ThinkPad T440s - Review

Your english was not bad and the review was great. Thank you for taking the time to do this. I definitely am interested in getting this. I am just curious to see how the t440p will compare to this in regards to looks, I just need a side by side comparison of that but I dont think I can wait till november!!!

Also, I noticed you said that there will be a geforce 630m version in europe? I thought it was going to be 730m series , and does this mean that the US wont be getting any dedicated gpu options?
I know a lot of people have asked for request but if you do ever get any time , if you could run some gpu benchmarks that would be awesome. I find benchmarks for a system as a whole is much more accurate than random benchmarks for the haswell processors in other laptop models.

Thanks

 

How do you know that? Is this confirmed?

 

I got a mail confirming my purchase and this is what it said:

Lenovo Thinkpad T440s University 20AQS00600 (175125)
Verfügbar ab: 04.10.2013

=> available this Friday.

This was a German reseller, I don't know about the situation in the US.

 

You bought the student model.

 

Sorry, for the late reply: Thats a mistake, it will be the 730M. I don´t know if it will be on sale with the 730M in Europe, we will see when it will be released offically.

Tell me which one, and I will try to do so.

Thank you.

 

Can anyone buy a student laptop – even people that are not students – or do special restrictions apply? I'm a Linux user, and I have no use for Windows, so it would be nice to have a no-OS option and not having to pay the Windows tax.

 

No, only Students or teachers can buy the educational models.

 

US Site has 20% off the T431s. I take this as a sign that they're clearing inventory for the T440s.

 

Is that for the B&N website? If so, that is a pretty regular discount. They often have some Thinkpads for 25% off.

Right now, on that site, the T431s is 22% off when using the promo code. W530 is 25% off and many others are at least 20% off.

 

Thanks ibmthink for that great review.

Short question, are the batteries quick charging, like of the X1C?

 

No, the T440s does not have Rapidcharge. Nonetheless, I would say the batterys charge quickly.

 

Thanks ibmthink.

 

Nope, that was the IBM Shareholder site.

 

I was a bit concerned about this, living in NA. I contacted Lenovo - a representative stated that the T440s would not have a dedicated graphics option and the claim that it would was a falsified rumor, and would never be true.

I sent him a link to the image showing the specs(added below), as well as the Lenovo player link - which claims that the T440s will have a dedicated AMD graphic option and/or a dedicated Nvidia solution. He said both of these claims were false, and the documents were incorrectly released.

Spec image - claiming Nvidia solution:
http://www.notebookcheck.com/filead...vo/IFA2013_NDA/Specs/specs_thinkpad_t440s.jpg

Lenovo player - claiming AMD and Nvidia solution:
ThinkPad T440s Service Training RTPW1150 v.0826

Keep in mind that the T440p and the S440 are coming out. Apparently people are mixing up these specs, mis-reading the specific model.

 

T440s is already available with the nVidia 730M in Asia for Students in Hongkong - the option definitvly exists, but not in NA. The only "false claim" is the AMD option.

We will see if it will come out in Europe with nVidia.

 

I have been unable to find any information on this. It seems that the T440s page on HK's site is blocked in my area of the world, or, does not exist. The form factor and battery life options for this machine make it exactly what I need. However, a dedicated graphics option is needed. I analyze large data sets with CUDA. OpenCL is an option, but I do not like the performance of integrated 4400 cards.

I really wanted to buy another Lenovo, but if this is true and the machine is not available i'll have buy other machines.

 

The Hong Kong Polytechnic University - Notebook Ownership Program 2013

As I said, not this model won´t be available in NA. The only T440(p/s) in NA with nVidia graphics appears to be the T440p (also the GT 730M).

 

Ah, thank you for the link - I never doubted your information; I had just not seen it elsewhere. Yes, the GPU is the same, but trading up the CPU, form factor (cd bay), weight, and no option for touch is not desired. I do hope this new ultrabook version of the T series includes a dedicated GPU option in the future, like it has in the past.

 

How well does the lid work between 135 and 180 degrees?
http://www.notebookcheck.net/fileadmin/_processed_/csm_16_Kopie_5fa085da5a.jpg
http://www.notebookcheck.net/fileadmin/_processed_/csm_17_Kopie_6eb9d29c23.jpg

These two pictures make me very hopeful that the t440s does not have the same problem as the X1 Carbon--the lid being lower than the base at 180 degrees. But I am unable to tell whether the opening action is smooth. Looking at the 135 degrees picture, it appears as if the bottom of the lid would bump into the desk when opening between 135 and 180 degrees, making it necessary to lift the laptop when trying to fully open it and making it impossible to use well between 135 and 180 degrees.

