   15W   3790 
i7-5500U  SR23W  2.4GHz  3.0GHz  4MB   15W   3970 
i7-5600U  SR23V  2.6GHz  3.2GHz  4MB   15W   4304

For cooling the X1C3 came with a one heat sink fan that blows air to the right of the laptop. It is a dual heatpipe design by Nidec & the retaining screws are held to the heat sink assembly with a gasket while servicing.

Motherboard

The X1C3 has RAM & CPU soldered onto the motherboard. Windows 8, 8.1 & 10 are preloaded onto the system having an OEM key installed in the Bios. Windows 7 Pro was installed with downgrade rights. Additionally there are some motherboards for sale without OEM keys, please see FRU list for more information. A CR1620 clock battery plugs into the motherboard. There are about 28 different motherboard configurations. Other than soldered CPU & RAM, the other options installed in the motherboard are Windows Pro Key embedded or none, AMT remote management, & Trusted Platform Module.

I/O Ports

• HDMI
• Mini Display Port
• DC Jack & OneLink Port
• SIM Card slot
• 2280 M.2 SSD Slot
• 2230 M.2 WiFI Slot
• 2242 M.2 WWAN Slot (Wide enough for 3042 M.2 Cards)

Sub boards

• RJ45 Subcard (mini Ethernet Port) & USB Port
• Power Button Switch
• Fingerprint reader
• Audio Mic Combo Jack & USB Port

Memory Configuration

Like previous X1 Series, the RAM on this laptop is soldered onto the motherboard & cannot be upgraded.

• 4GB
• 8GB
• 16GB
• All @1600MHz PC3L-12800

Video & I/O

• HDMI = 4096 x 2304 @24Hz (4K non-standard)
• mDP = 3840 x 2160 @60Hz (4K UHDTV Standards)
• Supports up to 3 independent displays
• 2x USB 3.0
• Lenovo OneLink Port
• Mini Ethernet Port
• 720p Integrated Camera

Displays

• FHD TN matte
• AUO B140HTN01.2 (AUO123D)
• 14.0″ 1920 x 1080
• 300 nits
• 400:1 Contrast Ratio
• 30pin eDP (2 Lanes) input
• 45/45/15/35 Viewing Angles
• 262K Colors – 60% CIE1931
• 60Hz ~ 8ms? Response Time
• a-Si TFT LCM
• Antiglare 20% Haze 3H

• FHD TN Matte (Replacement)
• InnoLux N140HGE-EA1 (CMN14A8)
• 14.0″ 1820 x 1080
• 400 nits
• 500:1 Contrast Ratio
• 30pin eDP (2 Lanes) Input
• 45/45/20/40 Viewing Angles
• 262K Colors – 60% CIE1931
• 60Hz ~ 3/7ms Response Time
• a-Si TFT LCM
• Antiglare 24% Haze 3H

• WQHD IPS matte
• LG LP140QH1-SPB1 (LGD0419)
• 14.0″ 2560 x 1440
• 300 nits
• 700:1 Contrast Ratio
• 40pin eDP (4 Lanes) input
• 85/85/85/85 Viewing Angle
  
• 16.7M Colors – 60% CIE1931
  
• 60Hz ~ 35ms Response Time
  
• a-SI TFT LCM
• Antiglare ??% Haze

• WQHD IPS Touch
• LG LP140QH1-SPA2 (LGD0418)
• Capacitive type multi touch
• 10 finger gesture
• 14.0″ 2560 x 1440
• 700:1 Contrast Ratio
• 270 nits
• 85/85/85/85 Viewing Angle
• 16.7M Colors – 60% CIE1931
• 60Hz ~ 35ms Response Time
• a-SI TFT LCM
• Glossy 0% Haze

The standard FHD display was received poorly due to it being a TN panel with poor viewing angles, luckily it can be upgraded with an IPS FHD panel so long as the screen has 30 pin eDP input. It is speculated that you cannot add touchscreen support on a non-touchscreen model. This is a downgrade compared to the X1C2 which required an extra cable when upgrading into a touchscreen.

Storage Options

Information on the X1C3 is vague via PSREF. It states NVME or SATA for storage, however users have upgraded to NVMe and vice versa without problems. It implies there are NVMe & SATA chipsets on units, but there is a chance that the cheaper motherboards had SATA only… The PSREF states that the X1C3 comes installed with PCIe 2.0 x4 SSDs however there are a few systems that come with PCIe 3.0 x4 SSDs.

