Review: Lenovo ThinkPad X201

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Pro’s: Powerful; low weight; great keyboard; runs cool

Con’s: Sub-par display; disappointing battery life

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Check out the latest coupons & discounts on the ThinkPad X201

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Design
Unlike several other ThinkPads this year, the X Series has not gotten a design refresh. The X201 doesn’t even get the new keyboard from the T400s that enlarges the Esc/Del keys. Accordingly, what you will get is the classic black rectangle design. The only change, which we will touch upon in more detail later, is the new option for a diminutive touchpad built into the palm rest.

The highly vaunted red stripes and blue dots are on the TrackPoint buttons and the sacred red pointing stick stands out in the middle of the keyboard. For ThinkPad purists, everything is right in the world. Others may prefer a more modern, “stylish” design, but such things are in the eye of the beholder.

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Keyboard
While Lenovo changed things up a bit with the ThinkPad T400s keyboard, and the SL, L and Edge models have a non-ThinkPad 6-row design, the X201’s keyboard is untouched. The full 7 row design, which is less cramped compared to X6x models thanks to the widescreen, is there in all its glory.

I’m glad to report Lenovo didn’t feel the need to cost cut the X201 keyboard and the tactile feedback is top notch as always. I was able to type quickly and accurately with no issues or adjustment. Some might get hung up on the browser back/forward buttons that surround the arrow keys, though you can change the function of those keys.

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Touchpad
The biggest news with the X201, aside from the new processors, is the optional touchpad. The ThinkPad X Series traditionally relied on the trackpoint as the sole pointing device, to avoid any compromise in the form factor or keyboard, making this a rather important update.

Lenovo of course made this change for the corporate world primarily: not having a touchpad can be an excluding factor when a company is researching vendors, so it is better to have than have not. This same story is why the T410 got four USB ports instead of the traditional three.

To avoid significant re-engineering, Lenovo opted to work in the constraints of the X201’s palm rest, aiming to modify only the palm rest to fit the touchpad. This simplifies things on their end and gives purists the option to have a completely touchpad-less ThinkPad X Series.

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As a result, the touchpad is a small one. The dimensions are roughly 2.4 inches (61mm) by 1.2 inches (30mm). This is a fair amount of room to do some casual mousing, but a hardcore touchpad user will be left wanting more space. At least the ‘pad’s performance is great, as are all ThinkPad touchpads.

While I am a die-hard TrackPoint user, there are times when it is nice to have a touchpad around. If I have been doing a lot of typing and mousing, it is nice to have an ergonomic change and mouse around without having to apply pressure to the red nubbin. Also, I find that if I am more consuming content than creating it, I prefer to more comfortably use the touchpad rather than have my hand more outstretched and engaged using the TrackPoint.

But, the real question is: would I pay the extra $20 for a touchpad? Indeed I would. It adds value for me, doesn’t compromise functionality and is reasonably priced. If you change your mind after the fact, a simple swap of the palm rest is all that is needed to change from one version to the other.

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Display
Screens are typically the Achilles Heel of ThinkPads and unfortunately the X201 hasn’t made up any ground there. While the 12.1-inch WXGA (1280×800) 200 nit panel isn’t terrible, it is plainly unimpressive. The colors all seem muted and dull. Viewing angles are also nothing special, but at least you aren’t left constantly adjusting the display angle looking for the “sweet spot” of viewability.

The impossible-to-find X201s model has a WXGA+ (1440×900) screen that at least improves upon the barely sufficient resolution found on the X201, but as stated the X201s is a veritable ghost in North America. I’ve seen posts indicating it is available in other regions like Japan, where an even thinner, lighter laptop is in higher demand. In fact, the Japanese market is the reason the X60s was born in the first place.

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Multimedia
Being a ThinkPad, the multimedia part of our review is rather short. The X200 series received dual speakers, up from the mono speaker found on the X6x models. While the speakers get reasonably loud, they won’t overpower any significant amount of background noise and lack the depth found in larger systems.

Also being an X Series, the optical drive is not integrated and only available with the optional X200 Ultrabase. The Ultrabase also gives you a DisplayPort output, which will now carry audio with it and can be converted to HDMI if you prefer. There is an ExpressCard/54 slot, so you can add additional functionality there if you prefer.

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Features & Technology
One of the hallmarks of the traditional ThinkPad models (excluding the “new” ThinkPads like Edge, L and SL) is that they all share the same or very similar robust feature set. This is especially impressive in the ultraportable X Series, which truly offers nearly every feature of the larger T and W Series.

