Lenovo T410S vs. Asus PL30JT

I'm debating between the ASUS PL30JT and the LENOVO T410S.

I'm also looking at the Acer 3820T, though the design leaves much to be desired.

I'm looking primarily at criteria like durability, battery life, strong performance, professional appearance, and light weight -- features which both notebooks seem to offer.

You don't have to look at my criteria however; I want to start a holistic discussion on the merits (and weaknesses) of each; what would you all choose?

 

Durablity and professional appearance, Lenovo win hands down. But please be aware of Lenovo less than average display.

 

Unfortunately Asus arent know for great displays either. It has been a constant complaint with Asus. Either low res, glossy, poor viewing angles or all. Their G73 has a relatively good display but its glossy and weighs 8lbs

When you think about it Apple is really the only company that can provide a decent display with most of their models.

 

After a quick search the proformance should be better with the Lenovo too, since Asus will be using i5-520UM processor， which is a low voltage processor. That also mean that the battery life will be better on the Asus. The Asus will also be better for game,that is until Lenovo offer t410s with a discrete graphic. The lenovo also has 1.8" hdd vs regular size hard drive of Asus

 

There is something unique about the T410s that no other light, ultraportable notebook has (and for this reason it is going to be my purchasing choice).
A 14inch 1440x 900 resolution, that gives the best balance between screen real estate and visibility. The Asus has the 1366x768 typical 16:9 format. My current laptop is a 1280x800 and I had enough scrolling all the time. I read that you can choose between a glossy reflective screen or matte screen for the Asus, their consumer version is glossy, it is a deal breaker for me, you cannot use the laptop outdoors.

Yes, the processor of the T410s is more powerful, at the detriment of battery life, I think even considering the total capacity with the ultrabay battery included.

The Asus will be better for 3D graphics, its video card seems more powerful than the switchable graphics of T410s when and ever it will be available. On top of that it has the seamless switching Optimus technology from integrated to dedicated graphic card.

Design is subjective, I prefer the business looks of the Thinkpad than the glossy surface of Asus.

In terms of weight it seems Asus is 100 grams lighter than the T410s, but that doesn't include the optical drive. You can remove it in the Thinkpad and then I think you drop to around 1.6Kg which is amazing for a 14in laptop.

The utrabay is definitely a plus, you can add a 2nd larger hard drive of your choice, or the extra battery.

Finally you have also the docking station, I don't know if the Asus has the option, most probably it doesn't have a dedicated station.

Asus has an HDMI port, not the Thinkpad, you need a Display Port adaptor. Then there are some small details like integrated 3G card for the Thinkpad, the Thinklight, etc.

I guess the budget is not the same either; the Thinkpad would cost at least 30% more.

Hope I helped, think about the screen real estate, for me it is very important, something I didn't realise when I purchased my current notebook.

 

The Thinkpad and ASUS laptops are not really comparable.

One is a full on business laptop, the other one is like a higher end consumer laptop.

ASUS laptops are more comparable to the ACER and Sony range of laptops, and not Thinkpads.

Thinkpads real competitors are the Dell and HP business laptops.

 

Keep in mind how quickly you need the laptop. I ordered my T410s in the first week of February, and I have a current ship date for it in the second week of May. Make sure you are prepared to wait over 3 months to receive your laptop if you are considering the T410s.

 

Thanks for all the help guys, I never really thought about the Ultrabay feature. I'll also try to keep the shipping dates in mind, I've heard the issue has been quite problematic with Lenovos. I'm trying to get a new one at least before this summer (May 1)

NikkiSixx

 

Wouldn't the Asus PL80JT be a better comparison to the T410s? The PL30JT is 13.3", whereas the PL80JT is 14".

 

Well that depends on what you order of course. I received mine 19 days after I ordered it. (I ordered the i5-520M and the 128GB SSD.)

 

How do you like it so far? Any problems with it? How is bootup time with the SSD it came with?

 

I didn't use a stopwatch or anything, but I estimated it to be around 25 seconds.

I love it so far. The only disappointment I have is the battery life. On Maximum Performance, it lasts around 2-2.5 hours. On the other hand, Maximum Battery Life (with Battery Stretch enabled) gives me about 3.5-4 hours. I created my only power plan somewhere inbetween the two and I average around 3 hours. It's not horrible, but I had hoped for more. I may consider the Ultrabay battery now.

One other annoyance: the edge of the notebook that your palm sits on when you're typing is kind of sharp. It depends on the angle you're using it at, but if your palm is resting on it for an extended period of time, it can get really annoying.

Other than those two things, I love it to death.

 

A top-notch Thinkpad and an Asus/Acer laptop. You must be joking

 

Then what would you suggest I compare the 410S with? I'm looking for something less than 4.5 pounds with the new Core processors. If you actually have a good suggestion please let me know.

 

T410s has no direct competitor by now. HP Elitebook 8440p is a competitor to T410, and I doubt that HP will make a model like 8440ps.

3 competitors in premium business class were Thinkpad T400, Elitebook 6930p and Latitude E6400. T400 and 6930p were updated, but still no update from Dell.

You might consider some Sony Vaio notebooks. They're good, but I don't have experiences with them.

 

I looked into the HP notebooks for a while, but heard terrible things about them on this forum. I don't want to take a risk with the brand (even its higher end models).

I'm primarily looking at business laptops for my new job... I'm hoping the T410S will have Optimus.

 

IMHO, T410s would be the best choice for your business. Forget about Asus/Acer, and if you don't want a HP notebook, then go for T410s

 

Sony's Z series is probably better from a T410s from a performance perspective. But it's nowhere near it when it comes to durability and sturdiness. Usually people who will get the Z series will treat it as their little baby, if you treat it like that then it'll probably be a better choice. If you don't want to think about it and want to be able to drop it in your bag and go T410s is the way to go.

 

DEll has a look-alike, which may have a better screen? http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/30/dell-latitude-e6410-and-e6510-emerge-overseas-core-i5-i7-and/

 

HP consumer and business notebooks are totally different. Their business Elitebooks are among the best in the industry in terms of support and build quality, along side with Lenovo Thinkpads and Dell Latitude/Precisions.

 

HP consumer laptops is probably the worst laptop that i have ever used.... apart from the shiny plastics, there is not much on the laptop that really stands out other than its high unreliability and constant overheating..... when you buy the HP consumer laptops you are really buying a quick disposable product that breaks down after 1 year or so.