T440s up on Lenovo website (IPS Screen, 1080p)

I want a T440s with IPS FHD Touch Screen

 

I need to ask a stupid question about audio. The T440s specs show "Mini display port w/audio" as well as "audio/mike combo jack". How does this work exactly?

1: I'm watching a DVD(? on the external player?) with 5.1 Dolby Audio, hooked up to my HDTV via Mini display port-->HDMI converter, and I get full surround sound. Yes?
2: I'm playing a game with 5.1 audio support through my HDTV via the mini display port. Can I get this computer-generated audio through the TV in full 5.1?
3: If I'm doing #2 above, and the answer is "no" (only 2-channel stereo computer generated audio is supported), then does stereo come out my TV? Or do I need to hook up external speakers through the audio jack?
4: If I'm doing #1 above, and playing a DVD rip (say, an MK4 file or even .mp4) can I get the 5.1 audio track through the mini display port with audio? Or is there some crazy digital rights management (like HDCP) that will be enforced; or, does the conversion process strip or convert the 5.1 audio track so it no longer has the speaker positioning information for 5.1?

I'm obviously very confused about the interaction between these audio systems. Can anyone enlighten me or point me to a good guide?

 

AFAIK (and assuming the Dolby drivers are installed and working correctly, TV is set up properly etc.) you should be able to get up to 7.1 surround sound out through the display port > HDMI if the source material (DVD, game, MKV etc.) offers it. I believe the Dolby v4 tech can also create artificial 5.1 surround from plain old stereo input. I've never lost multi-channel audio when ripping a DVD, but YMMV

The Dolby T430s pages should help (I assume the same Dolby v4 system is used in T440s): Lenovo ThinkPad T430s with Dolby Home Theater v4

The stereo jack is just that... two channel, 3.5mm stereo output only for headphones etc.

 

Same here....

 

Thanks pipspeak. But here's where I get confused (maybe I'm overthinking it). The Dolby pages say this:

So, it "applies processing" to the "source material." DVDs use recorded sound with multichannel markers, and I can see how the Dolby processing can tune that up to sound better. But for a game, which uses generated sound, isn't the "source material" the sound hardware in the ThinkPad? Is the ThinkPad's sound hardware (Realtek, I believe) capable of generating 5.1 or 7.1 sound programmatically, like a Sound Blaster?

Or can it only generate stereo, and let the Dolby Home Theatre processing emulate surround?

And if it can do 5.1 or 7.1 out, why not add an optical out to the docking station so we can use good desktop speakers? As far as I know, no desktop speakers have an "HDMI in" port.

 

wait, the T440s is gonna have dedicated graphics?

 

Those who want the IPS 1080p panel will have to wait a couple of months.

 

This is where I must punt to others more knowledgeable because I'm not really a gamer. Optical audio would be nice, but an easy workaround is to use USB for a digital audio out, either directly to an amp (I use USB to connect my headphone amp) or into a USB soundcard with spdif.

 

I was kinda surprised by that, too. If only Lenovo could now solder 8GB of RAM instead of 4GB then this could be a killer machine (except for the buttonless trackpad)

 

The screengrab that @mitNick posted in #448 shows that if you want an i7 then you've got to put up with 8GB RAM.

But if you're willing to take an i5 then you can upgrade this to 12GB. Presumably this is due to cooling requirements, but it seems a bit of a contradiction: if you want the higher-powered CPU then you get less RAM, and vice vesa.

Lenovo did this last year with the X1C - they launched the i7 spec with a mere 4GB RAM, whereas the i5 spec offered 8GB. 3 months later - after I'd bought a different laptop - they finally launched an i7 with 8GB RAM. So how long are we going to have to wait to get a T440s with an i7 and a slot to upgrade the RAM?

 

just take out the 4gig stick and put in an 8gig stick.....

 

LOL - that's just a little embarrassing.

I just didn't fully read the details of the included RAM.

