Lenovo ThinkPad T460s
The laptop starts around $1,000 for a Core i5 with 4 gigs of RAM, 128 gig SSD and 1080p non-touch display. Our 1080p touch model with 8 gigs of RAM and a 256 gig SSD sells for $1,300. It maxes out at 20 gigs of RAM, and there are higher capacity SSD options and PCIe NVMe SSD options. It has a backlit keyboard, optional WiGig, optional 4G LTE, Ethernet and an ample selection of ports.
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon
The laptop is available with 8 or 16 gigs of RAM and your choice of SATA-3 or PCIe NVMe M.2 SSDs. It has a backlit keyboard, TrackPoint and an ample array of ports including USB 3.0, HDMI, mini DisplayPort, Ethernet via included dongle adapter, an SD card slot, option WiGig, optional 4G LTE with a SIM card slot and a OneLink+ expansion port. Pricing starts around $1,200 for the Core i5 with full HD Display, 8 gigs of RAM and a 256 gig SSD.
Two contenders