Which "genuine" 15.6'' Thinkpad should I buy after T530? I dont like T540.

The holiday season is coming and I am planning to buy a new Thinkpad. Currently I have a 15.6'' T530 and I like everything on it.

Naturally I was hoping to buy a T540. However, after looking at its design at Lenovo's website, I totally dislike it.

First, I don't like the number pad. I rarely/never use it.

Second, the mouse pointer and the keys are moved to the left side instead of being in the center as in T530, which will certainly makes me feel not comfortable to use it.

So which NEW model of 15.6'' "genuine" Thinkpads I should buy? I have no interest in Thinkpads such as E series. Based on my experience, E series Thinkpads are Lenovo's own products with Thinkpad logo. I bought one three years and it was a terrible product.

Thanks for any input!

Regards.

 

Well, if you like the T530's design but want more power, you could look at the W530. Same frame and everything, just slightly different internal components.

 

I will probably not "upgrade" to W530 because there is no need for more power and it is heavier.

No other upgrade option? I feel the true "genuine" Thinkpads are dying for sure now....Can't be more confusing, frustrating....What does Lenovo wants to do?

 

I would reconsider it and maybe try out the T540p or a W540 (which share the same chassis) in a local store. Judging something by pictures isn´t really working, at last for me, personally, I have to try it out first.

 

I understand your point. I tried other brands such as HP in local stores with similar keyboard design. It does not work for me. I use my laptop over 13 hours daily, with two hands on the computer and eyes looking at the screen straight all the time...The centered keyboard design on T530 works and feels perfect.

 

Well, if thats the case, nearly no newer 15" Notebook will serve you well, as most of them have a Numblock for now.

Maybe you should consider the T440p. It has many of the features of the T540p (besides the Numblock and the FHD++ screen and maybe Expresscard), and still a centered keyboard.

 

Thanks for your suggestion !

 

You like everything about your T530 and you don't need more power. Why do you want a new notebook?

 

I just want to spend some money to have a new laptop that can serve as a backup with good market value. A T540 or T50 similar to T530 is certainly a better option.

 

The L440 and L540 are also options to consider if you like the older Thinkpad chases--they retain the dark black coloring and the hinge-above-base design. But they still incorporate many of the 40's line changes, such as a clickpad, lack of LED lights, media keys instead of f keys by default, etc.

They should be "true" Thinkpads, as the L series is the successor to the R series.

Outside of Thinkpads, some premium laptops wthat are 15" without a number pad include the Precision M3800 and the MBP/rMBP, though neither really feels like a classic Thinkpad.

 

If you really really need a backup notebook you could buy one more T530 I guess, or you could wait till late spring/summer and check what will the new models like t550/w550/t450 be like.

 

There won´t be new T5x0p, T4x0p and W5x0 until 2015 to my knowledge. In the roadmaps it is markted that they will stay on sale until mid 2015.

 

That's what I'm doing also. The t440p is my main candidate from the T530, although I'm hoping for a little more power so I've ordered a w530 as we'll first. I've also got the t540p coming with the 3k screen. So it's going to be stick with W530, go for the t540p and live with the keyboard if the screen is good enough or go with the t440p. The major problem I have now is the removal of the dedicated track point buttons. If I can't get past that it'll be the W530 as my last Thinkpad.

 

Yes, I also intended to buy a ThinkPad T540 since it is the newest and it has 4th gen processor and better video HD4600. But I was totally disappointed when I saw it - it looks like IdeaPad or any other consumer laptop. The success of ThinkPad is due to its design for professionals. That is a laptop for an engineer, for a programmer, for a geek and etc.The T530 is a classic ThinkPad. The numeric pad, the removal of hardware buttons on trackpad, the left sided track point and trackpad, the removal of the lockers of the screen - this is a big disappointment for me. Lenovo should have THinkPad series which are targeted for professionals looking for a workhorse. ThinkPad T design is proven through the years, people are used to it and are looking for it. If I want a stylish and shiny piece of * I would get a MacBook to show it and impress the people. But If I want a hammer proof machine to get the work done - the "ugly" Thinkpad T is what I need.

 

I wouldn't say that the T530 is a classic Thinkpad; classic Thinkpads, for one, have the 7-row keyboard, traditional-style (not island). So by that definition, I'd consider the --20 to be the last "classic" Thinkpad (though I'm sure someone will disagree with me and go older). Still, the T530 is a nice laptop.

At least the T540 still has the same sort of build quality as the other "true" Thinkpads (X, T, W).

 

For me classic ThinkPads died out with T520/T420/X220/W520 being the last generation of good ThinkPads. Wish Lenovo went back to 2006-2007 era of T60/T61/X61, best era of ThinkPads.

 

Fixed it for you...:hi2:

 

i am having the same issue, been looking for a T520 to purchase at a decent price with decent resolution, seems a lot more difficult than i expected, also purchased an i7 2630qm i've been looking to use.

 

I gave up on Lenovo this time around. They went cheap with the T540p. Lenovo already has a wide selection of cheap laptops, so I have no clue why they cut so many corners on their premium business line.

I bought a Dell XPS 15 instead. Not a great solution, but it will do what I want my computer to do. No current ThinkPad competes in that class of machine any more.

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