Thinkpads Forum

Long time ThinkPad user here, started with a 720 that was monochrome 93/94ish, had 10 to 15 others since. The last few years my go to couch surfing machine has been an Ideapad S10 - the first one with the 10.2 inch anti-glare screen, 1024x600 res. The atom processor is terrible but the screen on the machine is beyond awesome. I've never found the spec'd contrast or brightness value but it is better then anything else I have seen. I recently got a used ThinkPad Edge with the 15.6 1366x768 screen, it is way too large and the screen is a massive disappointment. I sold it and bought myself a used X201. The X201 is a great machine but the screen is still lacking and doesn't even come close to the ideapad. I have been looking for an X201s or maybe a X200s with the wxga+ screen as it is brighter and has better contrast based on specs(I have never seen one). To that end what machine do people recommend, I want it smaller sized, 3 pounds, 12 inch screen or so. The screen quality is more important than overall performance to me.

btw the ideapad pad screen is so good it reminds me of an iphone screen but with much less PPI, text is insanely sharp and the black is very very black. Even my wife commented on how good it was and she could care less about such things.

You could swap the Hydis HV121WX4 LCD into your X201. It's an AFFS LCD, which is like an IPS screen with high contrast and wide viewing angles. They're widely available on eBay at reasonable prices, at least a lot cheaper than a new notebook. There's three versions of the Hydis - the 100 and 110, which are glossy and the 120 is matte. Since it is a tablet screen some still have the touch surface and digitizer on the screen, which need to be removed, but it is a very nice screen. I had one in my X200. The X201 uses a LED LCD, so you'll need to swap in the LCD cable and inverter from the CFFL X200 to get it work, but it's fairly easy if you've got some skills.

Thanks for the reply, that is one possible option and I am capable of doing the swap.

I finally found the spec's for the screen on my Ideapad. According to Lenovo the 10.2 ideapad S10 screen is rated at 200 nits and a 300:1 contrast ratio. My existing X201 screen is 200 nits and 250:1 contrast ratio. The wxga+ panel is 250 nits, 300:1 contrast ratio. Or I could swap entirely to the X220 series and get the premium IPS panel which is 300 nits and 500:1 contrast - but the res is 1366x768 which is a bit of a turn-off.

I am guessing there are no other similar sized ThinkPads I should be considering?

You can get a 1920x1080 IPS screen on the X240, if you can get over the lack of physical mouse buttons of any kind, including trackpoint ones. (And a 6-row chiclet keyboard with a layout likely very similar to the Edge). 344 nits and 728:1 contrast, but less stellar on the colors, according to this review.