T440p Disappointment!

[Thinkhead]

I owned a couple of Thinkpad (X31, T61, X210, T520, T540) and now the latest 440p but I fear, that Lenovo manages to kill the brand if they continue like this.

Here is my personal experience with the T440p:

* The new power connector renders all existing power supplies useless. It doesn't seem to be necessary to switch design for technical reasons. If they would have introduced something like the magnetic thingie like Apple, but no, just different without a real apparent reason.

* It's plain ridiculous that you can't easily swap ultra"bay" units anymore. You now need a screw driver to open the housing in order to change "bays". It seems that nobody told them that an Ultrabay is something that should be swapable easily.

* Same goes for hdd swapping. Again, you need a screw driver to change the hdd.

* The fan noise is beyond terrible. Even average tasks on Windows 8 often triggers the fan which has a very annoying noise around 800-1000 Hz. It is so bad that I consider putting the laptop into a isolating box.

* WTF: The fan outlet is covered by the docking station.

* Even the their latest full HD IPS display is still disappointing (as any Thinkpad display so far). Regardless of the tilt angle of the display, you won't get an evenly illuminated screen.

* The touchpad still lacks responsiveness as you get with Apple laptops. It might be a driver thing but it is really hard to perform smooth scrolling without either lag, going to fast or stutter.

* I can't figure out a single benefit of the new keyboard layout. I sorely miss the distinctive f-key sections that allows to hit the right key even in the dark.

* I also miss the physical mouse buttons. Nothing beats tactile feedback.

* Even the most expensive docking option lacks an Ultrabay.

* WTF: The keyboard has indicators for the most redundant things but they killed the hdd activity LED. This really is a shame as with SSD it is the only physical indicator of what's going on with the PC. I was able to read its mind from the flashing of the hdd LED. Now I am blindfolded.

A few positive things:

* The fingerprint seem to have been drastically improved. Blazing fast and reliably works most of the time.

* Newer CPU = More power. "p" stands for "power house".

* I don't miss the display hinges.

* The new housing is much slicker without all the edges on the bottom.

If the next Thinkpad is still such an disappointment, it will be my last Thinkpad.

What do you think?

[Medessec]

Really interesting to hear this negative of a review, especially from someone with a pretty good track record(X31, T61, T520)

The new power connector is renders all existing power supplies useless. It doesn't seem to be necessary to switch design for technical reasons. If they would have introduced something like the magnetic thingie like Apple, but no, just different without a real apparent reason.

It's probably to help the laptop's profile(make it slimmer), but I do partially agree. It's just another reason to see that Lenovo's making Thinkpads more like other laptops... made to be used then thrown out. Unless this is a new standard of charger for the Haswell Thinkpads and onward, they really aren't thinking in the long term.

It's plain ridiculous that you can't easily swap ultra"bay" units anymore. You now need a screw driver to open the housing in order to change "bays". It seems that nobody told them that an Ultrabay is something that should be swapable easily.

I don't understand how it is still an "Ultrabay" if you have to unscrew something, with a TOOL, to get it out. Granted, the really early Ultrabays in the 750/360/760 required you to have the laptop in a dormant state to flip open the keyboard and change components... but come on.

The fan noise is beyond terrible. Even average tasks on Windows 8 often triggers the fan which has a very annoying noise around 800-1000 Hz. It is so bad that I consider putting the laptop into a isolating box.

Really? Hopefully it's because you got a bad unit... if I was upset over fan noise, and earlier Thinkpads did better, I'd be on the phone with Lenovo right now or at a store trying to figure out if it's my unit, or a problem with the model.

Even the their latest full HD IPS display is still disappointing (as any Thinkpad display so far). Regardless of the tilt angle of the display, you won't get an evenly illuminated screen.

Wow. Well, I haven't seen one yet, so I'll have to stay on reserve for this point. But I wouldn't be surprised that they skimped out on it. It'd be a pretty poor business decision for Lenovo to do that though- after many long-time Thinkpad users know for a fact what an IPS should look like.

The touchpad still lacks responsiveness as you get with Apple laptops. It might be a driver thing but it is really hard to perform smooth scrolling without either lag, going to fast or stutter.

So the awesome Thinkpad touchpad has finally bit the dust. It's somewhat alright... as long as they didn't get rid of the Trackpoint. But I'd have a huge problem with that if I owned a T440p.

I also miss the physical mouse buttons. Nothing beats tactile feedback.

I... hate, hate, hate, HATE those stupid, single-part touchpads where they integrate the "clicker" into just the bottom part of the touchpad, or even worse, make it so you have to tap-click.

Even the most expensive docking option lacks an Ultrabay.

Awesome docking solutions for power users died with the 2503.

The keyboard has indicators for the most redundant things but they killed the hdd activity LED. This really is a shame as with SSD it is the only physical indicator of what's going on with the PC. I was able to read its mind from the flashing of the hdd LED. Now I am blindfolded.

I've noticed that on so many new machines. They've taken out the HDD indicator. WHY? Do they think it's not necessary...? Because it's completely necessary. Is it too much information for the really casual computer user? Maybe... but there's zero sense in that it should be completely removed for that reason.


I haven't seen a T440 in person yet, but a classmate had a T540, and in my opinion, I'm not a fan of the styling at all... so I'm probably never going to buy one. It doesn't match my vision of a Thinkpad at all... That's why I love Thinkpads, like the T43, X32, A31, W700... they're all designed exactly like how I would design a laptop if I was custom making one. The Haswell Thinkpads not only stray from that vision... they toss it in the garbage for the sake of assimilating the "popular opinion".

[wolfman]

Sad. It seems like every post now I mention I will stay with my T420... Shame.

[dr_st]

The new power connector renders all existing power supplies useless.

There is a fairly cheap adapter, though. Not the best solution, but it' something:
http://www.amazon.com/Connector-Convert ... B00FYYOWVU

Same goes for hdd swapping. Again, you need a screw driver to change the hdd.

This has always been the case.

WTF: The fan outlet is covered by the docking station.

I think this was also the case before, more often than not.

If the next Thinkpad is still such an disappointment, it will be my last Thinkpad.

What do you think?

The Thinkpads are not what they used to be. Lenovo is clearly taking the brand in a very different direction from their traditions. Some like it, some don't.

[Thinkhead]

Folks, here is a sample of the nerve-killing fan noise:

fan_noise.mp3

You will hear the usual wind noise plus a head drilling static high frequency hum around 800-1000Hz

[Cigarguy]

Sad sad sad

Tx20 or older for me. Elitebooks for anything newer.

[Ibthink]

* The fan noise is beyond terrible. Even average tasks on Windows 8 often triggers the fan which has a very annoying noise around 800-1000 Hz. It is so bad that I consider putting the laptop into a isolating box.

You may want to contact Service soon, as it seems there are some T440p fans that are defective. See: http://forums.lenovo.com/t5/T400-T500-a ... 493#M92381

Tx20 or older for me. Elitebooks for anything newer.

May I ask you which Elitebook with Haswell you would consider as an alternative for the T440p?

[Thinkhead]

@Ibthink: thank you so much for the link! I keep my fingers crossed that a new fan solves the issue.

[zetheroo]

As a fellow T440p user here I can agree with everything written up - and more ...

But in regards of the fan issue - there is no point getting the laptop serviced until Lenovo release the new FRU's which we are told are being manufactured now! So sit tight and wait for it ..

[lophiomys]

"sit tight and wait for it"

I heard that too often.
No more.