Spiritual Successor to the X61T? X220?

Looking for a replacement to my X61t. I loved the tablet PC, the ability to touch, write, and type; I also liked the fact that it was approved for space travel and was able to be run under a faucet. The computer was almost bulletproof, surviving a 6 foot drop onto asphault out of a backpack, among other extremes. It was able to do all of my graphic design, video watching, multitasking, etc. I had upgraded it to 4gb ram and a faster HD.

What I didn't like were the hinge broke on me 4 times, an Achilles heel of sorts. Also, the display wasn't bright at all. And I missed having a webcam, although that wasn't a typical thing in computer when I first got it almost 5 years ago. I also had to replace the charger 2-3 times, and the keyboard once as it didn't stand up to orange juice as well as it did to water.

It's time to replace it however, and I'm so happy with it's performance that I want to stay in the family. I have ~$1000 to spend, ideally more towards the 6-700 side. I want something that's as reliable and performs as well, but has all the flaws fixed. I came across the X220 which I'm considering and seems to be the right computer, but I wanted to get some feedback first. Would that be the best choice?

 

Well X220 tablet is over 1100...unless you just want the vanilla X220. The clickpad stinks, and I don't like the new FRU's for the keyboard (different feel than the _60/61 series ThinkPads). If you want another tablet, X200 tablet are pretty cheap now.

 

Thanks for the replay. What's the vanilla?

 

X220T or the (incoming) X230T are the new tablets. I believe both have or will have a 300-nit screen, which isn't really "outdoor" in my book, but are really good (the best 12.5" atm?) screens regardless.

You might be able to get a tablet off Outlet cheaper once the new versin (X230T) comes out. I've personally owned X200 and X200T, and used for a short time X201 and my impression is that the X-series in general seem to be great laptops.

I don't see anything else available today that would have the same feature set (trackpoint, good keyboard, IPS screen, dock station, and rugged design). Also price-wise they are relatively affordable.

 

Base configuration, no optional add-ons included.

 

I actually found a X220 within my price range, so that wouldn't be the biggest issue; my issue is finding the right laptop and I can usually find a way to get it in my price range.

Unreal, you say that they have a 300-nit screen - I'm not aware of what measurement this is but how do they compare to the X61t? And I agree about the X-series being great laptops; I've abused mine and it works.

Thanks for the responses and your continued help.

 

I have to say I disagree. The X230 I'm typing this on feels quite good. While the keys do feel slightly different, it's firm and the pitch is excellent. I think where long time ThinKPad users will have a problems is Lenovo has chosen to move a lot of the function keys to new spots on the keyboard, which will take some adjustment, but typing on it is very nice.

Nits are the measurement of screen brightness. The screens used in the X61t were between 190-200 nits. The X220 will be about 50% brighter. Plus, the X220 is a LED LCD, which won't dim over time like the CFFL backlit LCDs used in the X61t.

 

I remember reading somewhere that LED's do dim over time, and they don't necessarily dim evenly since there are multiple LED's.

 

Thanks for the replys. Someone recommended I wait for the X230 (which is the newest model coming out soon, right?) Any thoughts?
And from what I understand, LED screens tend to dim over 25000+ hours, which is probably going to be longer than the life of the laptop.

 

x220t, or x230t

now if you want to go nuts with durability and go a bit heavier, and up to a 6000 nit screen and both touchscreen and digitizer options ..... a used CF-19 toughbook
Panasonic Toughbook 19 Rugged Tablet PC - Panasonic Toughbook 19 Convertible Laptop
Panasonic Toughbook CF-19 Core 2 Duo Tablet 2.5GB Loaded CF19 WIFI Touchscreen 092281868899 | eBay

 

Well toughbooks are aimed at a very specific market. I guess if OP daily works in a rainforest or something similar, it would be a perfect laptop.

 

The HP Elitebook 2760P (SB), 2740P (1st gen i-core) and Elitebook 2730P tablet is discussed frequently on http://www.tabletpcreview.com with quite a few users favoring them over their Lenovo equivalents. HP remarketting have some refurb units listed at decent prices: Refurbished business products. There is an outdoor LCD option.

