ThinkPad T440s - Review

I agree that the new touchpad (at least on the T431s) is one of the largest and most responsive I've used on a WinPC, so I'm also slightly puzzled by the review's brutal assessment. Where I do agree is that it feels cheap -- the person who described is as a "clackpad" rather than a "clickpad" is spot on. And the jury's still out for me on the "buttonless" trackpoint.

 

Agree completely. The clickiness is nice for the trackpoint and the touchpad is very smooth. The only thing I dislike is that I feel the clicking is awkward when using the touchpad but I usually end up just using tap to click.

 

I think I've pretty much decided on the T440s and was curious if anyone has determined what model the 256GB SSD ATA3 drive is? I noticed the difference in upgrading to it is only about $205 + tax. Is it a decent drive they put in there? Would it be better to just grab the Samsung 840 Pro 256GB off Amazon for $220 + tax.and do it myself, or worth it to just have Lenovo warranty it?

Also, can anyone attest to the quality of the 1920x1080 FHD IPS (NON-Touch) screen? Is it grainy at all or have that screen door effect, especially when viewing whites?

Any and all info is truly appreciated!

Thank you in advance!

 

Come on - that's the third thread you've posted this question in!

 

Yesterday i received my T440s i7 8GB 256GB SSD FHD IPS. The non touch screen is great no screendoor effect just nice viewing angles and colours. The touchpad is one of the best i ever used on a windows machine. It is nearly as responsive as the one in the Macbook Pro retina i used. The internal SSD is just a Samsung 840. Maybe im going to replace it for the EVO but at the Moment the PC works pretty fine and the EVO and Pros SSDs has some problems with the deep sleep mode. The Overall build quality is good but not as good as the Macbook Pro.

 

What didn't you like about the build quality?

 

The display lids surface is slightly curled on the frame. It's like dimpled skin.

 

Is the noise as bad as this video makes it out to be? ThinkPad T440s touchpad - YouTube

Does it sound cheap?

And lastly, given the choice between your new touchpad and the old one with the trackpoint buttons, which would you go for? Thanks!

 

My apologies, but it seems different people visit different threads so I just wanted to cover my bases. Ive already gotten answers from two different people, Again, my apologies.

 

The new one without even a moments hesitation.

The new touchpad uses the same scissor mechanism as the keys, so it pretty much sounds like a key press. Not sure why this is such a big deal.

 

Thanks for the heads up... I was debating throwing in a 840 Pro on my own, but if there are issues, I think the 840 should be fine for my needs. Your help is much appreciated!

 

@T-Q,
No, the TouchPad is not as loud as shown in the video. The maker slams the TouchPad really down, which is not a real usage case.

For a more realistic impression of the sound, refer to these videos:
ThinkPad T440s TrackPoint / UltraNav - YouTube
Lenovo T440s Trackpad - YouTube
Thinkpad Yoga Trackpad Motion - YouTube

If I had the choice I think I would still prefer the new TrackPad over the old solution, because it really works well after you get used to it, the clicking-zone is much bigger and there are no buttons which get glossy over time, which was really annoying on older models in my opinion.

 

Cool, thanks guys. I was debating between the X230 and the X240. But judging from those videos, I think I'll likely grab the X230 on Boxing Day for multiple reasons (one being the touchpad).

Unless of course the X240s comes out with FHD in North America.

 

Unless you want touchscreen, there is absolutely no reason why you should get the X240 over the X230.

 

That's how I feel too.

Only 8GB RAM, no more dedicated trackpoint buttons, slower processors and higher cost. The X230 wins hands down. There was a pretty good deal on Black Friday for the X230 (minus the IPS) but unfortunately, I missed out. Hopefully something similar shows up on Boxing Day. Lenovo X230 Laptop (i5 Processor, 8GB RAM, 256 SSD, 9-Cell Battery) - $799 - Slickdeals.net

Edit: Well except the ghosting and white spot issues on many of the X220/X230 screens, that needed screen replacements. I wonder if the X240 screens had the issues fixed. Anyway, I guess that's something for the X240 thread.

 

I should've said, unless you want touchscreen or the FHD screen. The second is a compelling reason.

 

The regular X240 (non-touch) doesn't have the FHD screen. The X240 s may end up getting it in the future (correct me if I'm wrong). Not to mention that the X240s may never get released in the US.

 

X240 is set to get it this month in the US. This is the wrong thread to discuss this.

 

Oh. I thought Lenovo was going to put it only on the X240s.

If what you say is true, then that is quite a compelling reason to wait indeed. Thanks for clarifying.

 

NBR review:

http://www.notebookreview.com/default.asp?newsID=7032&review=Lenovo_ThinkPad_T440s_Review

 

Nice Review. I have heard or read the weight was 3.4, 3.5 even 3.6 pounds. But this article say it is 3.8 pounds without extended battery. Another small difference I hear the screen was 300 nits but this review says it is 290 nits. So how much does it weight and how bright is the screen actually? Not that it mattters as I have already ordered but just curious.

