Panasonic CF-MX3

With almost no media attention, a new Let's Note has been launched:

ƒŒƒbƒcƒm[ƒgMX iCF-MX3j | ƒpƒ\ƒRƒ“iŒÂlŒü‚¯j | Panasonic

Essentially, the MX3 has the same design as the AX3, but is slightly larger (12.5"), has a DVD drive and a digitizer which supports pen input.

There also is a premium version:

レッツノートプレミアムエディション(CF-MX3) Core i7 高機能｜パナソニック ストア（旧マイレッツ倶楽部） | CLUB Panasonic

Maximum storage is 512GB SSD and 8GB RAM.

 

That's awesome. It looks like a better version of the ThinkPad Yoga.

I'm quite sure it's also made in Japan unlike other most other computers as well.

Any word on when or if it's coming to the USA?

Edit: It even has a user replaceable battery!

 

There's such a thing as a laptop which doesn't have a user replaceable battery? I thought Apple reserved that feature for iPhones.
CAP

 

You really do have some hate for the Thinkpad Yoga don't you? Seriously how does that look better then the Thinkpad Yoga, its not even any different besides the disc drive which is of little use to most nowadays.

 

Panasonic laptops are made to a higher standard than ThinkPads.

Does MADE IN JAPAN mean anything to you?

The MX3 also has more ports than the Yoga does and seems to have a better touchpad.

I use discs more than most people so the disc drive is not of little use to me.

The ThinkPad brand seems to be dead and there are only a few companies which make better built laptops.

 

Lenovo and other companies have laptops without user replaceable batteries. It's a new trend that Apple made popular.

 

backlit keyboard?

 

I contacted the US branch of Panasonic and they said if you import this model , you aren't going to get warranty service in the US.

 

I don't think so... this page provides some more details, including pictures of the motherboard:

[PR] Panasonic¿·½Õ¥ì¥Ã¥Ä¥Î¡¼¥È¥æ¡¼¥¶¡¼¥ß¡¼¥Æ¥£¥ó¥°¤ÇLet's note¿·À½ÉÊCF-MX3¤ò¿¨¤Ã¤Æ¤­¤Þ¤·¤¿ - Digital Life Innovator

No backlit keyboard, but there is a separate keyboard cover for the tablet mode.

 

Thanks for the pictures!

dealbreaker!

 

Yawn.....
10 char

 

You sure it has Wacom or even a digitizer? This video from Panasonic themselves makes it seem like it isn't - the cursor doesn't appear until the pen touches the screen, and it doesn't disappear when you lift the pen away from the screen. Wouldn't that mean a capacitive stylus?

レッツノート MX3シリーズ 便利なペン操作編(37秒) - YouTube

CF-MX - This is the pen's own product page. Doesn't look like any Wacom pen I've seen either. It doesn't cost as much as any Wacom pen either.

 

This....
10 char

 

None of my Panasonics from Japan - S9, J9, J10, or LX3 have had backlit keyboards. Not a problem.

 

For you maybe... I bought a very nice CF-52 and built it up with an SSD, max RAM, etc... I ended up giving it to my Mom as it didn't have illuminated keys... Something that I have come to need after years of working on the CF-28/29/30 series.

 

Oh my gosh, I am obsessed

This laptop is perfect for me!!

Nothing else exists which meets design tradeoffs so perfectly for what I am looking for:

• Just 2.5 lbs (lighter than a Macbook Air)
• A durable toughbook made in Japan
• 12.5" 1920x1080 screen (with slim borders around it, not too fat)
• Incredible battery life, and the battery's hot-swappable!? And you can get a charger to charge the spare battery while the other one is in use, that's crazy.
• Amazing port selection! VGA+HDMI, two USB3, SD card, gigabit ethernet, wireless on/off switch, separate headphone/microphone jacks
• Flips around and becomes a tablet, with digitizer pen!

I'm in love.

Cons:

• Crazy expensive
• Only for sale in Japan!! ergh, so hard to purchase / expensive to import and maybe impossible to repair
• Japanese keyboard

The exclusivity only makes it seem more desirable >.< I'll need it sent to New York.

I'm definitely biting the bullet and ordering one. Maybe it will be a miserable waste of money, but I need to know if this is the perfect machine As soon as I find a reasonable way to import it. I asked conics.net for a quote on custom-ordering one (I want a specific configuration you can choose on the panasonic.jp site) but they never replied. Instead dynamism.com is being helpful to get a quote, I'm just hoping the price is not astronomical.

It will probably take at least a month before I get my hands on it, but if/when that happens I will take lots of pictures and write a review!