Not only do you have a full array of ports and an ExpressCard/54 slot for expansion, but the X201 uses the full-power Intel Core i5 and i7 processors. There are no ULV or needed here, this 12.1-incher has all the processing power of its big brothers.

Connectivity & Ports

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Left side (front to back): ExpressCard 34/54 slot; WiFi switch; always-on USB 2.0 port; Ethernet; VGA output; USB 2.0 port; fan vent; AC plug

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Right side (front to back): USB 2.0 port; headphone jack; microphone jack; modem; Kensington lock slot

Software Preload
Part of this text is lifted from the T410 review, as the X201 preload is not significantly different.

The ThinkPad X201’s preload is relatively free of junk and trialware, with the main eyesores being the Office 2007 trial and Norton Internet Security 90-day trial. There is the usual conglomerate of Lenovo utilities, which are hit or miss for real usability. The Power Manager and Access Connections programs are always handy, although Windows 7’s network management is plenty sufficient for most people. The Power Manager in particular makes controlling your system’s performance vs battery life trade-off quite easy.

Lenovo is thoughtful enough to include some DVD software from Corel, for both burning discs and doing at least basic video production to burn to a DVD disc. DVD playback is handled by the usual Intervideo software, which gets the job done, although is not my favorite.

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Battery Life
While the X Series has always prided itself on mobility, that doesn’t necessarily mean over the top battery life. I remember back in the day a certain low end consumer notebook could get amazing runtime, thanks to a massive 12-cell beast strapped onto the back of it. Such a design would not fit into the ThinkPad ethos and compromise functionality, which is why the despised 9-cell battery of the T400 was phased out after only one generation.

When putting the X201 through our usual paces of heavy web browsing and extended Netflix watching, the 6-cell battery lasted about four hours. You might be able to stretch a bit more of runtime out of the 56Whr 6-cell, but the 84Whr 9-cell option would last 6 hours in the same circumstances. If you don’t mind the extra half inch protruding from the rear, the 9-cell is a great long life option.

I think the 2010 Core iX processors are to blame for the decent, yet unimpressive battery life. I’ve got an X200 around here somewhere that seemed to last quite a bit more on the 6-cell battery, to say nothing of the 9-cell. Considering the anecdotal evidence of certain other Core i7 laptops running excessively warm and that the ONLY changes to the X201 were in the processors (and of course motherboard) and touchpad, I’m rather disappointed in the new Core chips’ power management.

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Real World Usage
Lenovo has a consistent theme going with their traditional ThinkPads: high on features, low on heat & noise, and few compromises except the display. That really sums up using the X201, as it does most other ThinkPads. It is plenty fast and only lacks discrete graphics for performance. Despite having the same full power Core i5/i7 chips stuffed into it, it stays plenty cool and mostly quiet. The display is works and you won’t be fidgeting for that ideal viewing angle, but it doesn’t earn any accolades otherwise.

I am always wishing for more pixels when there are 1280×800 onboard, and I would have appreciated a bit more runtime on the battery, but otherwise the X201 is a joy to use on the go. The screen is understandably a bit small to serve as your sole display if its parked on a desk, but is appreciated when mobile, even if it’s on your couch.

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Conclusion
If you are shopping for an ultraportable, you need to consider Lenovo’s ThinkPad X201. If you are shopping a $1K+ full size notebook, you need to consider the X201. The ThinkPad X201 can do nearly everything a full-size notebook can and will disappear into your bag without a second thought.

The X201 can do just about anything you need and manages to stay just above 3 lbs while doing so. The few people who need an optical drive on a daily basis won’t appreciate the 1.6 lb, 1-inch thick Ultrabase that also adds $200 to the price tag. However, at just over 4 lb and 1.8 – 2.4 inches thick, the X201 is at or below the size of most full size 14-15 inch notebooks and can drop its weight at any time.

While I can’t point out any one glaring deficit in the X201, it’s major downfall is just that it’s not as standout as the X Series once was. The chassis is very diminutive in your hands, but on paper is not terribly small. The performance for the size is great, but battery life pays that price. And let’s face it, not everyone loves a black rectangle as us ThinkPaderati.

Another point of concern is that the X201 design is getting long in the tooth. Lenovo is due to update it soon, so hopefully when Intel comes out with some more power-concious processors we’ll see a sleek new X Series with a trick chassis and properly long battery life. If you’re looking to max out an X201 now, you might consider the future proposition.

Lastly, when you are shopping an X201, don’t forget to watch for the 15-20% off coupons. With the Core i3-powered X201i starting at $999 normally, it is hard to argue against an $800-850 ThinkPad X Series.

Check out the latest coupons & discounts on the ThinkPad X201

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