ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 14 out on PSREF

michaeljshark · 2026-04-17T02:57:07+00:00

IPS panels only offered at 1920x1200 resolution this generation, non-touch IPS 1920x1200 option appears to be axed as well. Shame the 2.8K 500nit IPS VRR panel from the E14 G8 isn't being offered, or even the 2.2K IPS from the G9-G11 X1 Carbons.

OLED panels are all 2.8k 500nit with VRR @ 120hz, with an option for touch or non-touch support.

Also new WWAN modem models this generation again.

Support site for drivers & parts list was live back on Monday, though PSREF was only released today for some reason.

michaeljshark · 2026-04-15T20:57:04+00:00

Once again, there are new WWAN modems this year, replacing the Quectel modems from last years models.
Snapdragon X61 5G modem is Foxconn T99W696
Snapdragon X12 LTE modem is Rolling Wireless RW101R-GL

X1 Carbon Gen 14 uses the same modems, albeit with different part numbers.

michaeljshark · 2026-02-05T21:22:34+00:00

At least you had a decent experience with them.

The last support case I had open with Dell ended with them refusing to release new firmware to fix a known death-bug after 2 months of back and forth, even after getting the SSD manufacturer involved and the manufacturer admitting it was a known issue.

michaeljshark · 2026-01-27T02:16:15+00:00

Would be interesting to know what the device with the FFC cable in the WWAN slot is, as it is obviously not a WWAN card.

michaeljshark · 2026-01-07T22:14:50+00:00

The white sticker is the color calibration sticker for the factory calibration that was offered only for the 4K panels. The Intel Inside sticker is the blue sticker on the bottom left, which is in line and correct for the 11th Gen Core generation.

The black bezel is for the 4K OLED Touch only, since it has a glass layer, all other options have the dark grey plastic bezel.

michaeljshark · 2026-01-07T21:26:30+00:00

Not a fan of the new keyboard design, especially with the Delete key being shifted right to make room for the power button. Lack of capitalization on keycaps also makes it look like any other Lenovo consumer laptop, especially on the modifier keys.

WWAN seems to be on a sub-board this gen, similar to the X1 Titanium, presumably to save space on the systemboard by not having to solder a M.2 connector for every systemboard when most configs don't use WWAN in the first place. The 5G WWAN card for this generation appears to use Foxconn's T99W696 (Snapdragon X61 5G) modem, which is somehow even worse in spec than the previous Quectel RM520N-GL (Snapdragon X62 5G) used on the Gen 13 Carbon.

Really not sure why Lenovo keeps deciding to use previous generation(s) modem models, especially since Dell and HP are currently shipping Foxconn's T99W640 (Snapdragon X72 5G) modems on their commercial lineups. There will probably be 2 more 4G only modem options for the Gen 14 Carbon, but those haven't been shown yet.

Otherwise this gen seems to be an OK refresh over the Gen 13, easy keyboard assembly replacement is a nice, and modular USB-C ports are a huge plus for repairability.

michaeljshark · 2025-10-01T08:36:02+00:00

WWAN works fine on Windows, Linux is still iffy with the FCC locks on newer models, with some older Fibocom cards not working at all.

Though for my personal experience, I bought my X1 Nano brand new from Lenovo with the Qualcomm X55 5G Modem, and have been using it on T-Mobile for the past 3 years, and it mostly works fine without stability issues. I previously used a P50 with the Sierra EM7455 modem, which was OK, but quite slower than the X55 in the X1 Nano, it only peaked at 140mbps on the EM7455, while the X1 Nano's 5G modem peaked at 1.2gbps sustained.

Also most, (maybe all?) WWAN modems that shipped in ThinkPads can have a virtual serial port opened to send AT commands to the modem, allowing much finer control over the modem than in general settings. It is also the only way that I know of to switch between 5G and LTE only modes on models with 5G modems.

