X200s initial impressions

I recently got my X200s topseller model with a 4-cell battery. Here are my quick first impressions:

Size / Weight / Appearance:

Wow this system is light! It is tiny and much lighter than you expect when you pick it up. With the 4 cell it is diminutive and even with the 6 cell the portrusion is not as much as it might seem from the several screenshots I have seen (though I will be selling my new 6-cell and getting a 9 cell for when I need truly extended life). The proportions are great and despite the large frame around the screen it looks nice and feels well built.

Keyboard:
The keyboard has a bit of flex near the backspace key (my T60 has none) and it is a bit disconcerting. The rest of the keyboard feels really nice and I am quite happy with it overall.

Display:
The screen is very bright and clear. Viewing angles are pretty bad even for a TN panel but if you are directly in front the screen is quite nice. I have seen no dead pixels so far. I will calibrate the display with my colorvision spyder soon and see how that goes. Readability is something I had worried about with the very high pixel density but it has not been an issue due to the brightness and clarity of the display.

Performance:
The 1.86 ghz penryn feels very zippy even from the factory (with some bloatware). The thinkpad apps seem somewhat improved from the versions I have on my T60. I have not run any formal tests but at home I have a quad core running at 3.4ghz with 2 gb of ram and this does not feel any slower in general windows use. So far I am quite happy here

Battery life:
I have not been on battery long enough to tell but it seems I can get 3.5 hours on the 4 cell at reasonable brightness (bit more than a half) for general web surfing / word editing. It sips only 7.25 watts that way. It goes up to about 9.5 at full brightness.

Wifi:
The 5100 gets better range on wireless G networks than my T60 with the thinkpad a/b/g card. This may be due to the thick metal rollcage on the T60.

I will update this with more info if I think of any and try to answer any questions.

 

Thanks for the impressions .

 

I'm glad you are enjoying the x200s.

The limited viewing angles of the TN panel is what I was afraid of though. So I am very happy with my x200 Tablet.

I am surprised that you are finding keyboard flex. I couldn't find flex anywhere on either the x200 or x200 Tablet.

It's good to see someone else that is satisfied with the Wi-Fi 5100. I still am waiting for a head to head comparison between it and the 5300. I have a theory that the extra antennas in the 5300 have little to no real world value for range or speed.

 

I also have an X200s, and while I love it, the color is really washed out. If you can calibrate your screen and post the icm file that you got from the calibrator, I would really appreciate it.
Also, thank you for your initial impress, which is pretty much how I feel about the machine

 

After typing quite a bit on the computer today, I have to say that I am quite unhappy with the flex towards the right side of the keyboard. Have people been able to fix this by installing an older T61 series keyboard?

 

I am very surprised by this. The keyboards on my x200 and x200 Tablet are exemplary (great feel, no flex, quieter than my T40). Lenovo does use 3 different keyboard manufacturers (ALPS, NMB, Chicony), so it is possible that we have different ones.

I have not heard of anyone else complaining about the keyboards on the x200 series. I was under the impression that the smaller chassis prevented flex due to its firmer design (more weak spots in the middle of the T400/T500).

The keyboard from the T61 fixed the flex for all the people with flexy keyboards on the T400/T500, so it should work for the x200s as well. However, I believe that the T61 keyboard is about two ounces heavier. Holes were made in the keyboard base for the new series (see attached). This reduced weight (and possibly cost, although I doubt it with the tooling change), but has caused flex for some people.

 

Your best bet is to buy an NMB keyboard for the T60. The X200 series use full size keyboard so it will fit just fine. That keyboard is the most comfortable keyboard I have ever used with no flex whatsoever.

 

Here you go. This makes the colors a lot warmer basically, and in my opinion more accurate (although when you initially apply it it will seem too warm if you are used to the very cool default settings).

zephir: but then I would not have the classic colored stripes and dots on the trackpoint buttons :-(

Can anyone with a non flexing X200s keyboard tell me what brand it is?

