Lenovo ThinkPad X200s reviewed: it's worth the splurge

If the X200t is just too convertible-y for you, and the standard X200 just doesn't last long enough for your 18-hour plane rides, the X200s won't do you any good either. If you only need 10-hours of juice, however, this unit is just about perfect. The ultraportable does give up some raw horsepower in order to deliver such stunning life, but true road warriors will certainly make the sacrifice. Critics over at Laptop Mag were duly impressed with just about everything the pricey X200s was packing, noting that the keyboard was "excellent," the design was sturdy and the screen was clean and crisp. Additionally, they found that the power decrease wasn't too noticeable in real-world use, though they did lament the omission of a WWAN module (agreed!) and webcam. Bottom line? These folks found it well "worth the splurge," though we'd recommend giving the full spill a read if you're seriously on the fence.

[MoonMan @ Oct 16th 2008 5:48PM]

Stay far, far away from Lenovo! Their products are crappy, and their support has gone to total sh!t.

[ben @ Oct 16th 2008 5:52PM]

I don't know, MoonMan, maybe it's time to come back to Earth, a.k.a Earf. Lenovo kicks ass. I have an Ideapad Y510 with UbuntuStudio on it and it rocks the house like nobody's business. I can't speak to the support, but from my father's experience, it could use a little fine tuning, but whatever issue he has with his machine is typically resolved.

[Mark Anderson @ Oct 16th 2008 5:58PM]

My IT department disagree with you. Next unsubstantiated point please.

Oh and I see it has a MagAlloy frame. Yum!

[sinai @ Oct 16th 2008 6:00PM]

the support is excellent. I talked to someone, get this, in GEORGIA when I called for support. he didn't treat me like an idiot and realized that i knew what I was talking about and didn't read me a script before sending me a box to ship it to them in. I got it back in 2 business days, and they even found a problem with my motherboard I didn't know I had.

Thinkpads are the only laptops I buy.

[sinai @ Oct 16th 2008 6:01PM]

should have clarified: georgia in the united states of america.

[oZ @ Oct 16th 2008 6:53PM]

When did support go downhill? My X61 tablet had a weird bezel separation issue culminating into a crack. I called them, mentioned a forum where this stuff had happened before, and they gave me a case number and told me to expect a box. Two days later, I had a box at my doorstep. I put my laptop in it, and gave it back to the shipping carrier. Three days later, my laptop was back with a brand new bezel, cleaned from top to bottom, and no charge.

This sounds like "what should happen", but given my experience with my last three laptops (two Apples and a Gateway), this was freakin heaven.

[BigD145 @ Oct 16th 2008 7:30PM]

I can't say I've ever had to ask for support with a ThinkPad.

[F50GTR @ Oct 16th 2008 8:49PM]

I have to agree with MoonMan. I paid nearly 3000 dollars for the new X300 with 3 year accidental warranty from Lenovo. The custom computer arrived with a bent case and broken fan from the factory. Because I was moving at the time, 2 weeks later I called their support, received a box, and sent the computer back. I waited an outrageous 5 weeks after 2 escalations with their customer service, using my 6 year old HP laptop as my only computer, and finally received my computer back... with a bent case and broken fan. I open the box (with only my first name... who sends a box with only a first name and no mailbox number to an apartment mailroom??), turn on the computer, to find out that the computer now freezes at the BIOS, blue screens at the Windows loading screen, or turns on with no operating system except a scrambled image or only keyboard lights on. I call their support, and ask why this is happening and what they did... The woman says "Oh let me check... your computer sat on the shelf, we ordered the wrong fan, then sent it back to you 4 weeks later." Long story short, after bearing with the "help" of countless clueless technicians who had no idea what a SSD drive is for example, 3 escalation officers including a rep from Lenovo in Atlanta who was unbelievably rude, and me threatening to go to the New York State Attourney General's office and the BBB, I should be getting a new X300 in 4 weeks. Lenovo is A NIGHTMARE.

[William @ Oct 16th 2008 9:06PM]

While I think Lenovo has its good points and bad points just like any other company, I have to say my experience with their support hasn't been that great. The couple of times I have had to call for replacement parts, they have always come later than they were supposed to. The one time a tech was supposed to come out next business day, it took them 2 business days to even call me to set up the appointment, and another 2 business days after that to show up.

