Lenovo China Clones The ThinkPad X1 Carbon With An Old, Slow, Local X86

Lenovo's Chinese operation has created a premium laptop based around a slow and out-of-date x86-compatible processor – but at least it's locally designed.

Chinese state media report that the machine – dubbed the Kaixian X1 G1d – weighs in at 990 grams, boasts a 2800x1800 display, three USB-C ports, one USB-A slot, and an unspecified capacity for DDR4 memory.

The Zhaoxin KX-6000G chip powering the laptop offers just four cores and runs four threads. While Lenovo has apparently juiced the 3.6GHz processor to run at 3.8GHz, tests of the processor rate it as inferior to Intel and AMD desktop chips released three to five years ago.

Lenovo has nonetheless used premium packaging for the machine, which is said to resemble the ThinkPad X1 Carbon that has long been the PC leader's flagship business laptop.

The Lenovo Kaixian X1 G1d laptop - Click to enlarge

Prices start at around $1,500.

But don't try buying it from Lenovo.com.cn – it's not there. The machine is being sold at third party online stores, while Lenovo China's own online store is full of machines packing more recent and powerful Intel and AMD processors.

But the box does feature on the website of Shanghai Zhaoxin Integrated Circuit Co., Ltd – the silicon slinger that made its processor, using tech derived from the x86 license it acquired years ago from Taiwan's Via Technologies, which made its own modest range of processors before quitting the CPU biz and heading for other markets.

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What gives?

Why has Lenovo created – and seemingly hidden – a premium-look laptop with a poor processor?

To answer that question, remember that China wants locals to use more tech designed and built within its borders. Earlier this year Beijing even excluded AMD and Intel from a list of approved CPUs, and has also emphasized the use of locally developed operating systems.

Know, too, that Zhaoxin has Beijing's favor, and that Chinese media is hailing this laptop as the first time the chip design firm's wares have been packaged into a product.

Zhaoxin, however, has already bettered the KX-6000G. Just last week it showed off its KX-7000 series processors in a desktop PC from local box builder Tongfang Computer.

One market that could be receptive to a pretty but underpowered laptop is China's government, which has been asked to lead the transition to local tech by example.

But overall, this one is a head-scratcher. ®