X22 review and comparison to more recent models.

[asiafish]

So I just bought this X22 from fellow forum member Doronto and am now setting it up for junior high school use (not mine). Its got an 800MHz Pentium III-m, 640MB of RAM and while it lacks internal wireless, it has a 3Com X-Jack a/b/g card (Atheros chipset if I recall). The machine looks brand-new, has very tight hinges and the only key with any shine at all is the space bar.

What really shocked me was just how large this thing looks next to my X41. I just sent my X32 to Korea and had it side-by-side with the X41 before it went, and while it was quite a bit larger, it didn't give the same impression as the X22 despite the X32 and X22 being very close in size. I think its mostly styling and line, as the X22 has a rather large bezel around the screen, larger than the case bottom that actuall closes into it. I used to own an X21 and more recently an X22 like this one and never thought they looked large, rather they seemed quite tiny to me at the time.

Performance is terrific, as I knew it would be. Even with less than half the RAM, the X22 gets into Windows XP SP2 just as quickly as the X41 does, with the fast 5400 RPM hard drive making up for the slower processor. Once at the desktop, its still very responsive and useable for all normal productivity type tasks. I wouldn't want to edit video on it, but then I wouldn't want to do that on the X41 either.

Older games play just as well on the X22 as they do on the X41, though the graphics requirements of even 2 or 3-year-old games prevent them from even starting on the X22 (or X32 for that matter) while they play beautifully on the X41's GMA900 card.

The X22 has a terrific keyboard, every bit as good as the Thai NMB keyboard on my X41, which is to say MUCH better than the Chicony keyboard that was on my X32. Its really amazing just how comfortable it can be to type on such tiny laptops. Amazingly the TrackPoint on the X22 is every bit as responsive as that of the X41. I thought they had made some improvements over the years, but I guess none recently.

The X22 has the rubber-like finish of the old 600 and 700 series ThinkPads, and it looks much more luxurious than the plastic finish of the X41, though the latter's small size still gives a stronger impression.

I think that compared to the 5lb iBooks and 9lb Dells that most kids bring to school, the X22 will make quite an impression.

[pianowizard]

How bright is the screen? I owned an X22 several months ago and its screen was relatively dim. At maximum brightness, that screen was comparable to my X40 at the third brightest setting (i.e. 6 of 8 bars filled).

[asiafish]

Screen is just as bright as my X41.

[smugiri]

Junior high kids bring laptops to school?

My, I am way behind the curve here.

[asiafish]

They do at my daughter's school (some of them).

[Thinkpaddict]

I agree with your perceptions of the X22 (based on my experience with X21 and X24).

The keyboards on these X2x are great, and I can type just as fast on one of these as on a full-sized keyboard. Trackpoint: great (way better than other manufacturers', such as Toshiba).

Regarding the X22 looking much bigger than the X41, that's all human perception. Usually I think my X24 is pretty big, when I have been working on it exclusively for a while. Then, if I work for a while on my T23 and then go back to the X24 I realize how small the X24 is.

You are right about the rubberized finish in the palmrest. Very luxurious. The downside is that it tends to get scratched slightly quite easily.

Just to add a couple of things to your review, I'd like to say that the X2x computers are very solidly built. The form factor strangely seems to help the computer feel more solid, because it weighs less and therefore it tends to flex less if you pick it up from a corner than say a T23. Bearing in mind that the T23 is a quite solid computer on its own, this is quite a compliment.

The only weak spot for these computers is that the LCD can get pressure spots if you're not very careful not to put pressure on it.

[underclocker]

All true about the X22. I've had one for five years with, now with the same XJack A/B/G card. I added an 80GB, only 4200rpm drive, but it has an 8MB cache. Performance is unbelievable. It boots, shuts down and hibernates as fast or faster than my T40.

I always travel with this machine and it has taken some abuse. It still looks good and feels tight. The X22's and up have the Mobile PIII-m CPU (the precursor to the Pentium M). A great performer.

My display is sharp and the original battery still holds a charge for 90 to 120 minutes.

These days they are tough to beat at around $300 - some have built in antennas!

[asiafish]

I wish mine had the antennas, but the 3Com card is the next best thing.

[DPHMIN]

What really shocked me was just how large this thing looks next to my X41. I just sent my X32 to Korea and had it side-by-side with the X41 before it went, and while it was quite a bit larger, it didn't give the same impression as the X22 despite the X32 and X22 being very close in size. I think its mostly styling and line, as the X22 has a rather large bezel around the screen, larger than the case bottom that actuall closes into it. I used to own an X21 and more recently an X22 like this one and never thought they looked large, rather they seemed quite tiny to me at the time.

My X23 looks big compared to my TP240. With the ultrabase attached, it is heavy. I wish they would have upgraded the 240, as it is the ideal size for the kind of traveling I do.

[pianowizard]

I wish they would have upgraded the 240, as it is the ideal size for the kind of traveling I do.

Have you tried to find the relatively rare 240Z? The most recent configuration has 600MHz PIII, XGA and built-in ethernet, which are all big improvements over the 240.

[asiafish]

The X40 is about the size of the 240 and adds all of the modern conveniences.

[pianowizard]

The X40 is about the size of the 240 and adds all of the modern conveniences.

The X40 is slightly bigger, but lighter.