Users complaining of bezel separation on Lenovo X60 / X61 tablets

Lenovo's X60 and subsequent X61 tablets were both pretty well received when they were first released, but it seems that quite a few users have since found themselves somewhat less satisfied with their purchase, with widespread reports of problems with the bezel cropping up virtually since day one. Apparently, the glue that holds the bezel to the screen has the unfortunate tendency to lose its stickiness, resulting in cracking and popping every time the screen is opened. While it doesn't seem that many users have had much luck with Lenovo's customer service, Lenovo's Tim Supples recently responded to comments on Lenovoblogs.com (scroll down on the link below) by saying that the company's "engineering teams are aware of the issue and are investigating." In the meantime, however, it seems that users are stuck with the unsightly flaw.

[Photo courtesy of Tablet PC Review Forums]

[Camperton @ Aug 22nd 2007 11:39AM]

Must be Apple's fault.

[Milo @ Aug 22nd 2007 11:55AM]

It used to be that when you bought a ThinkPad you knew you'd get a quality piece of equipment, designed by engineers for engineers. Sure, they weren't necessarily the prettiest (although I've always loved the simple look), or even the fastest, but they were all business, built like tanks, could take abuse like nothing else, and probably had the best Linux hardware support available at the time. Every engineer in my company used to have one or two.

The ThinkPad T40-series was probably the pinnacle. The T60s by comparison are cheap plastic crap that feel like they will break through normal use, with poor hardware driver support and crapware installed out of the box. Now you might as well choose whatever is cheapest/fastest as they're just as badly built as the rest of the brands. Lenovo bought a respected brand in ThinkPad and they managed to piss it all away chasing short-term profits.

[Matt @ Aug 22nd 2007 12:12PM]

You do know that Lenovo has been building the Thinkpad line since the late 90's right? You do know that the engineering staff has stayed the same, right? All the hate on the T60 is usually just a bunch of griping from people who don't actually own one, and used them once. They just assume that "now because it's built in china*, it must suck, lolz".

Personally, I've owned every generation of the T series over the years, and out of them all my T60 feels to be the best constructed, quietest, fastest, and overall best machine. My T43 was plagued with problems when I had it, it ran hot, the fan was noisy, I had issues with the LCD backlight which died after about two months.

My T60 (about 18 months old now) is just as solid, I will say even more so than previous generations of Thinkpads, hell, I knocked mine off of a shelf from about 6' up onto a hardwood floor and the only thing that cracked on it was a tiny piece of non-structural plastic where the power connector lives, it was even on and doing a virus scan at the time. Plus, the thing runs quiet, cool, and fast.

Now, every manufacturer has issues in the process of assembly, some bad glue, does that instantly make every product they offer Chinese plastic shit? Hell no, I'll continue buying Thinkpads untill someone really does mess up the design.

[Blackster @ Aug 22nd 2007 12:15PM]

those t-40 and t-41 had problems too ;)

tiny hairlinecracks in the pcb were the cause for massive freezes. a friend has afaulty t-40. he loves it so much, that his new one will be the same model again!

[ero1220 @ Oct 4th 2007 2:16PM]

I disagree with your assessment of the decline in quality of the brand since Lenovo took the reigns. I have had both the T42 and T43 models and currently use the T60. My initial reaction to the T60 was how much more solid it felt than the previous two I used, especially considering the beating it takes being haphazardly thrown into various bags with other equipment, being lugged around campus, etc. Compared to the T40 series it might as well be bulletproof. After nearly a year I still feel the same, hardware issues I had with both T40 models haven't cropped up, everything runs ultra-smooth and ultra-quick, just head and shoulders a better piece of equipment than the T40s overall.

[aron @ Aug 22nd 2007 12:04PM]

Meh. A problem or two, and they're made out to be the devil. Maybe they need to spend some time to let the engineers do a FMEA and figure out how to solution this permanently instead of just replacing the problematic unit with another one that'll have the exact same problem a few months down the road. Granted, I don't have a X61, but let's not all jump conclusions about them "pissing away" the brand.

[iforgot @ Aug 22nd 2007 12:05PM]

Nonsense. I'm using a t60 now. It's been a tank, traveling in a knapsack taking abuse on an extended trip with no complaints. Granted, with an unspecial OS (Windows). Every popular model has to go through this. It's a solid, lightweight, capable system with excellent features. Lenovo hasn't dropped the ball, yet anyway.

[John Wang @ Aug 22nd 2007 12:22PM]

I appreciate that this issue is finally under the spotlight. I look forward to a resolution.

