x200 screen

Hello,

I am strongly considering purchasing an x200, but have become a little confused about the screens.

Here is what I have gathered from reading threads and reviews:
- x200 and x200s have TN panels, which suffer from poor viewing angles
- x200s is LED, and thus brighter
- x200 tablet has AFFS+ LED, which provides great colour, good viewing angles, and is bright
- x200 "outdoor" tablet is very bright
- x200 multitouch tablet is faded and dimmer compared to the "outdoor"

Does this sound about right?
Please chime in if I have misunderstood anything!

What is not clear to me is: how does the multitouch tablet compare to the regular tablet?

Also, as an aside... I recall reading that the multitouch tablet has about 2/3 battery life compared to the "outdoor" tablet. Has anybody heard or experienced anything different?

Thanks!

 

Sounds pretty much like the full complete dissertation of the major pros and cons of various X200 type machines.

Multi touch allows you to use fingers, while the regular you would have to use the input pen. Regarding battery life, i would expected the other way around.... not sure.

 

That about runs the gamut, although the x200 Tablet is S-PVA rather than AFFS+ (still miles ahead of TN panels).

I have the original "SuperBright" unit and it is VERY bright (even good outdoors in most situations). The original (285 nit) SuperBright version is also "frameless' (edge to edge glass above display) while the newer Outdoor display is not. This is more aesthetically pleasing and provides a smoother writing surface.

I'm a little skeptical about that 2/3 battery life number actually. I believe it may be largely explained due to extremely immature drivers in the review unit (the 2-finger multi-touch has been out less than a month). When the pen is in range it draws about 2-3 watts more juice, my guess is the multi-touch panel wasn't going into sleep mode due to poor drivers. I would expect the difference in battery life to be limited in the final product.

The multi-touch is faded/dimmer compared to the extra touch layer. This is a standard compromise.

I have had the SuperBright (285-nit) LED frameless tablet for the better part of a year and have been extremely satisfied with it. I'd recommend getting that screen or possibly the new two-finger touch if you want to take advantage of Windows 7's new multi-touch gestures. I would only get the "outdoor" display if you plan on constantly using it in DIRECT sunlight, as my display is plenty bright for the shade or indirect sunlight. As an aside I had an x200 regular for about 2 months before getting an x200 Tablet and the display on the tablet is so much better that words cannot describe.

 

Thanks for your insight!

Are all the tablets S-PVA?

If only I could see each of these models in person...!

And if what you're saying is true about poor drivers distorting the true battery life of the multi-touch, then I would be much more inclined toward that version... but the uncertainty is troublesome...
I wonder when we could see this mystery solved?

 

All of the LED Thinkpad Tablets are S-PVA. The CCFL models are FFS.

Seeing them in person would be great, albeit borderline impossible.

I would think the driver issue would be fixed soon. The review unit was pre-release with Win 7 and Beta drivers. You should ask erik, I believe he has one of the new multi-touch panels, to quote his battery life / power usage and opinions of the display.

 

Oh, interesting... and confusing!
So from what I understand, the AFFS+ screens are the best?
How do the S-PVA and FFS compare?

and just to clarify again... sooo...
x200 = TN
x200s = S-PVA
x200 tablet = FFS
x200 tablet multi-touch = S-PVA
x200 tablet "outdoor" = S-PVA

This may be a stupid question... but is there any difference if I am purchasing in Canada?

I've pm'ed erik; thanks for the tip!

Interestingly, I came across this review: http://www.laptopmag.com/review/laptops/lenovo-thinkpad-x200-tablet-multitouch.aspx?page=3
which reports 7 hours (continuous web surfing over WiFi) on the new multi-touch edition, although it appears to have been tested earlier than the review here...

