T420 Screen quality acceptable or not?

that is true, the brightness blows the T61 out of the water, but whats the point if the actual images look bad....

 

Well since my T420 is on order I just wait to see and believe it. If i'm brave enough I might even dismantle the unit just to see what panel, there's only two to choose from and hopefully we can have a database on which is the superior one with help from other T420 owners (though truthfully it shouldn't have to come to this stage in the first place).

 

That's all we can do.

I want a 14" notebook. That said, I'll be comparing it to my T400's Chi Mei CCFL 1440x900 screen (which is usable but mediocre, with poor contrast ratios and brightness needs to be maxed). If it doesn't improve upon that, I may need to attempt to exchange for a T520. I'll just have to wait and see.

If the brightness and contrast are even a little better than my T400, it will probably be worth keeping, if it isn't grainy.

 

you can get the LCD manufacturer information by using softwares, you don't really need to dismantle it.

 

it is better than the T400 in terms of brightness and contrast. It so happened that the shop i saw the T420 in also had the T400 and T410 on clearance as well, so it was a nice chance to compare all three.the T420's screen was better than T400 and T410, but it was grainy which was the deal breaker. Hopefully the alternate supplier screen quality is better.

 

I hope so, I tend to use Everest to find out the LCD panel name which i've done for my T61 (though it doesn't always give the precise manufacturer name as it's normally defined as a "Lenovo" branded panel which clearly isn't the case). But I let you know once I receive it.

EDIT: Just received a Shipping Confirmation from Lenovo, they say my T420 should arrive within 3-6 days from now! Shouldn't take too long to find out then!

 

There's potentially a slight problem with that statement: the T420 has a higher pixel density than its WXGA+ brethren. Though I suppose if WXGA+ is "low" resolution then that makes sense...

 

I personally seen the HD+ resolution (albeit on my friend’s Dell E6420) and it isn’t really that bad the pixel density. OK coming from a WXGA+ screen it does feel a bit peculiar but I think it’s something that you can adapt to without problem if you use it long enough.

 

It's not something I wanted to adapt to --but if I want a new notebook, I don't have a choice. Everybody's doing 16:9 now.

I think there'd be a real niche market for a brand to insist on using 16:10 panels still, but I'm sure the LCD-manufacturers are driving this at least in part, if not entirely.

 

Apple still insists on 16:10 for most of their notebooks.

 

Apple also has a massive parts inventory and places far larger orders to their component suppliers than pretty much any other laptop maker.

 

thats what happens when you're pretty much the most cash rich company in the industry :|

also thinking about the long term instead of rushing to hit targets for the quarter to get your bonus because you know you'll have moved on the next quarter..

 

Ordered my T420 last week. It shipped today (April 20,2011). I ordered it with the 1600x900 display, I will post the results when I get it.

 

A so-so screen is an acceptable compromise for a business notebook IMO, especially at under $1,000.

 

My thoughts exactly! So being from the Netherlands, T420 starting at $1700 over here.. NOT ACCEPTABLE!

(I'm currently looking for a 'not so perfect' $1000 laptop instead of the 'not so perfect' $1700 T420)

Maybe, just maybe, could it be that the Lenovo people are reading these forums and are contemplating a T420 IPS upgrade in the future?

 

That'd be great. Or at least matching the T520 display. Still can't understand their choice for using a low contrast screen in the 420 (see this post).

btw, they got it right in the past: 'The newest option on the T400 is the 678 nit high brightness LED-backlit WXGA panel' (notebookreview 4/3/2009). Let's hope and wait for a while, something may turn up...

 

Dunno how currency conversions go, but I assume that's 1,700 Euros? Definitely a deal-breaker.

 

Apple doesn't have a trackpoint, uses OS X as its primary operating system, and costs $400 more for a refurbished system with the same specs (a new one more yet).

 

So, what's acceptable when you pay $1,200-1,500 for a T420 with all the bells and whistles?

 

I think 2/3 of those are valid cons. OS X is better than Windows, though I'm running Linux now.

The X220 is looking like a great deal compared to Apple's wares. I'm getting a rock-solid 12" Sandy Bridge laptop with an IPS display for under $900. Actually I'm a little stunned that Lenovo managed to get IPS in a laptop, yet Apple hasn't yet done so. They're the only big computer maker to really tout IPS tech (in the iPhone and iPad).

 

I don't hate OS X, mind you; I've used it, and I'll use it again as needed. I just prefer Windows 7 to it, and I occasionally use my system to manage our Server 2008R2 domain.

I'm so used to a Trackpoint that having to move my hands off the keyboard to use a touchpad annoys me.

