ThinkPad T440s - Review

Yes, I will... maybe I'll even have him do it while he is here so i can swap out the memory and hard drive myself. I spoke to him already and he sounds like a super nice guy, so I doubt it will be an issue.

 

So bad news guys, My tech called this morning (and he sounds like a super nice guy) and he first he called to confirm a 1pm appointment time.

HOWEVER, he then called me 30 minutes later to say that the part never arrived at UPS! He gave me the tracking number and long story short, UPS is holding it or lost it at their Ontario, CA facility as it should have arrived to be picked up by 10:30am this morning and wasn't there. There is also no messages on the tracking to say its being held.

Good grief! I had to call Lenovo service again right now and they said they are sending another one out to arrive by tomorroin the AM so now it looks like Im waiting another day. Damn UPS, they pulled the same thing with my dad's T440s which they were supposed to deliver this past Friday but inexplicably held in their warehouse and delivered this morning. They must be so slammed over there, some packages arent making their estimated dates. Super frustrating to say the least. However, Im willing to be patient to get the gorgeous display everyone is talking about and the one I saw on the HP 840 G1.

Will keep you all posted once this all gets taken care of tomorrow. Im going to have him take off the base for me too and see if he has any hints for removing it. Let me know if you have any other questions you'd like me to ask him.

 

Ask him what material is the lid, palm rest, and base cover are made up. I am confused as to what is to be made of carbon fiber and magnesium. I know the hinges are definitely made of stainless steel. Thank you.

 

The T440s does use a true IPS screen and the Touchpad is just a notch below the MacBooks but the keyboard makes up for it. The TrackPad on the T440s is very smooth due to the use of glass and provides no error in detecting motions (after the latest firmware to fix the two finger scrolling bug). The touchpad is so good that I wanted to use it more due to the texture but the TrackPoint is the king.

 

- The Lid is made of Carbon-Fiber with some Glass-Fiber parts (for the WLAN antennas), it has a matte, fine paint on it
- The Palmrest is made of ABS plastic, slightly rubberized. For more structural strength, the plastic is direct bonded with an inner Magnesium roll-cage
- The base-cover is made of matte black painted magnesium
- The hinges are made of stainless-steel

 

Is it me or is the keyboard an oil magnet?

 

It is a fingerprint oil magnet. It is easy to clean though but I would say it is easier to see due to the glossy nature of the keys.

 

Thank you. I wish the whole thing used Carbon Fiber like the HP (or was it dell) ultrabook but I am happy it is not all plastic.

 

So I finally got my T440s with the 4300 processor, and running Windows 7 on the M.2 drive from a fresh install (incidentally, that involved restarting the computer a million times to update everything, a bit of a pain), with the FHD screen. My last computer is an T60, so that's my point of comparison. I'm just gonna jot down some of my thoughts:
1) Screen is very nice, much nicer than on my T50, though I have to say that there is still some distortion at different viewing angles, especially visible e.g. on this forum in a full browser window where the whites get darker at non-direct angles. I think the sideways angles are worse than the vertical ones.
2) Keyboard is wonderful, the chiclet keys are just as nice as the older style in my opinion.

3) The clickpad is incredibly unpleasant if you use the trackpoint. I use the trackpoint with my middle finger, and my index finger to click. The reach needed is higher, among other things, but the worst part is that the middle click doesn't work as a middle click. It works as a scroll click, and even with the TPmiddle utility (see the T440s owners thread), it doesn't work the way I expect it to. I use the middle click extensively, and the presence of a middle button (or apparent presence) was one reason I was more drawn to the Lenovo. I thought the lack of buttons was something I could adapt to, but I really really don't like the trackpoint clicking on this model. It's a pity, too, since I think the trackpoint is actually better and more responsive.

The other problem with the trackpoint is that you really do have to click it ALL THE WAY DOWN every time you click, and it is loud. I think that for someone who thinks this might be a deal breaker for them, it probably actually is. It's really unpleasant to work with, and this is coming from someone who is pretty adaptable and doesn't generally whine about technological change. I went from feeling like the trackpoint was a perfect setup on my T60 to feeling like maybe I should adapt more to using the trackpad (annoying if you're typing) or carry around a bluetooth mouse (also annoying).

 

What is the best way to clean the keyboard and screen?

 

http://s30.postimg.org/3w00aay29/Ulranav.png

This is extremely $hitty. I am using windows 7 on T530 with latest driver. I use the "neither" option in the Ultranav settings to do the middle clicking as you are describing. You are telling me that this is not an option, thus it is defaulted and stuck on scroll? The only reason I buy Thinkpads was for the trackpoint with middle click. This upsets me.

