Help! Lenovo X301 or X200s

Dear All,
I am not able to decide between Lenovo x301 and x200s. I would be using my notebook mostly for MS Office, surfing, emails, video conferencing and occasionally for watching movies or listening to music.

X301

Processor1 Intel Core 2 Duo SU9400(1.4GHz, 3MB L2, 800MHz FSB)

Operating system12 Genuine Windows 7 Professional 32

Operating system language Genuine Windows 7 Professional US English

Windows XP recovery DVD Microsoft Windows XP Professional US English RCD

Display type 13.3 WXGA+ TFT (1440x900 LED backlight) 3x3 UltraConnect

System graphics Mobile Intel® Graphics Media Accelerator 4500MHD

Total memory8 2 GB PC3-8500 DDR3 SDRAM 1067MHz SODIMM Memory (1 DIMM)

Keyboard Keyboard US English

Pointing device UltraNav (TrackPoint and Multi Touch TouchPad) with Fingerprint Reader

Camera Integrated Camera

Hard Drive4 64GB Solid State Drive

Fixed Bay Device5 Lightweight Travel Bezel

Wireless Card10 Intel WiFi Link 5100 (AGN) with My WiFi Technology

Bluetooth Integrated Bluetooth PAN

Mobile Broadband Integrated Mobile Broadband upgradable

Battery60 ThinkPad X300/X301 Series 3 Cell LiPolymer Battery

Power cord Country Pack North America with Line cord & 65W AC adapter

Language pack Language Pack US English

Price - $1120 + Taxes

Upgrade Options -

Processor SU9600 (1,6 GHz) - $45
6 Cell Battery - $135 Are they worth it?


X200s

Processor1 Intel Core2 Duo processor SL9400 (1.86GHz, 6MB L2, 1066MHz FSB)

Operating system Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64

Operating system language Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium US English

Display type 12.1" WXGA LED Panel, 2x2 UltraConnect II antenna; with Camera and Wireless Broadband Upgradeable

System graphics Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 4500MHD

Total memory8 2 GB PC3-8500 DDR3 SDRAM 1067MHz SODIMM Memory (1 DIMM)

Keyboard Keyboard US English

Pointing Device TrackPoint with Fingerprint Reader

Hard Drive 250GB Hard Disk Drive, 5400rpm

System expansion slots 3-1 Media Card Reader without Modem

Bluetooth Integrated Bluetooth PAN

Wireless Card ThinkPad WiFi (BGN)

Mobile Broadband Integrated Mobile Broadband - Upgradable

Battery ThinkPad X200 Series 4 cell Li-Ion Battery

Power cord Country Pack North America with Line cord & 65W AC adapter

Language Pack Win7 Language Pack US English


Price - $788 + Taxes

Upgrade Options -

Intel wifi 5100 - $18 ( Is it better than Thinkpad wifi (bgn) ?
6 cell battery - $18 which increases the weight and thickness of the laptop from 1.1" to 1.4" (Is it worth it? )


Thinkpad x301 comes with new thinkpad roll cage technology with carbon fibre and glass coating and is more durable. It also comes with a slightly bigger display and better resolution of 1440 * 900. It is sleek with dimensions of 0.73" to 0.94". It has 64gb SSd and comes with Touchpad but I have to sacrifice the processor speed and part with about $300 more? Is it worth it?

I have not seen any of these systems in person and would appreciate all the inputs from you guys to make my decision.

Is X301 very sleek and attractive compared to x200s?

 

Depends how much you value your money and how important battery life and weight are.

If you care about battery life, stick with the SU processors since they use fewer watts. Watching DVDs and doing MS Office isn't going to saturate an SU9400. IIRC, its TDP is 10W versus the SL9400's TDP of 17W. The X200s has a significantly longer battery life because it has the smaller screen and has the ability to carry larger batteries for cheaper. There are specs on the Lenovo site for approximate details.

