Lenovo slips out the new ThinkPad X301: new CPUs, 128GB SSD, still thin as hell
By Joshua Topolsky 
posted Aug 15th 2008 6:37PM
posted Aug 15th 2008 6:37PM
Lenovo Expands Ultra-Thin, Ultra-Light ThinkPad X300 Notebook PC Family
Delivers Next-Generation Processing, Greater SSD Storage and Enhanced Multimedia Experience
RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, NC August 18, 2008
Lenovo today announced the ThinkPad X301 notebook PC, taking the thinnest and lightest full-function notebook in its class1, to new heights in performance. Like its predecessor, the industry-acclaimed ThinkPad X300 notebook, the ThinkPad X301 notebook offers cutting-edge features and technologies in a thin and light form starting at less than three pounds and one-inch thin. The notebook offers even greater storage capacity with choices of either 64 GB or new 128 GB solid state drive storage available in September. The ThinkPad X301 notebook provides on average nearly 20 percent better performance over the ThinkPad X300 notebook due to the latest DDR3 memory and the latest Intel Core 2 Duo ultra low volt processor2.
"Lenovo continues to push the technology envelope by giving road warriors the latest enhancements in solid state drive storage and digital display technologies with the new ThinkPad X301 notebook PC," said Sam Dusi, vice president, worldwide notebook product marketing, Lenovo. This announcement extends our commitment to blending ultraportability and functionality, and equipping today's business users with the most advanced, highest-performing computing tools.
New support for DisplayPort makes viewing high definition content easy and ideal for models with the ultra-thin DVD burner. With support for both DisplayPort and VGA, users can even watch high definition content on multiple displays. Designed for maximum options for wireless connectivity, the ThinkPad X301 notebook offers models with high-speed mobile broadband and WiFi to connect wirelessly to the Internet, and also with Bluetooth and Ultra-Wideband technology to connect wirelessly to other devices. Lenovo offers improved uplink performance by up to 250 percent for models with AT&T mobile broadband over previous ThinkPad notebooks with AT&T mobile broadband4. Models supporting WiMAX will be available later this year. Additionally, GPS on notebook models with high speed mobile broadband5 allow travelers to more easily navigate to the office or airport.
The notebook also includes Lenovo's ThinkVantage Technologies, unique hardware-software tools designed to maximize user productivity. With Lenovo's improved Access Connections tool, users can navigate a user-friendly interface to easily find and access Internet and network connections. Also, Lenovo's improved Power Manager gives users more control over notebook functions to enable longer battery life.
The ThinkPad X301 notebook also continues Lenovo's focus on environmentally-responsible design. Its 13.3-inch LED backlit display, solid state drive storage and other energy-efficient technologies help make it rated Gold by the Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool. This designation adds to Lenovo's portfolio of Gold-rated ThinkPad notebook and ThinkCentre desktop PCs.
Pricing and Availability
Pricing for models of the ThinkPad X301 notebook starts at approximately $2,599. The notebook will be available on August 26 through Lenovo Business Partners and www.lenovo.com
Give me a bluray drive and I'll buy it now.
Well the MacBook Air ALREADY has a Blur....
pwned
I would be wanting this Over a MacBook Air,
That's right an Apple fanboy wants an IBM...
It says RTP, NC August 18... iStat menus tells me it happens to be the 15th.
Interesting note on Lenovo's home base in NC. The buildings formerly being IBM's, when Lenovo bought the ThinkPad, they literally built wall through the cubicles. Pretty funny to watch.
Well, I'm a bit disappointed with the use of DDR3 memory, which is far more expensive than DDR2 with less benefit per price per gig. Also, how about a traditional hard disk? or some lower cost form of storage. maybe a bump in speed?
In the end really, it should just be more affordable with battery life around 5-7 hours. Then I'd consider it.
Till then I'll settle for my T61p until I sell it for a refreshed MBP.
Unfortunately I don't think that the new Montevina chipset allows for DDR2 RAM, so unless you'd rather stick with eBay...
I'm pretty sure what wicked said is true. And since the new chipsets are requiring it, prices will begin to drop much more quickly now, but it still won't be cheap for a while.
Montevina supports up to and including DDR2-800 or DDR3-1066.
2GB mem max? SSD-only? Vista-only? x300 only way to get an LED-backlight x-series Thinkpad? No thanks.
The 2GB max RAM in this day and age for such a pricey premium unit just doesn't cut it.
Seeing how the X300 currently supports up to 4GB, I´ll have to believe that it´s a typo.
The RAM options on this X301 are 512MB, 1GB or 2GB. A 512MB option on a high-end Vista computer! And no 3GB / 4GB option!! WTF!!!
If anything it may support up to 8GB of RAM.
Sounds like something right out of "Dilbert".
This was supposed to have been a reply to d's post.
To those commenting above, this is not meant to be a cheap laptop. It's meant to an a thin and extremely light ultraportable, and it still packs in a 13.3" LED screen. Quit complaining, it's not for everyone, that's why the offer many different models in the ThinkPad line.
Thank you! I've been looking for Lenovo news as I'm in the market for a new laptop and will ONLY buy a Thinkpad. I'm curious to see a hands on of the SL300. I've got a x40 and want to upgrade but, the SLs don't seem as rugged as the X series.
My X300 has 4 GB RAM. How is it that the newer model max at 2GB RAM? Is it a mis-print?
