Thinkpad X220 specs revealed!

I am actually waiting for a tablet. Sorry for not being specific enough. The HP tablet comparable to X220t is HP Elitebook 2740p. There is no new info on the SB refresh of that tablet yet.

 

$1300 and around $1800 "fully loaded". Just a wild guess.

 

Are you the only who pissed and moaned about the lack better screen options on ThinkPads? Hardly, but for those who did, now's your chance to step up, at least for the X series. Personally, I'd still do the X20x mod. I'd prefer 800 vertical pixels and I'm guessing the X220 with the IPS is going to be expensive. It'd be interesting if Lenovo ever released the figures on how many did pay the extra and how many did not. For the record I'm all for better screen options on all ThinkPads. You're right though, the devil's in the details.

 

I told you so... :laugh:

You've got my word! :wink:

 

Intel 310 series have been purchaseable for a while on Newegg, I don't see why Lenovo would get them in April and not now like everyone else.

 

Does anyone know when then x220 will come out.. approx.? and is a x220t planned?

 

No eSATA dude!

 

Lenovo Support - ThinkPad Battery 29 (4 cell) ThinkPad Battery 29+ (6 cell), ThinkPad Battery 29++ (9 cell) - Overview

This page mentions availability of 29 March.

Lenovo Support - ThinkPad Ultrabase Series 3 - Overview

This page mentions both X220 and X220t.

(Interesting to notice that such documents include at the bottom: Copyright © 2011 IBM Corporation.)

 

This is very interesting! Now I really have a problem. Till now I thought the x201 was going to be my choice. Now with the x220, I'll have to have a rethink. I just wonder about the reworked screen res though.

 

1366x768 doesn't exactly have me jumping up and down with joy. But I really need to see this screen in person to judge for myself. It's likely the perfect machine for my wife but there's just one problem. She's getting my T410s so she won't see a 12" device until the warranty runs out on the T410s (3.5 years) or I can sell it (any takers?).

I don't think I'm a typical ThinkPad user. Or maybe the buyer persona is changing. You can thank the iPad for that. When I fly, I never pull out my laptop anymore. Out comes the iPad and I can easily check email from it if the flight has WIFI.

When I am traveling, I would much prefer a laptop like my T61p with the 15.4" 1680x1050 screen. In other words I would like a thin (1"), light (3-4 lbs.), 15.4" screen, long battery life (6-8 hours) and performance on tap. You know, a dream machine.

The X220 certainly isn't my dream machine and the screen size is the prime reason. I just need more screen real estate. But I think a lot of buyers are going to be real happy with the new X220 and IPS screen. I'd certainly pay the premium for it.

It's kinda like the difference between buying a V6 or V8 for a pickup truck. The V8 is going to cost you more, but you know you are going to be happier with it in the long run.

 

Thinkpad Forum member says it may be available on Monday. I just want to be able to spec it and pre-order (or at least put it in my cart).

Also fail if the IPS screen is only available on the i7-2620M model as a member there says. That would mean the most expensive cpu just to get USB 3.0 and the best screen. I am too poor for this.

 

The link that guy posted has nothing indicating anything about the X220. If you search IPS in those files they point to X201t, which is shipped with i7. Given that the other already announced Sandy Bridge Thinkpads are still not available, that March 7th date is at best the official announcement date.

 

hmm yeah your right.

i was referring to the new Intel G3 line which is rumored for April and thought they are called the 310 series.

 

Thanks alot!

Does anyone know if the X220 will have a SATA II or SATA III interface? And are the regular harddrives (not the mSATA you can put in the WWAN spot) 1.8" or 2.5" ?

 

That's the 510. My understanding is, the 310 is just a G2 on a PCIE board. I'm sure there are other differences, but that seems to be the performance level.

 

510 is already out, also. You're thinking of the X-25m G3 which is due out early march (aka now). 510 uses a Marvell controller and 34nm NAND, like the 310. The G3 uses 25nm NAND and will double capacity for the same price points.