 

Mine doesn't flex. If you know the exact method to look up the brand, I will gladly tell you.

I have an x200 Tablet now, an x200 normal before that, and a T40 before that. None of them have flexed, all have great feedback, and I think the x200 ones are superior (the T40 was pretty noisy).

 

Thanks a lot, I will try it on my machine. Yes, unfortunately you can't have the classic stripes on the T60 keyboard

On the other note, my keyboard does have some flex. I guess this is a common thing with the X200s, but I could be wrong.

 

I think the best way to look up the keyboard FRU is to use your serial number in the parts lookup website here:
http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/s...=/partslookup/partsLookup.vm&sitestyle=lenovo

Look up for the keyboard FRU of your machine, and please tell us what you have. Thanks

 

According to that site my x200 Tablet has the following:

Mfg part # FRU part # Description Serviceable?
42T3704 42T3737 KEYBOARD FRU YES

However, this does not list ALPS, Chicony, or NMB. It simply says Lenovo manufactured. According to this Chinese forum, a 42T3737 equates to a Chicony, but this may not be a reliable source. I also looked up my x200 normal (still have the serial), it has a 42T3671, this is supposed to be an NMB (it didn't flex on me either), although apparently newer NMB's may be rebadged Chicony's (I don't have the x200 anymore to check for sure).

I found a keyboard with the same FRU on Ebay for $55 + $15 shipping. Or from ThinkpadParts.com for $77.

However, it is possible that Lenovo uses the same FRU for different brands, so you would want to double check before you buy one.

I also found this picture comparison. Apparently, the ALPS, Chicony and NMB have different appearence under the keys (Chicony are white and slant down right, ALPS are white and slant up right, and NMB is blue). According to this mine is a Chicony. This may also be the easiest way to tell (lift your computer up and look under the arrow keys, you should see the mechanism).

 

I've got the X200s on the way and from all reports until now, I've read that the keyboard is as excellent as the X200 and X200 tablet. According to the hardware maintenance manual at:

lenovoservicetraining. com / ion / X200 / pdf / HMM.pdf

the keyboard is secured with screws on the laptop's underside. Maybe these need to be tightened? Hopefully so as I was looking forward to a no-flex keyboard.

PS - remove the spaces in the link above. I'm a newb so I can't post URLs until I'm all grown up.

 

As long as things have not changed recently, they use different fru numbers for each brand.

My x200 also has the chicony (as long as what you've listed is correct), and it has zero flex. I'm really surprised to hear people say the x200s's have flex...

 

I have been too busy to take mine apart but will do so as soon as I can and check it out. Has anyone tried the color profile?

 

You don't need to take it apart. Just look under the arrow keys and compare it to the pictures a few posts up. The finger rest space should let you see the keyswitches.

I am tempted to try your color profile; but don't think it would match my X200 Tablet LED.

 

You probably should not. Your screen is an IPS panel vs. the TN panel in the X200s. Totally different screens.

 

That's what I figured. Now I just need to find someone with an x200 Tablet and a colorimeter (I don't really feel like buying one because I don't do color sensitive work, I just like accuracy).

 

WHat makes the keyboard flex?
I know for Netbooks like the EEE 1000 theyhad a fix that you just put a piece of paper ot two under the keyboard and the flex was gone.
Is the metal bent or something, do you think you are able to insert a shim type of thing in one of the tabs that hold it in place or something?

 

I tried the color profile, it doesn't seem to be a big improvement over the stock color profile. I don't know what's wrong

 

I'm going to purchase x200s with LED as soon as it will be available in UE.

Thus I only compared the profile you provided (rep+) "virtually" - using Color Control Panel Applet for XP. It displays the gamut in a fancy 3D way allowing not only to estimate the color span but also its dynamic range.
It looks like the LED screen is not the sharpest tool in the shed - but I still going to buy the laptop for the screen resolution and energy efficiency.

 

I am using the Pantone Colorvision Spyder software to load it (that's what I made it with). It's a pretty drastic change on my side. You should be able to use it with any color management software though.

