I’ve used thinkpads since my late 90’s 240 and my current daily driver is a x230.
Firstly, don’t worry about the new keyboard. Yes, it may take a bit of getting used to and is definitly slightly worse than the old ‘standard’ but it’s still one of the best laptop keyboard out there.
If you look at the x240 and on wards they are, most definitely, worse. Single channel memory, fixed batteries etc etc.
Hence the issue here. All I want is a x220/x230 type device with a 1080p screen, a good keyboard and 4+ hours battery life.
It really is. I prefer the X62 as well as the guy that reviewed it, but both are definitely expensive. Not really any different in price than an actually new Thinkpad with similar specs though.
I went through a phase a few years ago where I really liked my T420s. Really, really liked it. I bought a couple parts laptops, swapped cases and motherboards, did a (very expensive) 1080p mod, and probably a few other things.
Eventually I just got tired of throwing money at it. It broke easily (the magnesium case was very brittle). I blew up a couple motherboards from all the tinkering. The fan ramps up to full speed shortly after boot for no reason. Now it just sits in a bin with all the spare parts.
I’ve been using a Dell Latitude E7440 for probably three years now. Absolutely rock solid. It shows plenty of wear, but nothing is broken.
If you really like the laptop and the form factor I’d say go ahead and get a new keyboard and look into the screen upgrade. Just know there’s probably going to be a point where you realize you’re getting diminishing returns. The Sandy Bridge platform is getting long in the tooth really starting to show age. My minimum now is 4th gen Intel. 5th or 6th if you really want to get some time out of it.
If you’re looking for opinions on what could replace the X220, I’d suggest a Latitude 72xx series. 40 through maybe 60 are good models. Some of the XPS 13 laptops may be good, too, but I don’t have direct experience with them.
Oh also 51nb (same guys that do the X62/X210) have an X230 FHD mod that replaces the 1366x768 12.5" with a Sharp 1920x1080 13.3" panel as well as a properly programmed 7-row IBM keyboard. So you get an Ivy-Bridge i5/i7, 7-row keyboard, and a 13.3" FHD (sadly TFT, I thought it was IPS) with the slimmer X230 chassis.
I’ve been looking for something as described too, and have similarly been disappointed by ultrabooks currently offered. My thought is to look at enterprise-grade off-lease items. The build quality and feel is so different, and the much lower price is a great bonus.
One additional requirement I have is linux compatibility.
Here’s a list of models I’ve considered:
HP Folio 1020: aside from disliking HP, the pressure-sensitive touchpad doesn’t work in linux for multi-touch or scrolling, so I’ve crossed this one out.
Lenovo Thinkpad Yoga 12: nice to have tablet mode, but comes with soldered RAM… why? Still tempting but I’d really prefer upgradeable RAM.
Lenovo Thinkpad Helix: Interesting idea of detachable tablet + keyboard dock, but again flaky linux support for the features of this niche product makes me look elsewhere.
Lenovo Thinkpad X250: seems like a solid option, haven’t looked into its pros and cons much yet.
Dell Latitude E7250: seems robust, no tablet mode, but some have 1080p touchscreen.
Nothing is decided, but I thought I’d share the list and feedback. Several of them have already been mentioned and I get the impression that the E7250 or X250 might be the most practical options.
All of these are available at around $300 CAD. As cool as the 51nb mods are, I can’t really justify their cost.
Another factor to consider is that Thinkpads often have whitelist for hardware…grrr. Not sure if Dell uses such tactics. If not, that would be a strong point in favor of the E7250.
Not sure how much a touchscreen is important to you, but I picked up a Thinkpad T440 for 165 bucks all together. Linux Mint, Manjaro, and GhostBSD have all installed just fine on it, and 1080p screen. Mostly bought for Linux and image testing. Not as bulletproof as some other more ruggedized laptops or older enterprise designs.
That seems like a great price for a T440, depending on specs. It’s not too much larger than the 12" options, but I’m still looking for the most compact solution.
This is an interesting article comparing the X250 and E7250. X250 has flexible battery options, quieter fan, but only 1 SODIMM slot (!!?!). E7250 has 2 SODIMM slots.
I’d definitely want a 1080p screen regardless of the model. Touchscreen isn’t that important, though the option of having a tablet mode seems like a nice novelty, even though I’d probably rarely use it.
Very intriguing - despite their keyboards taking a nosedive, they still the best pointing stick system, I’m glad they stuck with anti-glare despite being touchscreen, but touchscreen doesn’t do anything for me. Dual-channel is good.
This actually inspired me to take another look at their line-up, and I’m seriously considering the Thinkpad A485, which does have a swappable rear battery.
Might be a good choice for dual booting / light gaming. Although I wished they tested with dual-channel configuration, and updated their numbers for the new EUFI update. The E485 seems to also be an intriguing choice due to lower price and largely same specs, but no battery expansion option, however, it does reach 5+ hours under testing, and it appears to be replaceable, so could be alright.
Update: I mean, this is really tempting for a new laptop [E485]:
The ThinkPad E485 also offers a whole series of advantages that are not a given at this price range. The processor offers more than sufficient performance for most tasks… In addition, there is a decent IPS display (however, there might possibly be some small differences depending on the supplier). Particularly for the low price, we can recommend the E485 in any case. https://www.notebookcheck.net/Lenovo-ThinkPad-E485-Ryzen-5-Vega-8-Laptop-Review.415811.0.html
With a student discount, I snagged it for $455. That was super tempting. Then I realized I had a paypal balance, which is money I never use, so that sent me over the edge.
So after tax (~$502 shipped), I went ~$130 out of pocket thanks to that extra money in my PayPal account. Amazingly, that’s cheaper than my X220 (I grabbed for $180). I’ll still have to pick up an extra stick of RAM for dual channel, and an SSD, so I’ll probably come out even-ish compared to X220 I got so many years ago. I’ll let you know how it goes, and if it is a worthy successor to the legendary X/T series prior to 2011!
Nice, congrats! Do let us know your impressions of the E485, especially on linux. I just can’t believe they still ship out any system without an SSD.
The biggest change I’d want with the L390 is an AMD option. The APU’s strong graphics ability is great for balancing out what is typically the weakest part of this type of system. On the other hand the weaker CPU performance versus the i5-8250 is a bit surprising, even if not that big a deal, but there’s also the shorter battery life and higher power draw that are disappointing. The biggest factor that keeps me still on the fence with Raven Ridge is its iffy linux status.
I’m hoping Ryzen 3 U series is an improvement, but I suppose that’ll require about a year’s wait before it’s released, featured in devices, and available at sale prices.
Lenovo said the 14-inch T495 as well the 14-inch T495S will both feature up to AMD’s quad-core Ryzen 7 Pro 3700U chip. The Ryzen 7 Pro 3700U is built on a 12nm process and features four cores with symmetrical multi-threading as well as 10 Radeon Vega graphics cores. The chip is rated to dissipate up to 15 watts of thermals and has a base clock of 2.3GHz and 4GHz boost frequencies."
Lenovo said the new Ryzen Pro chips offered up to 4 hours more battery life than the same platform with the 1st-gen Ryzen Pro chips. Battery life, in fact, was probably one of sticking points of the original 14nm Raven Ridge Ryzen 7 Pro U chips.
Bonus:
Lenovo also said the new 2nd gen Ryzen Pros offer about 18 percent more performance than before, too.
Now to wait and see how linux compatibility evolves for the new Ryzen mobile.
