New X301 first impressions. Not what I thought it would be.

[Nubulin]

So I get my new X301 yesterday after months of agonizing over the perfect more portable replacement to my tried and true T60p. Like a lot of people my laptop is a constant companion and as an enthusiast, I always look for the best of everything. The price is high and so are my expectations. After a few hours of use I have some surprising thoughts about my new work tool.

General look feel:
This thing is SOLID. I was floored by how light and rugged this things feels. The overall build quality is far beyond any of the laptops I have had (and that is many). It makes my T60p look like a Dell from 2001. Bravo Lenovo.

Size:
Ultra portable my @#$. Sure its light, but its wider than my T60 and only marginally thinner. The widescreen form factor makes the X301 fat and it takes up basically the same space to work with. I wasn't ready for the footprint of this "ultra-portable". It does go in my bag nicely and is very sexy, just not super small like other offerings.

Screen:
Like a lot of you, I hate wide screens for a business tool. They only real purpose is for watching DVD's which I have done 3 times in 10 years. Let's keep 16:10 for the computers you buy at BestBuy and Wal-Mart please... Coming from a 1400x1050 to the 1440x900 was a huge disappointment. Everything requires more scrolling. Even common websites that did not previously now do. Holy BEZEL-TASTIC. What was Lenovo thinking? This thing has enough plastic around the edges of the screen for 3 laptops. If it were a Sony it would have a 14" in the same frame. Not the end of the world, but annoying in an uber expensive machine. The LED is very bright, but pretty washed out and very sub par compared even to the T60 (which is a marginal screen too). Why are other companies like Sony able to have such better displays (albeit shiny)?

Performance:
No benchmarks here, but from a seat of the pants feel, its slow. Odd stutters and IE taking a couple seconds to launch. I was sold on such amazing performance with the SSD, I feel jipped. My T60 runs rings around it in speedy usability. Maybe its the 87 processes the BLOATED Lenovo installation has to deal with. I keep wondering if they merged with Dell of a few years ago?

Features:
Always one of ThinkPad's shining points. They really do pack everything you would ever need in the thing. No to easy upgrades and industry standards. One of the many reasons I come back to ThinkPad. Wireless range is good, keyboard is solid (clack clack), ports are plentiful. Very well thought out.

Battery life:
This is another area that is very impressive. I had forgotten how nice 5 hours is away from a plug.

Overall the X301 is a very nice machine for a portable user like myself. Unfortunately there are significant compromises in performance, screen, and overall footprint. I am forcin gmyself to use it for a few days, but for the cost I am strongly considering returning it. Unfortunately there is not the "perfect" machine currently on the market, so I need to weigh my compromises. Lenovo please make a T300 for half the money with a 4:3 SXGA+ screen!

[ssd_thinkpad]

The LED is very bright, but pretty washed out and very sub par compared even to the T60 (which is a marginal screen too).

My ordered x301 will arrive next week and then I can also report whether the x301 has the from most users experienced "contrary to the x300 good contrast display". This is very important for me. I am used to high end eizo displays and will most likely have the same display like you as my model also includes the more recent used 80 gb intel ssd. The for modern websites not preferable widescreen with its additional big bezel will also have to be tested regarding usability.

The x301 is maybe a sort of high end durable netbook where all your data can be accessed on the road and which is connected to your home office using displayport and usb.

[perplex]

The X300 LCD is pretty awful regarding viewing angles, but otherwise quite good. As it's a business laptop I wonder if this was intentional as it saves the user having to purchase a 3M privacy filter . Just don't use it for photography processing, although at 100% brightness the colours look good but you need sunglasses.

[Sine]

Holy BEZEL-TASTIC. What was Lenovo thinking? This thing has enough plastic around the edges of the screen for 3 laptops.

I know exactly what you mean; the X200s I tried (and returned) had the same problem. With a 12" 16:10, it had the same height as my 12" 4:3 X40! Either put a bigger screen in there or make it smaller, the new bezel-heavy designs are ugly, plain and simple. Safe to say we never saw this kind of stuff from IBM. I ended up getting an X61s for a song, and I love it - it's as solid as ever!

[JaneL]

Either put a bigger screen in there or make it smaller, the new bezel-heavy designs are ugly, plain and simple. Safe to say we never saw this kind of stuff from IBM.