But first hand experience of whether this is true would be much appreciated.

 

The T440s does not have the same problem as the X1 Carbon. The opening is smooth throughout. The only problem is that sub-90 degrees, there is a gap between the screen and the base (consequence of have a 180 degrees opening with drop down hindges.)

Picture that IMBThink Uploaded: Bild: wp_20130922y1kmm.jpg - abload.de

 

I'm curious, are student models only available in Germany, or in the U.S. as well? I'm a college student who uses Linux and would be highly interested in picking up one of these. Btw, thanks for the great review!

 

go to Lenovo's website. scroll to the very bottom. Click Students under Solutions. Find your school name and you will have an additional 5-10% discount on your purchase.

 

Hey ibmthink,

How are you finding 1080p at 14"? Is text too small/do you have to use scaling?

 

I like it very much. I think it is the perfect resolution for a 14"er, the Test is not too small and pictures are very sharp. I don´t use scaling, I am using the T440s on 100 %.

 

You must be young, hehe.

 

Well, I am, considering I can purchase student machines.

Maybe it also has something to do with my former main machines, which also were Notebooks (both with ~ 115 dpi. Some other guys at my age are used to having big-desktops with >20" FHD Displays, and for them, it also seems to be hard to read text on the T440s display, because they are used to very big fonts.

In contrast, I have an old 19" 5:4 Eizo SXGA display on my desk, which I can use anymore, because the fonts are so big and not very sharp, so reading text is a pain.

 

Thanks! Although, these still come with windows, not that I care, but I was wondering about the windows-less version that ibmthink had. I don't really have anything against windows though, just looking for savings where I can.

 

Another overwhelmingly positive user review. This guy is quite a long time user. Especially positive to hear comments coming from an X220 user. I'm looking forward to the display, just hoping text is manageable. 1366x768 is becoming tiresome as I spend more and more time without the monitor.

forum.thinkpads.com • T440s First Impressions

 

Unfortunately, this doesn't seem to stack with other discounts; moreover, it's worse than B&N Gold. With B&N gold and current sales, the X1 Carbon Non-touch (US) is about $1050. With my university discount it shows up as $1120. Without anything (just regular sale), it's $1190.

 

He reports the same problems as some others: poor sound quality from the audio jack, and backlight bleed along the bottom of the screen. And this at Apple prices!

 

In my experince the sound quality over the jack is OK, no difference with my previous ThinkPads, but there are some problems with the Audio jack, for example, if you go to standby with speakers connected over the audio jack, it makes a very bad buzzing noise when the system goes to standby.

The backlight bleed is there yes, but only to notice on very dark screen, for example, when you boot up. It is only noticeable over the right hinge on my machine.

 

Backlight bleed is horrible if you're going to watch a movie. A system at this price shouldn't have it.

The guy says his speakers hiss unless he puts them on mute. ibmthink, does yours do that?

 

I don´t think it is a "hiss", it is more of buzz, when the system is in standby.

As I said, the backlight bleed is very subtile. You nearly can´t see it anywhere else than on the boot-screen. In movies with black stripes at the top and bottom, you barely notice it. it is a common issue of systems with VA / IPS screens, if you don´t want it, you always can get an model with the HD+ TN screen.

 

Those could be problems for others, but they're hardly problems in my book. I have the audio muted most of the time anyway. The X220 IPS display all have backlight bleed and the only time I notice it is the few seconds during boot up. I could care less about the sound quality from the audio jack.

And the price of this notebook is nowhere near the rMBP. Take a minimum of 25% off Lenovo's quoted price since they always have coupon.

 

Pretty sure all IPS screens have some backlight bleed, it's the kind of thing you notice once and then never care about again. My Dell Ultrasharp has it, the 27"/30" Dell and HP monitors at my old lab that cost $1k had it. It's really not a big deal, I'll take the color accuracy and viewing angles any day.

 

I agree that sound quality from the headphone jack and IPS screen bleed/uniformity issues are to be expected at any price point and are no big deal. Apple is no better in this regard. IMO sound from a Macbook headphone jack is as bad as any PC, and half the time you can't see uniformity issue with their screens because of the reflections of the glossy surface

If I want decent sound from a computer, I'll use digital-out via USB or via a docking station optical port (I currently have a headphone amp hooked up to USB on my T420). And I've never used an IPS monitor that did not have some minor bleed or uniformity issues -- even high-end NEC medical monitors.