If looking to upgrade to an older X200 or X201 then recommend having a look at a HP 2530P and Dell E4300. 2530P pics/details are at http://forum.notebookreview.com/hp-.../407993-hp-elitebook-2530p-owners-lounge.html and imho it's nicer to use than a X200/X201.

 

There's no center button for the isometric joystick on the 2760p, which makes it pretty lame. The touch surface on the LCD of the 2760p effects picture quality, giving it a more grainy look. The 2760p is heavier than the X220, starting at four pounds, even the 2560p is almost a half pound heavier. The X220 is less expensive new than the 2760p is refurbed. Nicer to use is very subjective. I find my X220 to be fantastic. Being that the OP like the X61t a lot, the X220 is more in line with that.

 

It helps to separate the notebooks and tablets. A 2760P is a tablet so will be more pricier than a X220 notebook. I'll refer the OP to Thinkpad X220 Tablet vs. HP 2760p Tablet? where the tablet gurus favor the 2760P over the X220t for it's 1280x800 16:10 LCD, better looks and no battery bump.

A 2560P is a notebook and can be had for an excellent price on ebay (~$500), often with no cosmetic issues and 2yrs of it's 3yr remaining NBD warranty. OP may find the 'deals' on Lenovo notebooks come with a 1yr depot warranty which for a business notebook is very lame.

As to the systems themselves, I've used a X201 and a 2530P was surprised to walk away favoring the 2530P's longer battery life when undervolted, optical drive, physical pop-out nightlight, touchpanel, better looks and possibility of remaining 3yr NBD warranty all at half the price of a X201 on the s/h market.

A 2560P would also be a better upgrade system to consider over a X220. It uses a socketted CPU so can be user upgraded to higher spec CPUs, even quad-cores (note: warranty implications). It *likely* will also have Ivy Bridge upgrade options either as a systemboard swap out or via a bios hack. So a 2560P represents excellent s/h market bang-per-buck with future upgrade potential.

Saying that, I liked the latest X230 until Lenovo shot themselves in the foot with their latest engineered sabotage http://forum.notebookreview.com/lenovo-ibm/668357-battery-safeguard-comes-t-series.html .

 

I think the OP specifically stated they were looking at the X220, which I think makes it relevant to compare to a 2760p price wise. 32 pixels for me doesn't really make enough of a difference for me that I'd choose one over the other. You should probably note not all 2560p come with three year warranties, at least not in the US. There's a chance a used or refurbed 2560p will have no warranty. I don't know where you're getting your price quotes from, but I can assure you no one's paying $1,000 for a used X201. I think the days of an optical drive being relevant for most users are just about over. The fact that you can put two drives in the X220 and it's significantly lighter than the 2560p or 2760p it probably more relevant for most users.

I don't know why you feel the need to continually point out highly technical procedures like undervolting or warranty voiding CPU/motherboard swaps that no one asked about in the first place or probably even cares about, outside of yourself. That stuff should be contained in the users thread where it belongs, not in every thread you post in where someone expresses an interest in an ultraportable. If the OP wants that stuff, they can go there.

 

X220T (tablet) or X220 (notebook)? The X220T is 3.88lbs (1.76Kg) with 4 cell battery. A 2760P is 3.97lbs (1.8kgs) putting it onpar with a X220T.

.. because there will be varying degrees of users reading this info and very few will know that's even possible so a pointer in that direction is all that is required. So I agree with you on the technical bits being elsewhere, as they are and should be shared when it may be relevant. Do you not think?

 

@nando, When comparing the current models, HP 2760p tablet costs ~$2.2K, which is about twice as much as Thinkpad X220T. You can find older versions of both much cheaper.

That said, the HP Elitebooks do look like a great alternative and both elitebooks and Thinkpads have their pros and cons. I am guessing the optical drive bay can be replaced with a 2nd hard drive bay. On the other hand 2560p doesn't have an IPS display?

 

Wow.. that's a big difference in price. I know in the US HP has 'Smart Buy' units with 1yr warranty that sells for a lot less. Would that make it comparable in price to a X220T which persumably also has a 1yr warranty at that price?

