Unless you need a touch display, I recommend choosing one of the higher-resolution options. It's too bad you can't lose the pointing stick if you opt for the touch display upgrade. And with our test system's touch display, you have three ways to control the cursor. It's rather narrow from top to bottom to make room for the mouse buttons designed to be used with the pointing stick. The only downside to its inclusion is the reduced size of the touchpad. If you are among the few who prefer mousing via a pointing stick rather than a touchpad, then you'll be pleased to see the red pencil-eraser nub at the center of the latest ThinkPad X1 Carbon. It took me a few days before I stopped accidentally hitting those when attempting to navigate around a document with the arrow keys. My only complaint with the keyboard are the PgUp and PgDn buttons that Lenovo squeezes above the side arrow keys. The keyboard is also spill-resistant and offers two-level backlighting. The keys have a soft, buttery feel with a quiet response and yet offer snappy feedback that makes me feel like a fast and accurate typist - a feeling that I can quickly lose touch with on other laptops. A laptop as thin as the X1 Carbon shouldn't be able to have such a comfortable and plush keyboard.
