ThinkPad X240s

I would get an X230 now if the need is now. Depending on your budget and actual usage, 16GB RAM and 512GB SSD are what it takes, but 8GB RAM and a "128GB mSATA SSD + 500GB HDD" combo may be just the ticket.

 

TPHOLIC - -- X240s is twice as slim as X230, plus its considerably shorter

 

If this x240s allowed 16GB ram/had 2 ram slots I would get it definitely. However- it hasnt and im worried the x240 won't either....

 

Its the weight which is important- not how slim it is. I honestly doubt people care whether its 20mm thick or 18mm thick, whereas I do care whether it weighs 1.4kg or 1.1kg.

 

This becoming a concern for me as well.

 

Here is a X240s owner blog from Japan X240s -- there are a lot of pics and few vids in Japanese so translate.google.com might get in handy

 

Lenovo Newsroom | Lenovo Extends Battery Life with Thinner ThinkPad T, X and S Series Ultrabooks

 

I have ordered the x230, but decided to cancel it - I'm just gonna wait for the T440s to be released.

 

I tried the new trackpoint + trackpad combo of the X240s at the Broadway Store in Causeway Bay, Hong Kong yesterday. They had an i3 model with normal TN screen as demo unit.

First impression is that pressing the trackpad top as buttons feels much better than with the Helix trackpad I tried earlier, but still it doesn't feel natural. i'm sure many would say it will be a learning curve but I would rather they kept the old layout of individual buttons.

As for the general impression of X240s, it's really very thin and feels very light. i'm very tempted to buy one, but only for the reduced thickness, weight and the IPS screen. Like most of you, what holds me back is the new trackpoint / trackpad layout and the restriction of 8GB max ram.

Cheers

 

I'm in the same boat, actually waiting for reviews of x240(s) and T440s before upgrading

 

My order couldn't be cancelled and my x230 is coming as early as tomorrow O_O. Should I return it?
Man, I'm torn...

 

Just think if you can hold out and keep that x230 or older thinkpad until the models released next year you will be able to get ddr4 which will improve battery life even more.... and maybe then will lenovo give us the choice of having 16gb of ram vs 8gb. shame...

So someone mentioned that the screen will have difference connectors? So no hope to upgrade the x230 screen for good??????? There has to be some screen out there that would work which would put the x230>x240 all around!

 

If you were in my situation, would you return it?

 

If you can live with the new keyboard layout I would return it...

 

There may be a way of upgrading the screen. I'm working on it. My goal is to land an ultra high rez IPS panel in my hp 2570p. It's got the same connector as the x230, so if I succeed, everyone will benefit

 

Good luck man. My x230 arrived today and I'm still not sure whether to keep it or not.

 

If returning or keeping the laptop depends on my success, don't wait as I cannot guarantee anything right now. The mod is not simple and requires a new converter board with custom cables + backlight board + lid modification. I'm positive it can be done but might require a lot more effort than most people would be willing to put into. Your x230 is a great machine but if you are willing to sacrifice the performance and upgradability for a better screen - return it and get a x240. I'm staying with the 2570p as I don't like where the laptop market is heading with all the ultra-slim standards encouraging vendors to solder everything on the mobo and limit the features/power/storage/ram/etc. I'd be thrilled to have a powerful machine in a slimmer and lighter package but only if they preserved the modular approach letting customers decide what and how powerful components to use and when to upgrade. Just my 2 cents though.

 

I just joined this forum because for the past couple of months I've been wondering if there's a way to mod a better screen to an x230. I love my machine but my only gripe is the screen. If at least a 1080p screen could be modded in, I would love to know how. Please let me know if you succeed!

 

I'm just gonna keep it, I realized that I should just buy a docking port and 2 24" monitors and I'll be golden.

 

Are there any indications that this is even headed for the US. Lenovo has released the X240, but squat on this.

 

i would. newer is better in electronic product, true for most cases anyway, unless you really need one now...

 

I decided to just stick with it, in fact I'm using it as my secondary PC now. It's pretty fast with a 500GB SSD and my regrets went away, I can always buy the x250 whenever it comes out anyway (Please Lenovo make a 16GB version of that!)

