Lenovo initial quality - T400s vs T410s

I'm in the market for a new laptop and the T400s looks to be the one I'll be selecting.

This said, there are pics leaked all over showing the new T410s which should include an i5 processor and the new Calpella platform.

Obviously, the release date is slated for Jan '10 and we won't likely see anything official until Intel does their big CES press event next week.

I'm trying to determine if I should go with a established model (T400s) versus something entirely new (T410s). I'm not overly concerned about performance differences between the two.

From a historical standpoint, what has Lenovo's quality been like for new laptops? I realize this is impossible to quantify. I'm just looking for customer sentiment.

 

If you're looking to pick it up right away, remember that Lenovo doesn't typically discount brand new models immediately, so early adopters pay the full price. I don't know how T400s pricing will be affected by the T410s anouncement, though...

 

the T400s as it is a fine machine and with discounts is an even better machine, it is basically the vanguard of the up coming Thinkpads through the use of its new port replicator technology, and the integration of the eSATA and Displayport.... T410s is only going to bring out a slightly better CPU and integrated graphics card (that is 25% faster, so you still can't play any new games with it), you can hardly justify the 700 odd dollars premium over the current T400s (right now it is the best time to buy, due to the various end of line and holiday sales.).

 

What about the screen on the T400s? Seen some flaming discussions about it being washed out.

 

it depends on what LCD you get.

 

I remember some don't find the screen on the T400s to be the best one around. But it is certainly not the worst screen out there either. My modest assessment from my experience and given what others have said about it, is that its somewhere between average to above average.

But I personally find the screen to be just fine and very usable. Note that I have the multitouch screen, which makes the screen appear just a tad bit fuzzy in my opinion...(big emphasis on just a tad). It also adds about another 1/2lbs to the weight. If you are not planning on getting the multitouch screen, your experience might be even better. (Note that this was also observed in the review for the multitouch on notebookreview website).

Happy shopping.

 

Any regrets with going multi-touch so far, given the extra weigth, thickness and slight fuzziness? Current discounts would allow me to snatch a fully loaded T400s with multi-touch and 128G SSD for under $1600 + tax.

My other potential concerns are around the less than average screen viewing angles and the fact that DisplayPort does not stream out digital audio (confirmed by Lenovo support). Hopefully connecting it to a TV with HDMI input with the appropriate adapter would work with no glitches.

Any thoughts?

Thanks!

 

My lappy is more for business. Display Port is overrated, IMO. 99% of the projectors I end up connecting to have an RGB port. Carrying a dongle to convert is a pain. This is one of the lessor reasons I just returned a Dell Latitide Z which only had a DP.

I have a HDMI connector on my Sony Z, love it although I can't honestly say I've used it more than a handful of times.

 

I'd say in general it's been good, but there will a time when both are available. When it's released there'll be much more information about the T410s available and you'll be able to make a more informed decision. From a performance perspective it probably won't be much better. If they came out with a better screen, which seems unlikely, that might be reason to do it.

 

I wouldn't be surprised if the T410s is effectively identical to the T400s is design, quality, display options/quality, ports, and everything save the i5 CPU and 5700MHD GPU.

It's not been uncommon for Lenovo (and IBM) to use a nearly identical design for a few generations (e.g. T40/T41/T42/T43, x300/x301, etc.) and only change the CPU/Chipset. Due to how recently the T400s was introduced I definitely wouldn't expect any radical changes. As a result, I would expect the T410s to be effectively identical to The T400s in reliability, quality, battery life, and weight. The only thing that might cause a substantial improvement or reduction in quality is the heat and energy management of the new i5 and 5700MHD. I expect it to be similar to the current CPU (25w TDP) and integrated GPU, but if it runs cooler/hotter that would result in a slight improvement/reduction in reliability respectively.

 

the design very similar, there is two thinklight instead one... and i think there is a fourth usb port..... there was information leak on the design posted on NBR around 1 month or so ago.

 

Duly noted and I agree with you, jonlumpkin.

I pulled the trigger on the T400s today at lunch. Worst case, I'll exchange it when the new ones come out and risk the 15% restocking fee (more money than smarts, I guess).

 

Someone confirmed that that was a PhotoShoped fake.

 

Yes, because TWO thinklights would be silly

Guess we will all find out in the next week or so.

 

okay, then the new T4xx/s could be 16:9 version......

 

I thought two thinklights aren't so stupid after all. The illumination of a 30-35cm(?) wide keyboard with one centre light is a bit ..modest. Having two of them and orienting them a bit to the sides could be quite helpful?!
But yeah, I guess we'll see soon enough.

 

I hope they get rid of the buzzing sound on the T410S... If there was anything that really should be addressed, I would say that would be it.

 

It's probably blasphemy to Thinkpad users, but drop both ThinkLights and just backlight the keyboard. Done properly, it shouldn't affect look, size or feel.

 

Ah, but it will affect the spill-proof characteristic of the keyboard (which I will take over back-lit keyboard any day). They have addressed this before on their blog.

 

Interesting. Seems like they could just get around it with simple fiberoptics (read; transparent plastic) and clear rubber. Either that or have it as an option for those who are less spill prone or have insurance

 

they could do the backlight quite easily, but that will make your Thinkpad keyboard less user replaceable. If you can touchtype i don't think having a light does much for these people.

 

I think they can do anything, but that costs money. I'm very pleased with the keyboard and I think it's the last thing that should be replaced in a Thinkpad...(cough cough crappy screens!!!). While I would pay lots of $$$ to get a good LCD panel, I would never give +$50-100 to get a backlight keyboard.
If you type so much (fast note taking in a dark lecture room?) you shouldn't be looking at the keyboard. To be honest I find backlight keyboard more of an Apple accessory thing, it's cool but doesn't offer you much.