X200 vs X200s screens and differences

After looking at these two notebooks I've decided the only difference (that matters to me at least) is the difference in screens. I plan to purchase a 9-cell to balance out the battery differences and the CPU speed is negligible for me.

Has anyone here compared the X200 and X200s screens side by side? How much better is the X200s screen and is the 1440x900 too small? Is it worth the extra ~$450 for the X200s?

Also, are there any other differences between the two models? Do they offer the same keyboard, construction quality, and chassis? So really we're just talking about the internals and screen, right?

 

Hey ... well as far I know here in Europe you can actually get the X200s with the 1280 X 800 screen, and you pay more for the X200s because it is lighter and has longer battery life. You can also have the 1440 x 900 screen but I would never buy it out of fear of not being able to read the words on the screen LOL.

 

Here are the differences I know of:

Display
X200: 1280x800 CCFL-backlit, 200-nit (brightness)
X200s: 1440x900 LED-backlit, 250-nit

Processors:
X200: 2.26GHz P8400 and 2.4GHz P8600
X200s: 1.2GHz SU9300 or 1.86GHz SL9400

Case/lid construction:
X200: Magnesium Alloy
X200s: Carbon Fiber Reinforced Plastic + ThinkPad Roll Cage in in lid/display cover. Note- because of the cage, the X200s isn't available with an integrated webcam.

Weight:
X200: 6-cell=3.26lbs, 9-cell=3.61lbs
X200s: 4-cell=2.43lbs, 6-cell=2.71lbs, 9-cell=3.05lbs (these are the "from" weights, so they are for SSD-equipped models). Models with a mechanical hard drive will weigh slightly more.

Battery Life:
X200: 9-cell=up to 9.8hrs
X200s: 9-cell=up to 13.2hrs

The reason the disparity in prices seems so great is because the X200 (and the X301) are always shown at a discounted price, while the X200s seems to be priced at full retail thus far. Adding a 64GB SSD drive to the X200s (which is standard on the X301) puts the prices of both within $19 of each other.

With both of the X200s and X301 easily exceeding $2k, the X200 is a STEAL at under $1200 nicely equipped! It's also more powerful thanks the less energy-efficient, but faster CPU options.

It would be nice if the X200's display was LED, but as it stands it's as good as a standard display on a T400 or similar. The T400 has a CCFL 200-nit display standard. It's plenty bright enough for almost any environment where you'd expect to use a ThinkPad (fluorescent lights, etc).

The X200s is an awesome system, but until the price drops, it just doesn't seem worth the premium!

 

Thanks for your insightful post! Do you happen to know the pros and cons of the magnesium vs. carbon fiber backing? I imagine carbon fiber to be lighter but do they both feel the same and offer the same protection? Thanks!

 

Carbon Fiber-reinforced plastic is used for its light weight compared to Magnesium Alloy. My gut feeling is that the Magnesium Alloy is still the stronger of the two. That would explain the need to add the roll cage behind the X200s display. The LED display also allows the lid to be several mm thinner, which also explains the addition of the roll cage on the X200s. It doesn't have any sort of space cushion, so it needs more support to protect the display...at least that's the theory I just pulled out of thin air!

 

I don't know the X200 screen but the one in my X200s (1440x900) is a bummer in a view angles category. Otherwise, it's a champion.

 

I'm not sure if it's the LED-backlight to blame, or the Anti-Glare finish....or those two elements combined, but the viewing angles SUCK on my 14.1" WXGA+ (1440x900) LED-backlit display also! It's the best display I've ever had on a notebook otherwise, but if I shift my position very much I find myself having to tilt the screen to compensate....

 

Unfortunately, almost all current ThinkPads have horrible viewing angles. This applies to the x200, x200s, T400, and most likely the x300, T500, and w500 as well. The w700 is supposed to have a decent display in both gamut and viewing angles, and the Tablets are unique in having superb FFS displays with tremendous viewing angles.

Overall, I would say the x200s is worth the price if you are concerned about weight or heavily multi-task and want the extra resolution. If not, go for the x200 as it's marginally faster, gets very good battery life, and the screen is plenty bright.

 

One can always say that ThinkPads have 'embedded privacy filter' for free! :wink:

 

It's kind of an ironic explanation for the viewing angle thing.

 

To the above. In Europe the X200s is available with the 1280 X 800 and the webcam. For the total price of just under U$2000 it also includes the X200 Ultra-base, and has a 6 cell battery. I was not aware of the magnesium versus plasic issue. I know the magnesium is a better material in terms of radiation. I have a friend who is very sensitive to that and he only uses magnesium alloy notebooks or aluminium Macs. Does anyone know the exact weight of the X200 with a 6 cell battery ... I read conflicting numbers there.

 

Here is the Lenovo link I forgot to put in the reply above, X200s with 1280 X 800 and webcam:

http://www5.pc.ibm.com/europe/products.nsf/$wwwPartNumLookup/_NS473xx?OpenDocument

 

You will need to find someone in Europe with the CCFL model x200s. I believe that the US model x200s is lighter than the European model due to the thinner/lighter LED screen. All of the published weights (e.g. Tabook) apply to the US LED x200s and NOT the European CCFL variant.

Also, I think the European x200s may not have a carbon fiber top cover. Instead, I think it has the exact same magnesium screen assembly as the x200 because it is CCFL and includes the WWAN/webcam (the uppers can be swapped between models).

 

So what you are saying is that the X200s in Europe is a mixed bag of potatoes ! So plastic base and magnesium lid ? Would they really do that ? Maybe it's all just the same as the X200 with different parts inside? Yes was wondering about the weight as well. Again I can't find anything published, maybe there is someone who reads the Forum here who has an X200s with CCFL screen and can weigh it !