For multimedia, the main advantage of the X301 is the larger screen size (12" v 13") and that it has nicer speakers that are on top of the laptop instead of under so that the sound comes out better.

With the 1440x900 resolution or SSD, you can add that option in yourself for the former and install a better SSD yourself for the latter.

 

lol, that's kind of subjective...

IMO (and most people's opinions), yes the X301 looks at least a little more attractive than the X200s.

 

Thanks for your inputs? Any other suggestions? How is the battery life of 3 cell in x301? Is there major difference in speed between su9400 (1.4 GHz) and su9600 (1.6 GHz) and is it worth the upgrade? I need to decide by next week.

 

X301 all the way...it is much sexier than the X200s!
I love the resolution and the LED screen. The processor has been plenty fast. I doubt that you would be able to tell the difference unless you are just running benchmarks all day!
Put a second battery in the media bay and you will get around 5-6 hours real world usage, give or take depending on what you are doing. The only thing I have put the dvd drive back in for is an OS install, and now days that is easily accomplished from a USB thumb drive.

JMHO though.

 

The x301 will have significantly less battery life as far as the available options go. If you aren't getting the optical drive for the x301 then I would just go with the x200s unless you want the more premium look of the x301 (as far as thinkpads go).

 

In my opinion, X200s is one of those "PURE" ultra-portable laptops, while X301 isn't.
For instance, integrated optical driver is not so necessary to mobile users, who care size/weight/battery life more.

If you are a mobile user, get the X200s. If you want a larger screen and integrated optical drive...well why don't you consider the newer and far more powerful T400s

 

Hey guys,
I fully loaded x200s with 4GB ram and 128GB SSD for $1100 + Taxes. Is the SSD worth the upgrade? What SSD does lenovo use in X200s?
I am leaning towards x200s at the moment for bigger bang for the buck but sheesh I still love the aesthetics of x301. Is new thinkpad rollcage design in x301 more durable than x200s?

 

I'd get the SSD after. It's usually cheaper than way.

 

The x200s has the same rollcage design if you get the WXGA+ LED option.

 

I had both computers, at fairly loaded specs. (Although I had a x200).

Both are great machines, for different reasons of course.

What I loved about the x200 is basically the specs in the tiny package. Had a 2.4ghz processor and I had the option to use large drives. The foot print is small, although the weight is greater than the x301. With the 9 cell battery after a year - the running time was still about 4-6 hours which was very nice.

I got an x301 simply because I wanted a higher resolution screen and more real estate. I got it with a 128gb ssd - even though I cant use larger drives, the speed and function of an SSD is a nice compromise. If you want more battery life you can get the optional 3 cell bay battery which brings the total battery life to 6-7 hours with med brightness, word processing and wifi. You can pick up a battery on ebay for $100 so its a good option.

The x200 didnt feel sleek at all to me because of the 9 cell battery jutting out and the large bezel on the screen - in fact it felt kind of like a clunker. Can't discount it though because it's a tough and powerful little book. The x301 is defintely much more sleek. The keyboard has held up against my oily fingers for some reason, the bezel more manageable, the trackpad attractive, the rubberized wrist rests and lcd cover and the general thinner and more streamlined. I am at this point more partial to my x301 set up because I don't see performance decreases between the two machines.

 

But if i choose that option I would have to forego integrated camera.

 

I went with the X200s myself.
I compared the config and the X200s with
1) the same processor SU9400
2) Same Memory
3) has a longer battery life

I do not need the internal DVD and favor portability.
The screen is smaller (1280x800 Vs 1440x900)
I took it with the 250GB HD which I intend on replacing with a 256GB SSD
The X301 has with 64GB SSD and an accumulated 9 cell (3+6) comes out to be $1383
The X200s with BT, BGN, no Wimax, 9 cell and fingerprint reader came out $741.
After I add the SSD it will be $1200 Vs $1383 and even then I will have a 256GB SSD + 250GB HD Vs. a 64GB SSD.
No brainer for me...

I got these though the AMEX special.