 

Thanks for reminding me what my short time viewing that forum was just that--short! The first response to the review accuses him of being a shill, than blathers on about how they're going to continue to destroy the TP and "what they're going to do, mark my words". Then, waxing eloquently about how a 600X is so much better, and how using the trackpoint puts one in some secret society. Sorry, it's just so stupid and tiresome. I've used a 600X, a lot. I'll stick with my X230.

I had plans to stick with my X230, but I could use a bigger screen. The IPS screen vs. the T430 screen was the deciding factor for me, so the T440S has a lot of appeal. I can't make FHD resolution on a 14" screen though, so I'll be curious to see if W8.1 does a better job of adjusting resolution. That will probably determine whether or not I make the jump. I'm betting others are in the same boat.

 

Your loss.

TPF offers a wealth of knowledge like no other place on the web when it comes to ThinkPads.

 

What he said.

 

Well, it surely does, at least when it comes to older ThinkPads.

But there are other places that also offer very good knowledge about ThinkPads, for example, our German ThinkPad Forum, which is even more active than the US TPF. But thats OT.

 

Last OT post from me in this thread, I promise...

I *love* German ThinkPad Forum. Seriously.

 

I'm sure it does, but for me the amount of stupid is just too high. I'm sorry, but if there's a section of the forum dedicated to the legacy TP hardware, why doesn't someone feel the need to respond to a review (in the new hardware section) and continue to bleat on about how horrible are all of the changes? It's stupid, and it just drove me away from viewing or participating in the forum--and I don't feel a great sense of loss over it... I know both you and some others on here post on their as well--and I'm sure there are other valuable posters like yourselves--but I just found the nonsense level too high.

But, in an effort to stay OT, I'll note that the reviewer did mention that he didn't care as much for the new trackpoint buttons. That would be a pretty big deal for me, as I use it pretty extensively and I'm pretty picky about "feel" type of inputs. I still kinda miss the curved buttons on the X220 vs. the flat buttons on the X230. So, it'll be interesting to see the opinions of more people after they've had more time on it; not dismissing the original reviewer, but I'm still curious for more feedback. Still, the proof will probably be in the trying.

 

As for now, there is "mixed feedback" on the new TrackPoint buttons, whats also visible in the reviews of the ThinkPads with this new design out there (T431s and Helix reviews): Some reviewers like it, some not. And it is the same for the users: Some like it, some don´t (speaking of the feedback from the German forum). I myself like it, as well as others there, and some hate it. I guess it is a personal decision if you like it or not.

I also don´t think you really can judge this after 10min of usage, you have to use it a bit longer and really see if you like it or not, as you maybe discover that you like it or maybe discover something that makes you to not like it about the new design.

What I like is the fact, that the new design is more flexible, as you now can use the holde TrackPad as a button, and the TrackPad is not just wasted space like on for example the T420. You don´t have to click on the top Edge, you also can click in the middle or at the bottom if you want.

Some others maybe have problems with the new design because the different click zones are not raised anymore and can´t get used to recognizing the click zones by feeling the small bumps on the middle button or they don´t like the clicking noise. Both are no problems for me, but maybe for them.

 

I'd agree with you on that one, and if W8.1 handles resolution changes better than its predecessor, I'll probably take the plunge and try it out.

I actually find the trackpad pretty useful on my X230--after installing a third-party utility. Two-finger scrolling now works so well that I almost never use the arrow keys; prior to installing it though, I'd agree with you.

 

can someone confirm this? the right button is top right only? no bottom right too like what we're use to?

 

Heh, have you not kept up with this thread or the other T440s one? Seems like every other page someone accuses ibmthink and anyone else who likes the T440s of being a Lenovo shill.

 

IBMThink is not a Lenovo 'shill'. What he says about ThinkPads are purely his own opinion, which i really respect (even if i am not in 100% agreement all the time).

 

The trackpad ruined the T440s for me. If it hadn't been for that I would have kept the T440s. For a notebook at a premium price I don't want a trackpad that feels cheap by design.

 

Where did you buy your T440s? How long have you had it?

 

can anyone tell me if the trackpad scroll works in a vmware workstation virtual machine?

Thanks