W510 Finally Arrives - Review

[archer6]

Well, after far too long of a wait (6 weeks), my W510 finally arrived this morning.

Since I've had my T510 for a short while, I had a pretty good idea of what to expect in terms of the form factor and build quality. I'm happy to report that this W510 is every bit as good as my T510 which proves that Lenovo has recovered from the foibles of the T400/500/W500 with their quirks. Now firmly back on track with great keyboards, one piece wrist rests for stronger creak free operation, the new T & W series ThinkPads are solid, structurally rigid, and very good looking.

I was going to expand on my experience, till I came across this new professional review of a W510 just like my configuration. Here's the link:

http://www.notebookreview.com/default.a ... nkpad+w510

Cheers...

[Skysurfer]

Well, after far too long of a wait (6 weeks), my W510 finally arrived this morning.

Since I've had my T510 for a short while, I had a pretty good idea of what to expect in terms of the form factor and build quality. I'm happy to report that this W510 is every bit as good as my T510 which proves that Lenovo has recovered from the foibles of the T400/500/W500 with their quirks. Now firmly back on track with great keyboards, one piece wrist rests for stronger creak free operation, the new T & W series ThinkPads are solid, structurally rigid, and very good looking.

I was going to expand on my experience, till I came across this new professional review of a W510 just like my configuration. Here's the link:

http://www.notebookreview.com/default.a ... nkpad+w510

Cheers...

Excellent...I've been looking forward to your W510 review!

How does the quality of the screen compare to non-multitouch T510? And how would you rate your T510 screen against previous Thinkpads?

Lawrence

[zenit]

which display did you end up getting on your w510?>

[archer6]

How does the quality of the screen compare to non-multitouch T510? And how would you rate your T510 screen against previous Thinkpads?

First off, Lenovo did a horrible job with my initial orders and got them both wrong which caused lots of wasted time and added wait time to the deliveries (how can an online order be mucked up?). That's another huge post in itself which frankly I don't even want to bother with.

So for clarification here are the displays I ended up with.

T510: 15.6” HD+ 1600 x 900 16:9 aspect ratio, antiglare, 220 nit

W510: 15.6” FHD 1920 x 1080, 16:9 aspect ratio, antiglare, 280 nit, 95% color gamut

Both of these displays are very nice and in some ways I like them better than the IPS I have on my 15" T60 / T60p ThinkPads. For example, I like the increased brightness, even though the IPS displays are certainly not "dim", the displays on both the T & W510 have a greater range of brightness adjustment in smaller "steps" which is very useful. The color depth, contrast, and balance is very good on these new displays, even before calibration. Fonts, lines, and other on screen elements are very clear, the best of any of my ThinkPads thus far. Overall these are a very nice improvement over my T400/500 and W500 ThinkPads.

Cheers...

[Oaklodge]

Thanks for the review ...

Lenovo messed up big time on my order too, placed in January, they had to re-enter it in February estimated delivery just changed from 16th March to mid April - I'm very unhappy with the quality of their order processing ... thinking about cancelling...

[archer6]

Thanks for the review ...

Lenovo messed up big time on my order too, placed in January, they had to re-enter it in February estimated delivery just changed from 16th March to mid April - I'm very unhappy with the quality of their order processing ... thinking about cancelling...

I'm sorry to hear of your experience. Frankly I doubt that I'm the only one that sees this as the serious problem it is, and that concerns me. Since I routinely order other brands of new laptops, I have firsthand experience with the competition and quite honestly, no one is a bad as Lenovo. Not only in terms of the long wait times, but the erroneous information provided when one calls in, or attempts to use the web site for ordering. It's simply mind boggling to me that Lenovo continues to operate in such a shoddy fashion. The purchase experience is like gambling in Vegas. If one gets lucky all goes well, without some luck it's a mediocre experience at best. If ThinkPads were as bad as the average purchase experience, Lenovo would be in serious trouble. Too bad they're becoming as arrogant as Apple, yet cannot seem to provide the stellar purchase experience that one has when buying a Mac laptop. I'm not advocating for Apple, just using them as an example. If they can create & maintain a first class web site, I see no reason that Lenovo cannot. There's only one reason in my opinion and it's gross negligence. Interesting how that's not a problem in the support portion of the site. If I was a first time ThinkPad buyer, and had the typical experience of the last two years, I seriously wonder if I would remain so loyal.

[Skysurfer]

Fonts, lines, and other on screen elements are very clear, the best of any of my ThinkPads thus far. Overall these are a very nice improvement over my T400/500 and W500 ThinkPads.

I think my record needle just scratched across the tracks.

As far as I recall, you've owned quite a few Thinkpads going back many generations...and you're saying--please correct me if I misunderstood--that the T510 has the best LCD of them all?

I'm not taking this as addressing the "3rd rail issue" of aspect ratios at all. Just plain and simple clarity, color and brightness. [Please note I have a very nervous hand on my wallet right now as I'm looking to upgrade my Thinkpads and I do not want to step backward in LCD quality.]

