A lot of our readers have been clamoring for details on the updated “classic” ThinkPads, but Lenovo was unsurprisingly mum about those during CES. Thanks to our fellow ThinkPad-lovers in China, we have at least a bit of information about one forthcoming ThinkPad update: the X220.
Unfortunately all we have are these photos, with no other details to accompany them. While it is assured that the 2nd generation Intel Core processors (aka Sandy Bridge) will be powering this little beast, we don’t know about any other updates like an onboard DisplayPort output or battery options.
What we can tell from the photos is that the X Series will get the revised keyboard design first seen in the T400s, with the larger Esc/Del keys and redesigned touchpad. The system control buttons (Volume, Mute, etc) are also updated and the system status LEDs (below the display) have been simplified like the T400s as well.
If you take note of the hinges, these are substantially different from the hinges on the existing X201 models, leading me to believe we are looking at an entirely new chassis. With this change in chassis likely also means a shift from a 16:10 12.1-inch display to something with a 16:9 ratio. Given Lenovo’s love of the 12.5-inch size in both the IdeaPad U260 and ThinkPad Edge E220s, I would not be surprised to see it in the X220 as well.
That’s all we have for now ThinkPad-lovers, but stay tuned here for the latest on the new ThinkPads. And be sure to get the best ThinkPad X220 deals & coupons at LogicBuy.
Source: [51nb] via [Cloned in China]
{ 26 comments… read them below or add one }
16:9 displays have arrived in real Thinkpads. May be Lenovo did a study and found that an overwhelming number of X20x users watch movies all day long on their Thinkpads.
@anon:
, especialy on a 12”, rofl
About time, !
However, it is not the fisrt time Lenovo does not communicate on thinkpads at CES….
We could be lead to believe Lenovo does not want anybody to buy them…
Looking at the photos I could not detect the ThinkLight, which in my oppinion is a core feature of the ThinkPad line. Also there is no blue label on the PgUp-Key where should be one for enabling ThinkLight. Hmmm…….
The observations made here make me kinda happy that I’m ordering my X201 now – and are forcing me to contemplate bumping it to the I7 just for longevitiy. I don’t want a Thinkpad with a 16:9 screen ratio, I prefer the old style Esc-Del keys, and using my current netbook for the past few weeks has made me pine for my ThinkLight – I didn’t realize just how much I used the thing.
Of course, when the X200 came on the scene, I swore that I’d never buy a 16:9 widescreen laptop manufactured by a Chinese company that bought my beloved Thinkpad moniker. I’ll change once I have no choice.
I’d prefer 16:10 (or 4:3) too, but since it’s 12.5”, as opposed to 12.1 of X20x, maybe the physical height stays the same.
you guys are overreacting. the screen is larger, its 16:9 since height is the same, but width bigger. all that can be is a good thing even though I prefer 4:3 screens.
You are still losing vertical resolution. 16:9 12.5″ display has 1366 x 768. In 16:10, WXGA is 1280×800 and WXGA+ is 1440×900. In prehistoric times, SXGA+ in 4:3 format was 1400×1050. This can’t go on forever, but looks like it will.
It won’t go on forever, for we’re not hares and don’t have a 360 degrees FOV. But, yeah, the tendency is pretty disturbing. Then again, maybe we’ll be able to move all the toolbars to the sides and win back some vertical estate. I mean, the interface paradigms aren’t carved in stone either.
Who doesn’t have the taskbar running to the right already by now? Even my Acrobat Reader has the navigation pane stuck to the right. However, there is a crucial limitation to such “verticalisation”: Western languages can be barely written top-down. Word toolbars can barely be verticalised.
You do realise that only height matters ?
Recall in 4:3 we have 1400×1050 to get something just over 1000px, now in a 12” view, we have to get a 1.6*1050 = 1680px in width…..which implies super high DPI.
How preposterous is that ?
So44ing HD !
I hope you guys realize this is a (bad) photoshopped Thinkpad. Check this little vital detail out: It has the T410 style latch release but a distinct lack of hooks on the LCD end like the T410. Ultranav has the lower two buttons deleted for some reason (Why?). Additionally if you look at the left and right mouse buttons attached to the keyboard between all three shots, you will notice that in the first shot there is the curved profile in the bezel like the T410 whereas the follow up shots lack that detail.
Ah but you are wrong about the latch, thats not the space for the latch, but a space for the SD card reader. Thats where its been on every ThinkPad since the T6X era. Also, it could be Lenovo is opting for a button trackpad combo like in the current Apple MacBook Pro’s. Also that curved bezel is still in the other shots.
http://www.engadget.com/2011/01/12/thinkpad-x220t-images-surface-looks-exactly-as-youd-imagine/
What’s the matter with that glossy screen? It looks worse than an Asus notebook.
You realize I own a T410 right? I know the SD card reader is below and NEXT TO (Right side) of the latch release.
Integral buttons using the surface of the Touchpad is a terrible way to implement “additional buttons” compared to using the Synpatics drivers.
Just like the X220t image, this is all trash photoshops (Go look at the “leaked” T410s with “dual thinklights” that happens to be missing the latches.)
These are photoshops from people who have bad ideas about Thinkpads compared to the actual design team.
Im sure this image is photoshopped, just like those first leaked images of T400s were.
X220 specs
http://translate.google.com/translate?js=n&prev=_t&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&layout=2&eotf=1&sl=zh-CN&tl=en&u=http://product.pconline.com.cn/notebook/thinkpad/446062_detail.html
Nice find, but I think it’s purely speculation. They neglected to mention if it is VGA or DisplayPort out. We know Lenovo will no longer be supporting VGA out.
Too glossy, I like the old cover
Another question: Will this work on the x200 ultrabase?
Are we looking at a refresh on docks as well?
Its look like we are:
http://shop.lenovo.com/us/products/professional-grade/thinkpad/x-series/x220/index.html
New dock station at the botom of that page
And the right side USB port at the bottom? Epic fail.
Lenovo has documentation that proves the existence of a 12.5″ X220.
http://shop.lenovo.com/ISS_Static/ww/wci/us/ww/pdf/x120e_datasheet.pdf
Scroll down until you see the comparison between the X120e and the X220.
the picture is the real deal – i had a play with one of these last week. screen res on the version i had was 1366 x 768.
there are no latches as the lid is now magnetic
I didn’t see a Thinklight on the X220 either. It’s been one of my favorite features of Thinkpads I’ve owned. If this one does not have a Thinklight I have no idea what Lenovo is thinking! For me the small light is a key feature and the lack of it will free me to look at other alternatives when shopping for my next laptop.
ThinkLight IS available!
Look a the keyboard and webcam section at the bottom of this page:
http://shop.lenovo.com/us/products/professional-grade/thinkpad/x-series/x220/index.html
Should have been compared to the MacBookPro NOT MackBookAir. like comparing apples to… forget the pun. but the x220 is a MBP SB supposed “killer”, though i cant figure out why the mbp gets better graphics from the same hardware GMA, is that the OSx and openCL ?
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