X220 early review and pricing

[khtse]

http://www.mobiletechreview.com/ubbthre ... mber=40140

The ThinkPad starts at $979, which is relatively reasonable for an X Series ThinkPad. The base model is a second gen 2.13GHz Intel Core i3, and you can go up to a 2.7GHz Core i7. Our review unit has the 2.5GHz Intel Core i5 2520M, 4 gigs of 1333MHz RAM, the IPS display option (really, really worth the upgrade price) and the 6 cell standard battery plus 19 cell slice, which Lenovo tells us will cost $1,299 total. Not bad.

If that price for the review unit config (Core i5 2.5Ghz, 4G RAM, IPS, 6-cell + slice battery = $1299) is true, that's much lower than I have expected.

[ausmike]

..X220 + SLice Battwery = YUMM!!!

[aceo07]

I wish the ethernet was on the left side with the video ports.

[khtse]

Press release and more reviews showed up:

http://www.zdnet.com/blog/mobile-news/t ... hoto-frame
http://www.notebookreview.com/default.a ... nkpad+x220

From notebookreview.com's review:

Our lab test results show this screen has a 743:1 contrast ratio and a peak brightness of 263 nit.

Press release says that it will be available in April (as expected). However, it also says that the starting price of X220 is $899. Slice battery is a $179 option.

Notebookreview says the 6-cell battery lasted 8 hours and 47 minutes, while ZDnet says that it gave them 7 hours of battery life. I guess we can safely assume that the 9-cell can get over 10 hours on normal use?

[GomJabbar]

Press release and more reviews showed up:

http://www.notebookreview.com/default.a ... nkpad+x220

Conclusion [Editor's Choice]
The Lenovo ThinkPad X220 is arguably the best 12-inch business notebook currently on the market ... and we won't argue. Any business laptop that can deliver top-of-the-line perfromance and more than eight and a half hours of battery life with a standard 6-cell battery is amazing. The fact that the X220 can keep running for more than 18 and a half hours with the optional battery slice is nothing short of astonishing.

Considering that the starting price of this notebook is less than $1000 we have a hard time not recommending the ThinkPad X220 for businesses looking for a powerful and durable notebook for a mobile workforce.

Pros:
• Exceptional performance
• Amazing battery life
• Excellent durability

Cons:
• Buttonless touchpad may bother some users
• No docking station pass through on the optional slice battery

[GomJabbar]

Another review from Laptop Mag.

http://www.laptopmag.com/review/laptops ... -x220.aspx

[khtse]

1 more from PCMag:

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2381558,00.asp

PCMag is the only review that did not mention the IPS display and its view angle AT ALL, which is pretty idiotic, considering the fact that the reviewer did try to compare the X220 to other laptops in the same class. I guess he has pretty bad eye sight.

Oh and he went ahead and ran Crysis (medium and high, no low) on it... It doesn't take a genius to figure out what the results were. A reviewer with some common sense should understand that people buying a 12.5 inch laptop with integrated graphics are not idiots. He should be running tests with more common and less demanding game like L4D, HL2, WoW, SC2 etc.

[Summilux]

WHY THE HELL DID THEY REMOVE THE LATCHES?????????

[GomJabbar]

WHY THE HELL DID THEY REMOVE THE LATCHES?????????

According to the Lenovo press release for the X220: "The PCs run up to 75 percent faster than ultraportable competitors that use low-powered CPUs, feature smart PC technologies for incredibly long battery life up to 24 hours on the ThinkPad X220 and sport a clean, revamped design with hinge-based latching and a giant touchpad in a thinner laptop design."

[Summilux]

According to the Lenovo press release for the X220: "The PCs run up to 75 percent faster than ultraportable competitors that use low-powered CPUs, feature smart PC technologies for incredibly long battery life up to 24 hours on the ThinkPad X220 and sport a clean, revamped design with hinge-based latching and a giant touchpad in a thinner laptop design."

Yes, hinge-based means... no latches.

Mobile review's video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZKAeXgCZP94) at 1:28 shows that there's not any button to use in order to open the lid.

[ZaZ]

I'd have to agree the buttonless touchpad seems kind of odd, but because the X series are so small, there's really no good solution. Hopefully, they'll offer a touchpadless palm rest. The IPS screens are back! +1 for Lenovo.

[jdrou]

I don't know why so many people jump on the 'no latch' thing. My X61 and X201 hinges are stiff enough that they would stay closed easily even if they had no latches. I'm sure with a hinge actually designed for no latch that it will be fine. No latch should make it easier to open when you want to since you don't need to grab the lid at a specific place.

[Colonel O'Neill]

The X100e has no latch and I find it more difficult to open than my T400. For one, there's no clearly defined way of getting the screen up. With my T400, I flick the latch, and the lid lifts up by about half a cm. With the X100e, it's really annoying to have the lid slip out of your thumb and close itself again.

