X220 V Macbook Air

Ok, I know this is a Lenovo forum but, being an ultraportable, the X220 is in direct competition to others of the creed. The MBA's (11.6" and 13.3") and are due to be updated in June, July, most probably with LV or ULV variants of the i5/ i7. Prices, especially the 11", are not far off the Thinkpads, especially if you bear in mind the included SSD. That said, if you upgrade the ram from 2GB to 4GB, it costs around £80 and you cannot do it yourself later.

Advantages of the MBA include:

OSX (depending on your POV, of course)
The 11" is said to be completely silent in operation.
SSD included!
High res screen in the 13" (1440x900)
Mag safe power connector
The speakers are said to be 'excellent' and better than in the MBP!
Very low weight (1.06 kgs in 11 and 1.32 kgs in 13)
Good screen and not very reflective, despite being glossy.
Great trackpad.
I think the CPU's turbo to not far behind the full voltage ones.
Possibly thunderbolt port in refresh
Unibody aluminium design.

Advantages of the X220:

IPS !
Full voltage CPU
8GB ram
Superb build, built like a tank
Amazing keyboard.
Very snappy performance
Good battery life.


Any opinions? (please not the mac v pc arguments, which are so, yawn, boring)


Face-Off: Apple MacBook Air vs. Samsung Series 9

MacBook Air - Buy MacBook Air notebook computers - Apple Store (U.S.)

 

You should also consider warranty. I don't think Apple has got 3 years warranty on their MBAs. Also, replacing and adding hardware is much more comfortable with the x220 than with the MBA.

 

Wouldn't this be better in the "What Notebook Should I Buy?" section?

And St4hli is right, MBA can't be upgraded much at all (there is a 3rd party SSD chip for it, but that's the only user-replacable thing in the MBA). Also, AppleCare doesn't have accidental coverage, while the Thinkpad (and most other laptops) have that option when you buy it.

 

You should also specify the intended use if you wish arguments for one or the other.

For example, if you want to do something that is Windows only (Visual Studio development), on the road, the X220 might be better because:
- running Windows natively on Macs is not optimal (battery life, etc)
- running in a virtual machine is eats battery more

In contrast if you want to do photo editing with Photoshop or web browsing, you can just natively run on the Mac.

There is no such thing as one machine being superior to the other in a generic way. You must specify how to intend to use the notebook in order to get good recommendations

 

Forgot to add that to the advantages. 3-years warranty is included in the price in the UK, although extra in the US. Accidental damage costs more though, I believe. Apple 3-years warranty is around £200. One other advantage of macs is excellent resale value

Yeah, you are right. However, I'm not looking for buying advice but rather a general discussion comparing and contrasting the X220 and MBA

Another advantage that's just come to mind is the battery is removable and upgradable on the X220.

 

My opinion: I'm waiting for the MacBook Air 13" 1400x900 Sandy Bridge refresh.

(My iPad 2 exists totally transparently in my bag and so will this Air. Being a technical person, I now refuse to muck around with my computing tools: they serve me, not the other way around.)

 

Lack of ports, and so far lack of a current processor?

All the points made above pretty much hit the nail for each laptop.

 

I really like the Air. It's light, well-built, gets good battery life, WXGA+ on a 13” is to die for, etc. Had I not bought a X220i, I probably would have gotten an Air. While I liked the two finger scroll, I though the clicking mechanism on the Air was a bit clunky. While two finger is good, scrolling on the stick is better. Perhaps it's one of those things you've got to warm up to. If you could somehow combine the Airness and 13” WXGA+ from the Mac, and the IPS and durability of the X220, you'd have just about the perfect notebook. The X30x was close, but the screen was only fair. If I could just get 1420x800 on my X220i, that'd be close too, but that's my only real complaint about the X220 and it's minor. My logical brain says it shouldn't be too different, but we'll see when I get it later this week. The biggest flaw for the Air to me is cost. It's significantly more expensive even factoring in the SSD. Sure you get more back when you sell it, but you're putting more in.

 

Amen!

Flaw? It's "money well spent."

 

Honestly it comes down to whether you want OSX or windows/linux and if the MBA has enough battery life for you. Other then that the only difference is keyboard feel and weight that will determine the laptop. Just my $.02
b

 

More interestingly, I think Lenovo has three products which approximate the MacBook Air's category. The X1, X220, and Edge e220s. The thing is, with Lenovo you can choose toward which metrics you want to skew your computing experience.

