Thinkpads Forum

After buying a X200 tablet off Ebay (and loving it btw) I picked a X201 (for the i7 processor and 8gb of ram) tablet with multi touch and am under whelmed by the screen.

The X200 has a IPS screen which makes for a wonderfully wide viewing angle.

The X201 has a VERY limited viewing angle that makes (light) photo editing a chore due to the screen colors washing out/darkening unless you are looking dead straight on. and I mean STRAIGHT on.

I thought the multi touch screen on the X201 would still be an IPS screen with the same wide viewing angle as the X200's (non multi touch) screen.

Or am I missing something?

A couple factors may come into play. The touch feature adds an extra layer to the screen and it does effect image quality. If you had the non-touch X200t, that may explain some of it. Not all IPS screens are the same. Lenovo uses multiple screen suppliers for X200t and X201t. Some are in fact are not IPS, but PVA LCDs. PVA LCDs in general tend to have better contrast, but more narrow angles, though still better than a TN panel. I had the X200t with the non-touch Hydis LCD and it was very good, but haven't seen any of the other tablet screens. IPS screens do darken a bit off center, though not near as much as a TN panel. You can look up the parts used to make your X201t on Lenovo's website.

Well that would explain allot.

While the Multi Touch is cool, if it lends itself to bad viewing angles I would prefer to have a non multi touch screen like the wife has.

Makes me wonder:

1.How tough is (and how long would it take) it to swap screens between the X200 and X201?

2. How hard would it be to transfer the webcam (I really like the built in webcam) to the other screen?

3. How soon would the wife notice the difference?

4. How much spousal doo-doo would I have to wade thru or stay in?



In any event, thanks for the response and info ZaZ!

There are parts of your question I cannot answer, like spouse-reaction. There are different constructions on x200t screens lid CCFL vs. LED backlight, protection plate vs. direct bonding. Many X201 machines are still under warranty (and some x200). You are unlikely to get warranty service after you do this kind or repair. The internal parts of the screen depend on the panel (Cable, microprocessor card, left and right guides, back cover) , so it is hard to mix-and-match. You would be a lot better off swapping the assemblies. (They are plug-compatible). The tablets have a lot going on inside the lid assembly, especially with touch models, so unless you have worked on a few, I don't recommend taking the screen apart. The webcams can be added to either screen. (I'm not sure which one of yours has or needs a webcam). You would need a webcam and something like this:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/IBM-LenovoThink ... 3cc23fb67d

Disassembly procedure depends on what kind of screen and bezel you have.