 

Can you comment on the 1440 X 900 resolution on the 12.1" widescreen? I was only able to see the X300 in person and on the 13.3" it is perfectly acceptable for me. I have a T61p 15.4" with 1920X1200 and it is too small for me for comfort. I had a T41p with 1450X1050 (or something like that) and it seemed ok to me. I really want to pull the trigger on the x200s,but don't want to have another thinkpad I don't use due to resolution. Thanks!

 

Steined, you can use this calculator to help answer your questions. It shows the PPI measure for any resolution and size. This allows you to compare apples to oranges if you will.

http://www.thirdculture.com/joel/shumi/computer/hardware/ppicalc.html

As you can see, 1440x900 at 12.1 equals a PPI of 140. At 13.3 it is 127.

Your 15.4 screen was 147 PPI. Your T41 was 126, assuming it was a 14.1" model.

Therefore I would guess that the X300 would be fine (as you have already found) but that the X200s would probably not be comfortable for you.

 

I would not go strictly by PPI. The screen on the X200s is very bright and crisp when viewed from the correct angle, I find it as easy to read under most conditions as my old T60 with flexview (15" 1400x1050).

 

I will order X200s tomorrow (finally). Going from [email protected]'' I hope I'll find the X200s' DPI resolution sufficient :wink:
I'll apply your color profile, The Oatman, as soon as I get the lappy...

 

I hope at least you will write a proper review
It's a shame, there should be hundreds of delivered X200s out, but nobody wrote a review.

Hopefully mine arrives next week.

 

Well, mine arrived today morning at my place... but I am out of town and my girlfriend was working at the time of the delivery. Hopefully I will get it on monday and will post first impressions, etc.

 

Break into your post office...

 

Hi. Menos, If I am not wrong, I understand that you are buying an x200s with WXGA+ in Europe. I would like to do the same, but I cannot find such type of laptop in the lenovo sites of european countries (Italy, germany, UK, France).

I wanted to buy one from US (74663HU) and have it sent to Italy, even if I will have to pay the cost of the border taxes, the VAT and the delivery, that amount to approximately 30% + 100 USD. But if it will have problems, I will not be able to have it serviced in Europe, since it is not eligible to IWS.

Which is the model that you have ordered and in which shop did you buy it?

Thanks.

C.S.

 

I am in the same boat: looking to import a X200s to Europe and I just cant find any online store with fairly reasonable prices. I like the X200s over the X200 because of the screen (in my opinion, having a better screen beats having an extra 20% raw power).

 

I will know the model signature next week. I'm kinda curious too :wink:
This small size high resolution screen was a big factor to me as well.
I had opted W500 (or even W700) but eventually decided to order X200s. Ultrabase, and an external "twenty-four-incher".
I like my consistency :wink:

 

Well, I finally got mine!
I don't have much to add to what The Oatman said, as I have the exact same config (topseller with 6-cell and 4-cell) and my initial impressions are pretty much the same as his.

The keyboard has indeed a bit of flex (particularly on the + / = key for me), but it's not noticeable unless I press on the keys way more than I usually do when typing. In any case the feel is vastly superior to what I am used to.
Anyway I ordered a French keyboard to replace the US one, and I chose a NMB. I'll let you know if the new keyboard is better if you are interested.

The build quality is fantastic. Seriously. I spent the last 4 years working on an ultraportable Fujitsu (T75 / P7010), and clearly the Thinkpad is in another league. I expected the X200s to feel solid but I am still surprised.

The screen is pretty bad in terms of viewing angles, but then again, that was expected. The colors wash out really quick when lowering the brightness, too. Anyway it's alright as long as I stay in front of it, which is good enough for me. What I like about it is the high resolution: I am used to working on a 140 DPI screen and I am really glad I could get more screen real estate without sacrificing too much in terms of size / form factor.