My notebook computing ideal is to have the smallest and lightest computer that still offers good storage and connectivity options, very decent processing power, and decent battery life. Having dabbled in the Mac world before, I was really focused on the likely next iteration of the Air, with a Sandy Bridge upgrade. But in the end, I didn't like the idea of being limited on ports, and having to pay so much for SSD-only storage (plus the Apple tax). In the end, I ordered a Thinkpad Edge e220s last week.

$900 (Canadian, before tax) got me an i7, 250GB HDD, 2GB RAM, Bluetooth, and a 2-year onsite+TPP warranty. I could make do with this, but I've had in mind to upgrade it with:

-$189: 80GB Intel 310 mSATA SSD
-$66: 500GB Hitachi Z5K500
-$40: 4GB RAM

Roughly $1200, and I'll have an amazing slim lightweight powerhouse (by my standard). The Air can't come close to touching that. I definitely see the merit of the X220 (though admittedly I'm confused over the X1), but I didn't need all that much battery life and performance (and didn't want to spend a few hundred dollars more).

 

From my understanding of what I've seen written on the NBR Lenovo forums, the X1 is for people who want the professional styling of Thinkpads, mixed with the appeal of consumer laptops (glossy screen, island-style keyboards, etc) that look modern and trendy, whereas the X220 is the true work horse, per se.

 

Is that a general reference to OSX v Windows 7 user experience?

In the case of the UK, the 11" MBA is a similar price to the X220i. The X220 i7 is more expensive than the MBA 13" here!

Interesting. We don't seem to have that model of Edge in the UK. It jumps from 11.6" screen to 15.6", unless I'm mistaken.

Battery should improve at least a little with SB CPU's.

Not really. One less USB 2.0 is not so different to the X220. Plus the rumour mill is earmarking the refreshed MBA to have a thunderbolt port (see below). Sure, there is no expresscard port but that's no massive loss.

Apple - Thunderbolt: Next-generation high-speed I/O technology.

The processor is due a refresh June or July (or possibly slightly later):

Intel Preps 1.7GHz and 1.8GHz Processors Suitable for Next MacBook Air - MacRumors.com

 

The upcoming 13" MBA w/ ULV sandy bridge and the current x220 were on my shortlist of ultraportable laptops. I ultimately decided on the x220 and here are my reasons:

1) Soldered RAM parts: I'm not comfortable with having RAM soldered onto the motherboard. Going from 2GB to 4GB (which should be standard) costs $100 from Apple.
2) Battery life: MBA gets fantastic battery life, but again like the RAM situation, there's no way to upgrade to larger capacities. With my 9 cell, I'm capable of getting 12-13 hours with wifi off and medium brightness.
3) The X220 "feels" sturdier. While the x220 cant compete with the MBA in terms of weight and size, the MBA simply doesnt "feel" like it could handle being thrown around in my backpack. Build quality is excellent for both laptops, but I prefer the industrial aesthetics and firmness of the X220's body.
4) I love speed. Full voltage processor i7 @ 2.7 GHz, up to 8 GB ram and 7200rpm drive with neglible loss in battery life. X220 easily wins the speed factor.
5) IPS screen. I thought Apple laptops had the best screens until I saw this one. (I'm a huge fan of matte displays).
6) Price, price, price. I would easily have to spend $500 more in order to get the 13" MBA that meets my needs.

Ultimately, the x220 isn't necessarily "better" than the MBA, and vice versa. They are both excellent machines, but for the appropriate user.

 

The total "user experience" cannot be confined to either OS X or Windows 7 alone.

 

Ok, I was just trying to get you to elaborate a bit because it was an interesting point.

 

I understand that, but the MBA series have fixed batteries and the x220 has a larger 9cell and possible slice if they haven’t removed it which would allow MUCH bettery battery life then the MBA.

 

Sure but if you value greater lightness, you might opt to use the 6-cell. In which case, they are closer.

 

Which is why I said its an OSX vs Windows/linux and battery life/keyboard comparison.

Honestly it comes down to feel, OS choice, and battery life. I love the idea of the MBA 11, but I cannot stand the keyboard and cannot work on the resolution provided.

 

I can see comparing the X1 and 13" MacBook Air but the x220?

Granted the x220 is classified as an "ultraportable" due to it's weight but it's a bit on the chunky side, twice as thick as the MacBook Air in fact. Even the X1 is considerably thicker. The x220 would be more comparable to the 13" MacBook Pro aside from the optical drive. Obviously there is not an exact match but I think comparing it to the MacBook Air is pushing it.