I agree that the X-220 is a really nice system. I don't know of a system in its class that can measure up. The last ultralight I've had my hands on was a Dell Latitude E4200; beautiful as well, but a Core 2 SU system, and no IPS display.

 

What I meant to say is: the resolution is not "retiree friendly", meaning it's not low, there are no big pixels, as with the HD...
i.e. the resolution is high.

 

Meaning of retiree are for those folks like me that have aging eyes and need glasses for the higher resolution HD+ screen. For that reason and the fact after looking at this screen for a week with limited viewing angles that one must keep the screen directly infront of you straight on, I RMA'd my T420 and waiting for the X220 instead. I could not get over the fact that if one moved the screen just a tad off center or I moved my head just a bit, the screen would wash out and get distorted, and that was not acceptable to me. Too bad I could not view the screen some where to get a feel for it.

I gave it a chance, viewed a couple of movies, but finally got fed up with it after hearing about the X220 with its IPS screen. I will take a 15% hit on this which hurts a bit, but I'm better off with the X220 for the long term.

 

If it's that bad, I'm going to stay with my current notebook for another two years. Real pity too. Spent an hour last night fixing the backlit keyboard cable and touchpad cable.

 

My eyes are not in their prime anymore either and I also wear glasses.

I got myself the a W520 with a FHD although I wanted the HD+ because I thought the FHD is overkill. I got it with the FHD because it offered better value at resell and the price was fine.
Well, a FHD sure is overkill, one needs a magnifying glass for reading textx at default font sizes (default DPI scaling) but with larger fonts everything is just perfect and looks much better.

I hope you will not be disappointed by your new X220, but when it comes to performance, I never saw a default windows installation that actually performs. I always install from scratch and only what I need, plus I deactivate a huge amount of things I don't need, both hardware and software.

 

It sounds as if the price differential, paid by everyone more than covers the prices of the restocking fee.

Renee

 

You are right to say that out of the box most computers are in need of some work to clean things out, but when a manufacture like Lenovo shows how fast a boot up is without saying what they did or did not do first with some house cleaning is some what misleading in my humble opinion and may throw off some first timers. At least they could have demo'd how they got the 10 second boot up. But they won't.

 

The Lenovo Files The “Secret Sauce Recipe” to Our 10-Second PC Boot

 

That shows some of it, but far from all of it.

Lenovo's playing the cards a little closer to the vest on this one than I'd like. It would be nice if they were more open about how to achieve this so that those of us doing a clean install on our machines could replicate it. I can only hope they will be in the future.

 

There's no way for you to access the German student/academic discounts? And have you checked the totals using Borderlinx to order from the UK? Both those routes bring the European prices down quite remarkably.

 

Reading comments like these, I'm wondering if I somehow missed the Huge Laptop Screen Revolution That Raised Everyone's Standards. In my mind, laptop screens have always been pretty lousy, and what the current generation of Thinkpads offers is no worse (depending on one's point of reference, perhaps even a bit better) than what we've seen for the past 6-8 years or so. Sure, I know there are IPS displays and what-not out there, but have they become so commonplace that that is what people are comparing to these days? I fully recognize that the display of the T420, for example, isn't very impressive. But it's fully in line with my expectations. What have I missed?

 

Duuuuude, it happened in 2007!!! Where were you, under a rock? Viva la Revolucion!!!

Seriously, though, you're correct. A number of serious tech sites have had articles build around the fact that the least-improved component of laptops over the years has been the LCD.

I think in some cases, people are also making contrasts between glossy and matte screens. The increased reflectivity of a glossy screen sometimes makes it appear better to some people, so when they see a matte screen, it just doesn't "pop" the same way and they mistakenly believe it's an inferior product. Personally, I don't like high-gloss screens exactly because of that reflectivity.

 

it is obviously grainy. i dont use glossy screens, all my machines are matte display enterprise grade notebooks. plus keep in mind i own an X201, which has a pretty crap screen in terms of colour accuracy and viewing angles, but its bright and IS NOT GRAINY like the T420.

reading your comment makes me wonder if you've even seen it in person before assuming that people were being overly fussy

 

Hehe. :

I remember thinking 5 years back or so, that when I did replace my X40, I wanted one of those really cool-looking glossy screens. Luckily, I thought better of it before doing anything stupid. The point, though, is that they do actually look better, as long as there's no malpositioned light source around to make them completely unusable.

 

Yup, next to an X220, a T420s, a W520 and my old X40. I was perfectly happy with it. Clearly, it's a highly subjective thing. =)

 

either that, or you got a different screen. laptop manufacturers usually have 3 alternate suppliers.

