Lenovo X230 vs X230t vs ThinkPad Yoga vs cheaper alternatives

I want to buy one out of these, so I am asking for advice here as well, since I might reach more experts and am also 99% sure I want a Lenovo.

How would you compare these models, and which would you recommend to me based on what I do?

- Lot of travel, often outdoors or not in home/office
- Intensive Office, data/Excel work, SQL Server analytics
- Medium graphic, web design work
- Medium audio editing work (DAW, fl studio)
- Would like one that is easy to update as technology evolves, i.e. update with future versions of Windows OS (I assume touchscreen and portability will be important in the long run)
- ready to pay up to £800-1000 if really, really, really worth it

ThinkPad Yoga is currently the cheapest within my budget and local availability (UK)
Lenovo Yoga Hybrid Laptops - Lenovo Multimode PCs | Lenovo (UK)

 

As an owner, I'd say X230T is dead update-wise and has VERY poor Windows 8 support (I don't think the pressure sensitivity manager is available). Was really disappointed in Lenovo on that front, as I bought into the lifecycle longevity knowing that they're still updating the X61T BIOS. They stopped support at Windows 8 due to the issues with touch requirements.

The Thinkpad Yoga has ATROCIOUS battery life, as does the Helix and Ideapad Yoga 2. None of these releases have utilized Haswell and they all sacrificed battery for the paper-thin form factor. You should also look into whether they're using ULV - I'm unclear on that.

Windows 7 X230T with the 9-cell is your best bet, IMO. I am betting used versions will increase in value over the next few years. I know that it's selling for more than I paid in January on ebay (used).

 

If you can utilise W7, X230 or X230T is the way to go, depending on whether you need the actual tablet functionality.

If you *really* need W8 and extensive touchscreen ability, you may want to start looking outside of the Lenovo box, at manufacturers such as Fujitsu.

Happy shopping.

 

I would say only get touch if you think you'd use it. The other thing to consider about touch is the layer added to the LCD that provides touch often gives the user a lot of glare. That might be annoying when using it in places where there's a lot of light, like outside.