 

Skander22: could you try this solution/workaround I found in another forum for the middle click not existing? Here is the original forum: Win8 trackpoint third button middle click action - Page 2 - Lenovo Community

Navigate to:
HKEY CURRENT USER\Software\Synaptics\SynTPEnh\UltraNavPS2 (note HKCU, not HKLM)
Change "TrackPointMode" to dword:00002214 from the previous value of 00001214

Then reboot/log out and back in...

Much appreciated.

 

Just tried it, and it works great. Thank you so much for finding a workaround. On the other hand, the actual zone that registers a middle click is MUCH smaller than the diagram from synaptics indicates, even with 'large buttons' selected. There's a very small sweet spot in the right side of 'middle click zone' just above the dots that seems to work (even then, it feels like it's not always super consistent, but maybe I just need to train my fingers - It's still rather annoying.) I saw somewhere a linux person who was able to actually configure where the zones were in their synaptics.conf file. No idea if this is possible for windows.

I still find the need for so much travel with each click to be irritating. I wish you could do a clear 'tap' in the appropriate zone even when using the trackpoint, rather than having to push down the entire button. I think that if I were in a lecture or something, I'd have to switch to the trackpad to be quieter.

 

edit: wrong thread

 

Somebody with experience in this could probably fix the zone size by modifying the drivers or registry. The registry has tons of modifications under the Synaptics section that would probably fix the issue. I don't have the T440s or a clickpad on my T530 so I don't know what is actually even there in the registry to modify, much less am I smart enough to figure it out. Feeling adventurous, skander22?

 

Another observation - I've typed about a thousand words of a paper, and I have to say that the keyboard is fantastic. I actually like the way they've changed the home/end/insert area (They're all large buttons immediately about backspace) - once I'm more used to it, they'll make it much faster and more reliable to use those functions. The key travel is very nice, it's easy to hit the correct key, and just generally feels like a pleasure to type. The merged function keys still take a bit of getting used to, and when playing older games that rely on them a lot, I'll probably use the function lock (Fn+Esc for anyone wondering.) Some of the functions just seem gratuitous - the F11 function seems to just replicate Alt+Tab, and F12 opens File Explorer, which I guess I appreciate, but I find unnecessary. I do like that keys which have a persistent state (mute, mic mute, Fn) have an indicator light, though actually CapsLock does not, which is perplexing.

I'm still learning to use the clickpad - it turns out middle click requires a lot more force than I expect, but overall works ok. Still don't like the amount of noise.

Also, I seem to have gotten a model with no keyboard backlight, which I didn't even know was possible. Not sure if I'll miss it, but I'm surprised. I got it through my employer (a university) and I was impatient with the bureaucracy so I didn't check on some of these things.

 

Do you happen to have looked into your display whether it's auo or lg, and whether you see any issues like other folks have been discussing in other threads ? Thanks.

 

Yup, mine is the LG. I posted a video in the T440s Owner's thread:
T440S FHD LG Screen Viewing Angles - YouTube

 

Thanks. Looks glossy just like some other youtube vid on LG display. What do you personally think of it ?

 

It is hard to tell anything by your video. Not only did you decided to record at 480p but you added glare to the screen. It is usually for whites on any matte display to get darker off direct angles.

 

It's NOT glossy - that's not glare. That's the spotlight effect- there was no direct light or reflection coming off of it for that video. The brightness when the camera is facing it directly, and the falloff, is the same in a pitch dark room.

Sorry if the quality of the video isn't ideal. I'm just using an old point and shoot camera that's probably 8 years old.

I'm not sure if the whites really do get bad on any matte screen. However, the videos I've seen of the AUO screen do not appear to have the same spotlight effect.

 

+1. That is the spotlight effect. In a completely dark room in my basement with no lights turned on and no windows, that is exactly what I am seeing on my LG panel mine as well.

 

So, are you guys talking about the screen just looks darker when the display is tilted away from you maybe about 110 ~ 130 degrees ? Or just the bright "round-shaped" blob is what you guys talking about ?

 

Just got my T440s today and got the LG screen. I finally understand the problem now. The brightness is not even across the screen. Somehow even when you're looking more or less right at the screen, some areas, usually the center, will appear brighter than the rest. This is the spotlight effect. It also moves around if you move relative to the screen. And it doesn't have to be a big change like 100 degrees, just shifting in your seat is enough to move this spotlight area, which creates a very uncomfortable viewing experience.

I had thought that I might be able to live with the issue just from reading about it, but having experienced it, I find that I can't. Called Lenovo support just a few minutes ago and my unit is not even in their warranty system yet. They promised to fix it soon, after which I will be going through my local authorized service center to get the screen swapped out for an AUO, whenever it's in stock.

