Should I choose T420s or X1?

Currently I'm struggling between these two.

Weight and resolution are both important to me. Durability is handy. Battery life is of no concern. Optical-drive is completely useless to me (and if I choose T420s I'd surely remove it or replace it with a battery). It'll primarily be for travelling purposes and I won't need docking.

Oh and by the way, it would be good if I can get rid of the "electrical noise" widely known among ThinkPad models.

Here are some good comments made by the others:

 

Since they both offer the same resolution and are around the same weight, I'd go for the X220 since it looks like it's going to be a lot less expensive.

 

Do yourself a big favor and wait until some user reviews come out on the X1 and not rush into this new platform.

 

I voted for the T420s even though I find the X1 intriguing. My reasons for voting for the T420s are:

(1) Screen resolution is better
(2) The T420s is a "known devil"
(3) The ability to use dock
(4) Battery life (or maybe not - maybe I am confusing this with something else)
(5) User-replaceability of parts is better/ easier
(6) I prefer non-chicklet keyboards, but somtimes I wonder if I am being unncessarily biased about this because I have never used chicklet keyboards for extended periods of time.

Overall, personally I would prefer a 13" ThinkPad which the X1 is - but not exactly what I had in mind. I found that the next best is the X201 series, which is what I have currently. I don't know what I would do the next time I buy a ThinkPad since I am not enamoured by the "new" res on the X220.

 

The X1 will undoubtedly be lighter than the T420s. (My T420s weighed in at 1.7kg without the optical drive, 1.83kg with optical drive and 1.94kg with both main and bay batteries). However, the T420s offers an extra 37% pixels on the display.

I doubt if the X1 will make it easy to supplement / swap batteries should you need extra run time and, while it may have the same CPU as on my T420s, I doubt if it will give the same maximum performance unless Lenovo have packed a really efficient fan into the X1 (in which case they should have also put one in the T420s since its fan is only just up to the task ). According to this Lenovo comparison matrix, the X1 does seem to tick most of the right boxes.

For an indication of what the X1 may be like, read what you can find about the Samsung ZX310 / 900X3A (which has a lower power CPU) and the Toshiba R830.

John

 

I chose T420s for pretty much the same reasons as these. #6 is a huge thing IMO. Chiclet keyboards suck.

 

I think for most the T420s will be the more practical option and better pricing. LineS of Flight pretty much nails it on the reasons there, I don't like the direction Apple is going with making it nearly impossible to upgrade parts yourself and if other manufacturers start to do that it's not a good thing from a user perspective. That said, if the X1 is everything you'll ever need out of the box and you're not worried about the "upgradability" factor then it may be worth considering. And hey, the argument to wait until something is tested and reviewed is of course prudent, but being the early adopter that gets attention and has a device first is always cool too

 

For me, quality of the screen is more important than quantity of pixels. I very seriously considered the T420s, but I knew the 'griddy' quality many complain of would bother me too much. (In the thread there's a link to a review with closeup comparison shots of the screen.)

Whether the X1 is the right machine won't be known until it comes out, and I'd wait for some reviews. My particular concern with it is the noise level, since it'll be hard to cool a full power chip in a chassis that thin - the fan is already a concern in the X220.

 

The what now?

You mean the CPU whine that happens on transitions into deeper C-states (present on every single Intel CPU from Yonah onwards?)

For the most part I agree with everyone else: wait until the X1 is actually released and reviewed before making a decision. That said, if you care about durability and flexibility, I'd go with the T series... The T420s isn't as solid as the T420, but it's not exactly weak either.

 

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 - Notebook Reviews by MobileTechReview here is a review of X1 from mobiletechreview for your reference.. personally i would go for t420s..

 

I went with the X220 over either. I do own a W520 however, so the T420S was not on my radar screen.

I went with the X220 since the X1 won't fit on my Dock 3.

Perry

 

See also the NBR X1 review. The footprint is almost as big as the T420s and the weight is the same as with the T420s without optical drive. The X1 offers a brighter, but very glossy display with less real estate and seems to more efficient when running on battery. And, as I expected, the X1's cooling system gets noisy under load.

John

 

X1 is more for people whom can't decide between a Thinkpad or a Macbook Air.... the X220 or T420s will still be your main work horse.

 

I'm in the same boat as the thread creator, but I think I'm going for the T420s.

Reasons:
More upgradable and servicable.
Bay battery and the UltraBay accessroies in general are awesome. I'll probably pick up a SATA adapter for mine too.
Discrete graphics for better performance.
ExpressCard option - good to know you have it.


Things I'm reluctant about:
I would really love a matte IPS display. But I'd rather have a poor but usable matte than a vibrant but glossy display.
Brightness of the screen - I'd like to use it outside, but again, glossy.
Impressed that the X1 has 3 USB ports - powered, eSATA combo, and 3.0. I'd like to have eSATA, but I can do with USB 3.0 for my HDD's.
Battery life - similar with slice / bay battery, but I've heard the T420s isn't that great here.


I think if you want better performance, get the T420s; if you really want cutting edge looks, thinness, and mobility, get the X1.

Having used a macbook for 4 years, I'm kind of a fan of the chiclet style keyboards - but I know everyone loves Lenovo classic.

 

And if you want matte IPS, get the x220. 3 USB ports (1 USB 3 on the i7 model), displayport and VGA out (No HDMI but there are adapters), no dedicated video, better battery life, smaller and lighter.

 

I voted for T420s. My reasoning behind the note:

1) well known, durable and tested in the heavy duty usage chassis
2) docking possibility
3) normal non-chiclet keyboard
4) non-glossy screen
5) user servicable battery

Treating a ThinkPad as a workhorse, and not a preety sleeky Macbook Air competitor, I find X220/T420s to be the line to look for.

You may find my reasoning unrelated to your use of the computer though.

M.

 

I cooudn't have said that better myself !

I'd go for the T420s personally.