ThinkPad X220 (i/T) Owners Thread

How does the 12 inch screen compare in terms of usability to a 13 inch screen? I looked at a comparison of the two and couldn't really see any difference.

 

I think the answer depends on if you like screen quality or resolution.

I value resolution, so I do not like my x220's 1366x768 IPS display @12.5". I prefer the panel in my old x200s 1440x900 even though it was 12.1" and not IPS.

For me, the "usability" of the higher-resolution panel was much better. For example, on the x220, it's painful for me to use PowerPoint since the image isn't as sharp as I was used to on the x200s and it's hard to use the Notes view with so few pixels to work with. Coding with Visual Studio on the x220 isn't terrible since many of the 'tool' windows can go on the sides...but I'd still like more vertical pixels to see more code at a glance.

If you move up to a 13" screen, you can include the Sony SA and Z2 models as well as the 13" MacBook Air in your search, all of which offer higher resolution options than the x220. But they are more expensive too (especially the Z2).

 

Does anyone know of anywhere I could buy a high res replacement screen for my x220?

 

I don't think anyone's making a 12.5" WXGA+ or WUXGA panel right now.

 

Im just going to have to sell it and get a vaio z2 then.

 

I have mine docked almost all the time in a Mini Dock Plus Series 3, and I don't have any problems with sound or anything else.



My question is, does anyone have a good way of turning on the computer from a sleep state without pressing the power button? Is there a way to make your external keyboard wake it up?

 

Got my x220 today!

Did you guys get extra TouchPoint nubs?

 

eBay comes to mind, but a lot of the ones there are knock-offs. You can of course get them from Lenovo, where they'll be genuine, but more expensive. Congrats, it's a great machine.

 

No, I didnt!

 

In the past 5-6 years of getting thinkpads, I can't recall ever getting a couple extra nubs, like they gave you in the "olden days"

 

The last ThinkPad I got extra nubs with was my 14" R60, which was purchased in '06.

 

Got my x220 today.

i3-2310m, 4gb ram, ips screen.

I'm really disappointed. First of all, the screen is defective. It looks like there was some sort of impact damage, because there is a 3mm white circular blotch in the center of the screen. I also have 2 dead pixels near the middle of the screen.

The flimsiness of the screen is disappointing too. It flexes with the slightest touch to the bottom of it, and the rubber-feeling border bulges noticeably when the laptop gets warm.

Do you know the little indicators for battery and sleep status on the back of the screen? The cover for those has fallen off too :/

I will definitely be asking for a replacement tomorrow and possibly for a complete refund, if possible. I'll think about it more tonight. I expected more out of a $750 machine.

On the positive side though, the viewing angles on the screen are better than any laptop I've ever seen.

 

whoa when is the production date for your machine? My X220 build quality are the best i have ever seen on a Thinkpad (along with the X1) in the recent year.

 

It says 2011-09-21.

 

It sucks when it arrives broken, but $750 is dirt cheap for what you're getting in my opinion. I'd get it replaced if you can. I have near the same machine. It's fantastic.

 

I just got my X220 and I have the EXACT same problem. The bottom plastic seems warped, it's not flush against the screen and I can see the LCD light escaping under the lid (just above the power button).

My LCD is perfect though and looks VERY good. I'm afraid about sending it in as I don't want them to muck up or change my panel, I just wanted them to fix the plastic casing...

I didn't purchase on-site repair, but I wonder if I can purchase that now. I don't think I need to though... they should come out and fix this as this is a manufacturing defect, not a failure of some third party component.

Edit: Mine too was manufactured on Sept. 21st, 2011

 

I'm going to try for a replacement. If the replacement is defective as well though...I'll probably try for a refund. The overall flimsiness of the screen really bothers me but the viewing angles/contrast of the display are just too good to give up on it after just one try.

Maybe I'm just too used to my heavy but ultra sturdy vostro 1400?

Also, max temps at max load with a fan blowing across the laptop were around 70 C. Probably around 75 or 80 C without the fan (this is with the 2310m).

 

I would try for at least a few replacements before giving up on the X220. Aside from the MB Air, I don't think any other laptop screen comes close to or X220's (at least in this size).

The rest of the machine seems to be built fairly well and like many others have said, the trackpad definitely takes getting used to. The fan noise is there, but it's not that bad really. You can only notice it if you're looking for it... I've found from a few hours of using the machine that the fan noise is more a whoosh of air, rather that a whine caused by bearings for example.

