Lenovo X220 IPS display worth the $135 Canadian?

Hey guys, I just wanted to know if in your opinion the IPS display was worth the $135 Canadian Lenovo is asking for it? I don't use photoshop or anything on it. And I have an external Samsung 24" display. It will mainly be used for notes etc...

 

Well, to put it one way, you never hear 4-door car owners complain that they don't use the back two doors.

IMO, the IPS display is one of the best reasons to go with the X220. It's a significant improvement on the one part of the computer you'll actually be looking at all day.

 

I think it's definitely worth it. Screen upgrades, even in this case when it's just screen quality rather than resolution, make the biggest difference compared to any other upgrade.

 

If you want to get a feel for how good IPS screens can be, visit a local store that has iPads on display.

I was going to say, prepare to be bowled over. In fact, now I think about it, the iPad 2 screens may not be as good as the originals.

I was worried about the 1024x768 res of my iPad (original). When I saw the quality of the screen, I totally forgot about that.

I've got the IPS screened X220 on order - for once, us in the UK get it for a reasonable price. In fact I'm pretty happy with the US versus UK pricing once you spec a machine up properly.

 

I don't think it's worth it. An x220 is a portable device, and I'd assume that a person buying it would have a main machine at home that they spend most of their time using. So why spend all that money on something that you presumably won't be using all day.

If however you are buying this to be your main machine, that'd be a different story, but I couldn't imagine using a 1366x768 display as my main...

That money would be better spent towards an SSD.

 

This will be my main machine, though I do have a 24" monitor I will hook it up to at home.

 

Yes! If there's any one upgrade that's worth it over everything else, it's the screen.

 

YES get the IPS even f you use an external, your eyeballs will thank you in the end as it is easier to look at than my MBP's

 

yes, because the standard lenovo screens are rubbish...

 

actually the standard X220 and X1 screens arent bad. im just spoiled with IPS screens though

 

the X220's screen is bright, but thats about the only good thing about it. your average dell or sony laptop has better screens. cant comment on the X1 as i havent seen it in person

 

strange, the res is a bit low for my liking but its under 13" the viewing angles are much better than my Dell XPS or Viao Z. it DOES dake a beating from my Elitebook with IPS panel though color is about on par with my Husbands M17xR2 and My MBP 17"

 

No I wouldnt, considering the US lenovo site only charges them $50, and the canadian is 150, its not worth it. Even after the discount being 135.
Think about it this way, you've seen an iphone, its pretty, its nice. You've used a laptop, its ok, doesnt have all the angles etc.
Now you have to decide, do you need it? do you want it? are you willing to pay an extra 100(base price of 150) that the americans are paying for a pretty screen?

it all comes down to what you want and what you are using the laptoip for and whether you can handle typical laptop screens.
I can.....so not worth my 150.

 

Is it "worth" it? If you're referring to value - that all depends on your personal uses. Is it a worthwhile upgrade? Absolutely - 100%.

I've used scores of laptops in my lifetime - and a poor screen is a deal breaker. It makes using the laptop unbearable for me.

I envy those who think it's not a worthwhile upgrade - I wish I could stand poor screens on laptops - but to each their own. If you're doing anything more than typing a word document - it's worth getting the upgrade IMO.

 

For $35, it's unquestionably worth it.

For $135, it's much more of a dilemma. In your case, since you do have a monitor you will hook it up to when not on-the-go, I may argue that that money may be better kept in your wallet, particularly if you're configuring a relatively low-priced configuration of the X220--a $135 screen would be a significant percentage of the total cost.

 

usually the more expensive the upgrades, the bigger a discount the rep will give if you bargain, so try that.

when i bought my M4400 i dint bother selecting less ram and hard drive to upgrade myself because after the rep discounted the total build it was very reasonable

 

If you can afford it, get the best that you can. Otherwise you'll just be regretting it over and over down the road.

 

I've been on the phone with Lenovo reps and they won't budge, I'm using a student discount plus the Visa coupon, one rep even had the guts to say to me. "Okay but put my employee number in online when you order so I get the credit" I just hung up, they didn't do anything for me so why should they get the credit?

 

The best upgrade? if you haven't got an SSD, then I would vote utterly that replacing a HDD with a SSD is, as long as it has the room you need, the best upgrade to any system, by a long way.

As for "all Lenovo's screens are rubbish"! Well, I have had half a dozen Dell W/UXGA screens and one Lenovo WUXGA so far. And really, they are the same - just wonderful. The W500 WUXGA has a well-known problem with only adequate backlighting, but by all accounts, that problem has been fixed in the subsequent W510/520 FHD panels. In general, Dell seems to provided stronger backlighting to more of their panels, and I think Lenovo should look a little more at that issue for their laptops in general. But I don't think they are "rubbish".

I think paying a little more for an IPS screen is absolutely worth it, just as is paying a little more for a higher PPI screen.

 

Gotta ask yourself, can you afford not to have the IPS screen?

 

FYI, here's a video comparing the TN and IPS panels.

 

A picture is worth a 1000 words - good one!

Hooked up to my X220 is a nice 23" IPS monitor that I thought I would be using 95% of the time. But because I love the IPS display on the X220 (as well as many other things about the X220), I am using the X220 in laptop mode at least 25% of the time. It's very nice to view and it makes using the X220 in laptop mode that much more enjoyable. So for me, the IPS display was well worth it.

In addition to that, as Tsunade_Hime so eloquently showed, the viewing angles on the IPS display are great. I actually didn't think I would care much about that, but I can show friends stuff on my X220 without having to turn it directly towards them. Nice. And the matte display means that I can actually use the X220 outside or where there are plenty of reflections. I am not sure if that is a function of the IPS display or not, but it is very nice.