Lawrence

[archer6]

When new, the 15" IPS equipped T60/60p models had the very best displays. Those days are over, so there's no point in debating the nuances. What I am saying is the displays offered on the T & W510 are excellent as compared to past (non-IPS) ThinkPads.
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Make no mistake, there's been a lot of threads agonizing over how "horrible" current ThinkPad displays are. And while I agree there are _some_ that are very disappointing, I do wonder how many critics make statements like this when they don't even own the machine they are tearing apart with their criticism. It's a negative and fashionable thing to do. Some people just love to be critical.
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I'm very picky about displays, especially since I use my ThinkPads as my main computer and work in front of the display all day long. Being highly mobile, I don't use external displays. I enjoy ThinkPads, but I'm not married to the brand. This is why I buy & test so many other brands as I'm always looking for the best.
When I place my new T510 side by side with my 2 month old 15" MacBook Pro with the matte display option, the T510 display is better than the MBP display. It's clearer, lines are more well defined as are small on screen icons & other elements. There are 15 "steps" or levels of brightness to choose from on the 510, whereas earlier displays including IPS only offered approx 7 steps. The viewing angles are quite good, and make it very easy to open the display lid and position it for optimum viewing in a few seconds. These new ThinkPad displays are also better than my new VAIO X, and HP EliteBook. In each case what I'm reporting is based on laptops I presently own and have compared carefully. That said, this is my take only. Your evaluations could be entirely different.

[w0qj]

Hi archer6,

I noticed you bought a 6-cell T510 battery, is it compatable with the W510?

And how long does the W510 last with the 6-cell battery?
With the 9-cell battery?

Thank you in advance!

[archer6]

Hi archer6,

I noticed you bought a 6-cell T510 battery, is it compatable with the W510?

And how long does the W510 last with the 6-cell battery?
With the 9-cell battery?

Thank you in advance!

T & W510 batteries are interchangeable. The only way to get full performance from the W510 is to use the giant OEM Power Brick _and_ the 9 cell battery. I have no idea what battery run times are, as I don't run on battery power only.

[Vempele]

The only way to get full performance from the W510 is to use the giant OEM Power Brick _and_ the 9 cell battery.

It'll be throttled on battery? What's the point of a mobile workstation that only works properly at points A and B but not in between? (compared to one that doesn't have this limitation, of course)

[infinus]

Archer, how noticeable is the difference in color space from the HD+ to the FHD when you have them side by side? Resolution is secondary to me to picking the correct monitor for color matching prints. I've been told by many that wide gamut is bad for print matching of photo's since most commercial printers are in the sRGB space.

[archer6]

It'll be throttled on battery? What's the point of a mobile workstation that only works properly at points A and B but not in between? (compared to one that doesn't have this limitation, of course)

Let me clarify. It ships with the 9 cell which is the only battery that _will_ deliver full performance.
In addition the 9 cell is the only battery offered at time of configuration, when ordering.

That said the tabook offers:

ThinkPad Battery 25 (4-cell) 51J0498
ThinkPad Battery 25+ (6-cell) 51J0499
ThinkPad Battery 25++ (9-cell) 51J0500

Thus I chose to order the 25+ battery to save weight and fit flush with the back of the computer, since battery life is not important to me.

[archer6]

Archer, how noticeable is the difference in color space from the HD+ to the FHD when you have them side by side? Resolution is secondary to me to picking the correct monitor for color matching prints. I've been told by many that wide gamut is bad for print matching of photo's since most commercial printers are in the sRGB space.

Great question, I wondered the same thing. Wide gamut gives that impression until it's calibrated. Then it's perfect for the job. I find this to be one very nice FHD display that is very useful for photography work.

[infinus]

So for me, most important is getting the right color space. Second would be resolution, and my preference there is actually HD+. So my question to you Archer, using color as my first priority, and second my preference for HD+, do I go with the FHD or the HD+. I wish I could see those 2 side by side.

[archer6]

So for me, most important is getting the right color space. Second would be resolution, and my preference there is actually HD+. So my question to you Archer, using color as my first priority, and second my preference for HD+, do I go with the FHD or the HD+. I wish I could see those 2 side by side.

I can identify with your goal completely. Much like the differences in the way colors look in the two color spaces created by Adobe RGB vs sRGB, choosing between the two choices, HD+ vs FHD certainly can be challenging. It's going to take longer to achieve the result with FHD simply because this display is so color dense. Whereas the FD+ will require less work. That aside, if I knew more about what you do with your computer in addition to what we're discussing I could offer more thoughts.
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Cheers...

[Oaklodge]

I was under the impression that FHD was 95% gamet but the HD+ was unknown gamet ... is this correct?

[archer6]

Correct, based on the limited info Lenovo provides.

[infinus]

I was under the impression that FHD was 95% gamet but the HD+ was unknown gamet ... is this correct?

The other problem is that everyone assumes that higher gamut is "better." It's not really better because everything in the real world is nearly all sRGB, not AdobeRGB. So you have all these colors and nothing out there actually has that much color information.

My computer is strictly personal, I don't do very much 'work' on it. I use it for movies, hobbies, etc. One of those hobbies is photography. I use a Canon 30D (shooting in RAW format) and my workflow is entirely in Photoshop/Lightroom (color managed applications). I usually work in the Adobe color space simply to preserve as much information as possible. My last step before sending off for prints is to convert to sRGB/JPEG and send it off.

I used to have a 17 inch HP with a Dreamscape or whatever they call it screen (this was maybe 5 years ago). Back then I was much less color aware and eventually realized that all photos I edited on that screen ended up completely under saturated in prints and when everyone else looked at them. Most of this was due to using an uncalibrated screen in non color managed applications.

Things have come a ways since then. Windows is more color aware, and the hardware itself is more color aware. Does the FHD with a proper calibration and color profiles loaded into Windows do an adequate job of rendering the sRGB world or are the colors artificial? More importantly, will I be able to get accuracy out of it such that I can hold a sRGB print up next to it and they look the same when using output proofing with the printers color profile?

Other questions are, how do the displays compare outside of their color spaces. From reading it seems the HD+ actually has better contrast and viewing angles? Is this true?

I hate that everyone that wants HD+ or FHD has to be constrained to the color space they come with and you can't choose which color space each particular resolution comes in.

Anyways, I ramble, thanks for all the input you can provide!