My go-to laptop these days is my Lenovo X1 Carbon (2015). Sure, I use the Surfaces (Pro 3, 3 LTE) and Dell XPS 13 often too but when I need to get work done, I go to the X1 for a few reasons.
First and foremost, the X1 Carbon has LTE built in, which I use on AT&T. Being able to work everywhere, anytime is kind of important for my needs. Next, it has probably the best keyboard and trackpad I have used on a laptop. Oh, and that fingerprint scanner is awesome. Finally, it is thin, light, and it just works. Having said that, I do wish the display was of higher quality. It works well enough, but it is on the dim side and I have seen better.
I have been running Windows 10 build 10240 on my X1 Carbon for a few weeks now. So, how is Lenovo fairing so far with drivers and performance?
Very good, actually. Starting a few weeks ago, I noticed they had a few Windows 10 drivers already on their site. Seeing as the OS was not yet released and their System Update app was not yet configured, I had to install manually these. However, last weekend, I noticed the System Update app starting detecting Windows 10 and over the next few days the computer began to add full Windows 10 drivers for all aspects of the hardware.
Since then, Lenovo has also updated their Lenovo Settings and Lenovo Companion apps. Both of these are Windows Store apps. Since they are not traditional x86 apps, they do not install under Startup, do not modify my registry, nor add any weight to the system. All in all, they are pretty good. If I do not like them, just a simple right-click, and they are gone.
Battery life for my X1 with Windows 10 has been pretty much the same as when it was on Windows 8.1. That is, it gets okay performance – maybe 6.5 hours. I wish battery life were better than that, but thankfully my trusty X1 can quick-charge by 50% in just 30 minutes. Plus, I can now toggle Battery Saver to squeeze a bit more juice when I need it.
Other than that, I have had almost no issues. The built-in fingerprint reader works flawlessly with Windows Hello (see our hands-on demo), and the OS sleeps and resumes with ease.
The one issue I have seen on occasion is the LTE option found under the Network Settings quick toggle sometimes disappears. This glitch prevents me from turning the LTE on or off directly from the Action Center. To fix it, I dive into the advanced settings for Cellular and 'Update settings' for Mobile Operator. This trick then brings back the toggle, and I can get online. It is a tad annoying, of course, but something I expect to be fixed shortly.
Overall, Lenovo has done well with their 2015 X1 Carbon. Of course, I presume this for a few reasons, including the fact it is a 2015 model and runs just shy of two grand. So far, from my experience newer, more expense hardware is getting the principal treatment from OEMs. I much prefer Windows 10 on it versus Windows 8.1 and could not be happier. You can manually install the X1 Carbon drivers from Lenovo's website:
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon drivers (Type 20BS, 20BT)
Are you using a Lenovo laptop? How has your Windows 10 update experience been? Let us know!
All this week, the Windows Central staff are sharing their Windows 10 update experiences. Expect other articles detailing the same for the Surface 3, Dell XPS 13, Dell XPS 27, Samsung ATIV Book 9, and more!
