X201 or X220?

This question came up recently when in some thread, it was suggested that perhaps I should have waited for a bit and bought the X220 instead of my less than 2 week old X201 (specs in the sig.).

Of course, my response was I would have still gone with the X201 because of the screen res in addition to the fact that (1) it would take a while for th X220 to arrive at my location and (2) when it did arrive, it would probably be quite expensive in the initial months of its availability.

So, my question to you folks is this:

Given that we already know about the tech profile of the X220, if you had the option, would you buy the X220? Or, would you deliberately buy the X201?

Cheers!

 

Personally, while the X220 is definitely a fine ultraportable I think the only major things going for it over the X201 would be the IPS display, available mSATA drive, and the better Intel GPU. My personal preference would be to stick to the X201, especially if you're not really wanting to game and appreciate the(albeit few) extra vertical pixels. It's not certain how much more the X220 is going to cost over the X201, but unless you're planning on doing some gaming or some really intense CPU work, sticking to the X201 is a solid choice in my book.

 

Well it boils down to what you need. Of course I'm on the hunt for a ThinkPad ultra-portable so I am waiting for that x220t. and the IPS is a bonus.

 

While the X201 was fine notebook before the X220 came along you just can't compare the two. X220 is superior by a very long shot except the marginal vertical res loss. Considering the X220 starts under $900, there are either going to be some massive coupons for the X201 or a whole lot of them will end up in the outlet.

 

I am thinking from a more non-US-centric point of view where I will never get a X220 (or even a X201) at the price point that you quote.

 

Do you have any friends or relatives in the US? Even if you spend $150 to have it shipped from here to India, you'll likely end up with a much better deal than what you get there. Most machine types are IWS too.

 

While that is possible to do, it is not always a practical option. Plus there is the question of local taxes which one has to pay if one wishes to keep to the legal side of things (as I do).

In terms of technology, I can't see that much of a difference for a run-of-the-mill user (like me) between the X220 and the X201. True, longer battery life for the X220 (thanks to the SB chip, among other things) and there is that IPS option, but not much else. But then again, it is quite likely that I am missing out on some of the finer improvements that the X220 may be bringing to the table.

 

The big deals in the X220:

-Dramatically improved graphics. I don't game, but IGP will finally be able to handle MPC-HC shaders like Sharpen Complex for 720p and 1080p movies without bogging. Only reason I got switchable graphics was for this because of the dramatic picture quality improvement (these types of shaders are used in good blu-ray/dvd players).

-IPS, enough said.

-Battery life. Almost 8hrs out of the 6-cell.

-mSATA. No more having to choose between internal hdd or external hdd (ssd).

This is a lot of improvement. I know you're trying to justify the X201, but without a huge price disparity the X201 will always be a bad deal.

 

Ah...no, I am not trying to justify the X201. I just wanted to gain a sense of how folks here assess the two machines when making a purchasing (i.e., more rational than impulsive) decision. In my case, I had no choice but to buy the X201 - so no justifications necessary. It wasn't my money that paid for it either - it was a gift! And, as you can see, I have tried to maximize the specs while leaving enough cash to also buy an Ultrabase and an external monitor. So, again - no...I am not trying to justify X201.

 

You'll be hard pressed to find anyone going for the X201 unless they're really scrapping for those 32pixels.

 

Hmmm...interesting! I hope others also chime in with their opinions and perspectives. It will certainly be interesting to see what the trend of perceptions is. Don't you think?

 

The X201i is $909 and the X201 with i5 is $1029. Apart from 32 vertical pixels can you think of any reason anyone will go for an X201 over an X220i at $899 and X220 with i5 for $1000, which will likely have the IPS option costing $50 and be mSATA ssd capable along with the other improvements.

Look for big X201 coupons or a bunch of them in the outlet by the end of summer.

 

IMO benefits and shortcomings, judging by online specs and reviews:

X220+
IPS
battery life
bit slimmer
bit lighter
better IGP
running cooler than Arrandale

X220-
larger footprint
some might find cleaner design worse than X201 (for me, the older the design, the better, hence why X220 will take some time, one or two refreshes to grow on me )

X201+
tried and tested design and laptop
design matured, old schoolish to some extent
cheaper

X201-
Arrandale running hotter than Core 2 Duo did

 

Correct me if i'm wrong but I think the X220 also uses SATA III (6GB/s) vs SATA II (3GB/s) of the X201. It will come in handy taking advantage of extra bandwidth with compatible SSD's.

 

Another thing that many people fail to mention is the x201 has a latch. I just love latches on my laptop, they just given you a satisfying click when you close it. But I would chose the x220 if I have to chose between the two laptops.

 

In think this also depends on what you paid for you x201 ... True msrp to msrp the x220 seems to be the clear winner. But someone like me who buys from the outlet and sometimes the price difference can be huge. (for me I saved about 400$ on my laptop which was about 33%)

I think if you saved about 25% buying the x201 you did fine. But then again it all depends on what you paid for it.

