Can't decide between the 2016 Thinkpad lineup

I'm trying to decide on a new laptop and can't decide on one. I put an order in for a WQHD X1 Carbon and now I'm wondering if I should cancel it and get something else.

I'm very concerned about the lottery aspect of the screens. I don't exactly want to spend $1000+ on something that may or may not have an awful screen, and maybe not even be able to return it without paying a restocking fee. I'm going to be really upset if I get one with the inferior panel.

I wish Lenovo didn't have so many different models with no single one that's clearly better than the others, and frustratingly there's nothing that meets exactly what I'd want. If the T460s had a swappable battery I'd probably go for it without question, but instead we have a ton of models that give and take everywhere and nothing is ideal. I feel like I'm buying in at a bad time, but I need a new laptop.

My main concerns are the screen quality (I want the absolute best), battery life and overall construction. I'm not that concerned with the form factor, as I've used 15" Dell cheapo bricks until now and anything is going to be smaller/lighter. I primarily need this laptop for work, which is website development/design, so nothing that requires hardcore power, but I'd also like to use it for 4+ years, so futureproofing would be good.

The reason I went with the Carbon X1 over the T460s is that it's basically the exact same price on the Canadian Lenovo store when configured with the same WQHD screen. When considering the addition of an 8GB aftermarket stick of RAM, it comes within maybe $20 difference. Reading user experiences here made it sound like the Carbon is unquestionably better than the T460s, but reading some of the downsides I'm not sure anymore.

The T460 comes into play because it's the cheapest by a large margin at almost $500 cheaper than the other two. I also have spare DDR3 RAM and SSD (assuming it can take a standard SATA SSD), so no upgrades necessary, making it even cheaper. Also has hotswap batteries, so battery life is the best. But I read that it has the worst screen of the 3, and is also limited to FHD.

T460s is slimmer, and I can grab the WQHD screen. But the battery life isn't the best.

The Carbon X1 is the slimmest, but not by much (if I understand correctly) and has the best screen if you win the WQHD lottery. But you're stuck with 8GB RAM permanently (which I'm somewhat anxious about), and I've read about the screen being wobbly and not tight enough.

I more or less excluded the other models unless there's something I'm missing that I should be looking at. I'm so utterly confused, if anyone can make this clearer I'd appreciate it.

 

I'm replacing an X301 so I started with the X-1, then the T460 and then the Thinkpad 13. I'm looking at FHD for each one. Just out of curiosity, what does anyone use quad HD for in a non-game PC?

 

More space to work on.

 

ON multiple external monitors? For a 14" or thereabouts display FHD seems like the limit for reading on a single screen.

 

I do want the extra space for working. My work mostly consists of typing and web design with some basic Photoshop work, which really benefits from the jump in screen real estate from FHD to QHD.

I also imagine that the screens are more crisp and pleasant to look at due to the higher DPI.

I've never seen the QHD screen on machines this small, and I do imagine you need to scale up the text to read it properly.

 

Back in the day I used to run 1600 x 1200 on my laptop and people couldn't believe I could read it. In my sixties now FHD is definitely my limit and I'm hopeful I can read that on a 13.3" or 14" screen.

 

I decided to go with the T460s because I can upgrade the RAM myself, plus I'm a bit put off by the issues some people have been having with the Carbon. Can't wait to get it!

 

Good luck. Did you opt for the QHD screen? The QHD screens are the same in the T460s and X1C, same lottery.

 

Yeah I got the WQHD screen. Reading the Carbon thread here, it seems like some people were able to get Lenovo to replace the screen if they had the bad panel, so I opted for the 1-year on-site warranty in hopes that I could do so in case I get the Panasonic.

 

That's the right way to get it done. I am one of those people in that thread who got the Panasonic swapped for an LG. Couldn't be happier. Fingers crossed for you.

 

I got my T460s and I absolutely love it so far!

Unfortunately I did get the Panasonic panel, which I was actually surprised to learn, because it looked really good to me, albiet not very bright and the flicker issue does concern me. But if the LG is really superior in every way, I suppose I might as well get it swapped if possible.

@jlp0209 What steps did you take in order to get your panel swapped out? Thanks!

 

I bought a T460s three months ago. I liked it very much so I bought another T460s. I chose T460s over X1C because the former can take a regular SD whereas the latter only takes a mini SD card.

 

I'm still waiting for my T460 regular to arriive after almost waiting almost 1 month and a half since ordering. This is on Lenovo Mexico website.
Does your T460s have the WQHD panel?

 

I am quite happy with the P50; in terms of future proofing is great, as it allows for 3 internal disks, and up to 64GB of RAM and replaceable battery.
if you dont need much power now, you could get the basic model and upgrade RAM and disks later.
I got the 4K screen and I am happy.

 

I just got myself the ThinkPad 13 - still waiting for it to be delivered but I'll let you know what I think of it!

 

thinkaboutpads - how do you like your X1 carbon? the display? any pros/cons that you can share?