X220 - awesome IPS screen!

New X220 owner. I've owned countless Dells and several MBP and currently a MBA, this is my first Lenovo (or IBM for that matter). The IPS difference is striking! I've owned couple of IPS desktop monitors, but never on a laptop. The difference is noticeable on a desktop monitor but nowhere near like a laptop where there's constant movement. How am I ever going to go back to a regular screen One of these laptops has to go can't decide which one..

 

welcome to the dark side

 

I can't tell you which one to let go from the picture... but the one in the middle is certainly a keeper!

 

Excellent answer

All my SSDs are 9.5mm. There's really no good reason why they're not all 7mm. I'll have to rip one apart to put into the X220.

I am still in awe by the excellent vertical viewing angle. It is most practical to not have to constantly adjust the viewing angle.

 

x2, there is no way I can part with my x220. I know the one on the left, whats on the right?

dremmel the 4 bumps. I have a 720gb 9.5mm in mine. go see the x220 mod thread in the lenovo forums
http://forum.notebookreview.com/lenovo-ibm/583998-9-5mm-hdd-t420s-x1-x220.html

 

The one on the right is a Latitude E6220.

I'll look into that thread, thanks for the heads up. I've been sitting here resisting breaking that dreaded "warranty void if broken" seal on this SSD.

 

Off-topic: How does the weight compare to the MacBook Air? Do you have the 9 cell with the x220?

 

I do. The weight difference is noticeable but not really a big deal at the same time since the x220 is still very light. I usually carry mine in a backpack or briefcase. I get about 9-10 hours on it with normal usage (Office, web and a maybe a bit of photo editing). I may get a 6-cell for the house since I saw it at Newegg for $80 or so.

@OP: It's a tough choice. The x220 is my first TP and also my first PC machine in a while (coming from Mac) and now I'm a TP/Win 7 convert. If you plan on mostly using Win 7 on the MBA then you should definitely go with the x220. Otherwise, just go with your gut.

 

With the six-cell the X220 is 3.3 pounds while the Air is just under 3. The nine-cell, it's 3.6 pounds.

 

I got the 9 cell. Like Zaz said it's around 3.5lbs. Being that the MBA's 3lbs is more spread out in its bigger frame it feels even lighter than the half pound difference suggests.

I can't tell since it's covered in the rubberized finish. Is the X220's shell and chassis plastic or some kind of metal? It sure feels solid if it's plastic.

The "headlight" to light up the keyboard is cool, but I think I prefer a full backlit keyboard.

 

No I'm not doing bootcamp on the MBA. I tried it on couple other MBP the touchpad is unusable. I really don't do that much on the Macs other than just messing around, the MBA and the mini are just "hobby". I am very sensitive (as in extremely picky) about the touchpad on any laptops, and touchpad on the MBA (any recent MacBooks actually) handles like a dream. I absolutely love the multi-finger expos'e/mission control/desktop switching, really awesome on the enormous trackpad on the mini. It is actually fun to use as oppose to ALL Windows laptop's crappy touchpads, even the best one is crappy compared to the Mac; but running bootcamp that lovely touchpad becomes worse than the crappiest ALPS touchpad on a PC laptop

At least the X220 runs the Synaptics touchpad although it's tiny.

Looks like the Latitude is outta here.

 

I found the opposite to be true. While the touchpad is large, the top 1/3 or so is difficult to press. Plus when you take out one of the corners for the right click, it makes the effective area of the touchpad smaller than the size. Lots of touchpad can do pinch to zoom and two finger scrolling. The Z830 I have right now can. It doesn't seem that special to me, but I suppose everyone is different. I find the stick to be superior to any touchpad. Your hands are never far from the keyboard and you never hit an edge using a stick.

Magnesium. I'd agree the Air feels more balanced because the heavier battery sits at the back of the X220.

 

I only seldomly use the trackpad because I find the nub to be better. Admittedly,however, I do occasionally miss my previous MBP trackpad.

 

I never click the "physical button" on the macbook touchpad or the trackpad. It's so smooth and responsive there's really no need. I tap exclusively same for "right click" with the two-finger tap. Forgot to mention the scrolling. On a PC laptop it's a struggle to get to to stop precisely where I want. I think this maybe an OS thing. On the Mac you can scroll precisely one pixel, on a PC you can get it to scroll one LINE but you can't go fast without readjusting the settings, set it to go fast and you'll blow couple pages past where you want to be LOL.

I set the stick to do scrolling, I can't use it as a mouse

Good to know it's mag alloy. I suspected that it is because it's so solid.

 

Zaz I just read your MBA vs X220 article. Great read even though I already have both You already know I totally disagree with you on the touchpad. Where else can you can the precise scrolling of the Apple pad? You can scroll a single pixel or fly through pages without lifting a finger, in fact you can scroll and go back/forth in the browser without lifting your finger.

I have no doubt the X220 is tougher. The MBA being so thin will not do well with the slightest drop or a hard bump, it will be dented for sure.

The X220 is great, it's a toss up with the current gen Latitudes. If I wanted to I can pound away at >80wpm, no way I can do that with the shallow MBA keyboard.

PS my MBA boots in 10 seconds from off. Not sure why yours took >20s.. I might go the mSATA route on the X220.

 

I'd say there's nothing wrong with disagreeing. I think most people prefer more key depth in my experience.

The stick is very precise. My complaint with the touchpad isn't the gestures, but the stiffness of the button. Perhaps I'd learn better if the Air was my notebook, but all you can do for a review is use it for a bit then say what you think. That was my opinion.

I timed the boot sequence with the stopwatch on my iPhone. It took 22 seconds or so, I didn't do much to it. It was pretty much stock.