[Ed @ Aug 22nd 2007 12:23PM]

For more information on what Lenovo is doing see: http://www.lenovoblogs.com/insidethebox/?p=93#comment-20043

They are working this issue with Product Engineers and are contacting individuals who post on the lenovo blog to track down the root cause of the issue.

[eng_518 @ Aug 22nd 2007 12:42PM]

The X60T series are experiencing other problems with the SXGA+ and MT/MV LCD panels also. Display corruption is by far the most serious.

I have a brand new X61T that has this bezel problem from the very first day. The LCD panels are flimsy. There is no solid framing around the screen to give the lid any rigidity. The single center mounted hinge is rugged and when you place the screen in tablet mode the whole assembly is torqued. The bezel is glued directly to the screen which has a special coating. The panel heats up and the adhesive bond breaks.

These laptops are not cheap. I paid $2,300.00 direct from Lenovo and I expected better quality and service.

[James Rainey @ Aug 22nd 2007 1:07PM]

ThinkPads have and always will be the best built/engineered laptops in the industry. Don't let this get you worked up. They are an honorable company who has always stepped up to the plate when they need to.

How do I know? I've owned a 380, 380xd, 770, 600, T20, T23, T40, T42p and now a T60p. I've rarely, ever had hardware problems. When I do SERV has been outstanding in getting the unit repaired or fixed.

[Danny @ Aug 22nd 2007 1:46PM]

I have a t61 with the same issue. And while i appreciate the awareness of the topic and different sites reporting on it i do hope all comments from frustrated users will stay informative and not go into rants.

I want lenovo listen to what users are experiencing and any bashing would just make us another angry forum, not more. Luckily most comments (especially in the lenovo blog) have been quite insightful and well written :)
Cheers!

[duffy @ Aug 22nd 2007 1:47PM]

Funny thing is that it's just double sided tape (at least on my T60 it was). How many engineers does it take for them to redesign a strip of tape? Here ya go Lenovo I'll give you a running start...

http://solutions.3m.com/wps/portal/3M/en_US/Manufacturing/Industry/Product-Catalog/Online-Catalog?PC_7_0_4UVL_root=GST1T4S9TCgv&PC_7_0_4UVL_output=html&PC_7_0_4UVL_gvel=SMQ9D4G2RVgl&PC_7_0_4UVL_vroot=81LC4NNTD4ge&PC_7_0_4UVL_node=MHFC47W8JVbe&PC_7_0_4UVL_theme=en_us_manufacturingindustry_portal&PC_7_0_4UVL_command=CustomizePageHandler

[S @ Aug 22nd 2007 3:52PM]

Yikes, I was just about to purchase a T61... Thinkpads even with Lenovo have a much better track record than others, but still...

[Jason Quan @ Aug 22nd 2007 4:30PM]

I've never owned a PC laptop, but when I had my iBook G3 the same thing happened to me but it was on the bottom of the screen. When I called Apple, they said the only way it could of happened was because of abuse. I currently own an iMac core 2 duo desktop computer... not a single scratch.

[stuart @ Aug 22nd 2007 6:52PM]

I own an X61 and have noticed this. It is a little strange, but it doesn't stop me from loving the tablet. I hope that the engineers come up with a fix without me having to send it off.

[Savio @ Aug 22nd 2007 9:03PM]

I purchased a SXGA+ X61 Tablet in June and received it on August 9th, within 1 day the bezel had come unattached from the LCD. I am forced to deal with this issue even after suffering the massive delay issues because I need a laptop for school and can not send it it back and suffer another long delay. I purchased this laptop due to the quality of the thinkpad name, but I have had nothing but horrible problems with this laptop, through massive delays, poor design, screen problems, and some of the rudest tech support I have ever received.

[Wildness @ Aug 22nd 2007 10:38PM]

This fits in along all of the other Chinese recalls of late (there is probably lead somewhere on it's finish as well). If you buy a computer (or car, or appliance, or audio component, or etc.) from a Chinese company, what more can you expect?? Over the last 3-4 years, all computers have become less reliable with normally dependable components (motherboards, video cards, etc.) that use to last at least a few years, dying a 6 months - even $3000 computers suffer from just out of the box component death!

I have always been befuddled that IBM would actually allow a Chinese company have an IBM brand name like ThinkPad to drive into the unemptied cat box.

We get what we deserve.

[Anas @ Aug 23rd 2007 2:26AM]

hey people,
why are some people defending the Lenovo ? it's quite clear the mess they made in the ThinkPad.
we have two of the last generations of the IBM ThinkPad (T43 & X40) and four of Lenovo's ThinkPad (X60s, X60 tablet, T60p, X61 tablet), I know exactly how cheap finishing the Lenovo's are.