[khtse]

The X100e has no latch and I find it more difficult to open than my T400. For one, there's no clearly defined way of getting the screen up. With my T400, I flick the latch, and the lid lifts up by about half a cm. With the X100e, it's really annoying to have the lid slip out of your thumb and close itself again.

There is a cut out on the front right of the X220. I suppose that is where they intended you to put your thumb to lift up the lid. Depending on how strong the magnet is, I may actually prefer the new latch-less design.

Yes, I've tried tapping the latch on my X200 to emulate the latch-less design . It turns out that I don't miss the latch. You can open the lid quicker, and Thinkpad hinges are strong enough to hold the screen close (I believe there is magnet in the new design to keep it shut tight?) The only drawback I can see is that if you drop your Thinkpad, it has a much higher chance of flying open.

[yak]

@khtse

They called it a "hinge-based" latching so there probably are no magnets. To me that means they used some spring mechanism in the hinges so that the lid is pulled to the base when it is close enough to closed position.

I have mixed feelings about this. I will have to try it before I will make up my mind but I can see where the complainers are coming from. Latches have always been one of the signs of ThinkPad's durability. Without it, it just looks more fragile.

Other than that and the dreaded 768 vertical resolution I really like the X220. However, I have a hard time justifying an upgrade from my X200 (matte-AFFS).

--- ADDED ---

X220 is now on lenovo.com where they say "redesigned hinge with stronger magnetic-latching support". So I guess there are magnets involved after all.

[richarddd]

Is there a reliable trend in Thinkpad pricing once a model starts selling, or is there no predictable pattern? In other words, would there be any pricing advantage to waiting a bit after the X220 starts selling, or would you likely have to wait a long time until the price comes down?

[Harryc]

Normally within 3 to 4 months you'd start to see discount coupons (logicbuy.com) or holiday sales (lenovo.com) on newly released Lenovo products. So for the X220, you might see a Memorial day sale for example. However, this model is hard to predict because it is likely to be a very large seller for Lenovo. As long as they are selling quantity there is less incentive for sales.

[richarddd]

In that case, might as well just order it early. Looks like a very nice machine that should be very popular.

[khtse]

tabook has now updated to include X220:

http://www.lenovo.com/psref/pdf/tabook.pdf

No price list is included in the tabook. But if you Google the type number, you can find the listed prices of these pre-configured models on various website (not available for order yet, of course). Compared the prices of different models we can figure out roughly what certain upgrade options would cost.

What I care is the prices for the i7 and IPS upgrade. For example, the only difference between the two models below are IPS display, and battery (cannot find two that differs ONLY in the display...)

4290-33U i5-2540M 4GBx1 12.5" HD Prem 720p 320G 7200 Intel 6205 WWAN upg Fing Blue 6 vPro Pro 64
4290-32U i5-2540M 4GBx1 12.5" HD 720p 320G 7200 Intel 6205 WWAN upg Fing Blue 9 vPro Pro 64

Google brought me to costcentral.com:
429033U - MSRP: $2049, costcentral price: $1734.38
429032U - MSRP: $1949, costcentral price: $1649.73

which suggests that the IPS together with the 9-cell battery upgrade costs only $100 MSRP!

Now for the i7, compared to the 2nd fastest CPU option i5
4290-35U i7-2620M 4GBx1 12.5" HD Prem 720p 320G 7200 Intel 6205 WWAN upg Fing Blue 9 vPro Pro 64
4291-2VU i7-2620M 4GBx1 12.5" HD Prem 320G 7200 Intel 6205 WWAN upg Fing Blue 9 vPro Pro 64
4290-33U i5-2540M 4GBx1 12.5" HD Prem 720p 320G 7200 Intel 6205 WWAN upg Fing Blue 6 vPro Pro 64
4291-2UU i5-2540M 2GBx1 12.5" HD Prem 720p 320G 7200 Intel 6205 WWAN upg 9 vPro Pro 64

429035U - MSRP: $2239, costcentral price: $1895.20 (i7-2620)
42912VU - MSRP: $2309, costcentral price: $1954.45 (i7-2620, no 720p webcam)
429033U - MSRP: $2049, costcentral price: $1734.38 (i5-2540, 6-cell)
42912UU - MSRP: $2079, costcentral price: $1759.77 (i5-2540, no fingerprint reader and no bluetooth)

This suggests that the i7 together with the 9-cell battery upgrade (from i5-2540) costs around $190 MSRP.

[GomJabbar]

Based on the Cost Central prices, something seems fishy with the prices quoted by the reviewers (in general).

The reviews mostly mentioned that the reviewed model having the IPS display and costing ~$1,300. The Top Seller 4287-2WU mostly fits the specs of the review model except no IPS display and is priced $1,307.15 at Cost Central (inc. shipping). This same 4287-2WU sports the i5-2520M CPU, Ultrabase Series 3 with DVD burner, and 9-cell battery.