[tom @ Oct 16th 2008 9:25PM]

@sinai

I like your modification hahaha.

My T61's WLAN card is dead. We troubleshoot over the phone and did not work, the nice guy started a case number and ask if i can install it myself. I said yes. The wireless card came within a week and it works without a hitch.

I even told the rep. Good thing we are talking within the same continent. Not like somebody else, their tech support speaks a funny accent.

He laughed and said, "Did you mean Dell in India?"

[Peter @ Oct 16th 2008 10:06PM]

There's a computer manufacturer that doesn't have their tech support in India? I really hate it that almost all of the tech supports are in India; they're complete idiots; and half the time you don't even understand what they are saying. For Dells; I recommend not even calling them and just search your problem in google and find a forum.

[Akhan Almagambetov @ Oct 17th 2008 1:17AM]

I've never had anything but good luck with the Lenovo Thinkpads.. they are also the only computer the my IT department buys after switching over from Dell. After getting the first-generation MacBook Pro, I decided that I will definitely stay away from Apple for the next decade or so and the Lenovo laptops turned to be a nice replacement.. sturdier, more business-oriented look and feel.

@oZ: It's funny that you mention Apple. At first, I thought: "Man, Apple tech support is awesome - no matter when I call them, I always get someone from the US!" And then I realized that there is a façade of underpaid telephone techs in the US that can handle your basic needs, like installing applications X and Y or setting up RMA requests.. if you have some serious problems, then you're forwarded to a "higher-level support representative", which is a call-center in India that will take FOREVER to fix whatever you have broken. And they will think that you are an idiot all the while.

Reminds me of an episode of Foamy the Squirrel: http://www.illwillpress.com/tech.html.

I am glad that Lenovo support is US-based.. quite a nice change to the ordinary. In dealing with IT and medical equipment, Welch-Allyn seems to be another company that hasn't outsourced its technical support internationally (I am sure that there are plenty more companies, which I haven't encountered).. Cisco, unfortunately, just has another façade...

[happy_penguin @ Oct 17th 2008 3:24AM]

Going back to the old IBM Thinkpads, I can say that I think they're beautiful machines. I don't know about Lenovo because I have never used them but from what I see they're damn beautiful as well.

[Simon @ Oct 16th 2008 5:55PM]

That purple/blue enter key is somehow so comforting. Wonder if it's changed in thinkpad's long history.

Get on it, Engadget!

[LondonConsultant @ Oct 16th 2008 7:34PM]

I find the red nipple even more comforting...

[Murphy Mac @ Oct 16th 2008 6:09PM]

even Murphy knows that Thinkpads are king of the PC laptop universe.

[Brak @ Oct 16th 2008 6:14PM]

They're great business laptops. It seems to me more recently (unless im wrong, which often i am) that since Lenovo took over they've been trying to get a bigger hold in the other markets, i.e. Entertainment machines, Speed machines, Netbooks, etc. for the everyday end-users. They're still trying to get the full picture of what that will take and have more evolution ahead of them. In that regard they're still highly comparable to other high-end Entertainment, Speed, Netbook machines if not besting others in those categories.

[solarbuddy @ Oct 16th 2008 6:14PM]

I'm not sold yet--my ancient Panasonic W2 ("Toughbook") weighs under 3 lbs, runs 5+ hours, and includes an integrated optical drive. Hasn't anything progressed in the last 5 years? And my W2's been dragged off the table three times without damage. I think Lenovo can do better.

[Fred @ Oct 16th 2008 6:28PM]

I have an X200, only about 5-6 hours, but it's the best Lenovo I've had and the others were always cutting edge A or T series. I can always buy extra batteries for flying to Tokyo, you know, if somebody would buy me the airplane ticket . . .

[doppler @ Oct 16th 2008 6:27PM]

I just got an x61s for about $1200 a month ago, and I am in love. This thing lasts forever with the 8 cell and is tiny. My friends call it the ThinkPadAir. The x200s could only be hotter. I went with the x61s to allow me to use a work provided PCMCIA WWAN card.

[sinai @ Oct 16th 2008 6:53PM]

i have an x61s (and x61t) too, and the x200 is the only laptop that has made me want to upgrade.