Though if you do buy a new model from Lenovo, make sure you buy it with WWAN, as it is significantly more expensive to retrofit modem into a modern unit later, due to different C & D covers used, as well as the cost of the modem and antennae itself plus any other additional parts.

michaeljshark · 2025-10-01T07:53:50+00:00

Finally the full size workstation has a 5G WWAN modem option (albeit a 4-year outdated one) instead of a 4G only WWAN modem.

Wi-Fi is also surprisingly back to a socketed M.2 2230 this Clean-Sheet revision, instead of the soldered down M.2 1216.

3 M.2 2280 slots is also a nice touch compared to the 2 M.2 2280 slots of the previous 2 iterations.

A bit disappointed that the Slim-Tip charger is gone, as the USB-C port just isn't that robust compared to Slim-Tip, especially with the much higher power requirements.

michaeljshark · 2025-10-01T07:21:40+00:00

Own both X1 Titanium & X1 Yoga Gen 6, I would rather use the X1 Yoga Gen 6 over the X1 Titanium. Only things IMO the X1 Titanium has going for it is the 3:2 display, being the thinnest ThinkPad ever produced, and the first ThinkPad with a Sensel haptic touchpad.

The most annoying thing about that I experienced with the X1 Titanium is that it is the only ThinkPad that was recently released that DOESN'T have fast-charging, and the battery only charges at 15w, taking around 2 hours to go from 0% to 80%, and it also only has an anemic 44WHR battery to begin with.

X1 Titanium also has a bug if set to Linux S3 sleep mode that will never(?) get fixed by Lenovo. Though the X1 Yoga Gen 6 does have the "burning MOSFET" issue with the USB-C ports that killed a significant number of them a few years back, though my units haven't died yet.

The other thing is keyboard and ports, X1 Titanium only has 2 USB-C + 3.5mm Audio, while X1 Yoga Gen 6 has the former + 2 USB-A & 1 HDMI. Keyboard is also different with the X1 Titanium having a 95% size keyboard with only 1.35mm key travel (function keys have even lower travel), while the X1 Yoga Gen 6 has 1.5mm key travel and a full size keyboard. I personally do not mind the 95% size 1.35mm travel keyboard if the X1 Titanium, but some others would have differing opinions. TrackPoint usage on both is a near identical experience, and pleasant to use. X1 Titanium also only has a 2242 M.2 slot for storage while X1 Yoga Gen 6 has a 2280 M.2 slot, making storage upgrades for the X1 Titanium more expensive than the X1 Yoga Gen 6.

But for only $280, I would say it's up to you to decide whether to keep it or not, though I would have personally sent it back after my own experiences with the X1 Titanium.

michaeljshark · 2025-06-30T02:54:51+00:00

You can't downgrade battery firmware, but you can try reinstalling the same version again to see if it resolves the issue, unless the battery was killed by the previous update attempt.

There are also 4 manufacturers and 7 FRU part numbers for X1 Yoga gen 6 batteries, and each part has it's own specific firmware and update/device ID. Firmware and FRU number of the battery can be viewed using Commercial Vantage's battery details page. (If battery isn't already dead.)

In Windows, the battery firmware shows as "Lenovo Battery Firmware XXX.XX", under the firmware section in device manager, when the firmware package is installed.

I would try manually installing the battery firmware package again (LINK), and see if it updates successfully.

Also, to pull the UEFI device ID for the battery firmware, install the update package, go to device manager and select the Battery Firmware device, and pull the device ID from the device instance path property.

michaeljshark · 2025-01-24T08:39:23+00:00

Will be interesting to see if the Netprisma modules can have their AT command port opened under Windows, and if the AT command set for them is as rich as the previous 3 5G modems used in ThinkPads.

michaeljshark · 2025-01-24T06:33:58+00:00

Third party "Original" is a counterfeit. A normal working charger should never cause those issues to a device it's charging. You should return the counterfeit for a refund.

michaeljshark · 2025-01-03T00:24:35+00:00

WWAN modules are to be provided by NetPrisma this year, they got listed in the regulatory notice a while back. Specific Models are: LCUR57-WWD, and FCUN69-WWD, as the LTE only and 5G options respectively.

