T420 Screen - What LCD panel would you replace it with?

I don't own a T420 yet, but I'm planning on it, however I'm concerned about the screen issues that current owners have observed. I don't see Lenovo doing anything about it this late in the sales process, therefore I wanted to find out if given the option to buy a LCD panel and install it yourself (hate to do that to a new laptop), which one would you go with? What panels are available out there that would fit the T420? How easy would it be to install it?

 

Why not just wait and see first? The screen "issue" is IMHO way, way overblown.

 

This cannot be repeated often enough. I have the LG panel in my T420, and while it isn't the lovely IPS Dreamcolor of the HP Elitebook, it greatly improves on my previous thinkPads.

Remember too that LCD panel surgery is a good way to void your existing warranty, and it can be a pain to find a match.

 

The real question may be is there a 14" panel out there that's worth the cost and effort to upgrade it? That seems unlikely.

 

Oh how I wish there was an ips option ....

 

+1 if there was an option then definitely I would consider swapping the panel. Otherwise there isn't much to gain swapping with another TN panel unless you actually break it.

 

As I've written elsewhere on this board, the T420 screen is a phenomenal improvement on the T42. In the meantime I've had the chance to test it out with some multimedia apps, and it really is not very good.

It's perfectly fine for work. It's not particularly well suited to much else. If you set your expectations accordingly, you probably won't be disappointed.

Unless the next generation T4xx has a better screen that could be put on the T420, it seems the only realistic question about alternative screens is whether competitors have something better to offer.

 

From what I've seen with the various big LCD manufacturers -- OK, so mainly just with AUO and CMO -- is that there will usually be a couple different models of each size/resolution, each with its own strengths (power efficiency, contrast ratio, brightness, etc.). In some cases (such as CMO's 14.1 XGA panels) they are electrically compatible and are drop-in replacements for one another. In other cases they've got minor differences in size and/or connector.

Since (at least some of) the HD+ panels in the T420 are made by AUO, my money's on there being at least a couple "sister" screens (and possibly subsequent revisions) which may or may not have better specs.

*That said*, I still wouldn't bother. Even if you go to the trouble of reading all the datsheets to find a replacement, sourcing the panel, etc., replacing a TN panel with another TN panel seems to me to be a rather expensive, difficult way to obtain a relatively minor improvement.

 

I am not sure how T420 screen is, but if T410 is ANY indication, and if T420 is similary, it'd be quite disappointing. T410 was much worse than T61 and specially T60.

My OLD T60 Flexview screen was JUST phenomenal! The X220 screen is supposedly GREAT, I wonder WHY they do not offer an IPS screen AS OPTION for T420?!?!?! COME ON!

 

Not sure if T420 has the same display, but I received my T420s last week, and I can tell you the screen is very low quality. Either way you check it it's bad. Viewing angle is like no more than 10 degrees in order to keep the same image, if you move over that the screen changes everything on display. Colors are non-existent, everything is washed out on this screen. Brightness is loud, but no matter how much you turn it on it still looks bad. Sitting full brightness with the back to the windows still reflects light in the non-reflective screen ..

The only decent/good thing about the display is resolution, it's (in my opinion) the best for a 14" laptop. Full hd would hurt my eyes. Of course 16:9-16:10 discussion still exists, I would like more vertical pixels, but it's not bad.

I still have my MBP non-glossy screen to compare with, also a 25.5" Samsung desktop LCD, both are way better than the thinkpad LCD. I would say like 2-3 times better !
Definetely the worst display I ever met. I did compare it to my ex Sony Z, my current MBP Core2Duo (like 1.5 years old), to all stupid HPs and Dells I managed to see around, to Sony SR ..

If I can change my LCD I will do it right away, hopefully I won't loose the 3 years warranty on all parts/laptop. Any input is appreciated ..

Other than display I think it's a great laptop. I got myself the i7, 4GB ram, 160GB Intel SSD, USB3, Bluetooth3, Fingerprint reader, 3G sim, a bay battery, docking station. Battery is not the best also, but it's OK for my use.