Current ThinkPads with larger key-travel?

[Edward Mendelson]

Two years ago, I splurged on a ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 9, and regretted it ever since because the keyboard is uncomfortable to type on. My wife's X13 seems to be a lot more comfortable, and I suspect that it has more key-travel.

Is this correct? And if so, which current models have comfortable key-travel so that I can avoid the discomfort of the X1C when I replace it eventually?

[Ibthink]

All models released since 2023 have no more than 1.5 mm of key travel, same as your X1 Carbon Gen 9.

Of course, key travel is not the only thing that influences typing experience, not every 1.5mm travel keyboard will feel the same

[ZaZ]

Everyone is sort of a snowflake too and will have differing opinions about what's good or bad, which makes it more difficult to tell someone else what's best. What works for me may or may not for you, so trying it for yourself, if possible, is likely the way to determine if it's a winner for you.

[Edward Mendelson]

Everyone is sort of a snowflake too and will have differing opinions about what's good or bad, which makes it more difficult to tell someone else what's best. What works for me may or may not for you, so trying it for yourself, if possible, is likely the way to determine if it's a winner for you.

Exactly right, as I know from experience. I asked originally because I know, also from experience, that key travel is a, um, key factor...

[sharktastica]

key travel is not the only thing that influences typing experience, not every 1.5mm travel keyboard will feel the same

To add, a large part of this is probably ODM/OEM nuances. Keytravel is of course something people can prefer more or less of, but IMO, it alone doesn't say much about quality because it's just one characteristic of a keyboard. For me personnally, I prefer more travel if possible, but overall comfortable also depends on how much force I need to apply to press and how soft or hard the 'bottoming-out' is. Those characteristics might be different between your wife X13's and your X1 Carbon's keyboards irrespective of travel.

ThinkPad keyboards (and probably most high-volume laptops' keyboards) are made by multiple companies Lenovo contract for either manufacture and/or design, which has been the case since the beginning with IBM. I imagine these OEMs will follow an overall visual makeup, wiring (the membrane assembly circuit), and maybe the amount of travel and overall weight specifications expected from Lenovo, but the 'action' underneath is usually something unique to them and the designs and tooling those individual companies develop and maintain. I also imagine OEMs won't standardise or share designs because they are technically competitors to each other. Multiple OEMs weren't just used per major laptop release as well, but even for the same release. If you search for it, you'll see a lot of talk about "what is the best OEM keyboard" for a single laptop. The pool of OEMs used has also changed throughout time. For specifics, as you probably know, most laptops use scissor-switch keyswitches comprised of a small rubber dome and a stabilising mechanism to ensure you can press anywhere on the key's surface and it will press uniformly (as possible). The rubber could be of different shape/sculpt, thickness and/or material, the scissor mechanism could be wildly different in design despite achieving the same goal, etc. whilst the travel remains the same. This also has a wider impact beyond feel as well; these reasons are why when buying replacement keys for a keyboard, you shouldn't buy blindly (not seeing the bottom of them) because the mount can be different even with the same laptop model/laptops of the same generation. For example as per this eBay listing for xx10 and xx20 generation ThinkPad keyboard keycaps, you can see there were at least three different overall keyswitch/keycap mount designs because of OEM differences.

Those differences as a result of differing OEM designs are probably why they feel so different; it's probable your wife X13's and your X1 Carbon's keyboards were made by different OEMs and the keyswitches are unique in many ways. Travel might be different or the same (depends on what generation the X13 is) but there are some other big factors to consider. If there was a new ThinkPad with more than 1.5mm travel, buying it wouldn't automatically improve your typing experience considerably IMO. You could say it's kinda like a lottery in this regard.