About a month ago, Lenovo ran this same sale for only one weekend. Now the sale is back, and the great news is it runs through October 15th! (Or 20,000 coupon uses, whichever comes first) This is one of those opportunities that doesn’t come around too often, making for a chance to pick up ThinkPad’s best models (in my opinion) at an insane price.
Every single one of the X Series models is on sale, with $200 off X200/X200s, $430 off Tablet, and a whopping $690 off X301.
This deal is valid until October 15th or after 20,000 coupon uses!
Without further ado, I’ll take you through the various base configurations of each model, the resulting discounted price, and any freebie upgrades currently running:
Windows 7
To start off with, there is one change most of you will want to make on every single model here: upgrade to Vista Home Premium for $49. This gives you a free upgrade to Windows 7 in October. You could also spend another $30 ($79 total) and upgrade to WinXP Pro downgrade, which gives you all three operating systems for only $79. Talk about a bargain. Of course, if you’re never going to touch an MS operating system once it arrives, then Vista Home Basic is your best bet. And no, you can’t get a refund on Windows.
RAM
All of these systems are also configured with 1GB RAM, which of course will not suffice. The $45 charge to get a single 2GB stick isn’t bad, but for about $30 you can add one yourself and come out with 3GB RAM (which is max usable on a 32-bit OS). You make the call on what is worth your time and effort.
How to get the deal
Click on the bolded name in each section below to configure your desired ThinkPad Series, then add it to the shopping cart and enter the following coupon code (with no spaces before/after): USPXOFFER
ThinkPad X200
- Core 2 Duo P8600 2.4GHz, 1GB RAM, Vista Home Basic
- 160GB 5400rpm HDD, ThinkPad WiFi (BGN), WWAN upgradable
- 4-cell battery, 1 year warranty
- $799 on sale
Currently Not Available ThinkPad X200s – Celeron
- Celeron M 723 (1.2GHz), 1GB RAM, Vista Home Basic
- 160GB 5400rpm HDD, ThinkPad WiFi (BGN)
- 4-cell battery, 1 year warranty
- $699 on sale
- Core 2 Duo SU9400 (1.4GHz), 1GB RAM, Vista Home Basic
- 160GB 5400rpm HDD, ThinkPad WiFi (BGN)
- 4-cell battery, 1 year warranty
- $799 on sale
X200 analysis
The X200 models are an amazing value. Their battery life is so long that you won’t mind the 4-cell battery, but I’d recommend moving up to the 6-cell for $20. It doesn’t stick out the back and nearly doubles runtime. Remember the X200 series don’t have optical drives, but the Ultrabase slice that adds more ports and an optical bay can be included for $100, which is half off regular price.
The slimmer, lighter X200s is finally available with the WXGA+ screen once again, along with the better UltraConnect II antennas. Unfortunately it has a month or longer delay, so weigh your choices carefully.
- Core 2 Duo SU9400 (1.4GHz), 1GB RAM, Vista Home Premium
- SuperBright WXGA LED backlit LCD
- 160GB 5400rpm HDD, ThinkPad WiFi (BGN), WWAN upgradable
- 4-cell battery, 1 year warranty
- $1099 on sale
- With new multitouch display: $1224
- With new outdoor viewable display: $1274
X200 Tablet analysis
The Tablet is the only one to come with Home Premium, due to Basic not having tablet functionality. Once again I recommend the higher capacity battery, this time an 8-cell, and if you ever might want the Ultrabase it is also a $100 upgrade.
You can choose to forgo the default SuperBright LED display and save $75 with the standard wide-viewing-angle LED display. The new outdoor viewable screen option, which we took a hands-on look at here, is the most expensive display, with the new multitouch panel coming in at second most expensive. I’m writing this post on the outdoor viewable model and the screen is AMAZING. Look for a full review this coming week, but if you have the coin I highly recommend it. Of course the multitouch adds amazing interactivity with your tablet. Decisions decisions
ThinkPad X301
- Core 2 Duo SU9400 (1.4GHz), 1GB RAM, Vista Home Basic
- 64GB SSD, Intel WiFi 5100 (AGN), Bluetooth, WWAN upgradable
- 3-cell battery, 1 year warranty
- $1199 on sale
X301 analysis
Perhaps the most surprising price amongst them is the flagship, ultrathin, feature-filled ThinkPad X301. However, there is indeed a catch. The 7mm thin DVD burner that some might opt for runs a hefty $225 and not far behind is the highly recommended 6-cell main battery for $150.