As for the 2560P, here's my brief rundown on pros/cons against a X220 in the spoiler. NBR user butwhyme had both units and made a comparison here, going with the X220 for it's lighter weight.

Spoiler

HP 2560P compared to Lenovo X220

Pros:

+ can be had on ebay for ~$500-$600 with remainder of 3yr NBD onsite global warranty
+ more stylish unit
+ 9.5mm primary SATA-III drive bay
+ optical drive which can host a 2nd 9.5mm sata HDD or SSD at SATA-III speed
+ socketted CPU so can be user upgraded to a higher i7-dual or even i7-quad cpus (note: warranty implications). Possibility of IVB CPU upgrade too.
+ can have a dual-drive plus WWAN setup
+ touchpad with 2 real buttons
+ large palmrest

Cons

- no IPS LCD
- heavier/thicker (big issue when dealing with ultraportables)
- battery protrudes from back of the system
- some may not like the chiclet keyboard

REF: http://forum.notebookreview.com/hp-.../586353-hp-elitebook-2560p-owners-lounge.html for pics/details.

 

There are varying degrees of interest, but someone should express the curiosity or desire for it, before it's offered. If someone posts they want an ultraportable with the best CPU performance possible, then it seems relevant. If they just want an ultrabportable for facebook or typing up documents, then it does not.

 

nando4, directly ordering the 2760p directly from HP is ridiculous, base model is 2200+ dollars.

http://h71016.www7.hp.com/ctoBases.asp?oi=E9CED&BEID=19701&SBLID=&ProductLineId=577&FamilyId=3429&LowBaseId=36234&LowPrice=$1,499.00&familyviewgroup=3077&viewtype=Matrix

I got my X220 tablet for 1250 as a preconfigured model from Provantage for 1250 + 25 shipping for i5-2520M, 4 GB, 160GB Intel SSD, IPS multi-touch LCD, 6205 WLAN, BT 3.0, 720p webcam, 6 cell battery, 7 Professional and 3 year depot warranty. CTO from Lenovo was 1900+. X220/T is a more popular options because the prices are reasonable. 2560p still goes for 1000+ directly from HP.

 

That's a huge difference. I too would rather get a *new* $1250 X220T than a $2200 2760P. Things take a turn when looking at s/h ebay units. There a 2560P is usually considerably cheaper than a X220 and when you consider it's CPU upgrade options and (usually) having remaining 3yr NBD warranty it works out to be cheaper, more expandable. Overall that makes it better value imho.

 

I upgraded from my good old X61T to an X220... other than the lack of vertical pixels I'm pretty darn happy.

The X61T still has its uses for me since I have plenty of textbooks to read online, but other than that I didn't use the tablet functionality enough to justify the extra cost of an X220T.

Go for it.

 

Thanks all for the responses. As stated, that rugged laptop would be perfect if heading to the rainforest - as that's not the case, I'm going to pass on that for now!

As for the HP 2760P, I'm intrigued but I feel like it wouldn't be as sturdy as an X220. Any thoughts from anyone who's had them? Historically, I'm not the most gentle with my electronics - not to say I throw them, but accidents happen! I'd rather have a contingency of a sturdier machine, though.

I was considering the X230t until I went and configured it - I like having top of the line as I keep my devices for years (4.5 on the X61t thus far) but 3k is a few thousand higher than I wanted to spend - X220T is what I'm leaning.

 

You welcome!

They are all (Lenovo Thinkpad, HP Elitebook and Dell Latitude) probably sufficiently sturdy and a bit better build quality than most (if not all) standard consumer-class laptops.

BTW, last time I was on HP website, their upgrades were insanely priced! Just the heads up! The big advantage of having a Thinkpad, in my opinion, is that RAM and the hard drive can be upgraded very easily -- you don't have to take apart the laptop inside out, but only unscrew 1 or 2 screws from bays that are accessible on the bottom.

 

Most Elitebooks are like the Latitude design, 1 screw and you can slide down the bottom cover exposing almost everything, RAM, CPU, HDD, WLAN, WWAN, etc. Elitebooks are study, and they ARE good machines, just insanely overpriced directly from HP.