I'm no stranger to Lenovo's ThinkPad series of laptops, and the one I always want to recommend is the X1 Carbon. It's easily one of the best business laptops on the market today, and its strengths translate well for students headed back to school.
It weighs only about 2.42 pounds (1.09kg) and measures just 0.59 inches (15mm) thin, but its carbon fiber top and aluminum base have MIL-STD 810H certification to prove its resilience. The keyboard is one of the best on the market, it has a bunch of high-end display options, and the supporting features are all top-notch and make daily use a breeze.
Unfortunately, the regular suggested price keeps out a lot of would-be buyers. Even the more affordable models usually start at more than $2,500, which is far beyond what most people want to pay. That's especially true for students with limited budgets.
Back to School season is usually rife with deals, and Lenovo's current promotion has this awesome laptop enjoying a 48% discount when you use the BTSTHINKSALE4 coupon code at checkout.
The discounted model has an Intel Core Ultra 5 152U processor (CPU), 16GB of LPDDR5x RAM, a 512GB M.2 PCIe 4.0 NVMe solid-state drive (SSD), and a 14-inch FHD+ display with anti-glare finish, 100% sRGB color, and low power designation to extend battery life. The 48% Back to School discount brings the total down to $1,362 at Lenovo, which is $1,257 off the regular price.
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- 💻Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon | $1,361.88 at Lenovo (Save $1,257!)
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The ultimate business laptop is also ideal for students
I've tested and reviewed countless ThinkPads over the years, but the one I always place at the top is the X1 Carbon (Gen 12). It shouldn't be a major surprise that a device usually demanding more than $2,500 is considered a contender for the best Windows laptop out there; however, Lenovo backs up its pricing with attractive high-end features throughout.
I spent a few weeks with this laptop earlier this year and absolutely loved it, as did Windows Central laptop aficionado Zachary Boddy. In their ThinkPad X1 Carbon (Gen 12) review Boddy said:
"When I first began using the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon (Gen 12), part of me believed it may be the first laptop I've reviewed to earn a perfect score. Given the brilliant design, gorgeous display, and comfortable keyboard, my immediate impressions supported this hunch: Lenovo has achieved something extraordinary with its latest and greatest enterprise laptop."
The only major drawbacks to this laptop are its battery life and power, but there are a few caveats to note. Lenovo sent Windows Central a review unit with a 2.8K OLED display and Core Ultra 7 155H CPU, two pieces that draw considerably more power than the hardware that's in the discounted model I'm highlighting here.
Boddy saw six hours and 46 minutes in PCMark 10's Modern Office rundown test, which should get a boost from the low-power FHD+ display and 15W Core Ultra 5 125U chip. Performance won't be as potent, but the 12 cores will still easily tear through a regular student's workload. And with about six to eight hours of real-world battery life, you should be able to get through most of the day without a charge.
Everything else that this laptop has to offer is top-tier. The aluminum and carbon fiber chassis is ultralight but durable, making it easy to carry around all day. It has a generous selection of ports for its size — including dual Thunderbolt 4, two USB-A, HDMI, and 3.5mm audio — and Wi-Fi 6E covers wireless.
The keyboard is arguably the best on the market, with 1.5mm key travel and spill resistance. The dual 2W speakers, hidden beneath the keys, feature Dolby Atmos tuning, and the 1080p webcam has an IR sensor for Windows Hello. There's also a fingerprint reader to double up on biometric security.
It can even be considered an AI PC thanks to the Neural Processing Unit (NPU) in the Core Ultra chip, though anyone who wants the best AI performance and battery life should check out a Copilot+ PC using Qualcomm's Snapdragon X ARM64 chips.
At 48% off the regular price, it's hard not to recommend the ThinkPad X1 Carbon (Gen 12). It's the latest and greatest business laptop from Lenovo, and its set of features translate very well to students. The current discount price of $1,362 at Lenovo isn't expected to last long.