The next 13" MacBook Air should get the core i7 at 2.1 and 2.3 GHz. It's just too damn thin to allow enough cooling of anything more. The 11" model will likely get the ULV variant at 1.8 GHz. The MacBooks are cut from solid chunks of aluminum so I wouldn't worry about it being in a backpack. I've always been impressed with the unibody construction. I've never had any issues with flex even when picking it up from the lid. I haven't opened my x220 yet so we'll see.

I do wish Lenovo had made the X1 using the same 12.5" display size as the x220.

 

Have you ever held a 12in x series thinkpad before? My x200s is extremely light. As for "clunky" well anything will be "clunky" compared to the MBA.

 

The hot money is on the 5-2537M in 11.6" with BTO option for i7-2657M.

And i7-2629M in 13.3" with BTO option for i7-2649M


Source:
Next MBA Revision CPU (My Assumptions) - MacRumors Forums

 

What's the gpu on the new air? Is it still goin to be the geforce 320m?

 

Not a chance... If they move to Core i(x) chips, they'll need to use the integrated GPU only, to keep power draw down. They won't go discrete due to space and power.

 

I've just ordered an i7 X220 and the price I've paid (admittedly using the current 5% off voucher) taking the memory back to (MBA equiv.) 2 GB and dropping the fingerprint reader makes the price equal at £1122. Lenovo have a 6% cashhack deal with quidco, so another few bob off there (note to non UK readers: bob is a colloquialism for shilling, a unit of currency equiv. to 5 new pence or 12 old pence).

 

If you guys look at these rumored specs for the new intel i7 ULV processors, the graphics' base freq comes in at only 300 mhz with 1.2 Ghz max.

http://www.electronista.com/articles/11/05/20/intel.has.faster.sandy.bridge.ulv.chips.due.soon/

I'm very curious to see how it compares to x220's i7 with 650 mhz base to 1.3Ghz max.

And yes, I agree with the previous post, Apple will most likely not include a separate GPU. The entire point of sandy bridge is energy efficiency with much better integrated graphics. However, you could argue that Apple is taking a step back in terms of graphics benchmarks only since the 320m benchmarks slightly better than the Intel 3000.

 

I didn't consider you were ordering at UK prices. Here in the US I purchased a fully loaded i7 w/4GB ram for $990 (including tax).

Presently, a 13" MBA with 4GB ram would cost me a little over $1400 at student pricing and taxes included. Therefore price was a significant factor in my decision.

 

When I receive my Edge e220s, I'll run some benchmarks. It has the i7-2617M, a bit below the i7 chips in that link. (graphics at 350-950)

What should I run?

 

Yes much closer pricing in the UK. And us Europeans are well aware of your amazing X220 deals from the ordering thread.

 

since I own and use both alot I will offer my $0.02 as well.

Advantages of the MBA include:

Moot point 7 and OSX are just as stable, they trade off in some features windows wins for customizing, OSX wins a bit for out of box running.

Try running it hard it sounds like a mini jet.

True but unfortunatly expensive and crammed in too tightly I have had 3 fail due to the internal temps achieved. ( im a rather heavy user ) also very limited as to sizes and ones you can use. also you cant use a high end 7 mm SATA drive and only mPCIE

Agreed.

Both benifit and flaw, I seem to break more cables in apple chargers than I care to mention. also since it is propriatory it annoys me.

They are quite good I must admit. but the Cirrus logic chip gives bad sound quality unfortunatly like any other laptop

agreed but even as a wimpy girl its under 4 pounds .... big deal

ever tried using it in sunlight. it quickly becomes close to one of the worst screens for glare.

agreed but must add a disclamer, great in OSX, PITA in windows

incorrect, ULV cpus do take quite a hit in performance. in C2D, i 2010 and i2011.

Possible but still nothing to use it and it has a bunch of bugs to work out even with external displays. dont get too excited for another year or 2 on TB ports

I actually call this one of its biggest flaws, it scretches, dents and bends WAY too easily. I have quite a collection of broken parts and units from myself both MBA and MBP's


Advantages of the X220:

Agreed but do wish for a bit higher resolution.

agreed would have liked to see a bit better i7 but will survive for now.

huge benifit and FYI I can confirm it will run 16, I pulled my rather expensive RAM from elitebook to check it last night. all seemed to run fine.

and has the waranty to prove it, 4 year NBD is nothing to snease at

Agreed, it took me a bit to get used to as im used to MBP's and older thinkpads. trackpad is still taking a bit more to get used to.