There are 5 size options for SSDs, 4 manufacturers and Opal2 Encryption options. This gives a total of 20 SSDs that the X1C3 can be configured with. Unless the X1C3 was modified or CTO, it should come with the following:

• 512GB PCIe 3.0 x4 – Samsung
• 360GB SATA Opal 2 – Intel
• 256GB PCIe 3.0 x4 – Samsung
• 256GB SATA Opal2 – Toshiba, Samsung, LiteON
• 240GB SATA Opal2 – Intel
• 180GB SATA Opal2 – Intel
• 128GB SATA – Toshiba, Samsung, LiteON

BIOS

Currently there are no custom BIOS files readily available for the X1C3. Like previous laptops, Lenovo locks away WiFi card upgrades, so you are stuck with the stock Intel cards.
Currently as of this post (March 26th 2019) the latest bios is version 1.27. Luckily it is a downloadable ISO that can be burned to a CD or as a bootable USB.

Battery & AC Adapter

8 Cell (50Wh) Lithium Polymer with RapidCharge
45W AC Adapter Flat Tip
65W AC Adapter Flat Tip
65W Slim AC Adapter Flat Tip

• Battery life OEM info by hours
• FHD 10.9
• WQHD 9.9
• WQHD Touch 9.9

Build Information

6 Row Backlit Keyboard – Chicony or LiteON fused onto Palmrest
Bottom – Magnesium/Aluminum
Display – Carbon Fiber Reinforced Plastic + Glass Fiber Reinforced Plastic
Weight ~ 2.877lbs – 3.175lbs | ~ 1.305kg – 1.44kg
MIL-STD-810G Military Standards
EPEAT GOLD
Energy Star 6.1

FRU Numbers & Upgrading

FRUs posted here are sourced from Lenovo’s PC Support with the 20BT model. The least difficult parts to remove are the bottom cover, SSD, WiFi & WWAN Cards. Not all FRUs are posted here, just common upgrades. A spreadsheet of all FRU parts can be found here or via user manual wiki. A google spreadsheets has been configured by me, categorized by Motherboard/Daugherboard, Display/Lid/Hinges, SSD & Misc items.

Units italicized and with ?? are educated guesses or have information not readily available.

Motherboard Configurations

Display Panels

Display Assembly (Touchscreen fused with LCD)

SSD Options

Items in BOLD are units configured with Opal2 Encryption. Information like SSD family, & MLC/TLC technology are in the spreadsheet.

SubBoards

00HN984 RJ45 & USB
00HN988 Power Button Switch
04X6436 Finger Print Reader
00HN985 Audio & USB Subcard

Battery

00HW003 50Wh 8 Cell Li-Ion Battery SMP
00HW002 50Wh 8 Cell Li-Ion Battery LG
00HN933 CR1620 Li Ion Clock Battery

WWAN Wireless

04W3842 Ericsson N5321
04X6014 Sierra EM7345

WiFi Cards

00JT469 Intel AC 7265NGW AC
04X6031 Intel N 7265NGW AN AN
00JT468 Intel N 7265NGW AN AGN
00JT467 Intel AC 8265NGW AC
00JT464 Intel AC 7265NG AC
00JT466 Intel N 7265NGW BN BGN
00JT465 Intel N 7265NGW AN AGN

Misc Parts

KITS SCREWS & LABELS
00HN986 12 Screws

Speakers
04X5499

Bottom Cover
00UR146
00HT364

Hinges & ETC
00UR150 FHD Non Touch asm non-touch HD+
00UR148 WQHD Non-Touch asm Non-Touch WQHD
00UR149 WQHD Touch asm Touch WQHD

Misc LCD/Lid Cables
04X5598 Touch Cable by itself
00HT409 Misc LED Touch Cable
00HT408 FHD WQHD LCD Cable + LED Wires

LCD Cables
00HM152 WQHD eDP Cable (Touchscreen)
00HM151 WQHD eDP Cable
04X5596 FHD eDP Cable

LCD Parts (Lids)
00HN935 Touchscreen Lid (FHD/WQHD?) Rear, Touch BLK Toray
00HN934 WQHD Non Touch Lid Rear, nTouch, WQHD BLK Toray
00HN936 FHD Lid Rear nTouch FHD BLK Toray
00HN987 Cables for TouchPad & FPR. SIM Cover, Touch Button

LCD Parts (Bezels)
04X5568 LCD Bezel for TouchScreen Rear Touch TOR
04X4469 WQHD Non Touch Bezel LCD Non Touch WQHD TOR
04X5567 LCD Bezel for FHD LCD Non Touch HD+ TOR