 

Don't know where you've been and what you've done, but the Lenovo run of the mill screens have always been like the worst in class.
Nothing new here, just a consistent worst in class, and worst in all 14" I had a look at in the store. It always helps to have a look at the things in perspective, comparing them to other similar things (like 14" LCDs compared to other 14" LCDs see what looks better, what is brighter, what feels easier on the eyes etc.)

Revolution? No! No improvement at all? Perhaps.

 

I have.. lowest prices I could find (T420 i5, 1600x900, Win7 64 rest not important or will be user upgraded)

ok1.de, lapstars.de: ThinkPad T420 4180-W1G $1500 This will be with a German keyboard and a German Win7 version, upgrading with US keyboard and Eng Win7 will cost me about $100

Hemini.com(UK): ThinkPad T420 NW463UK $1700 Keyboard and OS fine but poweradapter will not be usable in the Netherlands (which is only a minor inconvenience)

I'm currently shopping around for a T400(s), T410(s) or maybe a X200s/X201s with 1440x900 res. Might be able to get one off these for around $850

 

I ordered mine (not shipped yet) from lapstars.de. They gave me a Swedish keyboard for €35 and an English preload for free (just ask for it in the comment field when ordering).

How about Lenovo UK's web? I seem to recall they had regular prices in the same ballpark as the German student prices. Plus you can choose Euro plugs and a US keyboard instead of UK ones (for free).

 

All of the above is correct.. Unfortunately they do not ship outside the UK, same goes for the Lenovo.com/de site.. shipping in Germany only.

 

Ah, but that's what Borderlinx is for. =)

 

I bought a t420 and the screen was so bad, it compares to the cheap 300$ laptops that you see at BestBuy from all brands. Not woth your money. I was luck and got rid of mine right away.

2011 was not the best year for screen quality on ThinkPads

 

What's so bad about the screen on the T420? I love mine, no more glossiness.

 

Comments about the display quality need to be linked to the resolution and manufacturer. There are several different display options: Two different resolutions and at least two suppliers for each resolution.

John

 

I cancelled my order... SMH! I couldn't bear to receive the T420s and be disappointed. I'm going to wait for the follow up and hope for a screen improvement. I absolutely loved the 13 in FHD screen in the Sony Z series, but the computer is a flimsy as I have ever observed. Put that in an X1 and I'd buy two for good measure!!

 

My reference point for comparison are the screens I used on the T60p and T61p. There's absolutely no comparison there with the exception of the WUXGA 1920x1200 screen on a T61p I got rid of quickly. It was simply too dim. Those 4:3 and 16:10 screens were very good. The 16:10 1680x1050 T61p screens were what I would call mainstream for business users in terms of brightness, color, contrast, blacks, and screen angles.

The 4:3 screen was exceptional but then again it was the famous Flexview IPS screen.

So when I started receiving the machines in the era following them, I simply couldn't believe my eyes. I've had for work and pleasure the T400, T400s, T410, T410s, T420s as well as models in the 15" workstation class.

At this point I have stopped using and recommending the 13" and 14" Lenovo ThinkPads. That is likely to change if the X2 incorporates the feedback that has been provided about that screen. But I think that is months off.

 

This always surprises me as most notebook screens I've seen are more similar than different. There are a few stand out exceptions like the X220, but those are the exception.

 

I've owned many business class computers from HP and Dell. My ThinkPad experiences are not as vast as with other manufacturers, but I've never had a screen with the screen door effect as has been posted related to the T420s. I would not be able to contend with that... At first I held out hope that I would get the Samsung screen, but the many reports of the bad screens made me give up hope...

For now, at least... I will reconsider at the next release...

 

I'm looking at a screen which had the screen door effect. I say "had" because a tweak to the gamma settings made it almost invisible. No one else has commented on my T420s being poor. However, it's not among the best: A couple of weeks back I turned on my Dell E6410 and saw that had a better screen (and, dare I say it here, a nicer keyboard). However, the hardware is a generation out of date and Dell went off course with the E6420.

John

 

While I'm no artist I rely on my screen to great extent in my work as I prepare the bulk of my scientific publications on my laptop. While I suspect it would be OK... I don't think that's good enough... I want more portability than my W510 offers, so I was willing to give up battery life to save the 1 lb... I wasn't ready to give up having a decent screen... It has come to light the AUO is the sole source of the screens for now which makes me feel that I have made the right choice for the time being. I hope they get their butts in gear and offer better screens for the T4x0s... ASAP... Like others in the community I am considering an Air for its screen quality and close resolution...