There were some deals a few days ago for the x201 for about 660 which I don't think anyone will argue is a stellar deal if someone cannot afford the x220 or doesn't care for the difference.

I personally am one who docent care about the newer model if the older model is a good deal and capable of what i need for 2 years. This is a general rule for me (I got the first generation iPad just a few weeks ago)

 

+1

Hopefully they've executed the hinge/magnet latch well.

 

Nope it uses Sata 2.

 

+1...absolutely!

 

While I like the security of the latch, that's not nearly a deal breaker for me. My X120e works just fine without a latch, as the screen hinge tension is plenty enough to keep the screen closed. Screen latches are quite delicate, and often break later on in a laptop's life (although the Thinkpad ones seem quite durable)--the latches on my Averatec stopped working only 2 years into its life.

I would definitely get the X220 over the X120e. To be honest, 16:9 doesn't bother me nearly as much as it does many other people, although I would love to see a 1600x900 panel for the X220. If it were a decent panel, I'd probably get it even if it weren't IPS, for the increased screen real estate.

The main draws of the X220 for me are the increased battery life, nice screen, improved graphics capability, improved webcam, and generally refreshed design--all at a price that (in the US) is not all that high compared to the past few generations.

 

I just love the sound of the click when I close the laptop (for the same reason, I like some of the noisier thinkpad keyboard and the IBM model M), I have no doubt that x220 hinge is strong enough to protect the laptop if I drop it.

 

I never thought of the latch, but you guys are right about that .. I do prefer laptops that latch, feels re assuring to know it is closed.

 

Yeah...also, I do agree with what you posted previously about hanging back with newly released hardware. Usually, the upgraded specs on new machines go wasted on me because I essentially do nothing to exploit the advantages that they bring. The same is not the same with software though - I do like trying out beta (or sometimes even earlier) versions.

 

Non latched arent that bad. But Ill say the latch on my x200s is weird coming from the t400. Either way latch or not doesnt bother me.

 

Like a poster above, I also have an X120e, which does not have screen latch either. I do not miss the screen latch at all -- when I close the lid, there is never any doubt that the lid is securely closed.

In fact, when the lid is closed, the only way to open the lid is to use two hands: one holding the lid, and the other holding the laptop body. If you try to open the lid with one hand by lifting the lid, you will end up turning the entire laptop over, and the lid will still be closed.

I am sure X220 will be fine without the latches.

 

+1

i wouldn't be quick to say that the x201 is now a bad buy as some people seem to be hinting.

as nice as the x220 is, there are some tradeoffs and compromises in the design. for me, the main attraction of the x220 is the IPS screen and the longer battery life. what i'm not liking is the smaller HD form factor, slightly lower vertical resolution. the slightly longer width and latchless cover (i find a latchless cover harder to open...but it depends on the design) are lesser drawbacks but are drawbacks nonetheless. the buttonless touchpad would be a big concern for me if i weren't a long-time trackpoint user. i like the

msata and better graphics performance are features that don't really care about atm.

i'm very happy with my x201. i'd be content with waiting to buy an x220 until 2012. if a really big coupon was offered or if there were indications that the IPS screen might be phased out, then i would move sooner to buy one but i hardly think that i'm 'suffering' by using a x201 in the meantime.

 

Regarding the non-latch X220 (I have read and copied this from a pdf file posted in another thread):

Only one issue to address customer complaints - breaking latches.

 

I think i was the one whom suggested that lines of flight should have waited for the x220.

If the price of the machine is similar between the X201 and X220, then i would choose the X220, for the following reasons:

1. wider range of dock compatibility (you can now use regular dock 3 series).
2. longer battery life and more battery options.
3. IPS screen option.
4. Displayport on the machine itself.
5. Better keyboard (by a slight margin).
6. Obviously it also has slightly better cpu and gpu (which may not be important to some people with the X201).

 

@ lead_org...yes, in fact, it was you who cryptically suggested that I should have waited for the X220.

I agree with all the points mentioned here. But the only feature that really makes sense to me and one which would probably have made me opt for the X220 is the wider range of dock compatibilities. The specific dock for the X201 is a bit of a problem though one way or another, I will have to buy it.

Edit:

About the X220, I think the best time (for me) to buy it or its by-then upgraded variant would be sometime in the 2012-13 timeframe. Why? It would probably coincide with the release of the next version of the Win OS - which I believe is going to be "touch friendly". I would probably opt for the tablet version of the X2XX (or however it will be designated at that time). I can see how I am headed in that direction!!!

 

if i was getting a new computer, X220 for sure. i couldnt justify spending much more than 700 bucks on what would essentially be a secondary portable so i went with the X201. I was initially going to purchase the X120e

for me the big draw is the IPS screen. I just cant get enough of a good screen!