| Model | ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 8 | ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 7 |
| Processor | | |
| Up to 10th Generation Intel® Core™ i7 | 8th Generation Intel® Core™ i5-8265U (1.60GHz, up to 3.90GHz with Turbo Boost, 4 Cores, 6MB Cache) |
| | Up to 10th Generation Intel® Core™ i7-10510U (1.80GHz, up to 4.90GHz with Turbo Boost, 4 Cores, 8MB Cache) |
| Operating System | ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 8 | ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 7 |
| Windows 10 Home | Windows 10 Home |
| Windows 10 Pro | Windows 10 Pro |
| Display | ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 8 | ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 7 |
| 14″ 4K UHD (3840 x 2160) IPS with Dolby Vision™ HDR400, 500 nits | 14″ WQHD (2560 x 1440) IPS, anti-glare, 300 nits |
| 14″ WQHD (2560 x 1440) IPS, 300 nits | 14″ FHD (1920 x 1080) IPS, low power, anti-glare, 400 nits |
| 14″ FHD (1920 x 1080) IPS, Touchscreen with PrivacyGuard, 500 nits | 14″ FHD (1920 x 1080) IPS, anti-glare, touchscreen, 300 nits |
| 14″ FHD (1920 x 1080) IPS, Low power, 400 nits | 14″ UHD (3840 x 2160) IPS, glossy, dolby vision™ HDR 400, 500 nits |
| 14″ FHD (1920 x 1080) IPS, Low power Touchscreen, 400 nits | |
| Memory | ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 8 | ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 7 |
| Up to 16GB LPDDR3 (Soldered) | Up to 16GB LPDDR3 2133MHz |
| Battery | ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 8 | ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 7 |
| Up to 18 hours* 51Wh, includes Rapid Charge** | Up to 18.3 hours* on 51Whr, includes Rapid Charge technology† |
| Storage | ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 8 | ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 7 |
| Up to 2TB PCIe SSD | Up to 1TB SSD PCIe |
| Graphics | ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 8 | ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 7 |
| Integrated Intel® UHD Graphics 620 | Integrated Intel® UHD Graphics |
| Security | ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 8 | ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 7 |
| Fast Identity Online (FIDO) authentication capabilities | Fast Identity Online (FIDO) authentication capabilities |
| Match-on-chip fingerprint reader | Match-on-Chip Fingerprint Reader |
| dTPM 2.0 chip | dTPM 2.0 chip |
| ThinkShutter camera cover | ThinkShutter camera cover |
| Optional: ThinkPad PrivacyGuard | Optional: ThinkPad PrivacyGuard |
| Optional: ThinkPad PrivacyAlert* | Optional: ThinkPad PrivacyAlert* |
| Kensington lock slot | Optional IR Camera |
| | Kensington lock slot |
| Audio | ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 8 | ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 7 |
| Dolby Atmos® Speaker System | Dolby Atmos™ Speaker System |
| 4 x 360-degree far-field microphones | 4 x 360-degree far-field microphones |
| Camera | ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 8 | ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 7 |
| HD 720p with ThinkShutter privacy cover | 720p HD Camera with microphone |
| Optional: Hybrid Infrared (IR) & HD 720p with ThinkShutter | IR & 720p HD Camera with microphone |
| Dimensions (W x D x H) | ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 8 | ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 7 |
| 323mm x 217mm x 14.9mm / 12.71″ x 8.54″ x 0.59″ | 12.71″ x 8.54″ x 0.58″ / 323 x 217 x 14.95 (mm) |
| Weight | ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 8 | ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 7 |
| Starting at 1.09kg / 2.40lb | Starting at 2.40 lbs (1.08 kg) |
| Color | ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 8 | ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 7 |
| Black | Black |
| Black with Carbon-Fiber Weave on top cover* | |
| Connectivity | ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 8 | ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 7 |
| WiFi 802.11 AX (2 x 2) | Network extension for Ethernet/side mechanical docking |
| Bluetooth® 5.0 | WLAN: Intel® Dual-Band 9560 802.11 AC (2 x 2) |
| Optional WWAN: Integrated Global Mobile Broadband 4G LTE-A | Bluetooth® 5.0 |
| | Optional WWAN: Fibocom L850-GL 4G LTE CAT9 |
| Ports | ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 8 | ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 7 |
| 2 x USB-C 3.1** (Gen 2) Intel Thunderbolt™ 3 (DisplayPort, Data transfer) | 2 x USB 3.1 (Gen 2) Type-C / Intel Thunderbolt™ 3 (DisplayPort, Data transfer) |
| 2 x USB 3.1** (Gen 1) (1 always on) | 2 x USB 3.1 (Gen 1)** (1 always on) |
| HDMI 1.4 | HDMI 1.4 |
| Network extension for Ethernet/side mechanical docking | Network extension for Ethernet/side mechanical docking |
| Headphone / mic combo | Headphone / mic combo |
| | Optional: WWAN slot |
| Keyboard | ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 8 | ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 7 |
| Spill resistant | Spill resistant |
| Backlit with white LED lighting | Backlit with white LED lighting |
| New FN row F9-F11 | |
| Supported Docking | ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 8 | ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 7 |
| | ThinkPad Thunderbolt™ 3 Dock |
| | USB 3.0 Dock |
| | ThinkPad 90W Basic Dock |
| | ThinkPad 90W Pro Dock |
| | ThinkPad 90W Ultra Dock |
