Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 3 (20TK) vs. Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 10 (21CB)

Laptop Comparison, Reviews and Tests
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 3 (20TK)
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 3 (20TK)

Our Rating: 85 %

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 10 (21CB)
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 10 (21CB)

Our Rating: 85 %

In depth comparison and review of Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 3 (20TK) and Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 10 (21CB). Compare sizes, performance, storage capacities, batteries and other important specifications and features to easily choose the right laptop for you. Our goal is to help you uncover differences between the products and find the laptop that will best fit your needs.

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 3 (20TK) Review

Advantages and disadvantages of Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 3 (20TK) based on its technical characteristics, features, user experience, expert reviews and price level.

powerful i7 processor

high-resolution display

robust build quality

ample connectivity options

good thermal management

heavy chassis

expensive price point

average battery life

noisy under load

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 10 (21CB) Review

Advantages and disadvantages of Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 10 (21CB) based on its technical characteristics, features, user experience, expert reviews and price level.

ultra-lightweight design

impressive battery life

robust security features

high-resolution display

powerful processor performance

higher price point

limited port variety

no dedicated GPU

average speaker quality

Laptop Comparison and Tests

Difference between Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 3 (20TK) and Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 10 (21CB)
82 % - Design
75 % - Display
85 % - Performance
85 % - Connectivity
76 % - Battery
85 % - Design
83 % - Display
85 % - Performance
85 % - Connectivity
85 % - Battery

