Lenovo has updated the T440s hardware (and probably other models)

I just received T440s #3. These changes likely apply across the board, at least to the T440p which is very similar.


-The trackpad assembly is much quieter. It is completely solid feeling now and finally feels like the assembly is properly damped. There's just a quiet thump now when you depress it. As I've already seen the light I will continue using a mouse (Logitech Anywhere MX- fantastic mouse) most of the time. Even though it's not as good as using the old discrete buttons, I'll probably return to using trackpoint when not at a desk. I imagine this is a change that will be applied across the board to all models.

-The LG screen has been updated as well. The graininess is as good as gone. When the new machine was starting up I initially thought I may have received the AUO. While the spotlight effect is still there it has also been much reduced. There are some advantages it has over the AUO. For instance, there is a very small amount of gradient banding in the AUO that's less pronounced in the LG. There is some ghosting/ image retention with the AUO. I haven't used the LG screens enough to judge it, but I don't think it's there in those.

I can't say when the change was made, but this screen is very much different from the last two I received. Anyone who recently received a T440s with the LG screen should not be biased by previous comments posted in the forum, it is markedly different from what Lenovo was shipping out previously. If I didn't already have the AUO from one of the previous machines to swap in I would've seriously considered keeping the LG.


-The last one isn't an update, but like the differences there used to be present with the two screens, there is a huge difference between the keyboard suppliers. My first T440s had the FRU 04X0101 (CHY). This one doesn't give much feedback, and while the backing itself is solid it feels and sounds hollow when typing. The second two have had FRU 04X0139 (LTN). These are rock solid, and the feedback is as good or even better than the X220 I used before. The difference between the keyboard suppliers is even bigger than what was between LG and AUO.

 

Good to know they're getting their thing together.

Mine is recent and everything is great, the clickpad is not noisy at all. My only issue is the screen which has a lot of light bleeding. It looks weird when I have a too bright or too dark image on the screen, kinda like spot lights from a theather.

Cool that you didn't give up, it's a nice machine!

 

Are you sure it's an "updated" or "changed" panel from LG? And just not luck of the draw?

I'm curious to know the FRU of my keyboard as I've heard other users describe this difference as well - how can this be identified?

Thanks

 

Good to know Lenovo's making the small tweaks necessary to polish up the model. They've done the same in the past for the Tx00 generation's flexing keyboards, X220 generation's ghosting IPS displays, etc, etc.

So very tempted to buy a T440s...

 

The difference is big enough that I think it's a manufacturing or product change from LG.

You can look up the build list of your machine here,
Lenovo Support - Parts Lookup (US)

 

Good to know, i have been noticing this with their Idea lineup as well.

For example, the Y410p recieved a 1.5x larger battery (72w/h vs 49w/h), better Wifi (7260 vs 2230), 1X8GB instead of 2x4GB and factory overclocked GPU's (755M vs 750M) since it's release, while keeping the same price.

 

Once in a while a certain product comes along and seems genuinely worth two or three times the price I paid for it. I would not hesitate to say that the Logitech Anywhere MX is one of those gems.

For myself I can't conceive of any situation where I could lug around the 4+ lb T440p but not the Logitech MX along for the ride so the crappiness of trackpad is moot - for me. I understand those who bought T440s or other ultrabooks place a higher emphasis on mobility, and therefore may not want to carry a mouse around.

In fact since my fresh installation of W8 Pro, I did not even bother loading the Synaptic UltraNav driver. Therefore the click function of my trackpad does not even work. But I don't miss it as I don't need it.

During the W8 installation process itself, the MX was recognized from the first installation screen while the trackpad click was not (double-tap was). One more reason to stick to the MX rather than fumbling with the trackpad.

 

@vinuneuro,
thanks for the update. You might be right, Lenovo updated the production in December according to Mark_Lenovo: Re: T440s nightmare - Page 3 - Lenovo Community

 

I would love a new trackpad on my T440p that was more clicky than clacky. But alas, looks like I will have to wait for it to break first

 

so what you saying? since they revised the model? besides terrible workmanship of the screen bezel. they made a quitter clickpad too as quiet as it was with dedicated buttons? possibly across all the lines.

