ThinkPad T431s / X230s Leaked

In Germany, its already on sale, but not available yet, so buyers will have to wait until the end of April.

Still, the same prototype pictures as on the US site.

Small Hands-On: http://www.digitaltrends.com/laptop...-ultrabook-is-more-business-than-pleasure/#/2

 

From that webpage: The first of the three "Lows" is "lackluster display." No surprise here.

And the conclusion has this detail: "We were hoping to fall in love with its famous keyboard but found this iteration to be too loud to type inconspicuously on – it’s bound to annoy whoever you sit next to."

(The author forgot to mention how many dB's. )

 

Well, personally I think this isn´t a very good hands-on. The pictures are bad, and their conclusion is very confusing. For example "Lows: Speakers at the bottom"...ok, but how are the speakers??? And it seems, they don´t even know where the speakers really are, because they are at the back, not at the bottom ("You’ll also note its speakers are somewhere...."). Or, "lackluster display."... How do they judge the display? They say nothing about picture quality, and they are " not sure if this was due to the lighting in the room we were in, or that our demo unit’s screen brightness was reduced to save battery".

I guess we should wait for a real review. Maybe from Notebookcheck.

 

Well, at least they touch and see the stupid notebook, while you and I still don't.

Even if I agree with you about their unsubstantiated "lackluster display" observation, I'm not holding my breath to be wow'ed by the actual display when I happen to see one.

 

"Speakers on the bottom" means horrid speakers.

 

Not necessarily. And the speakers are not really at the bottom.

If you open up the screen, the sound from the speakers will be reflected by the screen-bezel towards the user.

 

OK, they are "not really at the bottom," but you can only see them by flipping the notebook over. Plus, they are facing away from the user.

Whatever...

 

I'm also a person that's peeved that Lenovo can't fit in a decent pair of speakers in their ThinkPad line. My X301 has a pair of real speakers on both sides of the palm rest. They are heads and shoulders above laptops I have demoed recently (T420, T430s, X1 Carbon and others).

Yes, this is not a "multi-media" laptop, but more than ever we need good speakers for business. Most training videos are now being done online, same with presentations, product demos, etc. It's a shame when you have to put your head over the laptop to try and hear what the video is talking about.

Lenovo claims their laptops are the ultimate business tool and try to differentiate that way. One of the most important elements of business (or any field) is clear communications. Please make a laptop with a decent set of speakers in the palm rest. All those Dolby Surround effects are just gimmicks. They can't reproduce or "push enough air" like a real speaker can.

I hope Lenovo reads these kinds of posts.

 

@Kaso,
sorry, to say, but you are incorrect! The speakers are indeed at the back. And you can see them without flipping over the notebook...

The "way of the sound" should be like that:

It would not work without the drop-down hinges...

And I think this new placement is better, because the speakers won´t collect dirt and dust like on all other T4xx and T5xx since the T400s / T410 / T510, which is just a bad design.

My T430u also has Dolby Home Theater v4, and in my opinion it helps a bit: Dolby Home Theater v4 Test (ThinkPad T430u) - YouTube

 

A single review doesn't define a trend. That will happen over time.

However, the comment about the screen is all too familiar for 14" ThinkPads.

 

I'm really disappointed in the speaker development with Lenovo too, especially when considering that IBM used to equip pretty much every one of their ThinkPads with fairly good speakers.

I have an X301 as well, and boy those things are amazing for a laptop. At a ThinkPad meetup I got to compare my X301 speakers to that of the X1C (which Lenovo advertises to have the best speakers of all current ThinkPads). Let's just put it this way: The X301 totally crushed the X1's puny speakers.

And BTW, Dolby does "push air" if configured correctly.

 

Sure, thats true. The most important things are the complaints and the experiences of the owners. A short hands-on without many details isn´t enough to judge a machine.

Also true, I see it every day with my T430u (but wih a good color profile I am fine with it). But it seems they expect to be "blown-away" by a screen, and I think it is very difficult to be "blown-away" by any Notebook screen. It is unbelievable how much better Desktop monitor displays are, even the best Notebook screens are bad compared to a high quality monitor...

 

That's not a universal statement. The ThinkPad 15.6" AUO FHD is in the "blown away" territory. Also, I have a 9.7" tablet, a 13.3" notebook and 15.4" notebook that have absolutely "blown away" screens.

I wouldn't say my ThinkPad 15.6" FHD screens are "bad" compared to my Dell UltraSharp U2713H.