 

He reviewed the multitouch model which is a bit heavier. The brightness spec is 300nit, it never actually measures that high.

Non-MultiTouch:
3-cell + 3-cell: 3.5 lb (1.59kg);
3-cell + 6-cell: 3.9 lb (1.77kg)

MultiTouch:
3-cell + 3-cell: 3.9 lb (1.76kg)
3-cell + 6-cell: from 4.3 lb (1.94kg)

 

Thanks. So there was an error in comparing the weight to the T431s as that is only sold as a non touch.

 

Yeah, they could have done a better job to recognize that. There seems to be a penalty not only in price but in weight, and perhaps, as reported here, in image quality when choosing the touch screen.

Good scores, but overall a pretty weakly done review.

 

New review (rMPB vs T440s):
Apple

 

Sheesh. Another review I could have written in about 30 minutes. What a waste of a click.

That site doesn't even have the self-awareness to realize that they have a device with an issue if the trackpad is the 'worst' they've tried in 2013.

 

Hilarious but sad. You could tell from almost the first line that the kid who wrote this "review" is clearly biased towards the Macbook and took about 10 minutes to get to know the T440s from his weird Portlandia bearded-hipster point of view.

A classic example of how today's co-called "content" is a far cry from real reviewing or reporting.

Still, with current pricing of the T440s it is true IMO that it doesn't offer nearly the same value for money as the lower-end Macbook Pros. Its also fascinating how that darn T440 trackpad manages to polarize opinion. I would be shocked if Lenovo doesn't redesign it for the T450.

 

Interesting. I am selling my rMBP 13" and keeping the T440s. I might buy another Mac down the road if they ever produce an Air with the Retina screen but for now, the T440s is a better fit for my needs.

 

The trackpad is great. I don't see how they can improve it anymore besides reducing the noise.

 

Is the look of the laptop really that bad? Atleast from the pictures, it looks like a good looking laptop to me.

 

It looks like a thin business class machine. It isn't a Ferrari. I like the dark gray finish. Hope it holds up for years.

 

Care to explain your reasoning? This makes me feeeeeel goooood.

 

Can anyone tell me how the touch screen between the T440s and the X1 Carbon Touch compare, particularly the glossiness? I've seen a X1 Carbon Touch in a local store, and I'm fine with how matte the screen is. But some of the reviews note the T440s has a semi-gloss screen. In some photos it looks fine, but in others it looks WAY more glossy than I want to deal with.

Also, all the reviews always seem to talk about how bright the screen can get. I usually find screens too bright even at 50%, and turn them down. The only two comparisons I can give are to a Dell Studio 1555 (always too bright), and a Surface 2 (the low end brightness options on this are great). Any idea how the brightness of the T440s on the low end compares?

 

I can only comment and say that the screen dims very low.

 

It looks good. Only real problem is that the case and trackpad both seem to absorb oils from the hands readily.

 

Having now received the T440s, I can admit I was wrong about it. It's a lot better built than I was expecting, a lot better than the T431s. Everything is great except:

-Trackpoint is a kick in the nuts, but that's known.
-Keyboard layout, esp the top row.

-The anti-glare coating graininess is a bit heavy like all the other AUO screens I've seen.

I'm sti

 

Oil stains or shine have always been the case with Thinkpads and other plasticky computers in my experience. Still, I find Lenovo's hard plastics better in this regard than the gross "soft touch" coatings used by Dell and HP. Still obviously not as good as Apple's aluminum though!

 

Ok, so I finally got a minute to sit down with my new T440s. I'm going to give you my first impressions of the device after having played around with it for n hour (Havent installed new SSD or extra memory yet) Also, Im going to compare this to the HP 840 G1 and the Acer p645 at times as I tried the top of the line models of both of those systems.

Screen - It's very nice display. Not as nice as the HP 840 G1 IPS, which was absolutely brilliant with clean whites and no screen door / sparkle effect. However its better thn the Acer IPS which was pretty lusy. Im noticing some screen door / sparkle effect on the T440s and I'm missing that screen from the HP right now. Colors were gorgeous on that unit and everything just popped. Even viewing angles seemed better on the HP. Its a LEN40A3. There is some backlight bleed int he lower and upper right hand corners, but it was only visible on the Lenovo black start up screens. not a huge issue, but I could see where it could be improved.

Trackpad - Right now, it's a major pain in the rear. granted Im used to using a standard track pad with buttons, but I think there is something wrong with my trackpad, or the software. The darn think freezes up every 30 seconds and its literally all over the place and hard to control. Very annoying and a potential deal breaker. Clicking down on the actual pad to achieve things is not my cup of tea, but I could potentially get used to it. I also don't find the track pad itself is very smooth. Almost like its the same cheap plastic of the palm rest. HP Trackpad and buttons were MUCH better. Acer setup only slightly better.