 

Please keep us up to date on your progress because this could be a VERY good thing if it worked. In fact you would be my hero haha

 

Ok, maybe I'm being daft or something but what is the point of the X240s?
To me it appears to be just a X240 but with a lower resolution screen.
Also I read somewhere that touch supposedly adds a pound to the weight, what's with that? I didn't think a X240 with touch was a pound heavier.

I do have to agree with some of the people here regarding screen resolution. 1080p on a 12.5" is not a must, windows scaling is crap.
I used to use a dell xps with 15.6" screen and 1080p res, and at standard 100% scaling it would really start to strain your eye's after a while. Yes, it looked wonderfully crisp but what use is that when it becomes uncomfortable.
Scaling at 125% helped, but a lot of program's simply don't scale so the problem remains.

So when we're talking about a 12.5" screen the problem would only be worse. Would people really be happy working in a command prompt or terminal on a 12.5" screen at 1920*1080 resolution...?

 

For textual applications, HD on 12.5" display is more than enough, but for graphic applications (e.g. games) FHD is certainly better.

 

...and for me it's the other way around. I want FHD for textual apps like development work with Visual Studio while I don't care about resolution for videos or games.

 

How does the X240s compare with the T440s? What are the major differences besides screen size?

 

Curious about either the X240s and the T440s too. Really need to get a side by side as I have a T410s now and while it's working great, battery life is where i'm more concerned. Don't need such a large laptop anymore but the T440s is also smaller than my current laptop anyways. So definitely keeping an eye on both!

 

Just wondering what are the differences between the X240 and X240s? I understand that the X240s is slimmer and lighter but other than that, is there something else?

 

No dockingport (on non-vPro models) and no hot-swappable battery for the X240s.

I don´t think the X240s will be on sale outside Japan/China, so it does not matter for most of us here.

 

Ok, thanks. That makes sense and makes buying the X series line a bit simpler.

 

What do you think this? Will I need to go to HK to buy this laptop? ThinkPad X240s Ultrabook Laptop | Lenovo | Lenovo (HK)

I don't get the logic in not bringing the most advanced laptop to the U.S. market

 

I don't get the logic either. The X240s is both lighter and thinner than the X1 Carbon, and also has ethernet, and a free M.2 slot. I don't care at all about docking (X240) and the X240s is 3mm thinner than the X240 which is a big deal to me.

Has anyone ordered a Thinkpad off the Chinese or Japanese site before (from the U.S.)? I really have my heart set on the X240s and don't want to compromise with an inferior product.

 

If you really want it, you can buy the X240s over ebay.com from an Korean trader: Lenovo ThinkPad X240S 20AJ A00AKR Notebook Laptop i7 30cm | eBay

It seems Lenovo just decided to not sell the models without Dock-Port in western markets (T440(s) with nVidia, X240s).

 

Most of these machines are aimed at enterprise market, so docking port is essential. Also having too many SKU increases the inventory for parts, and may also cause cost increase (also time delay). In Asia, some machines are sold to school, whom don't really need docks or to companies where customers don't use docking or external monitors. Furthermore, in countries like S.Korea, Japan and city of Hong Kong where they are geographically smaller and close to the parts source (in China), they can afford to have parts shipped from factories JIT style.

 

I understand parts sourcing and availabilty, but Lenovo sells many Thinkpads in the US without docking capability (Typing this from a dock-less X300 which is pretty close to the X240s in features although no DVD drive). With all the talk of the one-link and USB docks, I would have thought this to matter less and less these days.

I generally do CTO Thinkpads, so I need to find one pre-bult with an i7, FHD screen, 256GB SSD and AC wireless, Of course you can't even get FHD in the website configurator at this time.

 

Lenovo Hong Kong (English) has it, although not in the store yet. The wait begins

ThinkPad X240s Ultrabook Laptop | Lenovo | Lenovo (HK)

 

I really dont get how you all can put up with the horrible chicklet-style keyboard?? It IS inferior to the x220 and previous models.....

 

And I really don´t get why you can not accept that the taste of different people regarding the typing feel of a keyboard is not the same.

It is not inferior to the previous keyboard IMHO. And thats what many people say.

P.S: Note that there are different Chiclet-keyboards from different keyboard manufacturers. You can´t generalize the typing feel of one keyboard, cause the different keyboards can be also quite different feel.