But it begs the question - if there are 2 x 4GB sticks in there, why is the limit 12GB rather than 16GB? Is one of the sticks inaccessible? And in that case, what makes you think that any of the sticks will be accessible?

 

Usually thinner laptops will have one soldered to the mainboard (usually 4 GB) plus a normal SODIMM slot where they switch the amount of RAM depending on configuration (and grossly overcharge for it)

So 4 GB built-in plus an 8 GB SODIMM = 12 GB. An 8 GB card is about $45.

 

As Kanuk said, there is one 4GB stick soldered to the systemboard so only one slot is accessible, hence the 12GB max. The "regular" T4xx has both slots accessible, hence 16GB max. I guess there's just not room on the systemboard of the T440s for another couple RAM modules

What's so annoying is that up to the T430s both slots were still accessible. Then they redesigned the 's' version to make it a tad thinner and sexier and suddenly life got a lot less flexible in terms of RAM, touchpad, battery etc. I guess they wanted greater product differentiation, but I'm dying to see how the regular T440 turns out. I hope Lenovo does not stray totally from the principle of function over form that has made the T-series so successful

 

Right and they will put a #$%3ty screen on t440 to keep the tradition.

 

God I hope this video is not proof of what screen we'll be getting on the T440s. If the chart is true, then it's 1080p with no IPS nor touch.
Lenovo ThinkPad

 

That is the same thing I commented on a few posts ago (#446). But a few people after me showed IPS on three other countries websites'. Israel, Finland, and maybe Germany. Check it out in posts 447-449 of this thread. So..we will just have to wait. But I have a feeling we are getting IPS. Just would not make sense. I mean I think American Thinkpads fans were screaming for IPS the loudest. We have to be getting it.

 

As has already been elaborated upon elsewhere in this thread, there are no known 14" FHD TN panels at this time. The 14" FHD panel is almost certain to be the AUO AHVA panel used in the Alienware m14x r3 and Clevo W740SU, which is pretty much IPS in terms of viewing angles.

Based on this image from a review of the Clevo i think we have nothing to worry about.


You should definitely avoid the HD+ panel though, it is likely to be the same TN junk found in the T42/30(s).

 

Has anyone got a US release date for this? Any word from Lenovo, or do we still not know?

 

There seems to be no definitive answer... some have heard mid-August, others not until Q4 (October/November). And still no idea if the T440s and T440 will arrive the same time or not, but all the teasers suggest the T440s will be available first

 

When I think about how the T440s is likely a successor to the T431s I feel like it will be a later release considering the T431s just came out in April. It needs time to sell to businesses and schools (like mine) that are not on the forums. But September would be nice.

 

Like most of us, I'd love to get the T440s right away, but knowing Lenovo (as well as reading all their public statements), we'll most likely see the T440s start appearing in the September to October timeframe.

Even if they announced the product today, it always seems to take Lenovo at least a month to have the product ready to ship. We haven't even seen a prototype or any type of sneak preview which usually hints that the factory is "warming up".

 

Well, the resellers here still say "End of August", but lets see if they can get the T440s really so quickly.

Companies in Japan can already order them since last week, so I guess the production must have started recently or will start very soon.

 

Are those real orders? I know in the European countries they were pre-orders.

 

Yeah, I'm looking for a new laptop for grad school and I think this would be close to ideal for me if I could get it in September. I hope they can get it out soon.

I actually hope there's a version without a dedicated GPU, my primary work OS I'd Linux and in my experience switchable graphics is a serious pain for Linux. I just want to be able to output to a high resolution external monitor without any trouble, can't do that on my current laptop without switching to the dedicated GPU and burning a lot of heat and power needlessly (though I hear newer hybrid systems don't have that problem).

 

Ditto. It's really weird that they're shipping this with dedicated graphics, considering Intel graphics are really good enough for most people these days (even multi monitors), yet they compromise on RAM expansion. Battery life is not that good so the dedicated graphics seem like a mistake.

I had a t400s and it was pretty nice (aside from the screen), but the t440s is not a total upgrade to this x220t which takes 16GB.