The X200s does not seem tiny to me - as I said my previous computer was netbook-sized - but it does feel really light! My T75 weights about 1,5kg without its optical drive, while the X200s is only 1,2kg with the 4-cell battery.

Lastly, the 'zippiness': I can't really compare it to anything I own (my previous laptop was a ULV Pentium M, and my desktop runs OS X) but the system is responsive once it has booted and multitasks quite well. I removed as much bloatware as felt safe, but the boot times are still long. For the moment I don't have an external optical drive, so I'll have to wait before being able to make a clean install.

That's about it for my first 6 hours with the X200s.

 

Oh, and while I'm at it, I have a few questions for you guys:
- Can I replace the connection manager with anything else, i. e. directly from Intel? It seems really bloated.
- Is there a way to enable/disable Bluetooth and WiFi independantly?
- Do you think I can use both RMClock and the Thinkvantage power manager, or do I have to chose to avoid conflicts?

 

There is an Intel connection manager, but I have not used it. The Lenovo one is a bit bloated and slow. However, it is able to do more than any other connection program. You can have multiple profiles with different IP, DNS, firewall, homepage, and other settings; and manage WLAN, Modem, Ethernet, and WWAN (either internal or cell card). Unfortunately, bloat is the consequence of these options.

You can disable WI-FI and Bluetooth independently using Lenovo Access Connections . Press Fn+F5 and enable/disable all your radios (I have 3 in my x200 Tablet) independent of each other.

I don't know about RMCLock and power manager. However, I don't think they conflict with each other.

 

Any comments about the noise level of the x200s? The reviews of the x200 with the p8400/p8600 processors say that it is very quiet. Is the x200s also very quiet? I was hoping it might even be quieter with the low-voltage processor. Also, any experience of battery life with a 9-cell?

Thanks in advance for the info.

 

Thanks for the info, Jonlumpkin, I guess I'll stick with Access connections for now.

deepsouth, the X200s is pretty quiet, especially when running on battery. Even on AC power, most of the time the hard drive is the noisiest component (it's always sort of "humming"). The fan only starts running fast enough to be heard when the CPU does some heavy work (3D gaming, for example), and even then it only stays on for a short time.

 

Hi. Good news for those who have been in my same boat (as WTB). The x200s with WXGA+ can be bought in Europe, and with 3 years warranty, even if you cannot see it in the european national Lenovo websites. As suggested to me by Menos, I went into the 'Business Partners' section in the UK website, I chose one of the online shops listed (hemini and more) there, and there I found the so much desired and hunted laptop. In the italian website, again disappointedly, you dont find anything. I bought it, spending something like 1500 euro, VAT and delivery and 3years IWS inclusive, almost the same as if I had imported it plus warranty. The disadvantage to me is the UK keyboard. But maybe i can change it or get accustomed to it.I wait now for 15 days, since it will arrive from China.

 

Hello. I'm a newbie to the notebook review forums but not to the IBM/Lenovo line.

I just got my X200s opened up yesterday and have a few initial questions/concerns.
- I noticed (at least at full brightness) some uneven backlighting on the upper middle and sides of the lcd screen - this is most noticable on a black screen (such as Windows bootup splash screen) with the lcd tilted at around 60-70 degrees compared to horizontal
- I haven't tested keyboard flex but I'll write more when I test
- I tried for hours to create recovery disks for Vista Business, but I kept getting "disk drive busy" errors (using the x200 base + sata dvd multi drive) on product disk 1 and 2. I called Lenovo and they're sending out a set to me so that I can get started on an XP Pro install.
- I can't seem to locate my bluetooth device in the device manager, and Windows reports no bluetooth devices in the connection manager - my box/build list shows "BT w/ Antenna" (but I haven't googled the part number yet) - I have no unknown devices (? marks) in the device manager

My main concern is the uneven backlighting. Anyone else experience this? I'll see if I have time to post a picture tonight.

 

When you say connection manager, did you try Fn+F5? I didn't find my bluetooth options until I used the hotkey.

