T61p: LCD screen quality?

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leesiulung · #1 Post by **leesiulung** » Fri Apr 11, 2008 3:31 pm

I'm typing on a 2-year old T60 (15" 4:3 aspect ratio) and the screen seems fine to me. However, I have heard a lot of complaints on the screen of the newer Lenovo laptops.

It appears that Lenovo is unable to control consistent quality of their screens. Can anyone give me some input on their experience with the newer T61p LCD screens? I'm looking to buy a 14.1" T61p (non-widescreen, 4:3 aspect ratio).

I would hate to order a laptop and get a washed LCD screen. I'm just strongly considering buying in-store for some other brand that does not charge me 15% restocking fee (even on exchanges). IBM was great....

Brad · #2 Post by **Brad** » Fri Apr 11, 2008 3:35 pm

Unfortunately there will be a very noticiable difference between your Flexview LCD and the current crop.

If at all possible keep what you have. They aren't making any more at least right now anyway.

Brad

#3 Post by **Harryc** » Fri Apr 11, 2008 4:17 pm

The display quality on my T61/P is fine, clear, nice and bright. But it is definitely no flexview. If you are used to flexview this LCD will frustrate and disappoint. I agree to keep what you have for as long as you can. Is your 15" T60 SXGA+ or UXGA+ ? If it's XGA it is not flexview.

leesiulung · #4 Post by **leesiulung** » Sat Apr 12, 2008 12:13 pm

The T60 is actually a 15" XGA. This is given to me by work and I'm happy with the screen.

I'm thinking of getting a new T61p for personal business use, but don't want a washed out screen. What is the current screens that are preffered in order? How do you check for it?

So far I read about a Samsung that is apparently poor. Didn't Samsung use to make the top LCDs?

dr_st · #5 Post by **dr_st** » Sat Apr 12, 2008 12:22 pm

I doubt any screen you can get on the T61 will be worse than the 15" XGA.

bdemchak · #6 Post by **bdemchak** » Sat Apr 12, 2008 12:54 pm

I'm using the 15" WUXGA screen (1920x1600) right now. I used the A31p Flexview UXGA for 6 years. There is no comparison. The Flexview is bright, pretty, and had wide viewing angles. The WUXGA screen is far from ugly ... it's bright and has a different kind of graininess ... sort of a sparkle ... and the viewing angles aren't nearly what the Flexview has. That said, I'm far from disappointed. It's just different, and I don't live and die by the screen alone. I still would prefer the FlexView, but the whole T61p package is appealing enough that the display isn't a deal breaker. Think: Coke vs Pepsi.

#7 Post by **Harryc** » Sat Apr 12, 2008 12:57 pm

dr_st wrote:I doubt any screen you can get on the T61 will be worse than the 15" XGA.

Quoted for truth

billj32 · #8 Post by **billj32** » Fri Apr 18, 2008 11:42 pm

I have been quite disappointed in the LCD screen of my 14.1 T61p. Everything else about it is great as far as performance, build quality, keyboard, etc but the horrible screen was a real letdown for me. This is my 8th Thinkpad starting with a 755c many years ago. I ended up using the T61p in the Advanced Dock with a Dell 24"Ultrasharp monitor as a desktop since looking at the screen drives me nuts with its narrow viewing angles and harsh contrast even with calibration with an Eye One Display 2 puck and software. I would be willing to pay considerably more for a T61p with a Flexview screen as an option. I never thought twice about paying Bill $3800 for a T40p many years ago and it served me well. I would pay $3000 in a heartbeat for a T61p with a flexview.

Crunch · #9 Post by **Crunch** » Sat Apr 19, 2008 3:14 pm

billj32 wrote:[...] I would pay $3000 in a heartbeat for a T61p with a flexview.

As would I, alongst many others. These threads come up quite consistently, so to the OP: Your 15" XGA screen does NOT have IPS Flexview, so you will see a lesser difference, if you'll see one at all.