Keyboard - is a DREAM! Good travel, good tactile feedback. Easy to type. Cant say enough good things about it. Heads and toes better than HP , and makes Acer look like a toy. That said, the HP wasn't horrid to use, and I could get used to it, but keyboard wise T440s is a clear winner.

Overall Build - The whole package feels nice and light and looks clean. I like the all black look and the machine feels solid, without being heavy. Unfortunately, Im also not a big fan of the palm rest. While not as bad as dell, it also feels like Lenovo used some soft touch plastic type material and it feels kind of rough... not as smooth of an experience as I was expecting. The HP had a better palm rest but the edge of it bothered me to an extent. Overall, I have to say the HP felt like it had a better quality build to it AND it had a more easily accessible base for components, allowed for 16MB Ram and Dedicated GPU.

Final thoughts - I'm totally up in the air again. I LOVE the T440s keyboard, but I feel like Im compromising on almost everything else vs the HP (Screen, Trackpad, Performance, Ease of Upgrade, Palm rest, build quality.) That said though, I'm going to be using this laptop to write (when it's not docked) and right now this keyboard is hard to beat (the price was significantly cheaper than HP too)

Im probably going to try and spend another day or so with it before making a decision, but I do need to make up my mind soon. I was debating the e7440 but the palm rest is going to be even worse on that one and the screen may not be the best either.

Someone want to talk me into staying with T440s? HAHA... looking forward to other's thoughts too.

 

Do you happen to have some pix/video to show around your t440s ?

How's everything thus far for you with your t440s ?

 

No pics or video yet, I've been swamped the past few days... havent even used it too much since getting it. Kind of waiting to get the new screen before investing too much time setting things up, installing my SSD and extra memory, etc. Just want to make sure I plan on keeping it once I get the new display.

 

Getting the new display ? Did you return it ?

 

No. Long story short, my non-touch FHD display looked fuzzy and had a sparkle-shimmering graininess to it on whites. I asked a few others on the board if they had this issues and they said no and informed me they had an AUO display. I found out mine shipped with an LG display. So I called Lenovo, complained about issues with the screen, and specifically asked for them to replace it with the AUO model, which they are going to do.

I dont have to return it because I bought the 1 Year On-site warranty upgrade for $60 when I bought the machine (Which by the way, American Express extends for 1 year since its part of the original system purchase. Pretty nice!)

 

If you didn't return it, how can they replace your LG with AUO display ?

 

I called tech support and complained about the screen, backlight issues, blurry text, and screen door effect, etc and said that my friend and father ordered the same model with same screen options, and didn't have those issues. I told the support person that our display models/IDs were different, that they had an AUO one and I had an LG one. She looked it up and found FRU for AUO model. (Which I matched against the AUO that most people on the forums got originally and are happy with.)

She scheduled a time for the tech to come to my house tomorrow and he will have the part with him to replace my display. That's how I'm doing it without returning it

 

Quite nice for the 1 Year On-site warranty upgrade for only $60. How did you find out about your LG display ? Device manager ? Mine is coming in around 1/2/2014 and I hope none of the parts of mine have any defects but I have little hope on lenovo's quality control.

 

Can you ask the tech if there are any tricks to getting the base cover off without breaking the tabs?

 

I notice the sparkle effect but I am attributing it to the anti glare coating on my screen. It doesn't bother me that much but I rather deal with that then a glossy screen.

 

Got my T440s on Friday and had a chance to play with it over the weekend, I love it. I've heard some complaints so for the record:

The touchpad does NOT suck, its wonderful and not noisy or difficult to use at all. Granted this is the first thinkpad I've used in about 10 years. Coming from Dell XPS, and the thinkpad touchpad is far superior IMO.

The screen (FHD 1080p Touchscreen) is absolutely gorgeous with crystal clean whites and zero light bleeding (bleedthrough?) or glare. It's amazing.

Overall great product, definitely feels like a high end premium machine, worth price paid (a lot).

 

Mine should arrive on Friday, however UPS "World Ease" is taking its sweet time to even get into my country. It's about 7 days ago that it left China.

 

Sorry if this has been asked previously. How do you guys like the trackpoint redesign?

I have the X230 and have stopped purchasing Lenovo because of the trackpoint redesign. My logic is as follows:
1. Touchpads are bad in general (except for Macbooks)
2. Trackpoints are far more usable.

So now that the trackpoint has been redesigned to be just as unusable as the touchpads, I am forced to consider which laptop has the better touchpad. I own the XPS 12 (haswell), but I really miss using a full fledge laptop that's not an ultrabook. Hopefully the original trackpoint is brought back one of these days, and a true IPS screen as well.