ThinkPad X1, X230, X230t, T430, T430s, T530, W530, L430, L530 Official

I'm torn between the T430s and the X230. On the one hand, the X230 is lighter, more compact, and less expensive, while the T430s has better GPU options, has a larger screen, and a longer palmrest, while being a pound heavier.

Not to mention, the T430 offers the best GPU option of them all and is significantly cheaper than either the T430s or the X230, but, unfortunately, is the heaviest of them all.

 

I want to beleive that the t430s will get the 5400, but the lenovo website says 5200 and i think thats more reliable that anantech

 

A big negative of the T420s was the low 44Whr capacity moldable li-po battery they needed to achieve thinness. Needed to swap in the optical bay battery to get a decent capacity. Sort of defeats the purpose of low weight then.. could just get a T420, remove the optical drive and be at a similar point. I often would recommend the 900P Toshiba R840 over the T420s due it having a proper 62Whr 6-cell yet weighing in about the same as a T420s.

I'm assuming they will be using the same approach with the T430s. Certainly there is little info about the T430s' battery.

The X230 on the other hand has the proper 62Whr 6-cell or 94Whr 9-cell.

If need docked GPU performance then a X230 + DIY eGPU via expresscard slot gets the best of everything with GPU performance that will outbench workstations like the W520 and non-SLI gaming notebooks.

 

Patience is going to be a virtue this summer, more than ever.

 

What normally happens during the transition between models? IE how long does the old one sell and at what discount if any? Anyone notice any pattern for Lenovo?

 

Excess graphics memory is a useless for these machines. 512MB is more than enough for any of these cards. Any more will not lead to significant benefits, though some games do like up to 1GB for buffering. All in the marketing. I remember a while back a similar situation, same GPU but one was 512MB GDDR3 vs. 1GB DDR2, the GDDR3 card won by far, despite having less memory while the 512MB DDR2 card didn't perform any worse than its 1GB counterpart.

 

Pretty sure the Quadros (1100M or K1000.. whatever the heck it is) aren't Kepler. Didn't most of the news coming out of the gpu tech conf say that kepler wouldn't be used for quadros until next year?

 

thinkpadcenter.ch published their catalog of models from ThinkPad 2012 product line http://www.thinkpadcenter.ch/images/stories/katalog/laptop.pdf (in German)

Interesting findings:
* X230/X230T sports only HD and Premium HD screen -- no HD+ options;
* X230T still has Outdoor and Multitouch screen options;
* While some selected configurations from T/W series bring HD+ screens there was no Premium HD+ option listed.

More info could be found in their e-shop at http://www.thinkpadshop.ch/index.php/cat/c365_Laptop.html

 

So no HD+ on X230.... *^8#!!!!

Why, oh why do they want to push me to Sony?? I fail to see why.
I still hope (hopelessly?) for the official announcement in the TABOOK in june. Perhaps...

 

I see no reason why Lenovo would offer HD+ on the X230/X230t as no other competitor product (E6220, 2560P) doesn't offer above 1368x768 and unless Lenovo could source cheap 12.5" 1600x900 or higher panels, they would have done it. They banked on the 720p IPS panel, and it paid off.

Even with the Sony, they are pretty fragile, cheap plastics. You also for most don't get a half decent dock, and they start MUCH higher than an X230/X230t. The X230 with the 9 cell and slice can get over 20 hours battery life, I don't think that is achievable with Sony's Z plus slice.

 

Tsunade_Hime, the problem is that all sources from a great early announcements compilation prepared by ALLurGroceries were pointing out HD+ display options over the whole product line, including X230 as well! That's the problem -- high hopes are not coming true with this top-seller catalog from thinkpadcenter.ch. Anyway, let's wait for official model configurator from Lenovo and see final configuration options.

Meantime, I've prepared a comparison figure of T420s vs T430s keyboards and their layouts -- see in the attached image

 

To be honest my dislike slowly fades away as I'm looking more at the new keyboard layout. I have not tried the keyboard yet, but if the tactile feedback and other mechanical qualities are on par with the current ones, it might not be that bad in the end.

Thinking about it, my basic requirements on a keyboard layout are:

1) All keys to be full-sized (or at least close to it). This includes arrow keys, PgUp, PgDn, Insert, Delete, Home, End. I do a lot of programming and Excel work and I'd say that Arrow keys and PgUp/PgDn/Home/End are one of the most frequently used keys of all! After getting used to it, I think the PgUp/PgDn next arrow keys might eventually be really useful.

On a side note, I can't really comprehend the trend, where on the current wave of "stylish" laptops arrow keys are made so miniscule (with ArrowUp/ArrowDn often squeezed in one row). This must kill any productivity!

