Lenovo X300 review roundup

Just in case you feared that Walt Mossberg was out on some sort of limb when he proclaimed that the X300 would satisfy road warriors everywhere, we've sourced some other reviews from across the intarwebz to ease your mind. Lenovo's über-stealthy ultraportable, which officially went on sale today, managed to impress one critic after another, with the biggest complaints coming from the high starting price tag, omission of a DVI port and somewhat sluggish performance -- which are pretty much expected given the form factor. Outside of that, everyone was practically in love, with praises addressing the delightful keyboard, integrated WWAN and overall usability of such a minuscule machine. But hey, don't take our word for it -- check out the reviews below in full before you cough up your $2,500 (or more), cool?

Read - PCPro (5 out of 6 shiny stars)
Read - CNET (8.5 out of 10 golden trinkets)
Read - Notebook Review ("big thumbs up")

[torqueo @ Feb 26th 2008 5:21PM]

I'm fascinated - Engadget is posting multiple stories about something that ISN'T an Apple product, for once.

[Austin @ Feb 26th 2008 5:26PM]

If you don't like the apple articles, don't read them. filter them out if you must (there's instructions for that that surface every macworld/WWDC). This goes for all fanboys in general, if all you have to say is "Why is this written? This is irrelevant to my personal tastes!", don't comment. you might as well just type "FIRST!".

[torqueo @ Feb 26th 2008 5:28PM]

Now this is interesting - now I'm a fan boy for NOT being a fan of something. Not sure how that works, but it's intriguing!

[Jubei @ Feb 26th 2008 5:47PM]

Well since most Windows based laptops are boring as hell, this is the most excitement these users will get for the year. Might as well let them revel in their glorious moment. Make a note of word moment, because thats pretty much all they get within a given year with Windows based products.

[zargon @ Feb 26th 2008 5:50PM]

"Well since most Windows based laptops are boring as hell, this is the most excitement these users will get for the year. Might as well let them revel in their glorious moment."

Oooo, it is shiny and "looks cool"... it must be good!

[Big John @ Feb 26th 2008 5:50PM]

The point is, it sounds like you're bitching that they're posting something that isn't an Apple article. Skip the Apple stuff and keep the "why don't they post X" and "I'm glad they posted Y" comments to yourself -- they're rarely constructive.

[torqueo @ Feb 26th 2008 5:50PM]

I didn't realize Intel-based laptops were, "based on Windows". Gee, I'm learning a lot, today!

[Reid @ Feb 26th 2008 8:20PM]

And yet we still have to suffer with someone bringing Apple into the thread.

[Austin @ Feb 26th 2008 5:22PM]

There has to be a better way to keep the laptop closed than those tacky hooks. exp. at that angle it kills the whole "sleek" design aspect for me.

[CraigJ @ Feb 26th 2008 6:07PM]

yeah, there is, but when you drop it (closed and off, hopefully) you'll appreciate the latch over, say, a magnet.

[AlphaTeam @ Feb 26th 2008 6:56PM]

The thing about the design is the integrated Thinklight, so without the curve it won't work.

[Jamma @ Feb 26th 2008 5:23PM]

So the main complaint about the X300 is that it lacks one of the only 3 ports the air has?

Oh, the irony.

[hp540 @ Feb 26th 2008 5:33PM]

this laptop is better than your crapbook air....x1000

[abib @ Feb 26th 2008 7:40PM]

maybe just x300

[L @ Feb 26th 2008 5:36PM]

You're annoying. Go away.


Thanks.

[phanbouy @ Feb 26th 2008 5:38PM]

go lie in a ditch and stop living

[L @ Feb 26th 2008 5:44PM]

Yeah, "Mac are the fanboys"...right.

Ron is the dumb?

[phanbouy @ Feb 26th 2008 5:47PM]

you're easily the biggest tool to ever come on this site. you've already ruined another thread with your MBA spam. what i like (i use a mac at home) is irrelevant to your complete fuckitude.

engadget, please ban this guy. we don't need to attract a legion of idiots like him from the backlash he's creating

[bob @ Feb 27th 2008 1:37AM]

Legion of idiots? Thats only one of thousands in his army. And wait till you see the Waffle Super Stupid (SS) fools...

Wecome to Mac Land--I mean...Engadget. How may I help you?

[Big John @ Feb 26th 2008 5:52PM]

It's folks like ron that make folks like hp540 say things like this.

The Air fits a certain market. That market loves that laptop. The X300 fits a certain market. I'm betting that market will love that laptop, as well.


Can we please, PLEASE stop the crapfinging now?

[Big John @ Feb 26th 2008 5:52PM]

Can you please stop posting? You're embarrassing Air owners everywhere, ron. Also please learn to use the reply button.

[phanbouy @ Feb 26th 2008 5:53PM]

someone call a truant officer for the love of Krishna

[thjwong @ Feb 26th 2008 9:41PM]

"and somewhat sluggish performance -- which are pretty much expected given the form factor"...
They just have to make something up and say that's not 100% good...
Form factor of Thinkpad is superb in the industry
Sluggish performance can be due to low performance of current SSD technology, that MacBook Air SSD version also has one

[torqueo @ Feb 26th 2008 6:02PM]

On a slightly more serious note, I'm still waiting for the X62/X62s. My X61s easily outperforms the X300, but lacks an LED-backlit display and Penryn CPU. The 12" display suits me fine, really.. I just wish it had the gamut range/brightness LED allows.

