Hey guys,

I ordered a X61 tablet and after waiting over a month it finally shipped and after 1 day of use the screen has already come unglued from the bevel due to heat. This seems to be a fairly common problem with this model.

I just called 18004267378 for tech help on this LCD and have never experienced worse technical support, even dell's is much better. Supposedly I was talking to people in Atlanta, GA but I couldnt understand what they were saying very well at all and I spoke to 2 different CSRs. Neither of them knew what LCD coming unglued from the bezel even meant and kept asking me if I knew what I was talking about. On top of that I asked how long it would be for the SXGA screen to come in stock so that I could send mine in and have it done quickly and back since I will be in school at the time. I received the actual quote of "We don't know, no one has an idea of when parts come in, you'll just have to ship it in and it will be shipped back to you when it's done" and I said I wanted to know when the part was in first before shipping it in and if I could speak to someone who knew when that part was coming in and she replied "If it's broken you have to ship it in and wait for repairs, it's your only option."

I really can't believe this support from Lenovo/Thinkpad. Over a month after ordering I received a laptop that broke in about a day with a problem they've known about for awhile but have not addressed at all. This doesn't make sense, I bought a thinkpad because of the reputation but this quality and support is way worst than anything I've been given at dell.

I've foundseveraldifferentthreads about this very issue and other screen problems in the forum.
I was just about to order an X61 Tablet in the next few days but now I'm having second thoughts about making that purchase.

Hi, have been using Thinkpads for the past 10 years, mostly for quality, innovation and support. It's time to upgrade my old (IBM) Thinkpad laptop soon, but I am more and more getting the feeling that the support and service is not upto what is used to be (had a pre-sales discussion with the Lenovo sales support in Atlanta not too long ago, they could not tell me much...).

Also I think the are slipping a bit behind when it comes to innovation, Thinkpads are not on the edge of innovation anymore. In the 90's IBM managed to combine new innovations with good quality, but it seems that's not the case anymore, although the Thinkpads still have some distinctive features that are appealing.

We will see, this year might be the one were I buy my first non Thinkpad laptop in 11-12 years.

Nicolai

Keep in mind, Lenovo doesn't handle the support, IBM does - two separate companies. Lenovo is outsourcing. And, I've had some southern accents that I couldn't understand when I called the Atlanta center.

It is odd that they didn't know what you were talking about, though. I usually use ESC+, though, and that goes MUCH more quickly - someone can actually READ what's going on before calling me.

Is this "unglued" thing the case for ALL X61 Tablets or just a certain series?

my x61t has NO problems with the screen coming unglued from the bezel. though it is the mv/mt screen not the sxga.

That is exactly why I am starting to worry. Majority that have reported glue issues say that they have SXGA+ screen... Although I don't really see how could the two be different in "glue-issue" regard. I mean sizes are the same, thickness as well... And most probably the cover finish is not that much different. Heat emission are about the same... why then I wonder... ?!

the bezel is also coming unglued from my sxga+ screen.

No problems here with the MT/MV screen.

No problems with my X60T SXGA so far. I do keep it in the case in Tablet mode most of the time. The only downside so far is the excess heat. I would never have said IBM was innovative. Even when I bought my A31 it was 6 months to a year behind Gateway, Toshiba, etc in regards to features and technology. I appreciated the fact that they used proven technology. I do not need the latest technology. I just need 0% failures. If I could afford them I would seriously consider the Toughbook. I think being able to drop my laptop in a swimming pool without damage is a valuable feature.

Pros of thinkpads I've owned.
REAL Keyboard
Trackpoint (once I got used to it back in 2001)
High res screens
Serial ports This was hard to find in 2002.
Line level stereo in (the X60T was speced with this too but it was a lie) This was hard to find in 2002.

When I ordered my first A31 after having q 1400I forced on me for a year, I had already ordered a Gateway that was going to be awesome. Gateway screwed up by missing 2 scheduled delivery dates. They had no answers. I canceled the order per my boss. instructions. We called IBM and they sent me a G series I think. It didn't have a serial port as I recall. We called and 2 days later I had an A31 in my hands. Now I was SOLD! The quality AND service was great. I wanted to try XP so they sent me XP and 2000 restore discs. More great service! The preload didn't come with one bit of bloatware! She called or emailed me occasionally to make sure I was happy. So far what I've seen and read of Lenovo doesn't meet those old IBM standards. Let's hope that changes.