Conclusion
This sale is just a little colder than the previous one, as there are less discounted configuration options and the uber-cheap X200s with Celeron M processor isn’t currently available (likely due to availability shortage). Regardless you’re still getting an amazing notebook at a significant discount. If you’re considering this, it means you looked the gift horse in the mouth last time. Don’t do it again!
{ 13 comments… read them below or add one }
I wish this deal had the option of the SL9600 processor. What does it take to add that as an option? Who care if you charge through the NOSE for it but give it as an option!
Well it’s not just this deal, Lenovo doesn’t appear to offer the SL9600 on the X200s or X301 at all right now.
Will the SL9400 likely have worse battery life than the SU9400? Do you think the 9 cell pack is too large?
It’s great that the WXGA+ screen is coming back for the X200S. Also interesting that the ultrabase at $99 seems to be an ongoing deal. It’s useful but $200 was just too much for it.
I think you are right, the 6 cell pack makes more sense if it’s the same physical size as the 4 cell. There is never such a thing as enough battery runtime, but for very extended use, external batteries like this one are starting to look attractive: http://bixnet.com/unpowbat.html That is a 150wh pack for $200 that should have the equivalent of 16 cells or so.
The Low Voltage chips will have worse battery life than the Ultra Low Voltage, but not by much. Also remember with the increased clock speed, stuff gets done faster and the CPU can spend more time idle. It balances out reasonably well in the LV/ULV range.
I don’t think the 9-cell is too large, but honestly I have not seen one in person or used one. Per the specs, it adds 0.9-inches to the front-rear dimensions of the machine and I think about 0.34 lb. You could always look for a used 6-cell for the portability (6-cell does add a bit of thickness to the machine in the rear) and keep the 9-cell for long-run situations. 10+ hours of battery life is quite enticing for less than an inch added…
For some reason Lenovo doesn’t offer 64 bit premium for the X200 multi-touch. When I go to upgrade to windows 7 will I be able to get the 64 bit OS? Thanks
Well according to Lenovo’s Win7 upgrade page, they ship you an upgrade DVD. It looks like this means it will move you to the same version you have and preserve your files & apps (assuming you’re coming from Vista).
That said, I don’t know what else you can do with the upgrade DVD. As far as I know, the license keys are good for 32-bit or 64-bit, but it could be that OEM keys don’t apply to both. Also you will likely not get the 64-bit installation of Win7 and at the very least would have to get your own and use the included key.
I’ll try to get some details from our Lenovo contacts.
P.S. I don’t see Home Premium 64 on ANY ThinkPads. Some IdeaPads do come with it (when equipped with 4GB RAM). However Business 64 is available – I would just get that to reduce any hassle with the Win7 upgrade, only a $30 upgrade.
Trying to decide about whether to get the X200 or not. I really like the price, performance, size, almost everything about the X200. However, I’ve used the X200 and X200s a bit at work and find the short wrist rest sometimes hurts my wrists or causes me to contort my fingers in an uncomfortable way which leads to finger pain.
Has anyone else experienced this with the X200 or X200s and do you get used to it?
I’ve used the X series since 2001. I did have the symptoms you described but I found adjusting the height of my chair (upwards in my case) solved the problem.
I really want to be able to use it on my lap in tight situations, however, like on an airplane, a train, or while sitting in the audience at a seminar or presentation where no table is available.
I’ve not experienced what you have described, but I haven’t used it when not on a desk much. I guess I have used it sitting in a recliner or on a couch and had no such discomfort. I do have rather large hands & long fingers, so reach or strain isn’t an issue for me usually.
One slight correction. The versions of the X200 series I’ve used — the ones that hurt my hands — were all tablets. Is there a difference between the tablet keyboard / palmrest and the non-tablet? In pictures, it looks like the non-tablet has a slope.
Unfortunately, this very nice offer seems to be only for US customers.
I wouldn’t mind snatching one X200 myself at these prices…
N.F.
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