I do notice a little uneven backlighting but only when I dim it down. Too be honest the screen isn't the greatest looking, but I expected that based on the reviews here. I'm thankful the screen is really bright though and the resolution is high.

 

I feel that I need to update my previous post, for your information and for my rights. after I bought my X200s and I sent the money to Hemini, they contacted me saying that the model is not available any more and tha that i can purchase another one similar but 100 british pounds more expensive. I accepted, but realized later on that the two models are absolutely identical. the only difference is that the more expensive one is assembled on request, the other one is preassembled. So be careful. I feel i just lost 100 GBP....

 

Wow, that's harsh. Reading your previous post, I felt a bit stupid for ordering from the US and paying custom duties, but in the end I guess there is definitely no 'cheap' way of getting the X200s in Europe.

If it is any consolation to you, I immediately forgot the ordering problems, the high price and taxes as soon as I got the machine in my hands. It really is a great little laptop. My work involves typing a lot of text, all day long, and the fantastic keyboard, the high resolution screen, the silence and the fact that the machine stays cool no matter what - all this vastly improves my working conditions, compared to my previous laptop.

Battery life is decent but a tad worse than what I expected ( Lenovo for not making a topseller model with a ULV CPU). In particular, I am surprised by the power draw of the WiFi. As it is, working in Office with WiFi enabled, Opera running with about 20 tabs and half brightness, I get about 3-3,5 hours on the 4-cell. If i disable WiFi, I can get almost an hour more.

I have not tested the 6-cell extensively yet, but I hope that I can get 6-7 hours out of it after optimizing the CPU with RMClock.

 

I got my preassembeled X200s for a pretty good price via Lenovo's student program in Germany.

 

That's a good point. I saw wifi enabled and just assumed bluetooth was also turned on (via hardware). The bios had the bluetooth turned on, perhaps it was just not on by default in Vista, which would be strange.

Anyhow, I did a XP install from the Lenovo recovery disks and bluetooth was installed automatically and all is well.

I still notice the uneven backlighting. More updates to follow. I'm now trying a clean XP install from scratch and then loading x200s drivers manually.

 

Wifi using "a lot" of power should not be surprising. It is a wifi...3-3.5 usable hours on a 4cell is quite decent. What processor do you have? It is my understanding that the x200s are lighter because they use less cooling materials for the ULV processors.

 

I have the SL9400 (LV, 1.86 GHz), locked to the lowest p state. I originally wanted a ULV but they are not available in preconfigured models, and I had neither the money, nor the time to order a CTO machine.
As for Wifi, I know it shortens battery life, but what surprised me is the difference in battery life between with and without Wifi. On my previous laptop, I got 5,5-6 hours with Wifi, 6,5-7 without. With the X200s, the difference is proportionally higher.

 

Does anybody have a SL9400 with a 9-cell to compare to my SU9300 9-cell battery numbers? I have the option of upgrading (long story) from my 1.2Ghz SU9300 to a 1.83Ghz SL9400 if I want... but I would like to know the power/battery-life comparison.

Here are my Passmark Performance Test numbers:
x200s - SU9300 1.2Ghz Core 2 Duo, 250GB 5400rpm WD, 2GB ram, Windows XP Pro SP2
Overall = 397.6

x60s - L2400 1.66Ghz Core Duo, 320GB 7200rpm Seagate, 4GB ram, Windows XP Pro SP2
Overall = 425.7

(the CPU benchmarks were similar with the x200s winning some and the x60s winning some but all within +/- 5%)

--------

Battery Numbers for x200s (1.2Ghz SU9300, 2GB ram, XP Pro SP2 clean install, 350MB physical memory on Windows startup, 9-cell battery, Intel 5100 wifi, Bluetooth):
[wifi maximum power/transmit - 31.6mWh]
( 0 brightness) 6.46W-7.27W used - 13:45 hours approx at idle
(15 brightness) 9.19W-9.65W used - 10:00 hours approx at idle

[wifi minimum power/transmit - 1.0mWh]
( 0 brightness) 5.41W-5.98W used - 16:30 hours approx at idle
(15 brightness) 8.12W-8.40W used - 12:00 hours approx at idle

[wifi/bluetooth off]
( 0 brightness) 5.01W-5.64W used - 17:30 hours approx at idle
(15 brightness) 7.24W-7.80W used - 12:30 hours approx at idle

----------

Can anyone else posts numbers that will compare apples to apples? I'd like to research to see if I want to upgrade to the SL9400 and what the power advantage and battery-life disadvantage will be...

