Thinkpads Forum

I will be receiving an X230 soon and am sure it is a model with a TN panel. Not sure if this has been asked but could one simply remove the whole top lid of an X220 and place it on the X230 body? My current X220 has an IPS screen and I would like the IPS screen in my soon-to-be X230. Anyone have any experience with such a mod? TIA.

I have done the LCD-replacement for IPS a few times, it's easy enough.
I have both X220 and X230 but never tried a lid-swap.
The lids look identical in every way though.
I'm 99.999% sure it would be a straight swap.

That is what I suspected. I have never seen an X230 in person but from photos the X220 and X230 seem similar enough that several parts could be swapped between the both of them if needed. Depending on how busy I get this weekend I may do the lid swap as a temporary fix and then do the LCD swap at some future time. Thanks for answering Dom!

On these models, swapping just the screens is actually far easier than swapping whole lids. I would consider this approach.

Update: my X230 came in today and by the grace of the Thinkpad deities I was fortunate enough to receive one with an IPS screen! Sigh of relief.

RealBlackStuff wrote:I have done the LCD-replacement for IPS a few times, it's easy enough.
I have both X220 and X230 but never tried a lid-swap.
The lids look identical in every way though.
I'm 99.999% sure it would be a straight swap.

X220 LCD lid has got a Bluetooth LED indicator that is missing on the X230's lid (AFAIK it only has got RF and HD LEDs). If someone have made the swap, perhaps can tell us if the BT LED is still working after mounting a X220 lid on a X230.

The Bluetooth symbol is part of the clearplate (if that machine came with BT).
If the "receiving" laptop also has BT (or gets a BT-card), then the BT-LED will work.
If needed, swap clearplates (or just a cut-off part with the symbols).