 

with AFFS, IPS, and S-PVA panels at my disposal, i can say that the X200T panel is excellent.   the best is definitely AFFS but i do 99% of my work on an NEC IPS-W panel (which is supposed to boost the accuracy of white -- the most difficult color to replicate).   i've been very happy with the X200T display and honestly can't find much negative to say about it.

battery life isn't an issue with the MT panel.   any of the LED tablet panels will have equal battery life.   the MT digitizer on the back doesn't change this in any appreciable way.

i get about 6~7 solid hours out of mine on one of the battery-specific power schemes and about 4 solid hours when doing heavier work.   keep in mind that i still have a 7200 RPM HDD in mine and haven't yet procured an SSD.   an SSD will allow me to pin the processor in low-power mode since drive access time will make up for it, plus the lower power consumption will stretch the battery a bit.

 

The x200s isn't PVA as far as i know. I think jon might have been referring to the led screens of the x200t.

 

Thanks for your input erik!

You mentioned that you have nothing negative to say about the x200t display; Are you in fact referring to the MT panel?
It gets confusing with all these models!

and a question for you or anybody else:
How much more battery life comes out of using an SSD versus HDD?

 

yeah - check my signature.   i have the brand new enhanced multitouch panel with two-finger input.

to me the X200T EMT panel looks like IPS.   unless someone told me it was PVA, i'd honestly never give it a second thought.   my last samsung S-PVA panel was blatantly noticeable in comparison.   the X200T EMT panel is much, much better.

 

I agree the panel issue is confusing. Also, just to clarify the x200s is NOT S-PVA (it's TN just like 99% of other laptops).

The SSD battery life issue is also extremely complicated. A good SSD will use about 0.2-0.5W less than an HDD when idle and 2-3W less when active. This by itself would be pretty good. However, it also lets you complete tasks faster thus allowing the CPU to throttle back down. Overall, I'd recommend an SSD if funds allow. It is a big boost to performance, a moderate bump to battery life, and has the added benefit of being vibration/rotation immune (a big bonus for a tablet that you may use while walking around).

 

What makes it more confusing and frustrating is that the Lenovo website leaves out these details!
Likewise for the SSD option.... (Thanks for the info, by the way)
It's not clear to me what brand/model SSD I'd be getting for a $520 upgrade! It doesn't really seem cheaper than buying it separately elsewhere...

Is it difficult to upgrade the hard drive later? (i.e. how accessible is the hdd, would I need extra modifications/adapters, does it void the warranty, ...)

 

Hard drives are user replaceable. And are not too difficult to replace.

If you are interested in an SSD I would certainly upgrade yourself.

 

Do you own a small Philips screw driver? If so, you'll be fine.

Upgrading the HDD to an SSD on your own is probably the right move for the x200 Tablet. It gets a little more complicated with the x301/T400s due to the 1.8" requirement, but the x200 Tablet is wide open with drive options.

 

Maybe I was asleep, but I just saw a new option in the X200s for a screen. The 3 options are currently

1) 12.1 WXGA (1280x800), 3x3 UltraConnect II antenna
2) 12.1" WXGA LED Panel, 3x3 UltraConnect II antenna
3) 12.1 WXGA+ (1440x900) LED backlight with the Next Generation ThinkPad Roll Cage, 3x3 UltraConnect ll antenna

1 and 3 have been around for a while. 2 looks new to me. Anyone know anything about that particular LED panel? Panel type, nits, contrast ratio, etc. I looked at the hardware manual and it appears to be FRU #42T0709, 42T0715, or 42T0715, but there's not much else on it.

I'm kind of debating between 2 and 3. "Next gen roll cage" worth the extra money?

 

Yes, option 2 is new (it was not there yesterday). The CCFL WXGA w/ camera option for X200s disappeared a few days ago, so now there is no way to get a built-in webcam on X200s.

I don't think the roll cage is the main feature for option 3; I imagine most people choose 3 because they want a higher-resolution screen. If you love screens with very, very high pixel density, then 3 may be worth the extra money.

Edit: It turns out that you can still get built-in webcam CCFL/LED WWAN-upgradeable options for X200s... IF you upgrade to the SL9400 CPU.

 

Great! thanks for the reassurance
I hope I can make a final decision on the model and options that I want in time for their "Seven Days of Deals" (assuming they have one for X tablets)!