 

no, the X-25m G3, which I have heard others call the 310, is rumored to come out mid April. i did see a march release date on a spec sheet though so i guess its been delayed a month.

and now that Ive looked into it further I realize why I made the mistake. its called the 320 series, not 310.

Intel 320 series SSD retail box, also known a third generation (G3) X25-M - Intel Third Generation X25-M SSDs Set to Launch in Mid-April - Softpedia

 

2H Q1 2011, April would be Q2. Unless the roadmap slipped again, Intel has G3 slated for the second half of q1, which is now.

http://www.fastestssd.com/articles/next-gen-intel-ssds-ready-for-march-release-x25-m-g3-320-series/

 

yeh ive seen that, but am going by the latest news.

if the 320 was releasing in march intel likely would have announced them alongside the 510.

i am hopeful that they come sooner though.

 

Anyone know if the new touchpad is a macbook pro-like touchpad where you click the bottom, or if its just a touch to click type touchpad?

 

Starting university this fall as an engineering student and I'm going to have a tough choice between the T420s and this X220 :/

Hopefully the "Improved Latch system" isnt anything radically different, since the current one is good and I would hate it if they use a Macbook type magnetic latch system...

I'll probably choose the X220 since itll be lighter and cheaper than the T420s...unless its really weak that I can't use my engineering programs on it

 

The smaller and lighter the better for uni. Actually a netbook is perfect as you may only need to use One Note.

 

I have exactly the opposite position on that. A netbook is mostly useless for anything. I've used a 12.1" and 15.6" for classes at my college, there's virtually no difference provided you have a backpack that can carry both and they get sufficient battery life.

 

There's a definite weakness in the bezel around the latch. I hope this is what they're fixing, and still using a physical latch.

The T420s with integrated graphics may actually be less expensive than the X220, especially if they're dropping the X220s. If you look at the T410s and X201, there's a much larger delta between regular and current sale price on the T410s. The X220 looks like it's closer to the X201s in size and weight, so I suspect the T420s may be stepping more into the role the X201 took, and the X220 the role of the X201s.

Maybe the X220i will be more relevant, now?

 

I'd say the most useful things are the keyboard, and the thinness for the sake of carrying it in a bag full of books.

 

So, based on the sketchy reports available as of now, what do you folks think (especially those who use the current x200/ 201 machines)? Is it worth buying a X201 now or wait for the X220?

 

If you definitely need a notebook now and know what you want for your budget, just buy it. However, the X220 will be available by the end of March while the X201 will still be sold. By then, we'll have more concrete details to make our comparisons.

As owner of an X201, I am enthused by the IPS option and the longer-lasting batteries for the X220. (To me, 1366x768 resolution is fine for a 12.5" screen.) Overall, the X220 looks more streamlined, almost like a smaller T401s, although I have mixed feelings about the "new design" keyboard.

 

If you zoom in on the picture of the X220 from the PDF it seems like there are no more physical latches or holes for the latches to latch...
Maybe they are going to do a magnetic system...hopefully not true

 

Maybe a hinge based latch?

 

Keep in mind, the X220 will likely be at least $450 - $500 more than the current X201 price. The X201 is heavily discounted, and it will take at least half a year for the X220 to come anywhere close.

 

My money is piling up. Got some interest on my 1830t so I should soon have around $900 so far towards an X220.

 

Ouch =/
Maybe I'll get the 420s then...

Hopefully there will be a decent model of the x220 priced around 1300

 

While the news about the IPS screen is encouraging, it is the battery life that is the most attractive feature to me. Nothing I do really requires a "good" screen. The screen on my current R400 is good enough. Is there a significant (by this I mean noticeable) weight difference between the x201 and the x220? This is the other thing that will be important for me. I love the R400 that I currently use but sometimes, when rushing through airports, it does drag me down.

 

Among the T510/W510 FHD panel, T410/T410s HD+ panel and X201 panel, the X201 is the worst in terms of quality. I'm happy with the T510 panel and can live with the T410 panel, but always feel strained when looking at the X201 panel. The nine-cell battery has been serving me well, but longer battery life that takes one's mind completely away from the power cord, while working comfortably with "normal" system settings, will be great.

