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Lenovo X1 Carbon: Difference between revisions

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This article outlines the various anti-consumer measures used in the Lenovo X1 Carbon series of laptops. Some concepts may overlap with [[Lenovo]]'s general practices.
This article outlines the various anti-consumer measures used in the Lenovo X1 Carbon series of laptops. Some concepts may overlap with [[Lenovo]]'s general practices, a Chinese-American multinational technology company.


=== Hardware Vendor Lockout (BIOS Whitelist) ===
=== Hardware Vendor Lockout (BIOS Whitelist) ===
Some (most) models of the Lenovo X1 Carbon will fail to POST if the user changes their WWAN broadband card to a WWAN card that is not on the Lenovo Vendor Whitelist<ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/ThinkPad_mobile_Internet</ref>. If a user intends to use a WWAN card manufactured by another company, which are typically cheaper than the Lenovo factory-installed WWAN cards, the computer will not boot until the user removes the card. Evasion of these whitelists has been outlined in the ArchLinux wiki{{Citation needed}}, but success is very limited.  
Most models of the Lenovo X1 Carbon will fail to post if the user changes their WWAN broadband card to a WWAN card that is not on the Lenovo Vendor Whitelist<ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/ThinkPad_mobile_Internet</ref>. If a user intends to use a WWAN card manufactured by another company, which are typically cheaper than the Lenovo factory-installed WWAN cards, the computer will not boot until the user removes the card. Evasion of these whitelists has been outlined in the ArchLinux wiki{{Citation needed}}, but success is very limited.  


The intent behind this vendor-lockout is ambiguous, and not well-documented officially by Lenovo.  
The intent behind this vendor-lockout is ambiguous, and not well-documented officially by Lenovo.  

Latest revision as of 19:02, 16 January 2025

This article outlines the various anti-consumer measures used in the Lenovo X1 Carbon series of laptops. Some concepts may overlap with Lenovo's general practices, a Chinese-American multinational technology company.

Hardware Vendor Lockout (BIOS Whitelist)[edit | edit source]

Most models of the Lenovo X1 Carbon will fail to post if the user changes their WWAN broadband card to a WWAN card that is not on the Lenovo Vendor Whitelist[1]. If a user intends to use a WWAN card manufactured by another company, which are typically cheaper than the Lenovo factory-installed WWAN cards, the computer will not boot until the user removes the card. Evasion of these whitelists has been outlined in the ArchLinux wiki [citation needed ] , but success is very limited.

The intent behind this vendor-lockout is ambiguous, and not well-documented officially by Lenovo.

Resulting cost for the consumer[edit | edit source]

Lenovo currently charges $298 USD to install a Quectel RM520N-GL 5G Sub6 from the factory[2].

Pricing options for WWAN card (Lenovo X1 Carbon gen2) [2]

Some used options of similar modems can, at the time of writing, be purchased for $150 USD[3]. 4G modems can be purchased for even less[4].

References[edit | edit source]