[trumpton @ Oct 16th 2008 6:48PM]

Lenovo's support is legendary. They may not come first in Beauty Competitions or impress hipsters who think style is more important than solid, reliable machines, but they're the best lappies I've ever used.

[Henry The 8th @ Oct 16th 2008 7:36PM]

If I was judging the beauty competition I would give the entire ThinkPad line a perfect 10. It is perfect utilitarian sexy.

[Boards of Canada @ Oct 16th 2008 7:40PM]

its actually beautiful in a different way... Mac would be like a young metrosexual and this would be like... George Clooney in Michael Clayton!!

huuu... efficient.

[dark star @ Oct 16th 2008 7:00PM]

i agree also. these thinkpad is rock solid. never heard a creaking sound out of it when i tried to bend it around. amazing! with a sony laptop, i can hear all sorts of sound when bending it.

[Andrew @ Oct 16th 2008 7:21PM]

My Z does bend if you try to hold it up by two fingers at the edge (which is probably a bad idea) but any creaking is extremely faint. Still, it's the 10 hour battery that I would envy.

[TheMarioBrutha @ Oct 16th 2008 7:22PM]

Guys, you posted a picture of the x200, not the x200s. In the picture, the laptop has a webcam.

[huh @ Oct 16th 2008 8:47PM]

I have an x60, the battery life is awful and it randomly blue screens, sometimes multiple times in a row. Thinkpads are famous for blue screens. The keyboard is lovely, and I like the pointer, but the screen is pretty bad. I should also mention I had the worst luck with a Macbook Pro, so maybe I'm just unlucky.

[ac14 @ Oct 16th 2008 8:38PM]

i think Thinkpad's are the best looking laptops, all the angles, the black, and the fact it looks like it was cut from a 1996 server. i just love the non shiny, utilitarian look of them. forget Macbook.

[Rich B @ Oct 16th 2008 9:30PM]

Shame about the nipple...

[I.E @ Oct 17th 2008 4:26PM]

What? You don't like nipples?

[*brotha @ Oct 16th 2008 11:52PM]

I have a x31 which is basically the old version of this exact laptop. And i Love it, it is the best laptop i have ever used. It may not be that fast, but it is as durable as hell,, i dont even treat it like i do most laptops. The nipple, after about 1 week is 100x better then a touch pad

i cannot even use a normal laptop,... what is this???? To perform a normal task i have to move my finger all over the place tapping it and everything...

when i can just... move my finger 1mm to achieve the same exact result with even greater accuracy and speed.

i can even play some complex mouse games with the nipple, which i can never do with a touch pad.


I wish i had the money to upgrade from my X31 to this. If you want a cheap laptop for no more then 300$ Get a x31 you will not be disappointed.

[Bootleg Zani @ Oct 17th 2008 3:11AM]

Personally I love my T61p. I've just had it for 1 year exactly.

[Southern Pines Project Manager @ Oct 17th 2008 9:31AM]

Just bought a Configure To Order T500 ThinkPad. I LOVE IT!!!
This replaces my older IBM ThinkPad which never gave me a problem in the 6 years I used on a daily basis in the office, at home and travelling. Never a problem and if mother board and hard drive had not finally died I would still be using :-)

As a former Lenovo employee ( my job was moved to a lower cost jurisdiction /job function consolidation - China ) I still say that the brand when transitioned from IBM to Lenovo in 2005 has not lost a beat.
It is still THE BEST laptop on the market with great support and no hidden costs.
When shopping for a replacement laptop I looked at HP, Dell, Acer and Apple, and not one could compare with intiial cost of features desired and installed nor extended support and service.

I have several friends who have Dell and all when questioned on their experience of pre and post purchse and support said "buyer beware" and they would never purchase Dell. Two of the individuals are MIS Directors and had in the past purchased many Dell products but even with extended service found when they needed service on average it took 4 weeks to get machine serviced and back in use. This was unacceptable for them when trying to run a business. Heard the same war stories on Apple and HP but got the most neagative reaction / response on those with Dell products.
So it confirmed my initial thought to purchase a Lenovo ThinkPad. Keep up the good work Lenovo :-)