 

Look a the video in post # 318. It is the large oval white blob.

 

Do you have on-site warranty or just one year depot warranty ? If you do it at a local authorized service center, can you get screen swapped and get back home on the same day instead of returning and waiting them to send back ?

 

I got the 3-year depot. I talked to the local ASC, and they said I can get it done there. How long it takes depends on the complexity of the job. I would think the screen swap shouldn't take more than a couple of hours. No mailing is required. I'll post the details once I actually go through the process. I just need Lenovo to acknowledge that my unit actually exists first. So far I'm not too impressed with the internal workings of Lenovo. Definitely seems like the left hand does not know what the right hand is doing.

 

Ok, after you contacted lenovo tech support, what is the process/step for you to have your LG replaced with AUO if you are not returning yours for refund ? They come to your home to fix it or you go to local service centers to fix it or they send AUO to you and you fix it yourself ? Thanks.

 

Well, it depends on what warranty service you paid for, on site or depot. Obviously with on site warranty they come to you, but with the depot option, apparently according to the post above, there are two options. In my case they sent me an empty prepaid box and it was shipped to Memphis Tennessee at one of their EasyServ service centers. I am in the Northern US and there are also two regular repair depots within about a 30 minutes drive; so I gather I could also have driven it to a local depot instead. When they told me that the AUO screen was in stock (In Memphis I gather), I didn't care at that point. With so many people being told that the screen is not in stock, I wasn't willing to wait several days, weeks or months for it to arrive, especially if they start getting a rash of returns to get the screens replaced, or when Lenovo realizes that they have a serious problem on their hands, they start getting very restrictive on the repairs due to the cost. Besides, my closest UPS drop off point is only 5 minutes away so it is much more convenient. I don't know, but I suspect that the EasyServ centers are better stocked and are better equipped to do repairs, but I am just guessing as this point as this is my first Lenovo product.

 

Im really interested in the T440s, After thinking over the issue of it not having HDMI, I was looking around on reviews to see what they think about the laptop and what its flaws are and I figured I would get a second opinion on it. How is the sound quality on the T440s? I would be comparing it to my M1330, a 13 inch laptop, as its most likely going to be taking its place soon enough. I watched alot of movies on my laptop, and never really considered the quality of the sound up until I saw a review, I believe it was on Mobile tech review. In the video it seemed to have bad audio quality. What is your opinion guys?

 

The T440s unit I tested had very tinny and unnatural audio and the soundcard was horrid as well. However they should still be far superior to the M1330, which is even worse than the T440s.

 

To me the sound quality is great, much better than many laptops around. Dolby tool also greatly improves it. I believe it's decent, after all it's a laptop (can't expect a miracle).

 

The T440s speakers are great, much better than any ThinkPad I had before - without Dolby of course, which makes them sound very unnatural. The sound-card is also ok, nothing special, but not very bad either.

 

Got my t440s. I really hate how you have to open this thing. Felt awful prying it apart (as careful as I was) because its so new. I installed a new SSD and an extra 8GB of ram. Installed 8.1 pro, downloaded all the drivers etc. Used it all night long and before bed I plugged it into the adapter to let it charge fully. Today when I woke up, it wont boot.

I've tried resetting it w/ the paperclip, holding the power button, etc. Guess i'll get on the horn w/ lenovo but I feel like i'll probably return it.

 

Is it possible to disable the trackpad, except for the button areas, make them large, and set it to tap?

I'm coming from the old button trackpoint/trackpad system. I like to rest my right thumb on the left click button. Is it possible to do this, and use the tap as a click, or do you always have to have your thumb off the trackpad virtual buttons until you tap?

Debating between a t430s and a t440s. As someone who relies on the trackpoint I'm leary of going to the virtual buttons until absolutely necessary.

 

Yes, yes, no.

You can´t use tap-to-click in combination with the TrackPoint. You can rest your thumb on the TrackPad as with the dedicated buttons, but you will have to do a physical click to click.

 

Thank you for answering my question. I just went to try a few thinkpads...t440s, x1 carbon, etc. I was not aware the whole touch pad basically moves when you click the top left/right regions. Not sure how I feel about it. In general, it was easy to use but there was definitely some noise associated. Felt cumbersome. In addition, the 1600x900 screen on the t440s (IPS) had a screen door effect. The real screen to get is the high res x1 carbon. Very impressive.

Right now, might look for a gently used T430s and hope Lenovo makes a revision to the touchpad buttons in the next iteration of T series.

 

The 1600x900 display on the T440s is not an IPS display. There is a known screen-door effect, as was the case on the previous-generation T430 and T430s panels.