The Lenovo ThinkPad X1 has a backlit keyboard, edge-to-edge gorilla glass screen, the infamous click touchpad, and high-fidelity Dolby sound, and it has some serious processing chops. Its standard battery, however, is unimpressive.

Sturdy construction; Gorilla glass is scratch-proof; Backlit keyboard; Great typing experience; HDMI and DisplayPort; Fast 2.5-inch HDD; Standard Voltage processors only; An excellent mix of wireless technologies; Dolby sound is worthy of entertainment laptop

No Anti-glare screen available; Standard battery alone doesn't crank out enough battery life; Hefty for an ultraportable without an optical drive

In case you didn't notice, the ports on the left side of the X1 are hidden behind a rubber door. Words simply can't express how much I dislike that particular design element. I know that Lenovo's engineers put the rubber door on the notebook to keep the edge of the notebook "clean" on that side, but...

Thin design with lots of ports; Excellent performance; Bright screen with Gorilla Glass

Integrated battery; Glossy screen; Annoying touchpad issue

It's easy to fall in love with the ThinkPad X1, and we haven't been able to escape its charms. Everything from its ultra-thin magnesium-alloy frame to its smooth rubberised shell and its contoured keys oozes class and sophistication.

I admit it, the moment I saw the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon I had a serious crush. That's not wildly unusual for this technologist, but those first crushes often turn to indifference once I put a machine through its paces.

Lovely design, 3 lb; weight, high res display, superb keyboard

No dock or battery slice options; battery life just average

Couple of weeks back, people were waiting eagerly for the new X series laptop launch and it seems that Lenovo didn't disappoint them either. The leaks and news about the product made life difficult for many as they were simply too eager about the famed Lenovo ThinkPad X1 launch .

The recommended retail price of the X1 is R15,000 – likely to raise a few eyebrows for a device with no optical drive, very limited hardware customisability and a touchpad from hell.

Kitguru says: A fantastic ultra portable which is quiet, powerful and cool running.

fantastic build quality; responsive touchscreen; class leading keyboard; good SSD options; quick charging

integrated graphics are weak; Due a Haswell update; touchscreen adds a fine layer of grain to the images; battery life could be better; audio is thin

The ThinkPad X1 Carbon is coming very soon, and the base model will cost $1399 – I did say it was an expensive machine, right If you want better specs, you'll have to pay $1499 and up to $1849 depending on the configuration.

It's not often that we get excited about a laptop aimed primarily at business users, but Lenovo's ThinkPad X1 is an exception; the 13.3in ultra-portable might be less than 2cm thick, but it still squeezes in some clever features and plenty of high performance hardware.

Practical is the X1's middle name, along, perhaps, with pricey -although this depends from whom you buy it. The choices Lenovo has made won't suit everyone though, and at this price you start to resent something that would be a mere quibble on a cheaper system.

Sturdy and practical; fast-charge battery; backlit keyboard; built-in 3G

Glare around the screen; unimpressive battery life; annoying port cover