Must concur, its actually snappier than my 2010 MBP 17" substancially ( minus the GPU )

Only good. for my work I get 9-10 hours on my X220, I get 3 with my MBA 13" toss on the slice and it doubles.

I was a gunea pig and decided to see if an X220 can replace a MBA and a MBP 13" for me personally ...... for my uses I say it does very easily and is a better choice. mostly because of warranty, upgradability of which the MBA has next to none, and the power/portability/battery and cost. to me it won all 4 categories

 

Here's a review of the X1 from engadget with 3DMark06 benchmarks that includes the x220, MBA 13", and Samsung Series 9.

http://www.engadget.com/2011/05/16/lenovo-thinkpad-x1-review/

I think it's a reliable starting point for comparisons.

 

as mentioned by some members earlier, a better comparison would be Lenovo's Thinkpad X1, as Lenovo made it specially to tackle apple's MBA. Although X1 still not as slim as MBA but it has a better built and toughest to it. The only area i think X1 will lose out to MBA is the screen resolution..

 

Actually, seeing that, it should be just a bit more than the Samsung in that comparison.

 

the screen res really is a downer on the X1 , fingers crossed there will be a high res option when they release the core i7 version

 

Do you miss the larger screen at all? That was one of my major concerns; for the moment I've gone with a 13.3 because I just haven't seen a 12.5.

 

Your signature refers to a 13.3", so I assume all your comments are about that and not the 11.6"?

The 13 or 11? I read that the 11 runs completely silently, although this may have been with regards to light duties only. And it was just one comment, mind.

That's a serious point. What sort of temps were you reading (light and heavy use)?

Better than the disappointing speakers of the X220, then!

I would rarely use a notebook in direct sunlight. How is it indoors?

I don't think anyone knows for sure how the new i5/i7 CPU's (assuming they use them) will perform until the MBA's are updated soon. They should definitely be better than the current Core 2 duo.

Yeah, and it's still very unclear about Thunderbolt's future, although I hear that Intel intend supporting it and USB 3.0. I don't fully understand how one could use it as a data and display port simultaneously . But if you could connect an esata or USB 3 adapter to it, then that would be a massive upgrade over current MBA's.

Apple - Thunderbolt: Next-generation high-speed I/O technology.

Interesting and very off-putting, although I again assume you are referring to the 13". I doubt the 11" would bend quite so easily. Anyhow, even Thinkpads aren't immune to wear, so I've heard, and it might not take too long to start appearing.

But the 4 years on site would be extra in most countries.

Only 3 hrs with the MBA? Not so good.

I agree with you about power and battery, although the CPU's earmarked for the 13" may not be as far behind as you think . The extra battery life on the X220 comes at a weight premium, which is not an issue for you but could be for some. The cost in the UK is about equal, as I keep saying. Portability is better on the MBA because it's lighter, no? You would need to use an X220 with 4-cell to compete with the 13.3". As regards the 11.6", no contest. . I agree though, the X220 is a superb notebook and I thoroughly enjoy using mine. Thanks a lot for posting your thoughts!

 

no I have not

I have both the 11 and 13" they are exactly the same except screen size. actually same motherboard part numbers and all. I rend to just generalize them together as there are pretty much no differences

11" is loud when hard pressed as well ( over 50% CPU usage for more than a few minutes )

light use for me is a corperate flash site, outlook and Word ... temps hover around 68c heavy use ( small video editing etc ) runs closer to 95C and this is not on one unit but 3 different 11" and 2 13"

oh certantly so, but hook the 220 to external speakers and its internal audio processor sucks .... less

depends on lighting, im spoiled by some very high end screens so I call it a little above average, I do find nasty glasres and reflections in some tuped of LET and CCFL lighting situations.

thats a given

yes and until we have Drives that can evven saturate 6Gbps on the SATA III bus or even USB 3.0 there is NO advantage to the thinderbolt port to run external drives where the big push after external displays seems to be. and IMO AMD does a better mult display system with eyefinity/Win7 than we will see in an Apple/TB port configuration for some time.

11" bends actually just as easily, one good bounce from the seat of the car to the floor resulted in a 10 degree skew of my screen. working with architects/engineers they make a good point about aluminum being the weakest/most maluble metal there is. but its cheap and easy to machine.

global, I actually had an elitebook ( not one in sig ) replaced in South Africa a few months ago.

even worse since the batteries are not quick and easy to change.... also charge times are twice twhat my other machines are.

thank you for reading and not going an a flame rant