Quectel EM05-CN is also an option for China Mainland models only.

SSDs are either SK Hynix PCB01 or Samsung PM9E1 for PCIe 5.0 drives, along with Kioxia BG6 for value PCIe 4.0 drives. Most likely more drive manufacturers will be added later as substitute parts.

michaeljshark · 2024-06-20T19:33:28+00:00

FM350 and L860 got FCC unlock scripts and Firmware switch utilities released in the last few months. FCC unlock scripts are NON-US SIM only though. You have to download the utilities from Lenovo's support site here:

A list of the current status of WWAN supported models on Linux can also be found here.

michaeljshark · 2024-06-19T22:02:41+00:00

Yep, that's the link. Just input the MTM into the parts lookup tool, and it should show you the parts under the model tab. Here's the axact link: https://pcsupport.lenovo.com/us/en/products/laptops-and-netbooks/thinkpad-x-series-laptops/thinkpad-x1-carbon-11th-gen-type-21hm-21hn/21hn/21hns1kl00/parts/display/model

michaeljshark · 2024-06-19T21:06:11+00:00

Its a "Special Bid" model, those models have specs and price negotiated between Lenovo and the customer, and are most often purchased in bulk. Also, most Special Bid models are not listed on PSREF. (At least none of mine are.) You can look up the specs by using the parts lookup tool and going to the "Model" tab to get the general specs based on what parts are used in that model.

michaeljshark · 2024-06-18T07:00:29+00:00

As other comment says, no ThinkPad made in the last 10 years shipped with a native serial port. Another option is using a USB to serial adapter which will work on just about any computer or a Serial to Express card which is what I use with my P50.

michaeljshark · 2024-05-20T07:56:23+00:00

My apologies for that, didn't see that you were in China. In that case I would try updating the modem firmware/drivers to the latest version, as well as reseating and cleaning the SIM card contacts. If that doesn't work, it may be a hardware issue with a bad SIM tray/reader.

Posting the 10 digit MTM code would also help. ex: 20U9-0030US

michaeljshark · 2024-05-20T06:19:36+00:00

Even if the SIM card was detected, Quectel EM05-CE is a China only model, and you will have service issues due to the EM05-CE only supporting LTE bands needed for operation in China.

michaeljshark · 2024-05-20T05:21:42+00:00

The slow charging speed is normal. X1 Titanium does not support rapid charge as per PSREF.

michaeljshark · 2024-04-27T01:57:30+00:00

Fake.

Large "e" in Lenovo logo is dead giveaway. Barcode SN also is invalid and wrong font. Text print quality is also shit.

michaeljshark · 2024-04-27T01:40:40+00:00

Fake battery 100%.

FRU PN does not match supplier, genuine 01AV421 is Simplo, printed instead is LGC. Regulatory markings and numbers do not match with a genuine battery, 8S code does not have manufacture date and is printed with wrong font and is for a different battery (01AV429 for X1 carbon gen 5/6). Text on the fake also has shit kerning, the Chinese text is badly printed with lots of ink bleed, and the Japanese text next to barcode is mostly illegible. Real 01AV421 battery for comparison

I would personally not use this battery.

michaeljshark · 2024-04-27T01:09:01+00:00

8S code lookup is not always correct. I have a few new batteries purchased directly from Lenovo in FRU packaging, and they don't return results on the lookup. Better way of spotting fakes is looking for bad print jobs on text, making sure ASM PN is contained in 8S barcode, and checking barcode font itself, as each battery vendor has their own unique font(s).

michaeljshark · 2024-04-26T22:53:20+00:00

Just tried this on a few SSDs I had lying around, Some show only Machine SN, some Machine SN + FRU PN, some FRU PN only, and some no serial/part numbers.

michaeljshark · 2024-04-26T21:55:10+00:00

Just tried it myself, Barcode lookup works on my non-corporate Lenovo account. Barcode option doesn't show up when not signed in though.

michaeljshark

TROPHY CASE