I would buy a T60p with IPS, and then upgrade it, but I don't want to say anymore, as you have never seen IPS, and because it's a bit of work, which you may just not be inclined to go through. For some of us, and definitely myself, it is fun to play around with the inner workings of our Thinkpads. However, this may be a complete annoyance for you, so let us know if you're interested in hearing more.

Peak2Peak · #10 Post by **Peak2Peak** » Sat Apr 19, 2008 4:46 pm

billj32 wrote:I would pay $3000 in a heartbeat for a T61p with a flexview.

I'm sure many forum members would agree with you

pauld · #11 Post by **pauld** » Sat Apr 19, 2008 9:42 pm

Recently received my CTO T61, overall I like it, features/price cannot be beat, nice build (plastic looks cheap though), but it has the worst LCD I have ever seen, washed out, huge light leakage from the bottom, vertical viewing angles are very poor. Is it common issue these days? Is it LCD quality or a defect?
Anybody was succesfull with sending T61 for a LCD replacement?

amstel78 · #12 Post by **amstel78** » Sat Apr 19, 2008 11:53 pm

I don't watch movies or play games with my T61p 14". It's true that the LCD display quality isn't really up to snuff with some of today's newer offerings, but depending on what you use your computer for, it could be very well accepted. In my opinion, I think the T61p 14" LCD is fine for general computing/web/engineering work.

BTW - don't bother trying to get a 14" T61p anymore; Lenovo has stopped selling them.

jlingo · #13 Post by **jlingo** » Sun Apr 20, 2008 3:03 am

Yeah I agree even T60 screen a lot of them not as good as it used to be. I'm very disappointed also.

Guys how about Sony SZ770N Laptop? Oh My, I fall in love with this laptop's screen, style, sleekness. Anyone would like to discourage me with this?

I have been loyal with Thinkpad, but I think it's time to move on now.

pauld · #14 Post by **pauld** » Sun Apr 20, 2008 11:05 am

My T61 has 15.4".
I also have T60 with 15" at work, it's not exceptional, but at least it has uniform backlighting and acceptable color reproduction. T61 screen is just a crap comparing to it, weird colors, top part of the screen is so dark, that no details of any photo can be seen.

leesiulung · #15 Post by **leesiulung** » Wed Apr 23, 2008 12:47 pm

amstel78 wrote:...
BTW - don't bother trying to get a 14" T61p anymore; Lenovo has stopped selling them.

The least the could freaken do is give me a warning that they will discontinue this. All of a sudden, I can no longer order it. As a long time Thinkpad user, I will probably move on as their offering no longer fit my needs.

The X61s does not have discrete graphics and the T61's no longer have standard (4:3) screen. The worst thing that could happen to a Thinkpad.

I'm not sure what I'm going to do... I can't stand the widescreen display. I hate my LCD screen at work and still stick with my T60 in favor of a new Quad Core desktop PC sitting right next to me.

What other company now supplies standard screened laptops?

ajkula66 · #16 Post by **ajkula66** » Wed Apr 23, 2008 1:34 pm

leesiulung wrote:

What other company now supplies standard screened laptops?

Panasonic and Dell for sure, maybe others.

pianowizard · #17 Post by **pianowizard** » Wed Apr 23, 2008 2:06 pm

leesiulung wrote:What other company now supplies standard screened laptops?

Euclidcomputers.com still has many laptops with 4:3 screen. Go to the search function on this page and choose "1024x768" or "1400x1050" in the resolution menus. Enter the same resolution into both the "FROM:" and "TO:" fields.

ypnos · #18 Post by **ypnos** » Thu Apr 24, 2008 4:12 pm

To add my experience: I have a brand new T61p 15" with 1920x1200 display.

