Thinkpads Forum

I've been thinking about upgrading my T61 to a T410s. I am currently running Ubuntu on a new 9c, which gives me 6h of surfing and 8h of office. I am not expecting that much from a T410s, but there aren't really many recent user reviews or comments on these machines. I have a few bay batteries that have full or almost full capacity which I intend on using with the T410s, as I never needed them on my T61. What kind of realistic battery life can I expect from the T410s? I am not looking for an absolute answer but instead, I want user experiences (which may vary of course), as these seem to be lacking on the web.

EDIT: Could somebody also please check if the T410s remembers the last brightness setting under Ubuntu? If it does not, that would be a no-go.

With just under 85% capacity remaining I'm struggling to get more than 3 hours on battery on W7 with light/normal use. An ultrabay battery would help some.

That would probably mean about 5h of office with the bay battery. Not brilliant, but manageable. I'd appreciate general comments on switching from the T61 to T410s as well, although the most important issue at the moment is still the brightness control. I haven't been able to find an answer to that.

600X wrote:I have a few bay batteries that have full or almost full capacity which I intend on using with the T410s, as I never needed them on my T61.

Do bear in mind that a *60/61 UltraBay battery will not work in a T410s...

ajkula66 wrote:Do bear in mind that a *60/61 UltraBay battery will not work in a T410s...

I was under the impression that they are the same? My T61 bay battery is type 43, which appears to fit in the T410s as well. If not, which battery do I need?

Ultrabay battery #43 will work in a T61 and T410s, but NOT in a T410.
Standard # 33, 33+, 33++ will work in widescreen 14.1" T61, but not in a T410 or T410s
Standard # 41+, 41++ will work in all other T61 models, but not in a T410 or T410s
Standard # 26+ will work in a T410, but not in T410s or T61
Standard # 59+ will work in a T410s, but not in T410 or T61
Slice # 28++ will work in a T410, but not in a T410s or T61.

Confused?

If battery life is your reason for jumping up to the T410s, prepare to be disappointed. I get just about 3 hours when using both batteries.

RealBlackStuff wrote:Ultrabay battery #43 will work in a T61 and T410s, but NOT in a T410.
Standard # 33, 33+, 33++ will work in widescreen 14.1" T61, but not in a T410 or T410s
Standard # 41+, 41++ will work in all other T61 models, but not in a T410 or T410s
Standard # 26+ will work in a T410, but not in T410s or T61
Standard # 59+ will work in a T410s, but not in T410 or T61
Slice # 28++ will work in a T410, but not in a T410s or T61.

Confused?

Thanks; though a bit confusing, it is also very helpful.

jayton4 wrote:If battery life is your reason for jumping up to the T410s, prepare to be disappointed. I get just about 3 hours when using both batteries.

My reason for switching is that I don't require as much battery life anymore and would rather save some weight and bulk. The T61 is very portable but in terms of weight, it can truly be described as a brick, partly due to the 9c. One might argue that simply switching to a 6c would solve my problem, which is a fair point. However, even then it weighs little bit too much for my taste, not to mention the thinner profile of the T410s.

I've handled T420s and 430s models before, but never the 400s or 410s, so I'm a bit unsure. The input so far has been helpful though, so thanks to everyone that has replied.

I have an X200s with 1440x900 LED screen and a genuine Lenovo/Panasonic 9-cell.
On a good day I get up to 9 hours out of it.
It's a very nice lightweight machine, close to an Ultrabook.
I also have some X200s machines for sale (though without battery...)

I have considered the X200(s) before, but at this point I should probably explain my situation. My primary usage scenario is typing text documents and doing online research. I originally owned a ThinkPad Yoga. It was a brilliant machine, but had three major flaws: The display, the keyboard, and the chassis. The display is 16:9, so I don't need to elaborate what was wrong with it. I desperately needed 4:3 back.

The keyboard became shiny very quickly and was unpleasant to type on when you had slightly oily fingers. Furthermore, the typing experience was far from satisfactory. So a T61 keyboard with solid back plate was the answer. As for the chassis: it was very robust, but not rigid; it was somewhat soft and not very pleasant to hold in your hands. Sadly, this is also why the X200(s) is not an option. I've handled these before, and the quality is simply not on par with my expectations. There is quite a significant gap between the T60 and T61 as well, but it is negligible for my demands.

That is why I settled for the T61 4:3 in the end. I don't need to do as much typing and research on the go now, so my battery life requirements are more moderate. That is why I am willing to accept a few compromises like 16:10 in order to bring the weight down a bit. I still need a classic keyboard and the classic ThinkPad T-series feeling though, so the T410s appears to be the most sensible option. Yes, I have a X301 as well, but it's waiting for the AFFS panel from China and I would feel bad about throwing it into my bag every day and touching it with oily hands. Not to mention that the SU9400 is not really an upgrade compared to the T8300.

If I have missed out on any other potential models that fit the bill then please let me know. From my perspective, I can only think of the T410s.

Check this 15" 4:3 R61 out in the Marketforum: http://forum.thinkpads.com/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=119106

Sadly, the footprint of the R61 4:3 and T60 15" are both just a tad too big. Both also weigh quite much. Thanks for the suggestion though.

Just to give you guys a small update: I bought myself a nice T410s and I have been quite impressed with this machine so far. After all of the negative comments, I was pleasantly surprised by the battery life. I can achieve about 3-4h under Linux in a combined office and internet research scenario. The Ultrabay battery adds another 2-3h, which adds up to a total of 5-7h and is therefore on par with my T61 with its 9c battery. Unlike my brick-like T61, the T410s is nice and light and a bit thinner (mostly due to the lid) as well.

Overall, I'm really happy with it in most regards. Even the screen is acceptable. Perhaps even slightly better than the T61 Toshiba SXGA+ display. My battery is a Panasonic with 50 cycles, so I hope it will last me for a decent amount of time. Nevertheless, I bought a 56Wh aftermarket battery out of curiosity. I have no idea if it is legitimate, but it would be great if it were.

600X wrote: I bought myself a nice T410s

Intel or Nvidia?

It's just an Intel model since I won't be gaming on Linux. However, I can see myself getting a NVIDIA unit sometime in future.