This ThinkPad X1 Carbon ‘30th Anniversary Edition’ is for diehard Lenovo fans

What you need to know

• Lenovo is celebrating 30years of ThinkPads with a limited-edition X1 Carbon
• With only 5,000 units being made this version features classic RGB ThinkPad logos
• There are also some unique goodies in the box including custom RGB TrackPoint caps to customize your X1 Carbon
• We got a hands-on with the package, which is now available, to see it all in action

When it comes to the best business laptops, few are as iconic as the ThinkPad. Synonymous with “getting work done” with a focus on durability, the ThinkPad lineup has grown significantly over the last few decades (including changing hands from originators IBM).

Celebrating 30 years of ThinkPad, Lenovo has released a limited-edition ThinkPad X1 Carbon (Gen 10), its flagship laptop for business. Or, as Lenovo puts it, the X1 Carbon “continues to embody the core values of an ideal mobile business laptop.”

How limited is this version of the X1 Carbon? Only 5,000 are being made, and each is individually numbered with a stamp on the hinge.

Luckily, I have one of them to show you what you get for this retro-throwback merged with 2022 technology. 

ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 10 – 30th Anniversary Edition

The 30th Anniversary Edition of the X1 Carbon is packed with nearly all of Lenovo’s top-tier options. With 32GB of RAM, mighty Core i7 P-series processor, 1TB SSD, and a stunning 14-inch WQUXGA (3840x2400) IPS anti-Reflective/anti-Smudge, touch display with HDR 400, this X1 Carbon is fully loaded.

(It wouldn’t have hurt to throw in the 5G modem, Lenovo, just saying!)

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You also get the aerospace grade carbon fiber and magnesium alloy (MIL-STD 810H) chassis, new full HD webcam (“Communications Bar”), and Dolby Voice/Vision/Atmos, with the entire package being 14.95mm thin and weighing just 2.48lbs (1.1kg).

But you could buy that laptop yourself without the limited-edition bit. So, what makes this laptop so unique? I’m glad you asked.

Here’s a list of all the special features of the 30th-anniversary edition ThinkPad:

• Limited edition run (5,000)
• Individually numbered (hinge)
• Classic ThinkPad logo in red, green, and blue (RGB)
• Branded with a 30th Anniversary Edition etching just below the keyboard
• Commemorative packaging
• History of ThinkPad leaflet
• ThinkPad X1 logo stickers in the classic red, green, and blue
• RGB TrackPoint caps to customize

It all comes together as a svelte high-grade laptop but with Lenovo’s classic RGB logo, which looks so good. Likewise, for the classy 30th Anniversary Edition etching with “30th” in Lenovo red and (why not?) some ThinkPad stickers.

But the coolest difference is you get three additional RGB TrackPoint nubs with green, blue, and a slightly different red. Pop off the default nub and make your X1 Carbon more distinctive with blue or green.

Sure, it’s a little thing, but this whole endeavor is about paying tribute to the road warriors who slaved tirelessly behind their RGB Lenovo ThinkPads, closing deals and selling products. 

It’s all nerdy fun, and I'm here for it.

This unique “tribute” laptop isn’t the first time Lenovo commemorates its past. For its 25th anniversary, the company released a re-branded Lenovo T470, which had RGB logos, its classic 8-row keyboard, and unique keycaps from that era.

(I still have this laptop, and despite the ‘meh’ full HD display, it’s awesome. Too bad my battery is dead!)

How much will the ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 10 – 30th Anniversary Edition set you back? Just under $2,300, which is a slight premium over a similarly configured non-limited-edition version.

Whether it’s worth it depends on how strong your brand affinity is for Lenovo ThinkPads, but I know some hardcore laptop fans (see r/thinkpad for some serious geekery) are likely to pick one up. If you’re one of those, do it before they’re gone forever.