 

All the above is accurate to my experience. I received my T440s this week and it thankfully had none of the issues reported so widely on these boards.

The touchpad is still less convenient for Trackpoint users (like me) than the dedicated buttons but I'm finding that, with the touchpad disabled and the buttons reversed, I'm comfortable with it and suspect I won't notice it at all after a few more days use.

The build is really solid, much better than the T410 it replaced, the (LG) screen is brilliant, the color very true out of the box, no noticeable spotlighting effect (I looked for it, believe me), the keyboard is at least as good as any I've ever used (this is my sixth Thinkpad). It is silent and cool-running. I haven't been able to get the fingerprint reader to work on 8.1 - I'll give that another try tonight but I don't really care, I'm just doing it out of stubbornness (I paid for it, it should work).

It won't make anyone with a problematic machine feel any better (unless you still have time to send it back). But they do seem to be sorting out their issues now.

 

Hi all - I have a T440S I received very late in December - but it seems to be one of the "good ones".
For example, my LG screen is excellent (a little light bleed from the bottom I must admit but not
noticeable when displaying anything) etc.

I wonder though - how do you tell the build date of my computer.

There are NO stickers on the bottom of my machine at all - no serial number plate - just some
inscribed legal stuff ...

 

Remove the battery, it should be right after the model and serial #, mine reads "Jan/14".

 

I used a thinkpad yoga at microcenter and the trackpad was very quiet. I loved it, actually.

 

thanks - should have thought of that; mine reads "12/13"

(that is one tiny battery ...)

 

Does anyone think or know if we can order the new Touchpad assembly ourselves? Would be great if there was a new part # that specifically referred to the new assembly. Would hate to order a new part and have them ship me the old version.

I also miss the trackpoint buttons and if I could get rid of the annoying "Click" sounds on the new trackpoint/trackpad component then at least the module would be tolerable.

Feels sad to say that with the ever improving rate of technology and materials, that in many ways we are moving backwards. Sounds weird that I should be happy with something that's tolerable instead of great.

 

I just received two more T440s machines ordered in early January, making 4 in total that we have on hand now. The original 2 both have the AUO screens, both the new have LG screens. I agree that the LG screens look good. Compared directly to my AUO example, the LG's are more on the pink end of the spectrum with a white background, and the AUO appears a bit yellowish - if anything the LG's look closer to neutral white. As you tilt the screens all retain excellent viewing angles. I'd say the only place that the AUO is better is in viewing angles left to right, where at the extremes the LG's start to darken and the AUO stays a consistent color. Really though we would be ok with any of these as the differences are hard to see when not comparing directly.

I can't say that in my cursory examination I can feel any differences between the keyboards or the touchpads. Build dates are January 2014.

 

I got the replacement laptop a few days ago
unfortunately mine came with the same bad LG screen -
also Lenovo removed the Intel Wireless card ( I guess because of the wireless issue ) from the purchase page

They also sent the review units with the AUO display - every website which has done a review for the T440s got the AUO display

 

any update about discreet graphic on north america release?

 

As with several models in the past, I do not think Lenovo has any intentions of bringing the discrete GPU version of the T440s to North America.

 

Can anyone post new LG model number?

I posted requests to several shops (i'm from Poland) for T440p with AUO screen, but for 2 weeks, all arrivals where LG. Maybe i should get a new version?

 

Also interested in the new LG screen's model number.

The only other 14" IPS EDP models on panelook that I could find are LP140WF1-SPB1 and SPU1. Strangely the SPK1 (bad screen) doesnt show up on that site...

 

It's probably the time to put in an order for T440p.haha.

 

@vinuneuro - Sorry for bothering you, but is it possible for you to check new LG model number? It will be very helpful.

 

Both of my newest machines still list LP140WF1-SPK1 as the model.

 

Most likely the same panel, just a lottery
Some early adopters were perfectly happy with theirs

 

Looking at the two different screens side-by-side again today, and on some different color backgrounds, there are definitely situations where the LG washes out much more substantially than the AUO, so while I think the LG is still pretty good by recent Thinkpad screen standards (abysmal), I have to agree that probably nothing has changed and that as much as anything, people have different tolerance levels and/or nothing to compare it to.

