Keyboard on the x220

Hi,

I'm the owner of a Thinkpad T410. I'm sad to say the keyboard makes me want to pull my teeth out, cover those teeth in glass, and then stab my face with glass encrusted teeth. In a word, it's not working.

Prior to this, I had a Thinkpad Edge 13, which I loved. I would like to move back to that style. But I'm also looking at the X220. My question:

How does the X220 compare to the T410 series keyboard? Is there a notable difference in feel between the two? Is there any flex on the keyboard? How responsive are the keys? Please someone give me a detailed analysis.

I am not interested in speed - I'm only the quality of the keyboard.

Thanks.

 

I'm no expert but there does not appear to be any major flex on the keyboard; just a tiny tiny bit on the armrest at the edge (near the express card and usb port). The keys are very sturdy, a little bit of height for bounce which feels solid and the keys do not move around like on some keyboards. The keys are very responsive as well, I haven't typed any essays yet on this but I can tell I wouldn't mind being behind this laptop for hours typing. Letters are larger (imo) than other keys in terms of letter size per key size ratio which is nice especially when it's on a smaller laptop.

 

Great, thanks. And do you find the keyboard responsive? Do you find yourself making many typos, etc?

 

The keyboard on the X220 is identical to that used in the Tx20, Wx20, Tx10, and Wx10 Thinkpads, so it will be the same as the one in your T410 (same in design; the exact supplier will vary between ALPS, NMB, and Chicony).

Seeing as you like the Thinkpad Edge keyboards, it's pretty surprising that you dislike the feel of traditional Thinkpad keyboard--they were designed to feel very similar. What specifically did you dislike about your T410's keyboard?

From using my girlfriend's T420 and my dad's X220, I can say the keyboard has no perceptible flex, and I personally don't see any response issues at all even with multiple key presses.

 

Hm, curious. For me, I make many mistakes on this T410 - typos, the shift button is unresponsive when I want to capitalize words, the feel is almost slippery. I had to lift the keyboard up and insert a piece of cardboard to make it functional. I also got Lenovo to send me another keyboard - in fact, it's even worse than the original.

By contrast, the Thinkpad Edge - which I've now given to my girlfriend - is very responsive, satisfying to use, and much better spaced out in my opinion.

Are you saying, it's not worth me switching from the T410 to the X220?

 

Strange, I haven't noticed any issues with responsiveness (I don't type terribly fast though, at ~70-80 WPM), so I don't know if you'll notice any improvements with the X220. Regarding spacing, though, the T410 and X220 are identical. Bottom line, if you're thinking about switching to the X220 for the keyboard, it won't be worth it. Perhaps look at the Thinkpad Edge E220s instead.

 

Dang, that's a shame. ThinkPad Edge E220s looks nice, but hard to get in UK. Maybe I'll look at the E420 model. Thanks.

 

My X220t keyboard is responsive with no flex. Compared to other keyboards I have used (All Alienware systems, Macbook pro and Dell latitude) the X220 trumps them all by a large margin. Only negative is the short palm rest.

 

When you say responsive, is the sound "clicky" or "mushy." Have you per chance had an opportunity to compare with a T410/400/420 series?

I read this, which worried me X220 keyboard excessively mushy? - Lenovo Community

 

Mushy is not a description I would use with my X220. It has a sturdy pleasant feel with accurate feedback. Here at work we have Lenovo desktop keyboards and they are mushy. I know they are describing there. I dont find my X220 keyboard to be mushy at all but rather clicky if I had to choose between the two.

Never typed on T4XX style keyboard. Compared to my W520 thought the X220 keyboard feels identical.

 

If the T410 uses the same KB as the T500, I'd call the OP a troll! just kidding. Joking aside, perhaps some people have different preferences in terms of keyboard type, style, travel, feel, etc. Would you consider the X1 since you like the edge13? I've typed on the X201 before and it's a pleasure to type on.

 

Defective or something?

Personally I find the current gen thinkpad have the best non-mechanical keyboard I've typed on in a long time, desktop and laptop combined.

My ranking is as follows:

Best: Mechanical or Capactive(drool) with sub-rankings based on specific model/switch and what its used for (gaming vs coding vs typing, FWIW my daily driver switch is MX black)
Better: Thinkpad regular
Good: the chiclet on the x120 - this one surprised me
Ok: typical retail store aftermarket keyboards (99% membrane)
Maybe: typical laptop chiclet or membrane
Bad: "free"/bundled/50 cent keyboards
Terrible: fisher price/gimmick/ultra small keyboards, although with industrial/embedded inputs sometimes you have no choice
Absolutely hate and will refuse to help someone until I get something else to type on: forced fashion desktop chiclet trend started by apple

 

This thread may be of use:
X220 keyboard excessively mushy? - Lenovo Community

 

I have a couple of x220 keyboards (that work) laying around if anyone needs an extra one. Lenovo sent me a couple when mine was going out. Turns out the ribbon that connects it to the laptop was just coming loose.

 

I don't know if this is any help to you but my T510, which has the new keyboard design, also has an unresponsive left shift button. The overall feel of the keyboard is sub-par to my x200s, which has the previous generation design. At first I was very disappointed with the change, but I'm getting used to it. But I still prefer the rubbery travel of my x200s. Even though it is a much lighter machine, I find the typing experience to be better than my t510.

 

Thanks, that is helpful. Can you comment on the difference in build quality and screen, too?

 

Thank you for this run down. I appreciate it b/c I owned a Happy hacking Pro 2 for several months before funds forced me to sell it. I absolutely loved the topre. So I downgraded to some Cherry MX Blues and I really enjoy those.

So this makes me excited to receive my x220 and try out the keyboard as I can appreciate well made keyboards as well.

 

I have a Topre in my home office that's incredible. $330 but worth every penny. Made in Japan and is no joke. It's just awesome.

The keyboard on my X220 tablet is solid as well. Perhaps I fail to see the issue people are having?