So far I'm happy with my X60T. I hope I can use it for 5 years and counting like my A31. I also hope I never have to test my extended warrantee.

Now I'm looking for an X32 to replace my A31 on trips to save weight.

One note on them sending XP restore discs: Back then, they could get away with that, but nowadays, if they did it, Microsoft could fine them thousands of dollars, or worse, revoke their OEM distribution privileges - and being unable to sell ThinkPads with Windows would kill Lenovo.

can you take a picture for the rest of us? I'm using an x61t but mostly in non tablet mode so far.. but classes are about to start so i'm a little worried

Model: 7764CTO X61T
Build Date: 8/14/07
Rec'd: 8/16/07

One thing I've noticed about my X61T is that compared to my X60T, the X61T has considerably more flexing of the LCD panel during manipulation. There is torqueing at the hinge area and the entire panel flexes at the corners to the point where the latch sometimes does not engage properly. There is a lack of rigidity to the bezel and/ or the LCD panel. Being that there is only a single center mounted hinge, this lack of panel reinforcement amplifies the torqueing.

On my X60T there is hardly any flexing at the hinge area. It also looks as if there is metal reinforcement along the bottom of the panel. When looking down at the lower part of the panel where the seperation is occuring on the X61T, this metal on the X60T can be seen running the entire length of the bezel. Whether this is an additional reinforcing plate or is part of the LCD panel itself I can't tell without disassembly. In any case I feel this is providing the needed support to the LCD panel. This also is providing a proper base for the adhesive strip to attach the plastic bezel to.

It also looks like a low tack silicone type adhesive is used to secure the plastic bezel to the LCD panel. This is just plain wrong because if the adhesive was any stronger and didn't pull away from the LCD panel, that constant torqueing would transfer to the surface of the panel itself and eventually damage it.

I guess the reason this isn't happening with every unit is that Lenovo is using SXGA+ LCD panels from different mfg's that are designed differently. I assume the ones that aren't flexing have larger frames and may be slightly thicker also.

It's not so much a design flaw ,but rather Lenovo's attempt to fulfill orders using panels that don't meet the design specifications. My X61T has this problem right out of the box. If you notice the build date they haven't addressed this issue properly at all. RMA'ing your units for repair is pointless at this time because they clearly aren't repairing them properly. My recent build date bares this out.

I'll keep my unit until they have a permanent/proper fix in place or sooner if the LCD panel totally malfunctions. I would like for somone from their engineering dept. to explain the cause of this. Their silence is not helping matters any and it makes them look very unprofessional.

You could request the G4 revision LCD cable and LCD panel... don't know if they'd actually do that, but they don't seem have a supply problem with the G4 stuff, and I haven't heard of any issues with the X60t SXGA+ screen (which is the G4 revision. For SXGA+, everything is G5 on the X61t. For XGA, it appears to be a crapshoot, if the HMM is to be believed.)

Downside of G4 is it's not as bright - IIRC, 150 nits instead of 180? Not sure.

Downside of G4 is it's not as bright - IIRC, 150 nits instead of 180? Not sure. - Quote

Side by side it's not that big of an improvement in my opinion.

I'd rather have the added rigidity of the G4 panel plus the bonded coating on the new G5 panels is terrible to keep clean.

The LCD panel assembly on the X60T is so much more rigid compared to the X61T. If the G4 panel is the only factor in the added rigidity of the whole assembly than Lenovo should scrap the G5 entirely.

The X61T needs an overhaul of the LCD assembly because it's just not working. The display is a critical component, and in the case of a Tablet PC it's even more critical that it functions flawlessly. It's constantly being opened,closed, and rotated. Lenovo took great pains in designing a strong hinge but what it's attached to is crap for lack of a better word.

Let me put it this way... if my X61t has any of these issues, I'm going to strongly suggest that they replace everything with the correct parts for an X60t. My usage profile doesn't need the added brightness - however, I did mention that in case that was a main reason for someone going for the X61t over the X60t or something.

Hi bhtooefr!

I was hoping that when I ordered my X61T all these display problems would have been resolved. I initially had an ESD of 8/31, but the machine was built on 8/14 and I received it on 8/16.

I wasn't in any hurry when I placed my order on 7/10 because all these reports started coming in about X61Ts with the SXGA+ screens. I thought when Lenovo stopped offering that option it was because they were addressing this problem and I was perfectly willing to wait any additional time.