 

I don't mean to dampen your spirits or anything - but I'd check again on that pen. It looks more like a small tipped capacitive pen rather than a proper digitizer pen: CF-MX

Sure as heck doesn't cost as much as a digitizer pen does either (1500 yen, or 15 USD).

Also a pretty good chance that this uses the same panel that is prone to image retention on the Dell XPS 12, TP Yoga and even Q704 to some extent ( Interesting Adventures with New Fujitsu Q704 Tablet/Convertible | Ed Tittel).

 

Whoops, didn't realize there was a difference between those terms. Good point, the pen probably is not very good, especially compared to the ThinkPad Yoga or the Sony Flip/Duo. Thanks for the heads up.

Hmm. I thought Panasonic made their own screens, but you're probably right, I should track this down carefully to make sure it's not one of the cursed LG's. Hard since there's so little information about the MX3 that isn't in Japanese (google translate only gets me so far)

Are you suggesting this problem due to the 12.5" size? Do you have another reason to suspect Panasonic is using LG screens?

 

I am sorry for my intervention, but finally I see someone who ready to order MX3 :thumbsup:
First of all, it is not so hard to went through bying rootine.
You have several options.
Dynamism
Rakuten
ec-club.panasonic.jp
Using rakuten and ec-club.panasonic.jp may cause You to using of forwarding service like tenso - it is not hard.
Also, dont forget about accessories like hand strap and KB cover.
Thanks for Your attention and good luck with Your purchase!

 

IIRC only LG currently make 12.5 inch 1080p panels for laptops ATM. There doesn't seem to be any other makers that I know of.

 

Here japanese videos about MX3:
レッツノートMX3がやってきた。その２（AX3と比較） - YouTube
レッツノートMX3がやってきた。その１（開封編） - YouTube

 

Did someone knows does english BIOS exists for this machine?

 

Wow, I think you're very right. I don't think anyone has an MX3 in this thread, but I'd love for someone to check the display manufacturer in Window System Information or w/e.

As I posted in the ThinkPad Yoga forum, this seems to be a problem with IPS displays in general, but especially ones made by LG and especially at the 12.5" size. Sigh. I'm not sure this is even an avoidable problem.

My regular use-case is probably the worst possible for exhibiting the image retention problem: I switch between light-on-dark vs. dark-on-light display modes, spending sometimes hours on one or the other in full brightness and then sometimes switching quickly between them. In addition they sometimes display sensitive information that I need to obscure quickly. So it would be problematic for me to drop $3k on a non-returnable, non-fixable Japanese import laptop only to find it manifests this problem even after a year of use.

And there aren't many other products on the market that quite suit what I'm looking for. Maybe the Fujitsu T904 is my best bet, although it's bigger and heavier, the IGZO display at least is made by Sharp and not LG!

 

Not sure about the CF-MX3 but the CF-AX3 enables you to set the language to English in the BIOS.

Sent from my CF-AX3NETBR using Tapatalk

 

Even though I have the LX3 and really like it, the MX3 is more what I want - except it can't have 16GB of memory like the NX, SX, or LX. All of the Panasonics weigh about the same (~2.6 lbs), so it's a matter of form factor and features.

 

There is no topics about LX3, so I am asking You here.
Do You use docking station? If yes, which one did You choose?
Do You have WWAN in LX3?
Thanks.

 

http://forum.notebookreview.com/panasonic/730123-new-nx3-sx3-lx3-announced-japan-3.html

I don't use a docking station. Have no use for one.

WiMAX is built in but I don't use it.

 

There is single card for WiMAX and Wi-Fi or two separate?
Thanks.

 

infzy

Unfortunately, MX3 experiences the same problem:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u1EvC3f0GYQ

 

Did you link the wrong video? That just shows the viewing angles, with and without the privacy-filter screen accessory. I can't identify any image-retention (if that's the problem you're referring to).

Thanks though, I'm still waiting for the Thinkpad Yoga and Dell XPS12 communities to identify that they are getting updated panels from LG that do not exhibit image-retention. A bit after that happens I'll take my chances that hopefully Panasonic would be using the fixed panels as well. Otherwise I can't trust that they won't get bad IR.

 

Imo this laptop is prone to broken keys/keyboard due to the fact it will be laying on its keyboard when flipped. Bad design.

 

Infzy
Check 0:35-0:40 seconds.
Flickering (image retention) trouble is extremely notable.

 

Flickering and image retention are two different problems. My understanding is that the flickering in the video has to do with the refresh mechanism of the camera that is filming and is not visible in real life. Though I could be wrong. Anybody else know about this?

 

As I realize, flickering appears only once because operator has decreased the brightness - this typically cause TP Yoga's screen to flicker too.

 

SPAM post reported...

 

Thank you Shawn, got all 3 of them.