T61p 14.1'' SXGA+ : To buy or not to buy?

Saw many negative opinions about screen (poor contrast and colors). Is something changed in meantime or Lenovo still uses low quality panels for this model?

 

The 14.1" SXGA+ screens are just what they are, problems like narrow viewing angles and low brightness (they are 150 nits) are something normal for them.

So, don't expect a miracle here since it's not gonna happen. There are no "high" quality or whatever you call them panels so far.

 

I second Dreamer's comments. The displays aren't hideous they just aren't very good compared to what you can find in consumer machines. I use one every day and I manage, but compared to my wife's Macbook it's pretty bad. With that said my 14" SXGA+ looks light years ahead of the 15.4" WSXGA+ in my former T61. That was just nasty (grainy and dim).

 

Mine tends to give me a headache pretty quick. The contrast is very muted, so even if it's at a comfortable brightness it still looks dim. The vertical viewing angle is near non-existent, as every single angle change affects the image. Brightness is OK at 100%, but otherwise it's quite dim. Whatever you do, dont compare it with any other lcd panel and you'll be fine. I don't think they're all this bad, especially since there are 2 possible manufacturers for the panel. As Dreamer said, don't expect a miracle here.

 

Get a glossy modification done and it turns out pretty nice. I agree that the original matte LCD has crappy contrast and viewing angles. I got a headache after 5 minutes of use. A glossy modification improved my viewing angles by about 20 degrees and the contrast is higher.

This can't be done through Lenovo. I went to a company that specializes in repairing broken LCDs and they also "repolarize" working LCDs from matte to glossy or vice-versa.

Google "ScreenTek"

 

and you all can kiss my keyboard while I type this ..

I bought the 14.1" SXGA+ laptop, and this thing is by far the nicest laptop that I've seen ever, and I've seen lots of laptops .. I've got the so called "bad" TMD display, and it looks pretty decent. The only thing I had to do is turn down the blue to 42% and boom -> nice display.

To get it glossy would be the dumbest mistake ever.

light, small, and powerful (and relatively inexpensive) -> hell that's what I call a nice laptop.

 

Then you either got lucky with a superior quality screen or your eyes are less sensitive/used to lower levels of brightness.

 

Even if the Screen sucks everything else on the laptop is rock solid. Dell is cheap looking and not that durable. HP is ok looking but not as durable as Thinkpad. I dropped my thinkpad twice from my shoulder when it was in my backpack. And it still running good no problem at all.

The only problem you'll face the the ThinkVantage Software (junkware i think) that comes with the laptop i think it casues too much problems. But if u do a clean Install this LAPTOP IS GODLY.

No one wants a Dell its like a Civic
No one wants HP its a Civic with a Body kit

Thinkpad = Volvo with a V10 enigne x/ Twin Turbo ( thats y my 4 cell only last 40mins)

 

you could get the onsite warranty, if after you get it you do not like the screen you could get have them replace it with a samsung screen.

 

I agree with the first part, but boy, I have a turbo Civic that smokes 85% of the cars on the road, so please don't start in that direction. Not to mension that volvo sucks balls

 

must be the first part cause I don't have any problems with my eyes, nor I wear glasses

 

I just received my T61p 14.1 SXGA+ about 10 days ago. I got lucky I guess and got the Samsung screen. I know it is only 150 nits but it sure seems very bright to me. I have had to turn the brightness down a few notches to make it comfortable.

I also found that by changing the default color profile from the default Lenovo profile to one of the "WCS" profiles (whatever that means) that are already loaded in the machine and can simply be selected and made default, the color improved quite a bit and now seems very rich and saturated. It probably isn't all that accurate since it wasn't custom calibrated by me, but it is very pleasant now to look at for me.

Another thing I have noticed is that the whites seem very white and the blacks seem very black compared to my previous laptop which was a T42p.

Overall, I think this display isn't too bad. I like the matte finish and the colors now. Viewing angles seem as good as any non IPS Thinkpad I have seen. My main complaint is that if you look real closely, there is what I would describe as a faint gauzy texture that can be seen. But it is not as bad as on many other displays I have seen.

Overall, I'm pretty satisfied with the display, although it would be nice if one could order a higher quality display in this size.

 

Lucky. The alternative, the TMD screen, is freakin horrendous...