Is IPS worth it in the X220?

The X220 screen is small enough that it'll be paired with a dock and external monitor. For movies, I'll have a WDTV setup to play on the tv. So the only time the notebook panel would be used is when I'm away from home. Would the IPS screen be worth it for that?

Mobiltechreview said their config with 4gb ram, i5, IPS and slice battery came to $1300. If we assume 100 for the battery and 60 for the ram, that comes to ~140. Base price is 949, so ~200 for IPS? Hmm, an IPS equipped X220 might get most of that 200 back in resale down the road?

 

Yes, period.

 

I believe there is also a cpu upgrade, so it's around $150 for the ips. If would get the ips if I were you, the screen is worth the price.

 

Yea for $150 I couldn't pass it up.

 

lol IPS is always worth it over TN, unless the TN panels had better color gamut (Precisions RGBLED color gamut > Dreamcolor 2), but overall IPS panels trump over TN.

 

Never mind that Lenovo lists it as an option. It's simply not optional.

 

I don't think that ethernet jack on the right hand side would be very good for people who use a mouse and are right handed. I know it's a laptop, but I still plug in my ethernet cord at home.

 

Hahaha QFT! Weren't IPS screens back then an arm and a leg for the upgrade?

 

.............

No but seriously, you can find these on eBay (at least used to be able to) and other fine retailers. I have one for tidiness sake.

 

Nice one... never saw these before

 

Exactly. It's worth every penny if it's $150-$200 extra.

 

200 bucks is like 18 cents per day over a 3 year amortization schedule. You can afford that for a cool screen.

Seen the video at YouTube - Lenovo ThinkPad X220 Review ???

You can tell even in the crappy video it rocks.

 

It's always worth it. Once you get used to one, your eyes will beg for high quality displays.

 

For the price that you are quoting vs current X201, I say a definite yes if screen is very important to ya.

 

Other than the X220 and the HP 8560w/8760w, are there other Sandy Bridge laptops that offer IPS panels?

 

100%

Negative! The RGBLED in the M6500 has lower gamut than the IPS in 8740w. Some reviewers like anadtech didn't make proper use of the color profiles that come with the Elitebook. I did a comparison review back when I had both systems. BTW, Dell is moving to IPS with their upcoming Precision refresh.

From notebookcheck :

Dell Precision M6600 and M4600 is rumored to have the IPS instead if TN as a top screen.

 

But if we're looking for the combination of low weight, long battery life and good viewing angles, the only option is the X220?

Too bad they don't offer it with more vertical pixels.

 

IPS is worth the extra money. I currently have the HP TM2. The screen quality is very, very bad. I am planning to upgrade to the x220t once I see sufficient good reviews (and a good coupon).

But then again, picture quality is in the eye of the beholder. For some, the TN panel is good enough for their use. For others, they simply demand the best quality out there. So it is subjective.

 

id love to get ips, but price difference is noticeable. x220i costs 690 euro while x220 (with ips and i5) is 940. im probably sticking to cheapest version

 

It's worth it, period. A guy I was talking with about ordering an X220 from the USA said that IPS is around 100$ — but I would pay 200$ extra without hesitation for the screen.

The only drawback is that it's not widely available on preconfigured models, and the increase in price from the basic model to an IPS one is huge.

I was quoted almost 35% more for a machine with IPS screen even though other upgraded parts were of no importance to me.

Hopefuly CTO models will have the IPS screen as an option for lower end machines as well.

Anyway, it definitely is worth the money. After working with many high quality displays, going to a laptop with mere TN is painful — even in the travel. As you say you will be connecting your ThinkPad to your external monitor — you will be noticing the huge difference everyday if you stick with non-IPS screen. It would bug me a lot — maybe you care less

M.

 

Dreamcolor-2 comes with RGBLED back-lighting. <STRIKE>Its color gamut is better than any laptop screens ever offered by Dell. Dreamcolor's gamut is even better than U3011, probably the best screen ever offered by Dell. </STRIKE>Undoubtedly, Dreamcolor-2 is a significant landmark in the history of the laptop making. (Lenovo's Thinkpad W700 is another such landmark, though not in terms of its screen quality.)


Correction:
I stand corrected. The 127% AdobeRGB color gamut (for Dreamcolor-2) cited by HP is for CIE 1976 (u',v'). I thought it was for AdobeGRB(1998). But given the choice of Dell's RGBLED (Precisions M6500) screen and HP's DreamColor-2 (IPS with RGBLED), I will go for the latter any day.

 

This is not true! The color gamut of the Dell Precision M6500 RGBLED display exceeds that of the HP EliteBook 8740w DreamColor 2 display.

​

The DreamColor 2's gamut is about the same as that of the T510/W510's FHD 1920x1080 B+RGLED (AU Optronics) display.

 

Does that mean that in countries where CTO is not availible, you may not see X220 IPS-models at all?

 

Hopefully not, Lenovo might have different preconfigured models for different countries too.

But like all others have said, IPS is the first thing I'll upgrade. Especially for a notebook this small, viewing angle is more noticeable when compared to a work station.

 

Oh, not at all. There are many preconfigured models with IPS. Unfortunately, as of current Tabook, most of them are pretty powerful configurations and none of these are a "Topseller" models, which means they are pretty much expensive.

For example, I see no IPS option on preconfigured X220i (with i3 processors).

It is possible that Lenovo have different preconfigured models for different markets - I must say I never checked.


M.

 

In my post I specifically mentioned that the anadtech's reviewer didn't even try to use the HP MDA with the proper sRGB profiles. Instead, they used the available tools to force calibrate the screen, and according to HP these tools do not work well on their IPS panels. Another point to note, is that the RGBLED TN received good scores only at gamma 1.8 instead of 2.2. And those who work in color critical field know all too well that 1.8 is unacceptable.


Here are the official specs from HP for the IPS:

Color Gamut Coverage CIE1931 (x,y) CIE 1976 (u',v')
NTSC 109% 129%
AdobeRGB 114% 127%
sRGB 154% 148%

 

In the States can you get the IPS screen with i3 cpu? I don't need more than the i3, but IPS is a must.

Shame Lenovo and HP don't offer IPS or their high gamut matte displays on their 13in and 14in models.

 

CTO machines are not yet available — I don't know if that will be possible. There are (at least for now) no preconfigured models with IPS and i3.

 

I'm glad that the IPS screens are anti-glare (according to mobiletechreview). I was also concerned about screen glare as I've had problems in the past.