Lenovo’s ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 14 adds double-sided 'Space Frame' for repairs

Lenovo showed the ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 14 at CES with a redesigned, double-sided motherboard it calls a "Space Frame," a change aimed at making a flagship laptop more repairable.

ZDNET said the Space Frame places components on both sides of the motherboard, allowing replacement of parts including USB ports, the battery, keyboard, speakers and fans. The outlet wrote that the laptop can be opened with standard tools for easier repairs and that iFixit gave it a score of 9 out of 10.

There are no outward changes to the chassis, ZDNET noted, and the laptop retains the traditional ThinkPad look with a TrackPoint, black matte keyboard and a premium haptic trackpad.

ZDNET reported the X1 Carbon Gen 14 is refreshed with Intel Core Ultra X7 Series 3 "Panther Lake" processors; the piece said those processors have integrated Intel Arc graphics and also said they feature Intel's 12Xe graphics with an increased 30W of sustained power. The outlet added the model can be configured with up to 64GB of LPDDR5x at 9600MT/s and offers a 2.8K OLED display rated to 500 nits.

ZDNET called the laptop a fully realized innovation amid Lenovo’s CES announcements and said the writer hopes it is the first of many such repairable designs. The article does not state pricing or availability.

Key Topics

Tech, Space Frame, Lenovo, Intel Arc, Ifixit