Would you get a tablet for 100$ more??

Hi,

I'm still debating between the X220 and its tablet version X220T. The 2 systems are as follow:

X220: IPS display, core i5 2520M, 8Gb RAM, SSD 160Gb, 9cells battery
X220T: IPS Multitouch+Pen, core i7 2620M, 8Gb RAM, 320Gb HDD + 80Gb mSata, 6 cells battery

I don't necessarily need pen and multitouch but I just find a tablet would be nice for browsing with touch and reading documents in portrait mode. The only downside of the tablet (beside the potentially grainy display) is the 6 cells battery with about 5h of usable power. It's probably enough for me though. Size and weight are comparable for me.

With a student rebate, I may get the tablet for about 100$ more than the laptop (I'm in Europe). So for 100$ I get an i7 + multitouch but I have to give up some battery life (probably 50% compared to X220 9 cells...) and get a 80Gb mSata + 320Gb HDD instead of 160Gb HDD. I think this is quite nice. What would you do? Again I don't specifically need a tablet but why not get one for 100$ more????

Thanks

 

You might find some info in this topic: X220 tablet vs notebook, disadvantages?

Based on the specs I would get the 9cell and SSD over the 6cell with mSata anytime. No real world difference between the i5 and i7. Last but not least, ' reading documents in portrait mode', remember this will only give you 768 pixels width in portrait mode which is rather limited..

So I'm leaning towards getting a regular X220 unless I would get the same specs on a tablet at the same price

Where are you located and where are you planning to order?

 

I'm in Switzerland. I may get a deal on the tablet at my school or order the laptop from lapstars.de in Germany.

As for tablet vs notebook, I mean one important thing is that a tablet is a notebook while the opposite isn't true. So for 100$ I'd get some nice things like browsing with touch (in either landscape or portrait), take notes with the pen etc. I guess a SSD 160Gb is faster than a 80Gb mSata but really does it make any real life difference? Plus I can always upgrade the disk later on, or even sell the 320Gb HDD + 80Gb mSata combo and get an SSD with the difference. That would bring the tablet somewhere about 150$ more than the notebook, with an i7 on top (ok not really important but for piece of mind you get the top of the range since I usually keep my machines for 7+ years). Basically it means it is the same price as the notebook since 150$ is about the price of the i7 upgrade... The only real drawback of the tablet is the shorter battery life but actually I'd say I'd use the 6 cells on a tablet while I'd probably not need 9 cells in the notebook. So does it really make sense to get the laptop then?

 

Having owned an X200, X200T, X201 and X201T... if I buy another X series it'll be non-tablet.

My reasons:
Windows sucks for tablets, horribly horribly sucks. The only reason I bought them was that they recognize Chinese characters when I write them. Both touch and pen interfaces suck otherwise.

The tablet models are bigger and heavier, a big negative for an ultraportable.

The battery doesn't last as long

The battery was bigger (I think pics of the X220T show it being the same though)

Did I mention Windows sucks for tablets?

 

Can't argue with that.. So I would focus on the 'disadvantages' of the tablet over the regular X220, most of which you mentioned already: Screen (due to multitouch layer), battery life and size. If you can live with those, go for the tablet and you will get some nice extra's like touchscreen, tabletmode and pen input.

Lapstars seems to be a reliable reseller, good luck with your purchase!

I wonder if Windows is any good on tablets, anyone?

 

Is it really that bad? I mean if you check the videos at Jesse B Andersen, this guy did nice reviews of lenovo tablet and while the touch experience is not as good as an iPad (obviously), it seems quite nice. I never used one so maybe I'm over optimistic but really it seems to work pretty well. And with a few customization on the taskbar and folder view like he did, the experience seems nice.

 

Windows isn't that great for touch tablets. I mainly like the pen feature anyways (not a big fan of touch). Win 8 promises to change that though and vastly improve on touch.

 

Another reason to get a tablet...

 

Personally, if you're not doing need a tablet then, well... Don't get it. $100 is not much, but it is something. It's like spending $100 on a useless (to you) feature. The tablet is also a little heavier and bulkier too.

I like tablets, so I'd do it, but if you are not going to use it, it makes it a no brainer.

 

I've been using Windows Tablets exclusively since 2003 and I would not but a non-tablet.

The OS gets a bad rap which is undeserved, but the ability to use Ink that searchable in OneNote is something I use everyday. I use a 7" and 8.9" Windows Tablets as my machines both are slates. I used convertibles in the past...

 

I would certainly take a slate for OneNote, but not a convertible. They're too thick to write on comfortably for long periods. And yes, OneNote is awesome for searching handwritten notes (even in Chinese). But that's more of a "I need it for everyday usage" feature, not a "Well, I have an extra 100 bucks to blow on something I won't use" feature.

EDIT: And the OS does suck for them, you can't argue it doesn't. OneNote is an application designed for handwriting, and it is very well designed but that is not the OS.

 

I get your point and agree but an iPad is useless as well and many people do get it As I've never used a tablet before I don't think I need one but probably once I'll browse with touch on my bed, I wouldn't go back to a notebook. With a tablet you actually get a backlit keyboard for free Not to mention tablets may have been unpopular until windows 7 because of a lack of support but now it may change (see windows 8...). Since I plan to keep the laptop for about 7-8 years as I did with my current MSI laptop, I'm having a slightly more difficult choice.

For me the thing I really need to watch for is the potential graininess issue of the multitouch screen. I should be able to see the tablet this week at my school and compare it with a standard X220 (without IPS though...). Yes 100$ is some money of course and I don't intend to blow it but better get something that would make you happy for 1600$ than something just good for 1500$ imho. It's just weird that multitouch, pen and the possibility to rotate the screen doesn't justify 100$ more on a budget. These seem like nice to have features...

 

Is Ubuntu any better than windows as far as touch goes?

 

@bogatyr: thank you for the input on the OS recognizing Chinese characters - great news. I hope on top of Chinese characters it'll also recognize the hiragana & katakana letters in Japanese. Do you by any chance know if it will recognize hiragana & katakana?

 

Yes, but it requires Windows 7 Enterprise or Ultimate for language packs - I wasn't aware of this until I looked it up just now. I use Enterprise for Bitlocker on my work laptop and installed the Chinese language pack, so that's why I always had it.

I use the language pack so I can put together documentation for our Chinese plants using proper screen shots. Never realized that was part of the requirement to write in Chinese on the tablet.

 

I'm getting a tablet for 335 dollars more. I don't even need it, just figured it would be cool for taking notes on

 

the two main drawbacks are increased size,and a slightly poorer screen because of the touch layer. however, one note is really really awesome for note taking, and using it in tablet format is nice for content consumptions (reading pdf etc) in situations like a couch or a plane. having said that, it is a little heavy and get get annoying using it for a longer period of time

 

@bogatyr: thank you for the heads up. Darn, that feature is tempting enough to consider upgrading a professional to enterprise/ultimate.

 

Take a look at the MS BizSpark program. You can always create a quick website and sign up for legit licenses. At least I believe there is no legal drawback.