 

People can have bad taste....

I had the x230 keyboard and the key depth felt like the buttons on a $10 office calculator.

(Just for the record I think the x201 has a better keyboard than the x220- the key depth is amazing)

 

I vastly prefer the keyboard feel on my X230 over my old X300 and T400. I find the backlight to be far more useful than the thinklight as well. That said, I do miss the 7 row layout on occasion, but for the most part have adapted to the 6 row. "Better" is highly subjective, and there isn't another laptop being produced that has a keyboard anywhere as good as Lenovo's Acutype one (in my opinion of course). The Macbook Air is close, although it has what feels like a 1mm key depth to it, though with zero flex.

 

The keyboard on my X220 feels somewhat loose after 1.5 year of use, though I still like the sound from it when typing.

On the other hand, the keyboard on my T430 still feels very new.

 

The newer keyboards on the Tx40 are even better, since Lenovo has thrown out the one problematic manufaturer (Sunrex, there were many build-quality problems with their keyboards) and because the new keyboards does not flex anymore, due to the new construction. There is almost 0 % in the T440s keyboard, the same thing should apply on the X240(s) keyboards.

 

I cant seem find the choice for modem in the ordering choices? I really need a built in modem since I travel a lot

 

Built in modems are no option anymore. They are gone since 2012.

 

Do any manufacturers offer modems anymore?!

 

Another thing I don't understand- why is the backlight so important? Do you type in the dark (which is extremely bad for your eyes)?

 

Don't think typing in the dark is that serious. You don't realize the importance of a backlight until your are in the situation. I play music in the dark before going to bed. I often have to change the volume up or down in the dark No need to turn the lights on which could be in a different part of the room/house. I maybe watching tv in the dark and need to type an email or look up something. I am looking forward to having a backlit. I have never had one yet. My experience was based on my T43 and having the Thinklight. I switched to an Edge 5 years later and a ba keyboard/Thinklight was the only thing I missed. So to answer your question, when you have one you won't even realize the things you will do in low light situations. I am sure there are other things that are worse for your eyes than typing in low light situations. Just get one and you will see.

 

So, I had a conversation with a Lenovo chat person tonight about the X240s. This sounds very hopeful.

^Anwesh Addula: Thank you for contacting Lenovo Sales Chat. My name is Anwesh . My rep id is 2900713400. Happy to help you today.
^Anwesh Addula: Hey Zach!
^Anwesh Addula: How are you doing today?
Zach: Hi Anwesh, good, and you?
^Anwesh Addula: I am pretty good!
^Anwesh Addula: Thanks for asking.
^Anwesh Addula: How may I help you today?
Zach: Good.
Zach: Well, I was wondering what the proper method is of ordering a laptop that isn't available in the U.S. market.
^Anwesh Addula: I will help you with that.
^Anwesh Addula: May I know for which model are you looking for?
Zach: The X240s
Zach: Currently only in HK, China, Japan and Korea
^Anwesh Addula: Okay.
^Anwesh Addula: The model will be available in USA really soon.
Zach: Are you talking about the regular X240, or the X240s model?
Zach: The "s" is the one I really want
^Anwesh Addula: No, even X240s will get release in USA.
Zach: Really?
Zach: well, that is good news
^Anwesh Addula: Yes.
^Anwesh Addula: But as of now, the release date is not avaialble for the model.
Zach: Any idea when? I'm looking at purchasing soon
Zach: ah okay
^Anwesh Addula: However, you will expect it soon.
^Anwesh Addula: If you are placing the order online, please include my rep Id 2900713400 on the final page in the box below the credit card details and it will be highly appreciated. It helps us to track your order for the future reference.
Zach: I'll patiently wait if that's the case

 

Well, I would not overrate this information. I still have my doubts that it will come to the USA: It was no announced together with the other new ThinkPad Ultrabooks, it is not listed in the US roadmaps, and this page: http://shop.lenovo.com/us/en/laptops/thinkpad/x-series/x240s/ does not exist, unlike: http://shop.lenovo.com/us/en/laptops/thinkpad/x-series/x240/

A US release seems very unlikely for me. But I guess we will see how it will turn out in the end.