Hmm... interesting how the SSD upgrade is now $380...! but I think the over all price has increased though, IIRC


By the way, what are your thoughts on the Intel Turbo Memory option, and the WiFi options (ThinkPad b/g/n Wi-Fi wireless LAN Mini-PCIe, Intel WiFi Link 5100, Intel WiFi Link 5300)?
(I feel like I should be starting a new thread for these questions...!)

 

Don't bother with Turbo memory if you get an SSD. It's worthless at best and counter-productive at worst.

The 5300 is better, but the 5100 (or possibly ThinkPad B/G/N) is more than enough for most users. Check the link in my sig.

 

Hi guys I have a question, I have ordered an X200t with the MultiTouch screen, supposedly the option "12.1" WideView MultiTouch + MultiView LED backlit WXGA panel [add AU$275.00]". However, after ordering I received an email telling me that it was incompatible with Windows 7 and that I would have to opt for a slightly more expensive option, which is listed as "12.1" MF WV WXGA TFT [add AU$308.00]", under the Lenovo site. I have been told that the functionality is exactly the same except the latter would support Windows 7, but I wouldn't have the slightest clue.

Is anybody able to shed some light on this?

 

I think the slightly more expensive version is the "Multi-Finger" multi-touch. The older one is simply dual input (finger/pen). The old one should work with Windows 7, but the multi-finger version provides enhanced functionality that only works with Windows 7.

Read this.

 

Okay thanks again for your insight

Huh... now I'm wondering if the model offered on the Canadian website is the multi-finger version...!
I just noticed that choosing the "ThinkPad X200 Tablet with Multi-Touch Screen" model gives different screen descriptions in the Canadian vs. US sites:
Canadian: " 12.1" WideView MultiTouch + MultiView LED backlit WXGA panel"
US: "12.1" Enhanced Multitouch WXGA LED Panel with Wide viewing Angle"

Lenovo really should spend a little more effort making these options clearer!

 

My brand new x200s arrived just one week ago. I'm sorry to say that I am a little bit disappointed, the main reason being the screen.
I got the 1440x900 one, which I guess is a LED screen (btw how do i confirm it?) and has two main problems:
- first, viewing angles are very limited, especially in the vertical sense, which is what I care about. Basically if I slightly move back and forth on my chair, I have to modify the inclination of the screen, or the viewing quality drops noticeably;
- then the native resolution is way too high on such small screen; if you are thinking that you can scale it down to a more eye-friendly one though, think again. The alternative resolutions 1280x768 and 1280x720 result in a stretched image (not the same ratio) and in much less defined image quality (I can't explain, you just have to see to appreciate how bad they are)

My previous laptop was a x41 tablet, and it's my only comparison.

 

All 1440x900 displays on the X200s are LED-backlit, so don't worry, you got an LED screen.

You probably should have done your research and realize that a WXGA+ 12" screen has too high of a DPI for you. In any case, it's too late now, so try this: rather than scaling down your resolution, which does not work well on LCD displays, I would suggest going to the DPI settings in the Windows Control Panel and upping the DPI. I believe default is 96 - you can try going to 120. That should make all text larger.

 

That's good advice. Scaling on fixed pixel displays (especially laptop LCDs) often yields VERY poor results. You are far better adjusting the DPI or using the zoom feature of your application.

Sorry to hear about the vertical viewing angles. However, that is a common failing of TN panels (especially of the grade used in the x200 ). There's not much that can be done there except move to a x200 Tablet with a FAR better S-PVA panel (as a reference your x41 Tablet was FFS and again of far higher quality [albeit dim and low res] than 99% of laptop panels).

 

That's what I did. It helps, but not much. Also, a side effect is that small icons get pixelated a lot, but that is Windows' fault, not Lenovo's.

 

Who would have known it. Thank you for sharing this. In my ignorance I thought that after 3 years (and 2 or 3 generations of laptops/tablets) the new technology should be better and in the worst case at least on par with the old one.

 

Tabook shows that there's a regular X200 being offered with a LED screen.

 

Yes, now. But I do not expect it to be of substantially higher quality.