They should have ordering options up before the end of the month though to accommodate business year-ends and back to school.

 

I doubt they work on the back to school and business cycles. Business take what they can get whenever they can get it in bulk. And my school has the T431s stocked and advertised on it's website. I doubt they make room for new computers like this. But as I said it is not every year they put out similar laptops within months of each other so we will see if my school even gets it.

 

Will I 'likely' be able to place a 256GB msata into the T440s and use that as my primary hard drive?

 

^not yet. 24GB seems to be the current limit (due to available drives in the right form factor) in that slot.

S

 

Thanks for the response. That is a shame.

Am I right in saying that the T440s cannot take an additional drive in the 'bay' - only a battery. Unlike the T430s that had both optical bay and hard drive alternatives?

 

windows 8.1 being release october 17th. i wonder if thats when theyll launch the new lenovos.

 

I hope we see a T440s using the Intel HD 5000 graphics instead of the 4400.

 

The T440s apparently only has space for an M.2 format SSD (aka Next Generation Form Factor) as opposed to the previous mSATA option, but wait a few months and the M.2 format drives will be far more common. Samsung, for example, already make up to 512GB versions but I think only for Apple's Macbook Air right now (and larger than the 42mm version that apparently fits the T440s). No idea how much more expensive they'll be than the mSATA versions when they are finally available to the masses.

 

Hey guys, does anyone know what the specs and price point for this laptop are? I'm sure it's been mentioned somewhere but I don't care to comb through 49 pages looking for it. Also, what's the difference between the T440, T440s, and T440p?

Trying to decide if I should pull the trigger on an Acer V7-482PG-6662 or wait for this. Supposedly the Acer has a fantastic screen and speakers, but I would kinda like a processor with more power.

Thanks.

 

Advice: comb the first page or two. I wouldn't factor speaker sound quality into my laptop buying decision, especially if your looking at the business-oriented lineup. There is nothing official on the T440/p versions, yet. Even the T440s was taken off the website so it's somewhat unknown. We're all crossing our fingers that they haven't abandoned the traditional upgradability on those versions, sorta like the T61/p models, which were awesome. Some are speculating the p is for a higher-performance/maybe higher resolution screen models...we can only hope.

 

I looked through the first few pages but there was nothing there about specs other than the screen. Was hoping some info might have surfaced since then, but I guess it's just a big unknown. Seems silly to announce something without giving any indication of what's under the hood or when we might expect to see it. No point in me waiting on something that I have no reason to believe is better than what's already available, especially when I have no idea how long the wait might be.

Thanks anyway.

 

Crap this just reminded me of when I bought my T43 in 2003. The p models were coming out were the only models with IPS if I am correct. It was not an option it just came with it. ANd that was a significant price increase over the other ones. I hope that is not the case. I hope the IPS is offered as an option/a la carte on the T440s. I am not sure about the FHD+ resolution. But I will take 1600 by whatever it as long as I can see the screen from all angles.

 

No. Standard T43 with 15" SXGA+ screen was also IPS, whilst a 14" T43p sported a TN panel. It was the 15" T43p that came as IPS in 1600x1200.

Historically, "p" meant a stronger graphics card and higher resolution than the comparable "non-p" model, but we'll see whether Lenovo sticks with that principle.

With a good reason, may I add. That was the best notebook LCD on *any* laptop at that time.

I'd be right there with you if only they brought back the old keyboard layout...

 

I'd take the new chiclet keyboard with trackpoint buttons over the new one with no buttons.

 

Thanks for clearing that up. I was researching the T42 for a year before then I ended up getting the T43. It was hard enough convincing my parents to pay for half of a $1500+ laptop (with edu discount) already I did not care for IPS and certainly could not afford it at $1800. That was my junior year in college. But now.........I am looking forward to it.

 

Students were not IBM's target market for the most part...but you did good. My first A31p cost a tad under $4,000 a decade ago.

I'd like to see a comeback of proper IPS on ThinkPads, even though I'll never buy one with this keyboard.

