Low-cost replacement for my X270

[DarkStar88]

Scooped my x270 up for dirt cheap some years back as a tiny Linux box and now the battery's gone out for good. A replacement pack for it on Amazon is about the same as the laptop cost in the first place.

All I need is something with usb-C charging, a backlit keyboard and as small a form factor as possible.

Suggestions for a good used model to nab off Ebay?

[TPFanatic]

another X270, they surely haven’t gone up in value. Yoga 260, 370, L380, L390, L13 may be other contenders. these machines retain absolutely no value and the fair price is the cost of shipping it around + markup.

[DarkStar88]

another X270, they surely haven’t gone up in value. Yoga 260, 370, L380, L390, L13 may be other contenders. these machines retain absolutely no value and the fair price is the cost of shipping it around + markup.

I need to look for something at least a couple years newer in manufacture date or I'm just gonna be right back where I started.

[ZaZ]

If you just bump up to the X280 that;ll get you a low watt quad core offering significantly improved performance and battery life. I think the Gen 1 AMDs with the Zen2 core(circa 2020) are kind of the sweet spot for a used machine. You can get them in most lines - E, L, X, T.

[TPFanatic]

aliexpress may have cheaper batteries than amazon. they all come from china but if you buy from ali you skip paying for amazon’s overhead and real estate tax of the domestic distribution centers.

[DarkStar88]

If you just bump up to the X280 that;ll get you a low watt quad core offering significantly improved performance and battery life. I think the Gen 1 AMDs with the Zen2 core(circa 2020) are kind of the sweet spot for a used machine. You can get them in most lines - E, L, X, T.

I just got a x390 listead as a x395...fortunately seller offers free returns.

[ZaZ]

I was thinking more along the lines of the X13 Gen 1 with Ryzen 4650u or similar, which is faster than what you'll find in the X395. If cost is an issue you could bump up to the E14 or L14 for not much of a weight penalty.

[unix_joe]

I got an X395 for about $75 a few months ago. It was in rough shape but still an FHD version.

A new keyboard, an X1 Carbon glass trackpad, and a vinyl carbon fiber-looking sticker and it is a solid performer, "Baby X1 Carbon."

My only complaint, everyone said that it wasn't much bigger than the X280 but it is slightly larger in every dimension, meaning the tight-fitting tablet case that I used for years with the X280 no longer fits.

[DarkStar88]

I was thinking more along the lines of the X13 Gen 1 with Ryzen 4650u or similar, which is faster than what you'll find in the X395. If cost is an issue you could bump up to the E14 or L14 for not much of a weight penalty.

Yeah I'm drooling over the X13 Gen 1's but paying $200 vs ~$50 is a bit of a price jump.

[ZaZ]

I made what I considered to be a respectful, low ball offer for my L14 on eBay. Sometimes it works.