These kind of complaints and comparisons to IBM always amuse me when I remember things like this:

http://www.thinkwiki.org/wiki/Category:750

[archer6]

<snip>So I get my new X301 yesterday after months of agonizing over the perfect more portable replacement to my tried and true T60p. Like a lot of people my laptop is a constant companion and as an enthusiast, I always look for the best of everything. The price is high and so are my expectations.
Like a lot of you, I hate wide screens for a business tool. Coming from a 1400x1050 to the 1440x900 was a huge disappointment. Holy BEZEL-TASTIC. What was Lenovo thinking? If it were a Sony it would have a 14" in the same frame. Why are other companies like Sony able to have such better displays (albeit shiny)?
Unfortunately there is not the "perfect" machine currently on the market, so I need to weigh my compromises. Lenovo please make a T300 for half the money with a 4:3 SXGA+ screen!<snip>

Great report! Also used to my T60p UXGA IPS, and not buying my X301 as a replacement, I share your exact same experience and thoughts. As a long time ThinkPad user / enthusiast / advocate, my number one concern with them today is the lack of a stellar display to compliment what is, in nearly every model, a great laptop. My new W500 is everything I'd hoped for as long as we do not talk about the display. For I too have a great dislike of the widescreen format, as well as the overall "average at best" display. Lenovo... Please give us a high quality, bright, crisp & clear, matte display. I'm more than willing to pay for "Top Of The Line" as long as I receive it. Purchasing a new ThinkPad has gone from an exciting proposition, to a rather ho hum "what is the least risky?" of choices type of task. Certainly with the very sizable installed base of users, one would think this message would reach Lenovo. Now if they would only act on it.

[Sine]

LOL, point taken. I was thinking of recent history, like the the T4x and X3x/X4x. The look was sleek and minimalist, with thin bezels and sharp angles. First Lenovo took away the stripes & grey function keys and started rounding off some of the angles. Now they're expanding the bezels; all the way from the X200 to the W700.

I get the argument that sometimes they need the space, but that only makes sense for the smaller models.

[archer6]

Yes, in terms of sleek and compact, incorporating a centered screen within a nice thin bezel, nothing is quite as nice as my T60p & X60s models. The 4:3 format is a picture of functionality and these two models are in my opinion the zenith of ThinkPad development. One can only hope that somehow Lenovo will return to building truly first class ThinkPads.

[dr_st]

Yes, in terms of sleek and compact, incorporating a centered screen within a nice thin bezel, nothing is quite as nice as my T60p & X60s models. The 4:3 format is a picture of functionality and these two models are in my opinion the zenith of ThinkPad development.

Spot on!

[lophiomys]

FULL ACK.
I'm waiting for a 4:3 IPS/FlexView 130DPI model, which would have
to compare favourably with a T42p or a T60p.

[archer6]

FULL ACK.
I'm waiting for a 4:3 IPS/FlexView 130DPI model, which would have
to compare favourably with a T42p or a T60p.

Well said! I could not agree more. Ironically prior to my IPS equipped T60p my absolute favorite ThinkPad was my T42p. I enjoy that model to this day better than my T43p. It's interesting how certain models are standouts, and those two are it for me... within that category of size and function.

[ComputerMinder]

This thing has enough plastic around the edges of the screen for 3 laptops. If it were a Sony it would have a 14" in the same frame. Not the end of the world, but annoying in an uber expensive machine.

You got to be kiddin'
Did you look at the X200s ? I think it has even more plastic than the X301 does. At least that's how it looks like. Nothing looks as sexy as my old X61s only minimal border overall much better looking and smaller.

[ComputerMinder]

I know exactly what you mean; the X200s I tried (and returned) had the same problem. With a 12" 16:10, it had the same height as my 12" 4:3 X40! Either put a bigger screen in there or make it smaller, the new bezel-heavy designs are ugly, plain and simple. Safe to say we never saw this kind of stuff from IBM. I ended up getting an X61s for a song, and I love it - it's as solid as ever!

How true. I still have my old X61s here (still working on it as yet to transfer all the stuff to the new X200s). I switched to X200s and put an SSD in there. But I still think in terms of sexiest, the X61s wins.