Why are Thinkpads Heavier?

Why do they tend to be slightly heavier?

T61 15" - 5.9 lb
T510 (6 cell) - 5.66 lb
Vostro 3500 15" (6 cell) - 5.3 lb
ASUS UL50AG-RST (15") - 5.07 lb
Ideapad 550 - 6.06 lb
HP dv6 - 5.35 lb
HP EliteBook 8540p - 6.5 lb
Latitude E6510 (6 cell) - 5.53 lb

T410 (6 cell) - 5 lb
T400 (6 cell) - 5 lb
T61 14" - 5.3 lb
Ideapad 450 14" 6 cell - 4.63 lb
Studio 14 - 5.25 lb
HP EliteBook 8440p - 4.7 lb
Latitude E6410 (4 cell) - 4.26 lb

 

Thinkpads are "tanks" of laptops.

That's why.

 

I found T410 as 2.31 kg and EliteBook 8440p as 2.36kg, though. I only checked once.

 

Thinkpads are heavier because they use lot of structural reinforcements.... just like American cars tend to be heavier than a Japanese car (unless you get the Japanese SUV sold in USA)...

Also, you got to compare the laptop with similar battery configuration, i.e. 6 cells versus 6 cells... otherwise your weight comparison would be highly inaccurate.

Thinkpads, Elitebooks and Latitude are usually within 0.3 pounds difference range, depending on the design of the chassis.

Thinkpads (especially the T410) usually use a ABS/PC outer casing over the internal magnesium chassis, while the competitors tend to be just magnesium/aluminium chassis with no or minimal polymer outer covers (This usually simplifies the manufacturing process and lowers production cost, as there is less steps and parts involved in the production process). Lenovo is also moving to decreasing the amount of parts involved in the thinkpads i.e. T510 and W510, probably to decrease parts inventory and assembly steps.

Consumer laptops are usually lighter, due to the use of ABS/PC and minimal alloy chassis reinforcements. This usually means that they perform poorly structurally over time, where cracks usually forms over the chassis body, due to careless transportation method (i.e. carrying the laptop on the corner, with the LCD open and with one hand)...

 

Not all ThinkPads are heavier. The X series laptops are lighter than even some netbooks.

 

The HP Elitebook 8540p/w series is a good 1 lbs heavier than the Lenovo T510 and Dell Latitude E6510/Precision M6500, though realistically those weights are all under their measured weights by users.

 

don't know where did you get these, but I think you got wrong info. For example, there's no way that an E6410 with 4 cell battery weights only 4.26lb. An E6410 with 6 cell battery is about 2.24kg, which is slightly lighter than a T410 with 6 cell battery (2.36kg).

As you can see, the difference is small enough to ignore. With only 124gr different, you get a Mg rollcage, which protects your laptop (and of course, your data) effectively.

IBM Thinkpads are lighter than most of their competitors, and in return, you got no rollcage

 

It's always nice to have a few extra hundred grams if you need to protect yourself against aggressors

Seriously though, we're talking about a few hundred grams! C'mon. My AW weighs about 6kg, and no complaints here,...yet. W510 feels like a feather, can be lifted with 3 fingers (even two), lol.
Away we go,... to the gym, my fellow pencil pushers!

 

I think those numbers are wrong. Typically, Thinkpads are about a pound or so lighter than Elitebook equivalents, and are quite similar to Latitude equivalents. They're usually a bit heavier than consumer laptops since they tend to be a bit thicker, with more solid construction.

 

Agreed, I was going to mention this.. the X201, and especially the X201s, are lighter than most of the netbooks out there...

 

I just wish the T510 & T410 where just thinner. They are so bulky.

 

Well there is the T410s... I'm not sure if it's thinner than the T410, but I think you'd be hard-pressed to find a lighter 14" laptop.

 

Fixed that for ya

 

T410 is bulkier than the T410s, if it was thinner than no one would buy the T410s.

While, the T510 was meant to be a replacement for the R series, it is more ideally suited as a desktop replacement laptop.

 

Given the GPU options, I wouldn't call it a desktop replacement, especially the model with integrated graphics.

 

R series was desktop replacement, and the GPU on that is pretty much same as the T series that was available then.

I think you are thinking the Alienware type of desktop replacement...

 

I'd accept any laptop having a mediocre GPU into that category. And by mediocre I mean the average on the "330M - 480M" scale. Would be foolish to aks for a 100W card, but I'd be far more reluctant to go for AW or Clevo if Lenovo could offer at least something like MR5750.