As for the SSD drive. I love it. Fast, energy efficient and reliable. 120GB SSD drive. Bring it on!
i think they meant it starts with 2GB ram upto 4GB ram
also what does DisplayPort mean ?
display port is a royalty free port for displays
Display Port is just what is sounds like....another connection to display images onto a monitor. This is not widely used yet as the standard has just been ratified this past year I believe.
http://www.displayport.org/
2GB max according to eweek.com report:
http://www.eweek.com/c/a/Desktops-and-Notebooks/Lenovo-ThinkPad-X301-Updates-Companys-Notebook-Line/?kc=rss
in the 9th paragraph it says:
"In addition to the new processors, the Lenovo X301 will support DDR3 (double data rate 3) memory, which consumes less power and is faster than standard DDR2 memory. Intel introduced DDR3 memory support when it released its Centrino 2 platform in July. The memory options are 512MB, 1GB or 2GB of RAM."
It says the memory OPTIONS are 512, 1GB, and 2GB. Which leads me to believe that it will come pre-configured with one of those options. The chipset is capable of 8GB IIRC, so for them to limit it to 2 would be foolish. We know from the X300 that space is not the issue.
Laptops have 2 channels of RAM.
DDR2-667 comes in all type of sizes including 4GB sticks.
DDR2-800 and DDR3-1066 comes in sizes up to 2GB.
2x2GB = 4GB.
So yes, it's a typo.
How thin is hell, exactly?
its pretty damn thin.
You are just hilarious aren't You
Thin enough, but it might not be able to cut cake
Almost as thin as "thin as a motherfucker", but not quite.
Yeah, no way that 2GB is the max. It will be interesting to see how the new Dell Latitude E4200 stacks up against this. Personally I would be happy to sacrifice the DVD drive for more weight savings.
Lenovo - the X300 JUST came out a couple months ago.
WHY OH WHY are you spending resources on a replacement when theres that lonely X200 Tablet over there BEGGING to be finished and released? In Monopoly you have to build up your properties evenly FOR A REASON - update your model lines evenly too! X61T is much more needing of an update than the X300 - to hell with how much easier it may be to create an incremental upgrade for the X300 GIVE ME MY X200T PLEASE
.... with a cherry on top? :)
I was going to buy an X200 but it doesn't have an LED-backlight disply. You gotta buy an X300 or 301 and those are the rich boys' toys especially being SSD-only. I'll wait for the Dell E4200. At least Dell has decent tech support.
those latch hooks on the display look so... i dunno... soo... not something i'd like to find on a $2600 computer available in the 2nd half of 2008.
Well then you are an idiot - if you want magnetic latches - go buy something made for consumers instead of something made to last like a ThinkPad.
am I the only one that thinks the thinkpads look like the same black box they've looked like for 10 years? I'm not gonna question their durability, but damn, it's UGLY
Introduce it in silver aluminum and you've got yourself a winner.
The carbon-fiber body is more durable than aluminum. This thing is about mobility and performance, not for people trying to win a fashion show. That's what Vaio's and MBA's are for.
Lenovo actually used titanium in a series of their Thinkpads. (yes, titanium...screw aluminum) The Thinkpad Z60t wasn't too popular. I doubt they'll ever change from their classic design. Personally, I'm glad (as I'm sure government agencies and many corporations are) that they stick with the magnesium alloy and/or carbon fiber frame and roll-cage designs.
This kicks a Macbook Air down a flight of stairs. American specifications. Japanese engineering.
..then they put Vista on it.
Lenovo is Chinese, although maybe you know something I don't.
http://www.lenovo.com/lenovo/us/en/locations.html
According to Lenovo's own website, they don't have any manufacturing plants in Japan, although they do have a research center there. However, it seems their Shanghai location is the center for notebook research, so I'm going to take a stab in the dark and say that there was no "Japanese engineering" involved here.
What is this current obcession with thin? Thin = compromise. Im not saying we should all go buy big bricks but my 1.2" thick Dell Vostro 1400 is fine for me. I like the quality of thinkpads but wtf, about only 2GB RAM. Its fine that its DDR3 (infact this is in my mind a landmark achievement) but why only 2GB?
Although in all fairness, go find me a programme that benefits from 4GB of RAM and runs fine on a 1.4GHz C2D and integrated graphics? You probably cant. At least I cant anyway.
Don't worry, programmers will adapt. Give us more memory and we'll use it - and make sure our software depends on tons of memory. It's a global conspiracy involving memory makers and software engineers.
Seriously, once tou get into high-resolution image processing the bottleneck can be memory bandwith, rather than CPU speed.
We have a saying in the bike world: "Light. Strong. Cheap. You can only have any two but not all three."
Same thing with laptops where light refers portability, strong to power, and cheap...well cheap is cheap. I guess if light isn't a concern, you can get a killer powerful laptop for cheap, but clearly there is a market for portability (it is a laptop after all), but you're either going to get a weak machine (eee-esque) or pay a metric buttload for it.
This is the one I want, except w/ blu ray. too bat it costs too much.
u sure?
the hard drive volume is a bit different from this web site here which is a catalogue of laptop selling at a uni in hong kong
http://www.hknotebook.com/bu2008/notebooks/Slim/ThinkPad_X301.html
it's a price drop - and make it become USD$ 2 328
i really wanna get one of those :(
so expensive . .
But still damn ugly and cheap with all those sharp corners!
Still looks like a laptop from the early 90's... why can't they try and add a bit of design to their laptops and make them more attractive to buy!
2GB is the max. Look at the Lenovo press release, look at the specs on the page referenced below for university prices in Hong Kong, look at the post at eweek.com.
Also Vista-only, no XP downgrade just like the X300 is at Lenovo.com. You can get the XP down-grade on the X61, X61s, and the X200.
The X300/301 is for the executive on the go who says to his IT department "Give me sonething flashy that makes me look important".