 

How are you guys getting close to $1200 on the X301?? The price I am getting is close to $1800....??

 

Yeah I too believe x200s offers better value for money as compared to x301. By the way doesn't 9 cell battery option in x200s stick out from the back of the laptop? Could someone tell me how thick x200s would be with either a 4 cell, 6 cell or 9 cell battery? I want my laptop to be as sleek as possible.

 

Hi,
To get x301 for the price mentioned you need to visit the Amex site. I have provided the link below for your reference. You must have an amex card to buy it.

http://shoplenovo.i2.com/SEUILibrar.../en_US/StdAffinity:Home?home=adw&affinity=adw

 

Yes, the 9cell battery does stick out from the back AND the bottom.
The 6cell battery sticks out from the bottom only, making it a bit thicker than a 4cell battery, which does not stick out at all.

 

I am going to pull the trigger on the x200s tommorrow. Any last minute advice. I have decided to purchase x200s with the 4 cell battery as it is thinner than a 6 cell battery. How many hours does a 4 cell battery last in real world usage as compared to a 6 cell battery? Should I go for the 6 cell battery and compromise on the thickness? How thick is a 6 cell battery compared to 4 cell battery?

 

It's hard to tell. 1cm maybe

If you are a portable user and really need to do jobs without plugged in, get a larger battery would be a better choice.
For reference, with med(6or7/15) brightness, low sound volume, text editing and web browsing, my 4cell battery can last about 2h15m in Windows XP, but less than 2h in Windows 7.
My friend's 6cell can last more than 3h30m easily but I don't know the exact figure.
No comment for 9cell though

In my opinion, the difference in weight is more noticeable than the difference in thickness.

 

I will buy x200s with the 6 cell battery as I would get twice the battery life for addition of only 130 grams and 6mm thickness in height and $18 more than 4 cell.

 

The 6cell or 9cell lifting the laptop a little actually is beneficial when the laptop is on a table to help airflow and give you a slight tilt for typing.

 

Guys,
Any more last minute thoughts? After going through all your suggestions it seems that x200s offers more value for the money and the majority seems to be in favour of it. But I don't know why I seem to be attracted towards x301. x301 seems to be more of an indulgence than from a point of practicality. But for $1120 is it not a good deal? There was a time when this machine was going for about $2000 plus but this price look more digestible. Those people who own this machine any comments on the build quality i.e flex in keyboard, screen quality etc that I should be aware of ? I would be using this machine for at least the next 3 to 4 years. :confused2:

 

The main drawing factors for the X301 are the touchpad, built-in optical drive, slimmer profile, DisplayPort and sleeker design without protruding batteries. I couldn't live with just the pointstick on the X200s and the X200s also wasn't available when I purchased my X301 more than a year ago. The X301 is a perfectly fine device if you do not need the performance of the X200s CPU and do not want batteries which protrude from the laptop among other things mentioned. It's a trade-off either way, so you should make up your own mind based on your needs and what you can afford.

 

Just figure out your battery life needs too. That should narrow it pretty quickly.

 

vij96,

I cannot give you first-hand experience on X301 because I have never seen or touched one. You probably have already searched the forum and read all relevant posts 3+ times, so there is not much I can add.

I agree with the majority that X200s offers more value for the money. However, choosing a laptop is never a completely rational process, and I think you should go with the one you really love. Just because getting X200s makes more sense does not mean that X200s will make you happy. From the way you described your dilemma, getting a laptop that you do not enjoy may end up being both a waste of money, and a waste of a perfectly good laptop.

Whatever the practical limitations of the X301 are, I am sure you will be able to accommodate them by changing your habits and adjusting your workflow. If you are concerned about build quality, getting more warranty might not be a bad idea.

 

Don't forget that the X200s can be had with the optional 1440x900 resolution screen.

 

I have had both the X200 and the X301, and feel wise, I can weigh in, that the x301 feels so much better. Less chunky and more sleek. Not only that, really great resolution and screen size. Of course depends on what you like.