One simple proofe:
I had to fix my new X60s SPACE KEY because it is scratching the screen when I close the LED !!!!,
the Dock has a sharp edge that cracked the cover of the X60s near the infrared area.

[Dilt @ Aug 24th 2007 12:59AM]

I've had my X61T for about 6 weeks. The bezel is starting to seperate a bit, but it is barely noticeable without looking closely. I suspect the bezel seperation is a symptom of a larger problem, ie the screen is not supported correctly. I can recall hearing popping sounds when simply applying enough pinch on the notebook to lower into the carrying bag, and thinking to myself, "that didn't sound good". Now my screen is having the horizontal lines that flicker across the bottom of the screen and resolve by slightly pinching the frame. This began happening before I ever noticed the seperation issue. I hope they get to the bottom of this quickly, or they will be replacing a whole lot of screens.

[MikeM @ Aug 24th 2007 10:45AM]

I've just tried a method which has worked for me in the past - basically send a Fax (not email, too easily deleted) FAO the CEO, politely explaining the problem and how their company image is being affected by it

If you want to try also, here are the details:

Fax: [phone]
FAO: William J. AMELIO
President and
Chief Executive Officer

(and CC: YANG Yuanqing
Chairman of the Board)

This has worked for me in the past with big corporations - often these guys are just not kept informed.


For the record…

Anyone can make a mistake in production/design - it’s what happens next which indicates whether a company is in good shape or not.

My X60T was treated like a baby, with minimal tablet use from the start. In fact, I so loved the idea of the X60T (and still do) that I bought it even after hearing the first whisperings of the SXGA+ distortion problem.

Then, within 4 weeks the distortion hit my unit - I now have to use clips to keep pressure on the bezel and therefore get an ok image. Incidentally, a poor advert for Lenovo - when people ask me ‘why the clips?’ I have to say ‘Lenovo problem’. At least some of the many business people I meet must subsconsciously rate Lenovo lower for their next purchase because of it.

In fact, even clips aren’t working any more, so I am going to have to lose my machine for a repair - which many people report as being temporary.

The facts are:

- Lenovo knew there were problems with the screen/bezel as long ago as March 07
- they kept selling the units
- nice guy Tim is obviously embarrassed about this and explains about supplier issues, says they are looking into it
- X60 changes into X61
- X61 exhibits more issues with bezel (but not SXGA+ screen??)
- nice guy Tim reports that they are looking into it

Well, we are now at end August, so what that means is that for at least 4.5 months, Lenovo have been making and shipping a defective product - by defective, I mean one that will at some point have to be handed back for repair leaving the owner without a unit for work.

I think my question would be simply a) why did Lenovo continue to sell a unit with a defective design, b) why are they not taking the advice of nice guys like Tim, c) why has there not / when will there be a recall?

I suspect there is a systemic management failure at Lenovo - either they are desperate to make bucks for cashflow reasons, and so refuse to allow production to halt. Or internal communications are so poor that senior management have no idea about the PR disaster looming.

Whatever, the problem is much deeper than defective bezels…

[Gregg @ Sep 24th 2007 8:19PM]

Lenovo customer service has been very poor for the Tablets, especially those with the SXGA screen. I bought an X60 in Nov.06, delivered by March '07. SXGA screen started going out in the first few weeks. Repair turn-around times have been reported to be around one month, and only temporary fix, so since this is my only computer I have delayed in giving it up, and the SXGA (and bevel) issue has still not be explained by Lenovo.

Many loyal Lenovo customers have been posting these issues to the Lenovo Blog, but for the past month have no longer received response by Lenovo staff.

I have had a horrible time with customer service starting in November of 2006. I could never promote a Lenovo tablet (its worked fine as a desktop, but I bought a tablet, and by purchasing a high-priced Lenovo tablet, I thought I was also purchasing reliability).

[woopesh @ Oct 14th 2007 8:51PM]

Yay! Lenovo have at last released a fix for the bezel seperation issue:

http://www.lenovoblogs.com/insidethebox/?p=93

Scroll to near the bottom.

[mxval @ Nov 25th 2007 2:21AM]

I just recommended this tablet and I'd not seen any word of the problem. Thanks for the varied info and I really hope this is not so widespread and/or that Lenovo takes of the issue.

Also, the little I know of the folks in charge of Lenovo leads me to think they will respond to customer voice.

[leslie yeung @ Mar 9th 2008 10:26PM]

I JUST GOT MY X60....GUESS WHAT...3 MONTHS LATER... I CAN'T EVEN TURN IT ON
now I have to send it back for them to fix...by the time...I probably would not need it anymore.

It just doesn't turn on...does anyone know what the reason is