 

Maybe good screens. And note, I like the 15.6" screen used in T5xx/W5xx/L5xx (HD+ or FHD). These ones are really good. But not as good as an good Eizo or an NEC monitor.

And if you are refering to the Apple Retina-devices: Also good screens, but still not "blown away" (and yes, I have my own experience with them!). And, a "blown away screen" should be matte in my opinion, Glossy is unacceptable for me.

Maybe bad is the wrong word, "mediocre" might fit better in this case

 

Stab me but I prefer glossy. Just makes the colors look so much more vibrant.

 

I wouldn't even say "mediocre." Certain large IPS panels are excellent in their own way.

This is true. The AUO FHD V.7 glossy screen in my Dell XPS 15 L502X (2011) is more vibrant than the AUO FHD V.4 in my ThinkPads. (Note that I did not say "better" or "worse.")


Back to topic: Don't expect T431s screen to be good.

 

Some of those mediocre screens are "on sale" at Buy new MacBook Pro with Retina display starting at $1,449.98

 

Thats not the topic here.

 

You were the one that brought them up, so apparently they are.

 

Wish there were any details on the next X laptop (230s if that is it). What CPU is most important to me.. will it be Haswell? Would be great to know so I can decide if to just buy x230 or keep waiting

 

Unlikely. I expect the X230s to come out before the X240 (late-summer) and before Haswell (mid-summer). Also, all Haswell ultrabooks are required by Intel to have 9+ hours of battery life and obligator touchscreen - which the X230s does not. What you're looking for is probably the X240s which would be identical to the X230s if not for the processor. However, it is possible for the X230s to come out before Haswell and later given an option by Lenovo to upgrade the processor (like the current edge-series.)

 

There's a simple solution: Just don't sell it as an Ultrabook.

 

Haswell for UltraBooks and Business Notebooks won´t come out until Q3 / Q4 (September/October):

 

I really hope that's the time frame that laptops will come out with Haswell and not just when the chip will be sent to OEMs. Intel would miss the back to school laptop buying season, and I personally am looking to get a laptop with Haswell for when I start grad school this September. But at least I personally can wait a while, it's just that I want Haswell, and I want it yesterday, and I want it in a 14/15" thinkpad ultra book

 

I think Intel has started to send Haswell to the OEMs in April.

 

Guys, I was really hoping this T431 would be good but it appears as though it isn't going to be.

What is a good 14 inch alternative that has:
8meg of ram (or the potential for 8)
durability (i'll be biking with it)
good touchpad if I can't have trackpoint(I really like the track point which is why I love lenovo but there appears to be no other options)
thin and light under 3.6lbs.
Decent screen. Bright. Close to IPS

Do not require a graphics card as long as it has intel 4000.

I tried the Asus ux32vd and the screen was too small and the bezel was too big. Also the touchpad wasn't that impressive.

 

The T431s meets all of your stated requirements. Assuming of course it works as advertised.

 

But the screen is beyond crappy. Is there
Anything that can match the Lenovo? I am only thinking possibly the dell xps or Mac book?

 

Mac and XPS have glossy screens. XPS has shallow keyboard. Oh and Mac is a... Mac - another reason not to buy one ;-)

 

So nothing compares to a Lenovo ?

 

Not necessarily. It's just that every laptop has at least one flaw. I'd personally sacrifice screen quality (but not resolution) for a decent keyboard. Others may have different priorities. Just depends which laptop ticks the most boxes for you.

 

Heh heh, forum posts are read mostly for entertainment, especially when people forget that opinions are primarily personal ("different priorities," "ticks the most boxes for you") and not universal truths.

For what it's worth, my T520 provides both screen quality (and resolution) and a decent keyboard.

And it sits next to a MacBook Pro 15 with Retina Display. Life is good.

 

Ah but which one is best?

 

How do you know the screen is crappy? Have you seen the production models?

The screen on my T420 isn't the best but it's good enough. Same holds true for the T430s I sold.

I'm sure the screen on the T431s will be adequate for the business person market it is aimed at.

 

You're trying hard to be silly. Best? Best, for what? Best, based on what?

Ohhh, that keyboard. Ahhh, that trackpad. While people take sides, I say: Life is good.

Anyway, it's worth repeating that, while you talk about "sacrifices," I happen to find that my humble T520 offers both the qualities you seem to have to exchange one for the other.

