X220 might have 1600x900 IPS panel option

Just discovered that some people posted a page here:
X220 will have optional 1600x900 IPS

The IPS 1600x900 panel could come along with Camera and 3G antenna.
nowhere to find the x220 graphics driver to download, but definitely a dream lappy would be.

My purse would bleed again!!

 

COOL! Thats one thing I was looking forward to seeing. The higher res better suits my needs. Too bad they cant fit 1920x1200 in a 15 inch. I'd be all over that! 1600x900 will probably be good enough though. Now I might pick one of these guys up before summer starts!

 

Nice if true! This might make me consider the X220.

 

Man, I hate you Lenovo....(rushes to save up for an x220 now) lol.

 

If this pans out to be true, it'll make the X220 a virtually perfect machine, I'd say

 

I can't wait to see if this speculation holds. Hurry up Lenovo!

 

Hmmmm. If this is true, and if that panel can live on until I can get me some quad core X series goodness - perhaps with the X221 - my next laptop purchase will be a no-brainer.

 

Holy crap! I should have waited for 6 months. got my x201 in Sep and look what I'm missing...!

anyways, I'm starting to wonder how the x series will look 5 years from now - that's when I'm getting my next one.

 

Add a discrete gpu and it is perfect in my book.

 

x series will never add discreet graphics.

Plus didn't SB IGP beat out Quadro 3100M in 3DMark benchmark? lol

 

X200s/X201s has a ppi of 140. HD+ in a 12.5" screen is 146. No thank you even if it's a no cost option over standard IPS. OS scaling still is glitchy, eg. some of vbullentin subforums are original size, some are enlarged.

I wonder how many of the people calling for HD+ res in this size screen have used screen this size with such high ppi. Eye strain galore.

 

Yup... 1600x900 on a 12.5" screen is too dense for me. But I guess it's a option that can shut a lot of whining mouths up.

 

It's individual preference, really. If I had an X220 with a 1600x900 screen, I'd probably use it on standard DPI settings.

My X120e has a DPI of 135, and I can read everything on the screen very comfortably, without the least eye strain (and I have far from perfect eyes; I wear contacts). I feel like I can handle even higher DPI screens with no issues (1920x1080 on 15.6" is also no problem for me), and I'd welcome being able to fit two side by side pages in Word on a 12.5" machine.

 

Count me amongst the skeptical.

 

I want something from Lenovo that is comparable to Vaio Z. Probably never though.

 

Me too! I am not sure if I could actually work with this res on the 12.5" screen.

 

You're right, but 146 dpi is just extreme. The T400 is 120 dpi and the X200T was 125 dpi, both were very usable. 140dpi in the X200s/X201s too much. I think the sweet spot may be around 130-135, but there's no res in that range for this size screen.

I read that Sony bumped the dpi by 25% in higher res Z models. That indicates that even manufacturers recognize the impracticality with high pixel density for most people

 

Damn, I thought that my new T410 from work would hold me over. If this happens I'll have to make the jump. Although I would almost prefer 1440x900, I'll take what I can get!

 

Really curious as to what will be user reports if this turns out to be true and if it turns out to be worhty option, then I hope it wont cost arm and leg and wont sell out quickly as X201 panels did.
In that case I will be happy to know that there is a hope for 12" laptops with bigger than HD vertical resolution

 

The MacBook Pro 13" (2011) model that comes with HD 3000 got around 4500 points in 3dmark06.

Lenovo T410 with Quadro 3100M gets around 3600-3700 points.

I know its not the most exact comparison, but still

So why would you want discrete graphics in the X series??

(although it should be noted, that most games are not optimized for Intels graphics, and may not even work properly. But this might change with time as the integrated graphics solution gets better and games start supporting it / driver updates are released).

 

On the note if someone is skeptical, if you do a search on LEN40E3 (the identifier visible on the image) you will find a link to WindowsUpgrade.net which lists this as a monitor with 1600x900 resolution.

If you go through all the trouble to follow the links you will end up on Microsofts site. From there you can download a .CAB with the monitor drivers. If you extract the .CAB file you will find the same INF file that was seen on the picture. Looking inside that there is indeed a reference to this mysterious 12.5" high resolution IPS panel

So there indeed seems to be support for a 12.5" IPS panel with 1600x900 resolution in the drivers. That of course does not mean that it will be generally available, it could be that they were experimenting with different options at Lenovo.

But lets keep fingers crossed

 

I'd say: hopefully never.

 

I feel like this is going to cause some serious eye strain.

 

Well it should be an option, only some people have problems with higher res screens and eyestrain. If you have a problem with eyestrain, you can buy the HD screen, if you can handle the higher DPI, you can buy the HD+ screen. I hope Lenovo does offer this as an option.

 

Not to burst bubbles, but if you look at the rest of that file, you'll note a number of resolution/size/panel type combos that pretty clearly never shipped...

 

As perfect as can be!

 

3100 and 4200 are garbage gpus. you are right, they are useless, but that doesnt mean *ALL* discrete gpus are. dell crammed a GT335 in an 11", so anything is possible.

 

It also weighs well over 4lbs. You're very close to T420 territory there.

 

Actually this option would make the x220 for many of us perfect.
I am getting, for example, headaches when reading on a HD-Screen on a 15" Notebook, but it is fine on a 11" NB.
Don't know for 13" tough, since I don't have one, but the screen (and DVI/DP/HDMI port, lack of) where K.O.'s for lenovo ultraportables.
I was just about to get a Vaio Z (because of the superior screen), but I think I'll wait now.
Let's hope Lenovo brings that HD+ screen!