2) To have all the keys on the keyboard (perhaps with the exception of PrtScr, ScrlLck and Break). No Fn+ArrowUp for PageUp, Fn+Home for Insert etc. I'm using lots of shortcuts for text manipulation (Ctrl+Insert, Shift+Insert, Shift+Del, (Shift+)Home, (Shift+)Del, Shift+(Ctrl)+Arrows).

For me the new ThinkPad keyboard keeps these vital qualities. Out of nostalgy and visual appeal, I would miss the Blue Enter key though.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JFAZuz--C1Y

what a cute video that shows us the laptop spinning.. anyways, If you just glance the keyboard really looks the same haha or maybe it's just the lighting

 

It's very clear that they're missing a vital key, the menu key. It's ludicrous that they think that print screen is more commonly used than menu.

 

A good example of differences in personal preference:

I've never used the "Menu" key. Ever. In my entire computing life. I use Print Screen at least once a week.

 

Seconded. Though I would rather have Pause/Break than Print Screen.

That being said, I am eager to try out the new keyboard layout.

 

They ought to have included both. All models, including the X230, have enough width now (because of the 16:9) screens to support a grouping of keys on the right side of the keyboard with insert, home, pg up, pg dn, and end, leaving plenty of room for delete, scroll lock, print screen, and pause/break.

 

Oh, this is a crappie layout. I would hate to see the positioning of this keys there. There are enough other verdors which are doing this .

 

As of right now I'm probably going with the X230t. I currently have a X201 but I think, what with Win8 and Metro on the horizon, I'll get the tablet version in case I decide to upgrade the OS. Does anyone know if the X230t will get the 1600X900 res and 300 nits?

Oh, and this for the X230...

Lenovo ThinkPad X230 bei ThinkPad Center - YouTube

 

Anyone think its worth picking up the t520 now? Or will the upgrade be worth it. Lenovo has their 2 day employee pricing going on.

 

For me the deal-breaker with Lenovo has been the screen. I've owned 3 thinkpads but have abandoned them for Sony because of their dim, low contrast & resolution screens. I really want the X1 to win me back..

 

I wish Thinkpad offers two choices of keyboard for the x230 ....

 

Yeah, I thought the screen was more a deal breaker than the X1 keyboard, but not because of the resolution. People have different opinions on this, but for me, 1600x900 on 13" screens and under is overkill.

 

A first short video review of the X230:
Lenovo ThinkPad X230 Video Tour - YouTube
You can see the ThinkLight.
Lenovo ThinkPad X230 First Thoughts (pics, video)

And a keyboard comparison:
ThinkPad X230 and X220 Keyboard Comparison - YouTube

 

Nice to see somebody found those links

I do have the X230 right now, and Zaz will be handling the full review. We both have the X220 so are pretty well versed in what to look for. If there are any specific questions feel free to ask / comment on this post.

 

Is it me or does the new 8 cell battery for the X230T have a lower Wh than the 6 cell found in the X220T? Quite bizarre...

 

Thanks for the initial thoughts on the X230. Are you also working on a W530 review? I see someone has one.

 

Any news on the S430?

 

Do you guys have a T430s on you, or no?

 

I was hoping for some typing instead of talking in this video so we at least hear the sound of the new keyboard.

 

No, the only thing Lenovo has sent is the X230. I think they vary the review models sent to different media sites.

Nope. And come to think of it, they didn't have it at the Lenovo event for media in April that I attended, but did have every other announced model. Things have gone very silent on the S430 front since CES 2012 5 months ago.

 

Ok, thanks. I assuming the picture at Lenovo ThinkPad W530 Announced with the illuminated backlit keyboard meant you had a unit and were preparing a review on it.

 

besides getting the 630m, not much new about it regarding release date. Check out the s430 thread

 

new pos w530?

Lenovo ThinkPad W530 bei ThinkPad Center - YouTube

 

I'm a little upset with Lenovo, over the fact that until ivy bridge, they have refused to incorporate USB 3.0 in any of their products except for the W series.
For instance, Llano supports it natively via the A70m chipset, yet Lenovo chose to include only the A60m in all of their AMD notebooks (AND desktops).
Now that Ivy Bridge supports it natively Lenovo is rolling out notebooks with 3.0 ports, but I can't help but wonder if Lenovo was waiting on Intel, and didn't want to roll out any AMD systems that could be percieved as "better" than Intel.

And on a side note, supposedly Trinity has been shipping to OEMs for *months*, yet nobody has rolled out any systems, until, oh gee, Intel gets to release Ivy Bridge.
It's this kind of crap from corporations that really tick me off.

 

Has there been any news on the CPU options for the X230? In particular, I'm hoping to see a 3612QM option. Thanks.