Any new X220 users have an issue with the LCD housing?

 

I think that's a wise decision. Yup, once you go IPS, it's hard to use anything else.

 

Part of the reason why I went for the x220 in the first place was because it's kind of hard to look at the average laptop display after sitting in front of the desktop IPS display I got this past year

 

Well, I made the mistake of thinking that I could deal with a regular TN panel, but I realized that I couldn't have been more wrong. The X220 next to a T420s is like a night and day difference. Even though the T420s has a higher DPI, the X220 still looks much sharper...

Quick question regarding the USB ports -- does anyone have a USB port at the back of an i5 machine (near the power connector)?

Also, which one is the powered USB port -- left or right?

 

X220 doesn't have any usb connectors on the back of the machine.

The yellow usb port is the powered usb port, and it is on the right.

 

What would you guys go for - a depot repair, replacement or full refund/new order?

The lady with technical support said that they do use refurb parts if they want to in the repair. That sort of worries me. Have any of you guys sent anything in to the depot?

The sales guy (could hardly understand him, thick accent and speaking fast) said that a straight replacement would take an entire *month*, but that I could go and ask for a full refund and then make a new order. I tried asking him if I could get the same deal as I had before, and couldn't determine if he said yes, no, or maybe.

 

Don't go the full refund route, it's just more hassle and then you have to fight to reorder the machine at the same price.

I wouldn't worry about the refurb parts, as if they are refurb, they'll be manufacture refurbished. Besides, even if you ask for an onsite repair, they guy could still show up with refurb parts...

I have the same issue as you do, and so I'm debating if I should send it in or fight to have them come here are replace the entire lid. I don't want them to touch the LCD though, as apart from some backlight bleeding at the bottom, it's a very good panel -- not a single dead pixel.

I'm going to try and get them to come to my residence and do the repair. Does anyone know if they can replace the entire lid onsite?

 

I would guess that you would have to have purchased the on-site repair option in the warranty for that.

I'm going to go with the service depot thing for mine. I really would like one with no dead pixels, but we'll see. I've worked with two Dell monitors and three Dell laptops, and I haven't seen a single dead pixel on any of them. Surely Lenovo can do better?

 

You guys are scaring me. My X220 is on the UPS truck for delivery today...I hope it doesn't have any of the issues you both are describing!

 

Heh. I don't think you need to be worried. Once you take a look at the LCD any doubts you have will vanish. It's a very good panel. I know there have been issues with the LCD in the past, but it seems with these new panels that Lenvo is using, things are much better. I haven't noticed any burn in, flicker issues (at 60hz), screen blotches, dead pixels etc... The backlight bleeding is there, but it's also there on my more expensive Ultrasharps.

With my lid issue, it's definitely some shoddy workmanship. It's almost as if the forgot to glue the centre plastic onto the LCD. I'm looking at it more closely, and there seems to be a 1mm gap along the bottom plastic housing of the LCD. The top, and sides of the LCD cover are flush against the LCD, but the bottom part only seems to be flush at the bottom right corner. The left doesn't really seem to touch the LCD and at the centre, it bulges out.

I'm definitely going to put in the effort to get them to fix this as I don't want dust/dirt collecting inside the LCD housing over time...

 

Also, with regards to the LCD panel, does anyone here know what IPS panels Lenovo is using? Are we all using LGs?

 

I was in the same boat as you regarding being worried about the complaints but my machine turned out okay (for now at least )

 

Wow. I'm very surprised to hear about these quality issues.

My friend and I both ordered X220's at the same time, they arrived a day apart and we both were very impressed with these machines - overall, they are far and away the best Thinkpad's we've ever had....and between the two of us, I can count at least 20 in the past 15 years.

 

I swear, UPS is trying to kill me. It's now 4pm and still no sign of the truck

 

I find it rather ironic that those who purchased the X220 early on received units with good physical build quality, but suffered from a problematic screen.

Those of us who purchased the X220 later on received units with questionable physical build quality, but have screens that are very good.

I guess you can never have both.

 

Whichever supplier produces the lcd bezel seems to have quality issues. The gap at the bottom between it and the screen has been an ongoing issue since day one. Have Lenovo ship you a new bezel instead of sending it in. Takes only a couple min to replace the bezel, it's only held on with two screws at the bottom and clips around the perimeter.

