The X1 Tablet also has a new 3:2 screen aspect ratio on its 3K panel, which looked bright and produced vivid colors when I saw it. I prefer the Dolby Vision HDR displays on the Carbon and Yoga, as they were more colorful, but the tablet's screen is a lovely canvas in its own right.

Speaking of canvases, you can draw on the X1 Yoga and Tablet with included styluses. The Yoga's slides into a slot built into the underside of the laptop, while the Tablet comes with a holster attachment that snaps onto the slate. I like that Lenovo offers a way to keep your pen with your computer so you won't lose it. The tablet's stylus is thicker than the Yoga's, by the way, and feels more like a real pen. It detects up to 2,048 levels of pressure so you can get more precise with your drawings.

All told, the 2018 Thinkpad X1 refresh appears to be more substantial than last year's and offers a few useful new features like the Think Shutter and eSIM capability. This is one of the first Intel systems with eSIM we've seen, too -- HP just unveiled the Intel version of its always connected Envy X2 convertible at CES as well. The new Thinkpad X1s will be available this month, starting at $1,709 for the Carbon, $1,889 for the Yoga and $1,599 for the Tablet, so if this preview already has you convinced you have to buy one, you don't have to wait much longer.