 

[email protected] = 146.86 DPI/PPI
[email protected] = 147.02 DPI/PPI

I don't think it's too dense

 

Yeah, thought about it too, I mean - 1024x600 resolution on 11.6" screen was also mentioned there, doesnt seem like Lenovo nor chinese knock off masters will ever release laptop with such big panel and such low resolution.

But the fact that both IPS and regular 12.5 ThinkPad HD+ panels are mentioned gives some hope

 

which ones?

Anyone have the file in question? I can't find the updated Thinkpad monitor file on Lenovo's website. I only found the current one and it has no mention of the X220 screens.

 

Two examples that I found right away:

Code:

%TPWXGAPF%  = TPLCDWXGAPF.Install,        Monitor\LEN4015   ; 12"   WideXGA+  IPS/FFS           1440x900    F

and

Code:

%TPWXGA%    = TPLCDWXGA.Install,          Monitor\LEN4070   ; 13"   WideXGA   TFT               1280x800

%TPWXGA%    = TPLCDWXGA.Install,          Monitor\LEN4071   ; 13"   WideXGA   LED B/L           1280x800

%TPWXGA%    = TPLCDWXGA.Install,          Monitor\LEN4072   ; 13"   WideXGA   HPA               1280x800

As I read them, those two sections refer to a 12" WXGA+ panel using IPS/FFS and a series of 13" WXGA panels. I know of no such ThinkPads that shipped with panels like those.

 

Im not sure if it helps but there is at least screen shot from OP's link:

51nb

edit: 11.6" with 1024x600 resolution is an example of laptop panel that never shipped.

 

Windows 7 seems to bump up the DPI automatically for certain panels, as clean installs of Win7 on my T500 have the DPI set at "Medium" (125%) by default. My X120e, though, is set at the Standard DPI setting.

 

12inch FFS might be X200s/X201s (I don't know if they were FFS or not).

13inch laptops might have been a past (16:10) Ideapad. Some of those screens listed were obviously Ideapads (eg S10 1024*600 11.6 inch screen.)

I'm not really sure the screenshot is authentic. Could have been doctored pretty easily. Just a way to drum up hope

 

Could it be that those 13" mentioned are those from SL300 model?

 

Yep, Windows 7 does that. If the monitor / display panel reports its physical dimensions to the operating system, Windows 7 tries to determine the optimal DPI based on resolution and physical size so it would not strain your eyes.

Luckily all ThinkPad panels seem to be doing this. But I have seen 15" notebook displays with 1680x1050 (like what is in the T500) that will not scale automatically.

 

If this is really true, I guess I would have to see optional res in person to see if its really for me or not.

If it is true, anyone think the X220t would also get this as an option?

 

Ah! I forgot about that.

Ok, well there's still the IPS/FFS WXGA+ unaccounted for. That one I'm nearly 100% positive was never on a ThinkPad (the X200s/X201s models with WXGA+ screens used TN panels.)

 

Fwiw, that site has consistently been accurate with its X220 news. I think it was also the one that leaked the first T420s pics from CES and very first X220 pics.

 

With its product leaks, yes. But this seems more like a guess based on a string...

 

It's based on a supposed leaked inf file.

Only caveat is there's no way such a screen will be available on April 19 since Lenovo hasn't mentioned it anywhere in product docs so far.

I have no vested interest in this since I'll go for the HD screen even if this exists, but do hope they offer it since there seems to be a pretty healthy demand for HD+ in the X220.

 

Please let this be true...

Where's erik ("modifier") when you need a confirm/deny anyway?

 

I suspect this will turn out to be like the old 2048x1536 screen iPad2 rumors that were supported by a high-resolution texture file. We will see.

 

as much as i want a panel like this myself, the magic 8-ball says "outlook not so good."

 

Agh! Here's hoping you accidentally referred to your not-so-magic 9-ball instead.

 

This would be the present that if Lenovo would make, it would really stand out.
I would try the impossible: make a bank, and then break it, (almost anything to afford it) !!!

This is really due, as every other aspect of the notebook is evolutionary, and other notebooks evolve as well - that makes changes not really to stand out (the screen too would be progress as well, but one that is really overdelayed).

When discussing with other brands in order to really impress and be given the "Yes, that is true, you can't find that option anywhere else," you'd need something that makes it really unique visually and for production.
So, IMO, HD++ would make the Thinkpad an undisputed queen more than well endowed regular duchess.

Having a simple and very common 1366 x 768 would be such a drawback for me that I am considering avoiding another purchase until the resolution gets high enough DPI. (Using X61t sxga+ currently).

________________________

Than again, hoping against Erik's ball, perhaps Lenovo can finally do their best in resolutions again, at least on some models, as they seem to have taken a rather long break from it. It's been a while since the last of mohicans, the X61s sxga+, which I'm sure Erik is still proud of, or since the UXGA, (the WUXGA was nice as long as you were in darker settings).

 

I also hope we will not wait too long for a printer-like-DPI displays:
Samsung sees a Retina Display in your tablet future, and perhaps glasses-free 3D -- Engadget
Once the operating systems developers learn how to reconcile high DPIs with the legacy applications, the small font problem should finally disappear...

 

And that's when I will really happily welcome these high resolutions. Photos on high DPI displays look like a butter cream and it's a pure eyegasm to look at - but due to scaling problems, many software have problems with usability on such screens I hope they will make this happen!


M.