The 4290-33U with i5-2540M CPU, IPS display and 6-cell battery is priced at $1,734.38. No Ultrabase Series 3 with DVD burner included.
The Ultrabase Series 3 is priced at $169.51 at Cost Central.
The DVD burner Ultrabay Slim Drive II SATA is priced at $140.93 at Cost Central.
Add those 3 items up and it comes to a total of $2,044.82 from Cost Central.

FTR, I bought my first T42 from Cost Central some years ago. Pleased with the experience at the time.

EDIT: The 4290-34U with the i5-2520M CPU, IPS display, no web cam but better WLAN (3x3 vs 2x2), and 6-cell battery is priced at $1,683.59 at Cost Central.

[ssd_thinkpad]

With these prices, I'd take another look at the Panasonic N10. 12 inch model with less than 1,3 kg and running 15 hours.

[yak]

With these prices, I'd take another look at the Panasonic N10. 12 inch model with less than 1,3 kg and running 15 hours.

Can't seem to find any useful pages with specs. How much will it cost? What resolution does it have? IPS option? Or is it too early to answer these questions?

Design-wise X220 is a clear winner. This thing is ugly...

[ZaZ]

Let's Note N10:

Windows 7 : Pro 64bit / Ultimate 64bit
CPU : 2.5GHz [i5 2520M]
Memory : 4GB, 6GB or 8GB (DDR3 PC3-6400)
LCD : 1280 x 800 (12.1" wide)
SSD /HDD : 500GB HDD+ or SSD options
Optical Drive : not this model, USB optional drive
WLAN : IEEE802.11 a/b/g/nl
WiMAX : yes, IEEE802.16e-2005
[Centrino Advanced-N+Wimax 6250]
LAN : 1Gbit
Web Camera : not on this model
Sound: Mic (mono) and phones (stereo) jacks
Ports : 3x USB, RGB out (analog for external monitor)
HDMI OUT: yes
Battery : 15.5hrs max run (about 10hrs normal use)
AC Adapter power : 100-240V ac adapter (world voltage)
Size : 282.8 x 209.6 x 23.4 mm - 41.4 mm(closed)
Weight with battery : 1.27Kg (2.9lb approx)

I doubt there's an IPS option, but if you need a lot of battery life and got north of $2k to spend, it's an option. I kind of like the S10, which has an optical drive.

[vinuneuro]

Is there any hope of the X220i being offered CTO (I don't think the X201i was)? If not there will be no way to get an IPS screen in that model according to tabook. It'd be a pity to spend more for an i5 to get the IPS when even the i3's capability will far exceed my usage.

X220i is just $865 from Costcentral (no IPS)!

[khtse]

Is there any hope of the X220i being offered CTO (I don't think the X201i was)? If not there will be no way to get an IPS screen in that model according to tabook. It'd be a pity to spend more for an i5 to get the IPS when even the i3's capability will far exceed my usage.

X220i is just $865 from Costcentral (no IPS)!

Get the cheapest X220i and do the screen mod yourself! Just like us who modded the X200/201 with AFFS screen. Except this time the screen should be more widely available.

Also, this exact LG IPS panel (LP125WH2) is already available for sale in China:

http://search.taobao.com/search?q=LP125 ... e&search=y

around 650-750 RMB, which is around 100-115 USD. If you have no source to get it from China yourself, expect it to be somewhere between 150-200 when it pops up on eBay.

[lophiomys]

BIG PLUS for the IPS option!
I'm looking forward to IPS screens in new 13/14/15-inch models, with 16:12 screen.

BIG MINUS for the 16:9 screen fromat.

[vinuneuro]

Get the cheapest X220i and do the screen mod yourself! Just like us who modded the X200/201 with AFFS screen. Except this time the screen should be more widely available.

Also, this exact LG IPS panel (LP125WH2) is already available for sale in China:

http://search.taobao.com/search?q=LP125 ... e&search=y

around 650-750 RMB, which is around 100-115 USD. If you have no source to get it from China yourself, expect it to be somewhere between 150-200 when it pops up on eBay.

Thanks for the link, I might be able to source it directly myself. I guess it'll depend on where base pricing starts on CTO models, and what the threshold is beyond which it'll be worth it to add the screen myself. Warranty hassles and i3 modded system vs. i5 resale (3+ years from now) are also something to be considered.

[filmbuff]

With these prices, I'd take another look at the Panasonic N10. 12 inch model with less than 1,3 kg and running 15 hours.

the n10, along with other panasonic toughbooks typically cost 20% or more than what you'd pay for their lenovo counterparts on the retail market.

they also had some quirks & limitations - unusual keyboard layout (tiny space bar,etc) and touchpad, some memory limits (until the new SB models were released, max memory was 4-6GB depending on model).

even with the quirks, i would still be interested in getting one to play with if only they were a little more competitively priced!

[khtse]

The good thing about Thinkpad is that the hardware maintenance manual is very detail, and it's very easy to revert a screen mod with no trace of modding...

[Colonel O'Neill]

Except for the pieces of double-sided tape that hold the bezel to the screen.
Those are a pain to remove and virtually impossible to recut cleanly from a larger piece of double-sided tape.