 

hi guys,

First post here. Has there been any word on discrete graphics cards with these things?

Basically, i love the new direction they are taking some of the think pads (i.e. x1 "carbonizing" them). But, I also want to be able to do some light gaming. I love the new designs so much I would be willing to do this on them even with just the integrated graphics, but I am waiting for these two to come out so I can get some beefier processing/ram over the x1 carbon (otherwise, i would have just bought that already).

thanks.

 

It would be a pleasant surprise if they could come up with some ingenious engineering for heat management of discrete graphics in "Ultrabook" form factors.

{In any event, as "gaming" is mentioned quite often, it may well be a real opportunity that should prompt people to re-Think the rigid view of "business notebooks." Just look at today's "mobile phones." Are there such things as "business phones"? Why do "business people" need phones with premium colorful screens?)

 

in the Lenovo T431s chinese manual it was mentioned that the ThinkPad T431s heat management system can handle 45 watts TDP. So this may indicate the potential for the Nvidia GPU option with the ULV CPU.

 

Ha, that remark was a bit tongue in cheek, I admit. Although there is a serious question here. Which of the two has the best keyboard in your opinion?

People rave about the MBP but I'd never buy one myself. I'm Windows through and through and just don't really like Apple and their ethos (accepting the fact I'm typing this on my iPhone of course!).

 

No, no discrete graphics card fot the T431s.

 

Very interesting!

Am I correct that the existing t430s have dGPUs?

It says this on Lenovo website "NVIDIA NVS 5200M Graphics with Optimus Technology (1GB DDR3 Memory"

So, if that is true, it wouldn't be that much of a stretch to think its in the t431s, right?

 

Yes, a T430s can be configured to have switchable graphics. If you look closely, the T431s sports a different, slimmer, chassis which does not include an UltraBay, hence no optical drive nor secondary battery. And, getting back to your question, the T431s does not support discrete GPU. So, you can "stretch" your imagination, but it won't happen.

 

Yes, the T430s comes in some configurations with a discrete GPU. But the T430s is an entirely different type of notebook (T430s: Slim Mainstream Business Notebook, T431s: Mainstream Business Ultrabook), with a thicker chassis. Lenovo removed the dGPU option with the T431s, and I guess because of cooling reasons. If you want a thin Notebook with discrete graphics now -> get the T430s. Or, if you can wait, wait for Haswell (September), and get then a hypothetical T440 with a discrete GPU, which will maybe come in the same dimensions as the T430s.

 

The T520's AUO FHD screen is awesome. The T520's "classic" keyboard is awesome. Serious.

Proper English is "better" when one compares two things. Anyway, if you insist, my purely personal opinion is that I personally prefer my ThinkPad T520's keyboard to my MacBook Pro 15 with Retina Display's keyboard when I work on my mostly textual documents for long hours. Please read my wording carefully.

I personally avoid unnecessary emotions. Mature life does not consist of blacks and whites, of likes and hates -- it's a beautiful composition of multiple shades of grey (or, sometimes, platinum).

To me, a tool is a tool that is to be enjoyed for a particular purpose. Like an iPhone, which you could not resist spending your hard-earned euros for one -- and hold it every minute of every day -- even though you "don't really like Apple."

And you don't mind typing a short message using the virtual keyboard on the iPhone, without engaging in any debate about "which keyboard is best."

 

thanks. Yeah it is starting to look like I need to wait to see what the T440 is like. Basically what i "want" is a thinkpad that has been x1 "carbonized" and has a dGPU.

Basically I am the epitome of everything that people hate on this thread. lol.

 

I can relate to that.

Anyway, does Intel promote its "Ultrabook" campaign to bring extra business to Nvidia? Nah, Intel's own "U" core processors with integrated graphics.

 

They better start making dGPU's then! shoot!

 

I never heard that Great Britain has abandoned the pound for the euro. Eurozone - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Haswell will bring the most powerfull iGPU to date along with it (Intel HD 5200). So maybe that will be enough for you.

Well, if you want an Ultrabook with an dGPU now, the T430u also would be an option. But if you want a "Carbonized" ThinkPad, you should wait for Haswell.

 

you know, i was looking at the T430u right now and though it says that is an option on the front page when you actually go to select a model it doesn't give the dGPU as an option.

 

The Haswell iGPU will be able to handle games like Skyrim on high graphics with ease - all in Full HD of course. Basically, we're talking Radeon 6850m here.