I was a little bit afraid of choosing this configuration, as I was told the display is darker than the other option (1600x1050?). In fact, it's not the brightest one out there. Still, it is bright enough to work in different lighting conditions, also outside in the sun. The colors don't show any problems all over the display. The backlight seems to be well balanced. I'm very satisfied with this display.

To compare, the Macbook Pro's display, which is considered a very good one, is just brighter than this one (lots) but glossy on the other hand.

I would not recommend to abstain from the T61p in my configuration because of the display. It's just fine and does it's job well. The high resolution is really nice, if your system is adapting to the high DPI (I use Linux and it's quite ok). The display is good enough to deliver the advantage of the higher DPI!

It may be that these old flexview displays were the greatest of the world etc.... but are you kidding me, XGA?

p.s.: I also use this display to watch movies. I like the contrast and the colors. I've seen much worse contrast on other LCD displays.

Troels · #19 Post by **Troels** » Thu Apr 24, 2008 4:31 pm

Ypnos,
It's really nice to hear some positive feedback sometimes, just so we know that all is not riot.

Flexviews were never XGA (in 15" at least). They were either 15" SXGA+ UXGA or QXGA IPS or AFFS LCDs.

ajkula66 · #20 Post by **ajkula66** » Thu Apr 24, 2008 4:39 pm

ypnos wrote:

It may be that these old flexview displays were the greatest of the world etc.... but are you kidding me, XGA?

I suggest some research before posting...the only XGA FlexViews are the ones offered on tablets...which is quite alright on a 12" LCD, although my preference would be SXGA+.

Normally, FlexViews are associated with UXGA (1600x1200) or SXGA+ (1400x1050) resolutions on 15" LCDs with 4:3 ratio, the former having a very similar DPI count to your present LCD, while maintaining a better contrast and being far easier on one's eyes.

Don't get me wrong, though: the screen that you have is by far the best one within Lenovo's current TN offerings.

rockefella · #21 Post by **rockefella** » Sat Apr 26, 2008 8:58 am

I must be missing something. I have a T60p 15" UXGA Flexscreen and I just got (2 weeks ago) a T61p 15.4" WUXGA. The T61p has a MUCH brighter screen. Side-by-side, the T61p looks bluish-white and bright while the T60p looks dim and yellow.

The T60p has fantastic viewing angles. There is practically no distortion no matter what the viewing angle. But it has just as much light leakage at the bottom as the T61p, which in my view is not a lot in either case. The T60p also has noticeable dark areas, while I don't see any dark areas on my T61p.

For me, there is no comparison. The T61p screen is far far better than my flexview T60p. Now, this might not be a fair comparison b/c my T6p is about 2 yrs old and has seen heavy daily use. I treat my Thinkpads like an extra appendage - attached at the hip at all times.

Maybe I'm not as discerning as y'all, but I'm just pleased as punch with my T61p screen. I think it rocks.

And by the way, I LOVE WUXGA. Sure the text can be tiny, but it hasn't been a problem for me because I just use ctrl-+ in the browser to pump up text size to what I like. I'm in my late 30s and wear glasses and my eyes aren't the greatest.

In sum, I'm glad I didn't listen to all the negative posts I read here about 1) T61p screen quality and 2) WUXGA being supposedly unreadable.

Gene

Troels · #22 Post by **Troels** » Sat Apr 26, 2008 9:17 am

Things moste definitely degrade over time, including CCFLs, which gets an easily noticeably lower color temperature after just a year with daily usage. It's much more an issue with laptops than TVs or the better desktop LCDs.

Dark areas is very uncommon, if it's from boe hydis, a little darker in the right if it's from idtech, light leakages issues with either are very rare.

Is your's a Samsung or LG WUXGA LCD?

Growly · #23 Post by **Growly** » Sat Apr 26, 2008 7:01 pm

My T61p's 15.4" LCD was initially a cause for heartache, but now I'm at peace with it. I choose not to worry myself over how sub-perfect it is, because it does the job, and it does it more than well, but not much more.