 

Top i7-spec X220 has USB 3.0. Difference with Sandy Bridge is it needed a third party chip (NEC/Renesas) to hang off the Southbridge x1 port to provide USB 3.0. Ivy Bridge's Series-7 chipset has a more power efficient native USB 3.0 that's (1) easy to implement (2) doesn't require any additional board space to accomodate (3) probably cost them costs less.

Can get cheap $15 USB 3.0 expresscards off ebay to provide the same functionality *except* no bios boot support from that port. See http://forum.notebookreview.com/har...503730-flush-usb-3-0-expresscard-adapter.html .

 

Hi Andrew - could you answer me a couple of questions regarding the X230t please

1) What is the max amount of RAM I could cram into it? Does it handle 32GB?

2) Can you have mSATA *and* the 4G mobile broadband at the same time or do they occupy the same slot meaning one or the other?

3) I can't see anything to indicate there is.... but..... thunderbolt? long shot....

4) Can I put a standard 2.5" disk in the main chassis. I already have a 512GB SATA3 SSD and if I can't use it that would be a deal-breaker. I think I read somewhere it might be a slim slot or not take normal 2.5" disks?

5) Is it definite that there won't be any higher resolutions than the pathetic 1366x768? I would happily pay a huge premium for 1600x900 or even 1920x1080.... I bought my Sony Z with a 1920x1080 on a 13" screen and its PERFECT.

5) Any experience with eGPU via expresscard (assuming thunderfail is not available ofc).

Cheers pal

 

Just want to point out that you can find USB 3.0 on T series too - T420s to be more precise. So, we have USB 3.0 on W520, T420s and i7 X220 series models. After all, not that bad considering the facts nando4 exposed before.

 

According to the author's comments in this review, there's no 1600x900 screen option on the X230. He says that the spec sheet only gives options for a 1336x768 TN (base) or IPS. I'm really disappointed by this, this was going to be my new laptop!

 

Hi, where do you get X220 with that great price if you don't mind to tell me? I look to replace my old PC with this X220 and I think X230 will be released around the beginning of June. Thanks a lot.

 

I like the 430s, but it is not out for too long. I also like the new Business Class ultra book, but do ANY of these new line have an IPS screen, or any screen that is not complete crap like my current X1? Sheesh, really!

I have tried to find out what the screen and screen options are, but laptop makers seem to think the actual screen details are some big huge secret and make one give up a few fingers for just mediocre information. Anyone agree?

 

It seems the new X1 has a pretty nice TN 1600x900 display with pretty respectable viewing angles, although it's not IPS.

 

There is still some debate whether X1 and the unannounced T430u are the same thing. T430u ultrabook is listed separately on Lenovo's website in new products expected to ship fall 2012. There is a small chance that it will ship with a reasonable screen resolution where by reasonable I mean 1600x900 or larger.

There are also rumors floating around the web that Microsoft is kicking the butts of these lazy OEM vendors to improve screens:
http://www.anandtech.com/show/5702/...ion-in-windows-8-suggests-retinaesque-tablets

If the above article is correct, quite a few new Lenovo laptops and tablets will just barely meet MS's minimum requirements for Win 8 support. I suspect Lenovo will linger on these minimal specs until they start losing their sales. It's worth keeping a close eye on Samsung this fall to see what they ship. As an LCD vendor they have a manufacturing advantage.

 

That's disappointing. It also starts to confirm what I saw in the pics The Verge posted of the screen. The viewing angles and color don't look that good to me.

It'll probably be $1999 with 8GB of RAM and a 256GB mSATA drive.

 

Any speculation as to what the T430 will cost? I'll place my bet on starting at 1000-1200. I want the i7, Back-lit keyboard, and Optimus with the smallest hard drive possible lol latest Ivy Bridge i7's that will use 35Watts and has better performance than the 2720QM 45Watt CPU that I currently have in my T420. awesome!!

 

It'll initially be more expensive than what the T420 is selling for now (the "early adopter tax"), but prices will eventually sink to approximately the same range.

I too would have loved to see an IPS display, or something close. I saw the pictures from the Verge, and the viewing angles look like they won't be a problem, really. I'll have to see some better and more detailed pictures to judge the color, though. The price will still probably be the biggest factor in determining its success, I think: beyond $1200, there's many other compelling ultra-thin portable laptops, some with better displays.

 

Engadget had prices here: Lenovo refreshes its ThinkPad T, W, L and X lines with Ivy Bridge processors, retooled keyboards -- Engadget

Looking at $879 starting for the T430. Figure at least another $200 for CPU upgrade and another $250 for graphics and it's a $1300 machine

 

You've seen a couple pics and are ready to trash it? Andrew, who's seen it I believe, said it was pretty good. I don't think it needs to be IPS. If it's as good as the Air, which has a decent sweet spot in terms of the viewing angles, that'd be good enough for me.

 

I didn't know that, but that still doesn't make my point any less valid.