 

Owl1979 -

I don't have an x200s, but I may be able to help some. I have an x200 Tablet with a 1.86GHz C2D LV processor. Further specs include 2GB DDR3, 320GB Hitachi 5400RPM (w/ Truecrypt volume encryption), Intel Wi-Fi 5100, Bluetooth (off for battery tests), Windows Vista 64 (used passmark 64, I also have XP Pro [w/o Truecrypt] on this macine if you truly need an apples to apples test).

Max performance power plan (1.86GHz) = 558.2 (472.8 Integer, 699.8 FPU, 476.5 Prime, 455.3 Grapics 3D Simple, 1252.3 CPU Mark, 327.7 Disk Mark)
Max battery power plan (≈800MHz [does the SU9300 go below 800MHz?]) = 225.0 (157.5 Integer, 241.3 FPU, 167.2 Prime, 270.0 Graphics 3D Simple, 434.6 CPU Mark, 223.4 Disk Mark)

Higher numbers may even be possible as Vista and Truecrypt each introduce a bit of overhead (Truecrypt during sequential reads/writes, and Vista in memory usage).

I have been having a bit of trouble getting my power usage to stabilize. At times I have been able to get down to 6 watts, but the same settings and same usage sometimes chews up as much as 11 watts. I don't know if this is the fault of Vista or what, but it can be annoying (moves me from 11 to 6 hours of battery life [the 8 cell is only 66 WHr]).

However, I have been able to draw these general conclusions about battery life on my 1.86GHz x200 Tablet (these may not equate to the x200s due to differences in the screen and other hardware, so take them with a grain of salt).

Ideal Conditions (screen at 0, processor at idle, minimum background tasks):
Wi-fi minimum power/transmit - approximately 5.5-6.5 watts
Wi-fi off - approximately 5.25-6.25 watts
Digitizer pen - Δ2-3 watts
Max vs. min LED - Δ4-5 watts

I would say the choice of LV or ULV depends on your usage pattern and how long you plan to keep your x200s. If you mostly run applications that are bound by user input or outside forces rather than processor speed (web browsing, document work, coding [not compiling], etc) and intend to replace the laptop within two years; you may be more satisfied with the ULV due to the tremendous battery life it is offering you. Conversely, if you intend on keeping your x200s for three years plus and/or run a wide variety of applications (including those that are clearly CPU bound like file compression, media transcoding, and compiling) you will be more satisfied with the 1.86GHz LV due to the increased power and only small decrease in battery life.

 

I get approx 10 hours of battery life surfing the web or using Word or LaTeX or similar on my x200s with the SL9400 processor at around 6 brightness.

I had to go into Vista power settings and set the power management for wi-fi to maximum power savings; before I did that, I got about 7 hours.

 

I've had my x200s for about 6 weeks and so far I love it. To address a couple of the questions people have had:
1. There is no flex in my keyboard. It feels solid as a rock. Great feel on the keyboard too.

2. The 9 cell battery lasts around 9 hours for me doing typical web browsing, Word and Powerpoint (Max brightness and close to max performance). Drops down to around 8 hours on more HD intensive tasks with max performance. I have both the 4 and 9 cell, but the 9 cell stays in most of the time. It sticks out the back and adds about 40% more weight, but still insanely portable system.

3. The native resolution is very readable (and this is with my increasingly bad, late 40 year old eyes). I was pleasantly surprised with this. Thought I'd have to switch to a lower resolution when I was working.

Hope this helps.