Laptop Specifications Comparison

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 3 (20TK) vs. Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 10 (21CB) Comparison Chart
DESIGN AND DIMENSIONS Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 3 (20TK) Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 10 (21CB)
Product Type Notebook Notebook - 180-degree hinge design
Dimensions (WxDxH) 36.18 cm x 24.57 cm x 1.84 cm 31.56 cm x 22.25 cm x 1.536 cm
Weight 1.7 kg 1.12 kg
Case Material Glass-fibre reinforced plastic, carbon fibre reinforced plastic, aluminium alloy Aluminium (bottom), carbon fibre (top)
Colour Black weave Deep black weave
DISPLAY Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 3 (20TK) Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 10 (21CB)
Screen Size (Type) 15.6" 14" OLED
LCD Backlight Technology LED backlight -
Screen Resolution 3840 x 2160 (Ultra HD 4K) 2880 x 1800 (2.8K)
Widescreen Yes Yes
Image Aspect Ratio 16:9 16:10
Image Brightness 600 cd/m² 400 cd/m²
Colour Gamut 100% Adobe RGB 100% DCI-P3
Features Anti-glare, Wide Viewing Angle, HDR (high dynamic range), 178° viewing angle, Dolby Vision Anti-glare, anti-reflective, anti-smudge, 170° viewing angle, Eyesafe technology, HDR 500 True Black
PROCESSOR Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 3 (20TK) Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 10 (21CB)
CPU Intel Core i7 (10th Gen) 10750H / 2.6 GHz Intel Core i5 (12th Gen) 1235U / 1.3 GHz
Max Turbo Speed 5 GHz 4.4 GHz
Number of Cores 6-core 10-core
Cache 12 MB 12 MB
64-bit Computing Yes -
Chipset Mobile Intel WM490 -
Platform Technology - Intel Evo
Features Integrated memory controller Integrated memory controller
MEMORY Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 3 (20TK) Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 10 (21CB)
RAM 16 GB (1 x 16 GB) 16 GB (provided memory is soldered)
Max RAM Supported 64 GB -
RAM Type DDR4 SDRAM LPDDR5 SDRAM
Speed 2933 MHz 5200 MHz
Rated Speed 3200 MHz 5200 MHz
Form Factor SO-DIMM 260-pin -
Slots Qty 2 -
Empty Slots 1 -
STORAGE Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 3 (20TK) Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 10 (21CB)
Main Storage Size (HDD/SSD) 512 GB SSD M.2 2280 PCIe - TCG Opal Encryption 2, NVM Express (NVMe) 512 GB SSD M.2 2280 PCIe 4.0 x4 - TCG Opal Encryption 2, NVM Express (NVMe), Performance
AUDIO & VIDEO Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 3 (20TK) Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 10 (21CB)
Multi-GPU Configuration 1 single GPU card / integrated GPU -
Graphics Processor (GPU) NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 Ti / Intel UHD Graphics Intel Iris Xe Graphics
Max Monitors Supported - 3 external monitor(s)
Video Memory 4 GB GDDR6 SDRAM -
Video System Features Max-Q design -
Camera Yes - 720p Yes - 1080p
Camera Features IR camera, ThinkShutter camera privacy Privacy shutter, IR camera, fixed focus, MIPI, Computer Vision
Sound Stereo speakers, dual array microphone Two tweeters, two woofers, quad array microphone
Codec Realtek ALC3286 Realtek ALC3306
Compliant Standards High Definition Audio, Dolby Atmos High Definition Audio, Dolby Atmos, Dolby Voice
Audio Features 3-magnet speakers -
COMMUNICATIONS Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 3 (20TK) Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 10 (21CB)
Wireless 802.11a/b/g/n/ac/ax, Bluetooth 5.1 NFC, Bluetooth 5.2, 802.11a/b/g/n/ac/ax (Wi-Fi 6E)
Wireless Controller Intel Wi-Fi 6 AX 201 Intel Wi-Fi 6E AX 211
Network Interface Gigabit Ethernet -
Features Dual stream (2x2) Dual stream (2x2)
WWAN
Generation - 4G upgradable
BATTERY Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 3 (20TK) Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 10 (21CB)
Technology Lithium Ion Lithium polymer
Battery Capacity (Size) 80 Wh 57 Wh
Battery Life Up to 15.6 hours Up to 24.9 hours
AC ADAPTER Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 3 (20TK) Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 10 (21CB)
Input AC 120/230 V (50/60 Hz) AC 100-240 V (50/60 Hz)
Output 135 Watt 65 Watt
INPUT Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 3 (20TK) Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 10 (21CB)
Type Keyboard, TrackPoint, UltraNav Keyboard, TrackPoint, UltraNav
Keyboard Backlight Yes Yes
Features Spill-resistant, multi-touch touchpad, buttonless touchpad, Fn keys with Unified Communications controls Spill-resistant, multi-touch touchpad, Fn keys with Unified Communications controls, glass touchpad, air intake key design
CONNECTIONS & EXPANSIONS Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 3 (20TK) Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 10 (21CB)
Slots - 1 x Nano-SIM card (1 free)
Interfaces USB 3.2 Gen 1 (Always On)
USB 3.2 Gen 1
2 x USB-C 3.2 Gen 2 (supports Thunderbolt 3, DisplayPort 1.4 Alt Mode) (Power Delivery)
HDMI
Headphone/microphone combo jack
LAN (on supplied adapter)
USB 3.2 Gen 1
USB 3.2 Gen 1 (Always On)
2 x USB4 (supports Thunderbolt 4, DisplayPort 1.4a Alt Mode) (Power Delivery 3.0)
HDMI
Headphone/microphone combo jack
Memory Card Reader Yes (SD Card, SDHC Card, SDXC Card) -
SOFTWARE Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 3 (20TK) Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 10 (21CB)
Operating System (OS) Windows 10 Pro 64-bit Edition - English Windows 11 Pro - English
Software Included - Glance by Mirametrix, Intel Connectivity Performance Suite
MISCELLANEOUS Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 3 (20TK) Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 10 (21CB)
Included Accessories Power adapter, Lenovo USB-C to Ethernet Adapter USB-C slim power adapter
Security Trusted Platform Module (TPM 2.0) Security Chip, fingerprint reader Discrete Trusted Platform Module (TPM 2.0) Security Chip, fingerprint reader
Security Slot Type Kensington security slot Kensington nano security slot
Theft/Intrusion Protection Security lock slot (cable lock sold separately) Security lock slot (cable lock sold separately)
Features Administrator password, hard drive password, power-on password, RapidCharge, MIL-STD-810G tested Administrator password, power-on password, RapidCharge, MIL-STD-810H tested, NVMe password, USB FIDO (Fast Identity Online) device integration, Firmware Resiliency 3.0
Compliant Standards RoHS RoHS, Energy-Related Products (ErP) Lot 3, TCG Certified
SAR Value 2.512 W/kg (body), 0.967 W/kg (limb) -
ENERGY STAR Certified Yes Yes
EPEAT Compliant EPEAT Gold EPEAT Gold
TCO Certified TCO Certified Notebooks 8 -
Max Operating Temperature - 35 °C
Min Operating Temperature - 5 °C
Humidity Range Operating - 8 - 95%
Manufacturer Warranty Limited warranty - 3 years - pick-up and return
Limited warranty - battery - 1 year
Base warranty - 3 years - pick-up and return
Limited warranty - battery - 1 year
Extended warranty - 3 years - on-site
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