I can't say whether the X201 panel is as "good enough" as your R400 panel, though.

 

So will the X220 have a SATA III interface to support up to 6 Gbps?

 

What's the point when it would not be fully utilized anytime soon?

 

It's called future-proofing, and some people value that more than others.

 

The new SSD can utilized sata III, Using sata II will cause bottleneck in their read/write speed.

Newegg.com - Intel 510 Series (Elm Crest) SSDSC2MH120A2K5 2.5" 120GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)

Newegg.com - Crucial RealSSD C300 CTFDDAC256MAG-1G1 2.5" 256GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)

I believe all sandy bridge laptop have sata III, it's part of the chipset. Correct me if I am wrong.

 

I've been gone from SSD game for a while since I settled with my current ones, but I heard there's not much difference, if any, going from SATA II to SATA III with the C300.

 

Sequential Access - Read
355MB/sec (SATA 6Gb/s)
265MB/sec (SATA 3Gb/s)

Sequential Access - Write
215MB/sec (SATA 6Gb/s)
215MB/sec (SATA 3Gb/s)

Probably not much real life difference in our perception of speed, but there is still a difference in read speed.

 

+1

And yes, it's because I'm considering either the new Intel SSD or the new OCZ Vertex 3 but if it was only SATA II, settling with either the old X25-M or the OCZ Vertex 2 would probably make more sense as they're already almost maxing out SATA II.

 

As for the OCZ Vertex 2 (SATA 3Gb/s):

Max Read: up to 285MB/s
Max Write: up to 275MB/s

and the OCZ Vertex 3 (SATA 6Gb/s):

Max Read: up to 550MB/s
Max Write: up to 500MB/s

edit: sorry double post

 

You mean 6 to 12-month proofing? Because that's the time scale that stuff change in computer world.

 

You can find some info about the Intel 510 and some background about Intel's SSD's in general in the intro here,

The Intel SSD 510 Review - AnandTech :: Your Source for Hardware Analysis and News

and the 310 here,

Intel's SSD 310: G2 Performance in an mSATA Form Factor - AnandTech :: Your Source for Hardware Analysis and News

 

Here is some info I gathered about the batteries and weights:

x201:
4 cell: 28.8Wh, 0.5lbs, 3.4Hr battery life
6 cell: 56Wh, 0.7lbs, 6.7Hr battery life
9 cell: 84Wh or 94Wh depends on source, 1.3lbs, 11.3Hr battery life

x220:
4 cell: 29Wh, 0.43lbs, unknown battery life (extrapolated about 4.2Hr)
6 cell: 63Wh, 0.76lbs, 9Hr battery life
9 cell: 94Wh, 1.13lbs, 15Hr battery life
6 cell slice: 64Wh, 1.66lbs, 23Hr battery life combined with 9 cell

Looking forward to seeing actual reviews!

 

that is one hell heavy battery, I would go for a combo of two 9 cell

 

Back to the original question. Do the new ThinkPads have SATA6 or SATA3?

 

I would assume so, considering that Sandybridge natively supports it. I don't see why not.

Although as others have mentioned, it could possibly be throttled, which would be annoying.

 

The chipset supports SATA 6.0Gbps, let's just hope that Lenovo wouldn't cripple it like it did on the T6x/X6x series.

Even on SATA 3.0Gbps, the new SandForce contorller equipped OCZ Vertex 3 still out-perform the Intel X25-M G2 significantly. (The Anandtech review benchmarked the Vertex 3 with both SATA 3.0Gbps and 6.0Gbps) The Intel SSDs were known for it's performance in random read/write. But since then, all other manufacturers have caught up and outperformed it. Not to mention that the Intel X25-M has rather (relatively) poor sequential write speed. But then, that's on benchmark. From day to day use, I'm not sure how that translate... Nonetheless, what one should really care is multi-tasking performance, and from those early reviews it seems that the Vertex 3 multi-task extremely well too...

 

Well OCZ Vertex 3 gotta be compared to the Intel 510 SSD's.. X25-M G2 is from back in the day before the OCZ Vertex 2 was released..