My bezel problems started after the first hour of use once the screen warmed up. In tablet mode the hinge on my machine presses up against the bezel 1/8th of an inch and stays that way. Eventually the bezel will either crack or the digitizer will start to give me problems.

If I could do it over again I would have postponed shipment of the unit until I was certain these problems were corrected.

I hope your X61T is flawless because they're too much money and who wants to repair a brand new unit anyway. There's a good chance it will come back in even worse shape.

Good Luck!

Two words: Onsite service.

Anyway, I have used a 7762-95U demo unit that Lenovo sent us. No bezel issues whatsoever. (Hard drive issues, OTOH... but, that's just something that happens, can't blame Lenovo for that.)

BUMP..

I have this same problem. I have had my laptop for LESS THAN A WEEK. I can't believe this

I guess I will call and see if I can get it repaired. But going without a laptop for however long it takes them to get it fixed (assuming they will even fix it) is going to suck horribly.

Edit: I called and I have to send it in for them to decide if it was fro misuse or just a defect. I will be HIGHLY *****Expletives removed by Moderator***** off if they say misuse (i'm certain I haven't misused it..).

Has anyone else who has had this problem sent theirs in? Did they fix it for free?

The guy I talked to "from Atlanta, GA" (though he spoke broken English w/ an Indian accent) said he had been working there for 14 years and never heard of this problem

I got this because I thought these things were supposed to be durable and solidly built.

Do you have SXGA+ or XGA screen?

SXGA

*****Expletives removed by Moderator*****. I hope it's not just a matter of time before my pops.

@iha Check your PMs.

Alright, thanks.

I've seen now many complaints about this problem, but never heard about further damage resulting from this issue. So it is anoying, of course, but doesn't seem to make real long-term problems - is this right?

X60T has some really bad temp-problems, battery lifetime with vista is outstanding (but not in a positive way), MV-display is to dark to use it outdoors, my fan bearing was defective, if now a built-quality problem with the display-frame adds on I start to ask myself the question if I've really have choosen the right device.

Hmm.

Just got my SXGA+, and the bezel issue is definitely there after the first 2 hours.

It's hard to understand how a problem that can occur so quickly could get past Quality Control.
If a design change (or different type of glue) was the cause of this, why wasn't it torture tested?

On some units the problem can get worse to the extent that the screen makes a loud cracking noise when being opened or closed. So it is not just annoying, but VERY annoying. This IS a real problem...

X61T - SXGA+ - Bezel problem with first use of tablet mode.

The problem is specific to putting the screen into tablet mode. There is some stress on the bezel near the hinge that causes it to "lift up" in the middle and "peel away from" the screen. Put it back into normal laptop mode, and the bezel "sucks" right back down to the screen. Heat makes it worse.

When I am in tablet mode, you can see the huge gap between the screen and bezel. It looks like *****Expletives removed by Moderator*****. I can only imagine the crap that is going to accumulate in there over time. And for a while after using tablet mode and putting it back into normal mode, I will get "sticky noises" as I adjust the display with the glue re-sticking and letting go. Truly embarrassing Lenovo. You should be hanging your collective heads in shame.

Frankly, between the horrible debacle of waiting forever for my order to ship, and the piss poor excuse for a keyboard (the feel is no where near as good as the X31, and the new smaller control keys are a JOKE), and now this HORRIBLE display issue, I think I can honestly say this is my LAST ThinkPad. Despite dropping $2,300 on this new X61T, I just went out and bought a used X32 to use because this newer machine just does not match up. I think I will give the X61T to my son for college (IF he will take it).

And after seeing the pictures of a laptop sent in for bezel repair and being returned in a frightful condition, I am TRULY AFRAID to send the machine in for repair. Despite paying money for the privilege.

The rumored Ultraportable MacPro looks incredible. I just wish it had a TrackPoint. But I am tired of Windows. MacOS is very nice. ThinkPad is falling down.

So sad........ The end of an era, I believe.

ARE YOU LISTENING LENOVO?!

Your investment is going to pot.
And our favorite computers are going with it.

I agree it is unacceptable to suffer this issue but Lenovo are investigating this specific problem with some members from here.

Machines have been sent into their engineering depatment and are being looked at.

In the meantime while we wait, you could try loosening the two screws either side of the centre bottom screw. For me this relieved some of the pulling tension when in tablet mode.

http://img523.imageshack.us/my.php?imag ... suehf5.jpg

I know your pain. My machine traveled 4000 miles. To open your shiney hard gotten machine and find it has a big hole in it, isn't a good experience :p