 

There isn't a 'bay' as such. There's the place where the battery goes, but if you remove the battery your running time will be, er, severely compromised!

S

 

I'd be there also if they don't remove the activity LED's (hdd, wireless, etc..) on T440/T440p, T540/T540p, W540, but looking at T431s and T440s I don't have many hopes.

 

Funny a friend and a cousin who went to school in the late 90s both got Thinkpads from their parents. They had no idea what kind they were when I asked, and one person said he did not like it. Back then laptops weren't as a big a deal so it's funny how to some of us laptops are important when some people don't even recognize the quality or care that they have it front of them. They were somewhat aware of the cost. I like that innocence.

But for me, I was review laptops my sophomore year online and Thinkpads kept coming up. I remember when i had determined I was going to get a Thinkpad no matter what then had to decide which line. (Remember the R series?) My sister's HP consumer laptop had cost about $700-$800 but the hinge broke when my sister dropped it in a case, in her bag after the first year. Well my father did not see the value of Thinkpads (or any laptop above $1000) so he told me he would give me the same amount he paid for my sister's to put towards my laptop. Fair deal. Through a edu discount and a tax free weekend I was able to get my T43 for about $1400 (it retailed for $1799 i think IPS versions were $1999) My T43 lasted 5 years with no broken hinges and tons for drops and hard knocks through airports in my backpack.

 

True, but I can easily live without them in the days of SSDs, and the software caps lock always worked for me.

I'd second for a very high end keyboard (better materials, design, build quality, etc). It's the main interface people use on laptops and the most undervalued laptop part besides the display. Lenovo tried fixing something that wasn't broken on their latest island style keyboard did not improve a single thing. And while tablets have high PPI 'retina' displays, our keys still have crappy printed surfaces and 'backlight bleed' that makes me wonder how much worse it couldn't be. Lenovo could dominate the interface part of the laptop if they upped there product quality to a somewhat premium category.

 

Lenovo is too functional and not sexy enough. Overall, projects "nerd". Whereas Apple is all about sexy, but highly priced. Same with those anorexic-thin "super-models" like the Zenbook, Acer S7, etc.

 

Fifteen years ago, before I branched out on my own, my employer handed out ThinkPads (with the tri-color logos, no less) to us "consultants," primarily because the ThinkPads were considered professional and classy. There were little discussions about the notebooks, not about costs, not about specs, nothing. We simply used them as tools -- and great tools they were.

These days, "users" are opinionated.

(I tend to know more details about the products, but I try to focus on the income-generating tasks. I'd rather create original designs than hack on existing motherboards and random components.)

 

It is this functional and simple style that is considered "sexy" by the most ThinkPadders.

If you want something that is more like Apples style, Lenovo has the U-Series (U330/U430) or the Yoga Series. There is no need that ThinkPads look more like Macbooks.

 

Lenovo are now big enough, and has enough models in the lineup, so perhaps they'll be smart enough not to clone Apple in every model, but to cater to other audiences too.

Acer S7 keyboard is spectacular though - Acer Aspire S7 Review - Image Gallery - TechSpot . Hopefully, at current rates, Lenovo is still a few years away from achieving this level of sexy-ness (and useless-ness).

 

More reason to don't remove them. While in the past, with traditional hdd, you can hear what hdd is doing, now with ssd and no leds you have no clue what is going on. I had detected trojans just with the hdd noise or looking at the LED, nowdays, with this new lenovo's, will be imposible to detect that way.

Software caps look/work nice in Windows, but no when you are installing or using other OS. I don't know why it's more important to lenovo a volumen mute led or mic led against cap lock (that does not mean I don't like them, but if I have to choose, I will go for hdd led activity).

Seriusly, I like this Brand probably same as most of you, but does not mean I have to be happy with every decision they make and moreover when this decisión change the pilars of laptops. One day they will remove the keyboard, as you will have the display one, and then ppl will start to complain.

PD: I'm with you about the keyboards, and for me even more important are the displays. MORE QUALITY plz!!