 

If I end up getting a perfect screen and another defective bezel, I may do that.

 

How do you remove the LCD panel/housing from the base unit?

If you go to the Lenovo training site, they show you how to remove the bezel, but they don't show you how the removed the LCD from the base of the machine...

Edit:
Seems more involved... http://download.lenovo.com/ibmdl/pub/pc/pccbbs/mobiles_pdf/0a60739.pdf
To detach the LCD from the base (in order to replace the bezel), turn to page 78.

 

It's held on with screws, page 94. Why do you want to remove the panel, sounds like you also have a bezel issue.

Regarding the strength of the lid, I had the same concern and it was discussed in this thread. Conclusion is that the lid deflection is not a problem with these screens. Doesn't 'feel' as sturdy but it's strong enough and performs very well while saving weight. Notebookcheck also gave a positive review of the lid's strength in their review of the X220.

 

So guys my laptop is very close to arriving. It just left Winnipeg, Manitoba (Finally in Canada from Shanghai!)

Any pointers on what to do upon first receiving the laptop?

 

Check the bottom of the bezel for warping, and for any screen defects. Let us know if you have any. Otherwise, enjoy!

edit: I just wanted to ask: How many of you guys got flawless LCD screens on the first try?

 

If you don't count backlight bleeding, that I'd say that I've got a pretty good screen. I haven't seen a dead pixel yet and I've used the machine for over 10hrs now.

 

Well, the laptop finally arrived at 8PM...damn UPS, making me wait until last second.

I was scared upon the arrival, as the box looked like it had taken a good beating in its trip from China. However, it seems everything is ok! Screen looks awesome, no problems with dead pixels or bleeding.

No problems as far as I can see with physical build...I'll report back in a bit after looking over entire body more closely.

 

Here are some pictures of the bezel, courtesy of a Nexus One:

X220 -- Bezel Issue

 

Yep, case looks to be in perfect condition! I'm a little ticked about how Lenovo has set up use of the recovery partition, but overall am very satisfied with my purchase. This keyboard is going to take some getting used to though!

 

I know what you mean. Even thought it's basically a full sized keyboard, because it just cuts off on the sides, psychologically I find it small.

 

My bezel looks just like Billabong81's. I'm sending my x220 in today and I'll probably write a short note to the repair tech and mention that issue, as well as the screen itself.

 

What's wrong with your screen epsilon72? I thought it was you and me who had to same bezel issue... I posted some pictures here: X220 -- Bezel Issue

 

Oh, I have some screen damage (a ~3mm white blotch near center of the screen) and multiple dead pixels. I probably would've just ordered a new bezel and replaced it myself if my screen was perfect.

 

I just picked up my laptop from UPS. Got home and opened it up.

Upon opening I notice there is much dust and dirt all over... the laptop and everything else that was in the shipment.

I also have this screen bezel issue on this brand new laptop. I can fit a penny in-between the screen and the frame lol.

Also the ESC rows (thinkvantage and F keys and delete buttons) are all raised? seems very weird because I can see underneath the keys. Anyone else experience this?

On hold with lenovo, I want a refund for this. Or a replacement with perks

 

I too have the ESC row raised and can see underneath the keys. It seems like a design decision rather than a manufacturing defect.

I'm very curious to see how you fair with Lenovo CS. I'm getting scared to send my laptop in now because of the other thread where Lenovo lost the OP's laptop.

 

After talking to tech support to get a case number that says my screen has a problem, I was transferred to sales return. The lady issued the return with no problems. I do not have to pay any restocking fees because it came with a problem.

Now I get all weekend to test out this thing for free I am not liking the 9cell battery, I would definitely reorder with the 6cell and a maybe a spare.

 

What don't you like about the 9-cell? I had the T420s that comes standard with the 6-cell and it's definitely lighter than the X220 with a 9-cell.

Having said that though, the X220 with a 9-cell really gives you a sense of freedom. If want 7+ hrs of battery life, then you just dim a screen a bit. If you need a bright screen all the time, then the 9-cell can accommodate you there and provide you with about 4 -5hrs of full screen brightness.

Anyway, what did Lenovo say about the raised F-row keys? Is it a widespread defect or a design decision?