[zargon @ Feb 26th 2008 6:28PM]

X62/X62s does not and will not exist. Our Lenovo rep informed us of their naming change. Instead, they will be going to a naming scheme that will indicate monitor size. X300 = 13" monitor, X400 = 14" and so on and so forth. From the sounds of it, this will be accross the board, from the R, X and T's.

[Jeff Lewis @ Feb 26th 2008 6:02PM]

You know, if they put in hard drive and made it cheaper. This Lenovo MacBook X300 would be pretty nice.

[And yes, that was intentional...]

[zargon @ Feb 26th 2008 6:29PM]

Initial release is just with a SSD, shortly down the road we will be seeing spinning harddrive that should drive the price of this laptop down substantially.

[insertAlias @ Feb 26th 2008 6:04PM]

@phanbouy and everybody else:

STOP FEEDING THE TROLL!

It's what he wants. He's deliberately trying to annoy you. And by responding, you are playing his game. If everyone were to just ignore his lunacy and just low rank him instead of responding, he might eventually go away. But giving him attention means that he's having fun and won't leave.

[Argot @ Feb 26th 2008 6:12PM]

The Macbook Air is too heavy and pretty damn useless if you wanna do anything else than just show your friends what an idiot you are... "Oooh look at me, I got suckered into buying a polished turd, the MBA!"

[Argot @ Feb 26th 2008 6:13PM]

Five languages eh? Idiot and turdish being two of them?

[tha-don @ Feb 26th 2008 6:17PM]

so i'm guessing your world of warcraft meeting get out early because clearly you have nothing else to do with your time than post 5 times on the same article. nice life =)

[ron @ Feb 26th 2008 6:17PM]

Trolls are so totally into spam. Hey, whatever floats your boat: [e-mail]

[Argot @ Feb 26th 2008 6:17PM]

No. They say Macs are poorly engineered computers and fanbois like you idiots.

[z @ Feb 26th 2008 6:30PM]

I know it was a design decision to use SSD only but I would be in for one if they offered regular harddrive. SSD isn't at a decent price yet for me.

[zargon @ Feb 26th 2008 6:32PM]

There will be standard HDDs shortly, SSD was for the initial release.

[Jubei @ Feb 26th 2008 6:35PM]

Upon closer inspection of that unit, it looks to be no more than your run of the mill small factor laptop. Nothing much in groundbreaking designs. The pre-requisite of stickers is there, the non coordinating key, the redundant hardware input devices proliferate the machine. Its just another clone in the vast sea of clones in the market. I suppose one can get excited that its new and the Transformers design cues are everywhere. Lines here and there and slots and holes all over the device. I guess that exciting to some who are still experiencing puberty during their adulthood.

[L @ Feb 26th 2008 6:37PM]

???

[phanbouy @ Feb 26th 2008 7:09PM]

Step 3: Profit!

[zargon @ Feb 26th 2008 7:42PM]

@L

Looks like a crazy apple zealot trolling.

[MC @ Feb 26th 2008 6:37PM]

Very expensive. If you get most of your Music/TV/Movies from iTunes just get the MAcBook-Air. DVD bay is so 90's.

[N30 G30 @ Feb 26th 2008 8:39PM]

I guess removable batteries and extra ports are so 90s too.

[PynkFloydd @ Feb 26th 2008 8:47PM]

You do know that if you opt out of the DVD bay option, you can get a battery that fits there. That'll bring the battery life up to 10 hours (more if you count extra batteries on hand). That's also cheaper than opting for the slim DVD drive. When there'll be disk drive options, it'll probably bring the cost down a ton also and Lenovo tends to offer 20% coupons to the public like crazy.

A business laptop isn't primarily focused on multimedia. If you check out some of the actual Thinkpad demonstrations (throwing laptop to ground, pouring water on laptop keyboard, standing on laptop) then you'll see why anyone in their right mind would buy a Thinkpad over most laptops for any kind of real usage. ...yes the laptops still work perfectly after all abuse.

That said, there's lots of downloading services better than iTunes. They also don't contain DRM that forces you to buy iPods and such to upload to.

[AlphaTeam @ Feb 26th 2008 6:54PM]

Had I not purchased the Macbook Pro 2 weeks ago, I would have definitely considered this computer.

[Simon @ Feb 26th 2008 8:02PM]

shouda waited for the led backlight and multitouch.
=/

[Terrence @ Feb 26th 2008 7:17PM]

I bet if the MBA was selling on Dynamism by a company like Fujitsu, all the bad points that people have made about the MBA would become praise points for a Fujitsu notebook of the same build.
Apple has it own OS and it is the best. They build almost all their stuff and make it work right!
The other guys have just put together the usual suspects and slap their name on it. They don't have jack!!!
Nah!

[Zack Duchene @ Feb 26th 2008 7:42PM]

Very Cool = Very Expensive!

[M @ Feb 26th 2008 7:53PM]

£%@£^£$& seems to me like engadget comments these days strive on friction alone. ive never seen more arguments in one blog! anyway, macbook air or x300, it aint ever going to be thinner than my macbook h: http://theworldofm.wordpress.com/2008/02/08/macbook-helium/

[Mark @ Feb 26th 2008 7:54PM]

engadget admin: sorry if that link was outta line. just thought it might help alleviate some tension

[DJ Davinci @ Feb 26th 2008 8:06PM]

i though mac. were made for people who are not so savy and need something that a 2 year old is comfortable with sorta like all mac product cause if someone can by something without a removable battery or a optical drive so you have to spend money and download from there itunes well seems like your caught

[phanbouy @ Feb 26th 2008 8:09PM]

Did I miss the starting gun for the Stupid Competition today? WTF???