The viewing angles are horrid, in that if I move my head to the far right hand side of the screen, the left hand side looks dimmer. It's not very bright, and doesn't have very good black levels at all - but you don't really notice when you're sitting in awe of the ThinkPad package.

Remember that the whole is more than the sum of its parts!

I frequently set the resolution at far below WUXGA - in fact, WSXGA+ wouldn've been an ideal size, in hindsight (my eyes are weakening despite my supposed youth). Kinda makes me sad as the NZ Lenovo website currently has a better spec'd Penryn T61p 15.4" selling for NZD$1500 less than I paid for mine, and the only real 'advantage' I have is the 1920x1200 screen resolution...

I wouldn't worry about the screen. You can't get much better anyway. The high-end HP laptops I've seen have the same faults and I simply can't stand glossy screens at all.

rockefella · #24 Post by **rockefella** » Sun Apr 27, 2008 10:37 pm

Hi,

I have an LG. I'm not complaining about my T60p UXGA Flexscreen. It's served me well. It's just that my T61p WUXGA is such a major step up from the T60p. I'm a lawyer so I love being able to have two docs open side by side.

Gene

Troels wrote:Things moste definitely degrade over time, including CCFLs, which gets an easily noticeably lower color temperature after just a year with daily usage. It's much more an issue with laptops than TVs or the better desktop LCDs.

Dark areas is very uncommon, if it's from boe hydis, a little darker in the right if it's from idtech, light leakages issues with either are very rare.

Is your's a Samsung or LG WUXGA LCD?

antelope · #25 Post by **antelope** » Mon Apr 28, 2008 5:43 am

amstel78 wrote: BTW - don't bother trying to get a 14" T61p anymore; Lenovo has stopped selling them.

This is definitely a bummer.

I've been very happy with my T42 but I'm getting close to upgrade time as I plan on making the move to Revit (3D/BIM CAD program) which I assume will require a more robust system than I have now. I was planning on the T61p in 14". I almost always work in docked mode so I wanted to get the smaller form-factor after hauling around my 15" T42 to and from my office for the last three years.

Dell's M2300 seems like the most similar machine to the 14" T61p. Any other suggestions? Comments on the (cough) Dell?

ypnos · #26 Post by **ypnos** » Tue Apr 29, 2008 4:53 pm

The T61p 15" offers better graphics and CPU in comparison to your Dell choice. If you need the performance for your CAD, you should still consider the Thinkpad..

Crunch · #27 Post by **Crunch** » Tue Apr 29, 2008 9:32 pm

Growly wrote:I frequently set the resolution at far below WUXGA - in fact, WSXGA+ wouldn've been an ideal size, in hindsight (my eyes are weakening despite my supposed youth).

I'm sorry to hear that. How bad is it? I have heard the problem with the screens is bad to the point where your eyes hurt. That's awful. I am relaying a question: Have you had Thinkpad, or non-Thinkpads (how could you? lol

) in the past that did NOT have IPS Flexview LCD's, but were better than the current screen you have now? I have a couple of friends who always come to me for computer advice, and they like the Thinkpads as well, but not if they're going to mess up their eyes in the process.

Thanks!!

crashnburn · #28 Post by **crashnburn** » Wed Apr 30, 2008 10:43 am

Interesting debate.

jrm · #29 Post by **jrm** » Wed Apr 30, 2008 6:52 pm

I've got a two months old 14.1" SXGA+ T61 8891-CTO. Maybe this model may also be configured as T61p.

When I first saw the LCD I was disappointed, and I still am. The viewing angles are pathetic and image reproduction is non-uniform. There's a lot of backlight leakage.

I was surprised you find this kind of stuff on the market.

crashnburn · #30 Post by **crashnburn** » Thu May 01, 2008 12:59 pm

Flewview IPS guys will always find other screens lowly

I guess thats permanently sad

T61p: LCD screen quality?

T61p: LCD screen quality?

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