Thinkpad Edge E420 LCD upgrade

I have been looking all over the internet for a 13-14" laptop that has HD+ (1600x900) resolution, but the only options I have seen are the Dell E6420, the Sony CA and the Thinkpad T420. I don't want a Sony CA, becuase I have been unable to find good review on it and the price is a little high. The T420 is a good laptop but it is a bit expensive and too business like. I loved the way the E6410 looked, but the E6420 is ugly in my opinion.

So I decided on the Edge E420 and thinking that Lenovo shares parts among its product lines; I decided to lookup LCD part numbers. Out of all the LCD part numbers, the E420 and T420 share 2 LCD part numbers: 04W0476 and 93P5697. Since the T420 has a HD+ option, would I be able to order 93P5693 or 93P5689 and swap it into a E420. Since the HD+ screen in the T420 has an LED backlight, would I need to also order the following to complete the swap: 04W1619(led cable), 04W1618(lcd cable) and 04W1370(LED sub card board)?

If this is possible, do any of you know a good place to get Lenovo parts? I did a Google search for the LCDs and the 2 sites I found don't have it in stock. Is it possible to order these directly from Lenovo?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

 

I ordered (at Lenovo web site) an E420 on 4/23, and specified the 1600*900 matte screen. They were offering 2 screens, both 1600*900 -- one matte, and one 'vibrant'.

On 4/28 I received the following in an email from Lenovo:
----------------------------
Thank you for your recent Edge 420 order with Lenovo.
Unfortunately, the resolution that was displayed at your
time of purchase was incorrectly listed as
HD (1600 x 900) instead of the E420's actual resolution
of HD (1366 x 768).

We want to reassure you that Lenovo stands behind its
products - however if the 1600 x 900 resolution is
critical to your computing needs, please contact our
sales support department, (866) 42-THINK, to either
cancel your order or we can help you find a PC that suits
your needs.

If screen resolution was not a determining factor in
purchase of your Edge 420, the order will ship as
normally scheduled and no action is necessary. To check
the status of your order, please visit:
http://l.lenovo.com/ajtk/servlet/JJ?T=xxxxxx

We apologize for this inconvenience and thank you for your
patience during this process
--------------------------------------

Arghhhh --
I've decided to let the order stand, and see if the screen is satisfactory.
They still show the original ship date of 5/13

 

I thought I was the only one, when I was on Lenovo site last week; I saw the same option. But, this week it is gone.

 

Bump, looking for any advice on my idea.

 

I might hold on to my pc for one more year and wait and see when HD+ become the standard resolution for 14 inches. I am also was about to pull the trigger, if they have the 1600x900 screen resolution.

 

I don't think it will, because most people may have trouble seeing at the high of a resolution. I personally would love to have a 13-14" with 1080P resolution. But, I would have to spend at least $1600 on the discontinued Sony Z series. But, back on topic, does anyone know if I would be able to swap the LCDs and where would be a good place to order one from?

 

Well I'm glad I saw this post. I was ready to pull the trigger on the e420 after doing much research. The personal system reference docs (specs for lenovo)...
http://www.lenovo.com/psref/pdf/slbook.pdf

show this for the e420...
14.0" (355mm) HD (1366x768) color, anti-glare,
LED backlight, 220 nits, 16:9 aspect ratio, 500:1 contrast ratio

Anyways, I was going to buy assuming this laptop used a better screen compared to the T420, but part numbers agree that it does in fact use the inferior new screen.

I actually brought this to lenovo's attention. The battery life specs seem off too (4.3hrs vs 6hrs on a different spec sheet in the sales area of their site).


strangely enough, it looks as though the document changed, as a few days ago, it showed specs for both the Anti-glare and vibrant view screens. The vibrantview is now not even listed (perhaps after my call they edited it, but removed the wrong display. haha).

My best guess is that the vibrantview screen is the same as the previous edge 14, and decent (though glossy).

I put this laptop up there with great 14" models.

I ordered a setup:
windows home
i5 2410m
4gb ram (free 2 dimm upgrade right now)
500gb 7200rpm (free upgrade from 250 5400rpm)
Optical drive (important for me, otherwise i would have gone x220)
9cell option = 92whr and probably upwards of 9hrs battery life. i can live with a stub out the back. the only depth i worry about is the screen depth.
i didnt bother for bluetooth or camera, though you could add for like $50

Total: $590 shipped (mastercard marketplace + 5% coupon (comes up automatically). can't be that for a quality laptop with an i5 sandy bridge and insane battery life.

mark

 

note...would have loved to go for the e420s with the infinity display, thinner, and slot loading optical, but the 48.8whr and 4-5hr battery life put me off.

 

Until someone gets one and takes it apart to check the compatibility, anything offered here as to whether it'll work is a guess.

Then there's the cost of the screen. From Lenovo it's going to be very expensive. eBay would probably be cheaper, but I wouldn't think there's any genuine part there yet. You may be better off just canceling your order and getting something more to your liking.