 

Do you also experience different levels of brightness, when changing the perspective or bending the screen backwards like in this video? T440s LG Display 01/2014 - YouTube
There is no problem with colors on the LG it is one of brightness and shades for most users. There is one bright round area the vanishes if you dont look at the screen from the right angle.

 

Yes, that was exactly the situation I noticed it with today. It's worse with bright colors than white - where the LG seems a bit more neutral than the AUO. It also seems to be worse at one point as you tilt the screen back - as you get towards flat it seems to shift towards ok again.

 

Just received my T440s with non-touch FHD screen an it is the AUO panel. Build date of Feb 2014, probably second week of Feb. Looks good.

 

Are you happy with the viewing angles?

 

Yes, I think it looks great, especially compared to my old T61. So far I'm very pleased with the whole product.

 

Thanks for the info.

 

Does anyone know if Lenovo have updated the fan to stop the grinding/noise issues quite a few people were having?

 

How can one make sure to get an AUO panel instead of an LG when placing an order in the US?

 

If you're ordering a T440s, get it with the FHD Touch screen. So far those have all been AUO.

 

Yep, that's pretty much the only way to guarantee an AUO display. Note that on the current Lenovo Barnes and Noble Gold configuration site, the touchscreen FHD is actually cheaper than the non-touchscreen FHD by about $30 if you're starting from base models of each.

 

Great, thanks.

Does anybody know if the FHD Touch display on the X240 is also an AUO?

 

No, LG is the only maker of the X240's FHD panel.

 

Everyone should remember that the touch-model with the T440s is 0.4lb heavier and adds some reflectivity to the screen.

 

But it also adds additonal stiffness and protection to the display unit. If I were in the market for a new T440s today, I would propably choose a Touch model over the non-Touch model I have now. Although the stiffness of the display unit is perfectly fine for the thickness, some additonal stiffness would be nice, as well as the scratch-proctection.

While I don´t need Touch, it would be a nifty add-on for sure.

 

If you don't value portability it'd be fine, but with the 6-cell that puts it around 4.3-4.4 lbs. That's hardly svelte. There's also the extra reflectivity.

I've had more than 10 Thinkpad's before this. The lid assembly is exceptionally stiff, it doesn't need anything more. The touchscreen model needs scratch protection because you're touching it.

So if you don't need touch it's just wasted luggage, and being able to feel good about something you don't need when you're not doing work.

 

It also adds to the thickness of the display assembly, taking the laptop from 0.8" thick to 0.9". Not a huge difference, but it's there. I was debating for some time whether it was worth it to go for the multi-touch panel (for me, it was $30 cheaper for touch versus non-touch), as I didn't need the touch functionality, and would appreciate a lighter laptop.

In the end, I decided to save a bit of money and dodge the screen lottery by opting for the multi-touch model.

 

yes, it's between 0.3 and 0.4 lb heavier (the reference book calls it +0.4 when comparing with the 3 cell, and +0.3 when comparing with the 6 cell), as well as being almost 0.1" thicker. However, it's still a very light laptop and I'm happy with mine. Although the layer over the screen adds some reflection, it also makes a very clean looking screen, since it covers the narrow bezel as well.

 

have you used the none-touch model? just wondered how "much" it is reflective compare to the non-touch model

 

The Touch model basically has an extra layer of glass over the matte LCD screen, so in addition to the reflectivity of the material, you also get an additional air gap between the lcd panel and the front of the display.

 

If I order now, what non touch screen will I get for IPS FHD, AUO or LG? How's the quality of the screen?

 

I seem to remember pretty much every touch screen essentially having a separate screen panel itself and a digitizer overlay over it. It's the same in all phones too. And I kinda doubt the screen panel would be matte, I'm afraid that would make for a very crappy properties of the final assembly.

 

It's a lottery. General consensus was that AUO was far better than LG, but there have been a few members recently who have received good LG panels.

Most users have suggested that the T440s' touchscreen is not quite as glossy as most other touchscreens, so that may actually be the setup.

 

I strongly suspect that the lack of glossiness is the result of the semi-matte surface of the digitizer itself, not the underlying screen panel. But I can't say for sure as I don't have touch T440s myself.