Lenovo Thinkpad and IdeaPad 90W Slim AC/DC Combo Adapter Review

by Kevin O'Brien

Trying to pack light for traveling can always be a pain if you are dealing with multiple electronic devices. One power adapter for your notebook, another for a cellphone, one for a PDA, or any of a number of other choices can really add up in weight and volume in your luggage. This is where the new Lenovo Slim AC/DC Combo adapter comes in, supporting most Lenovo notebooks (new and old), as well as a wide range of accessories. This adapter lets you power all of these devices in your car, on a plane, or from your wall in the US, or any international region. Now instead of carrying a multitude of adapters, you pack one portable travel case containing the Lenovo Slim AC/DC Combo Adapter.

Thinkpad and IdeaPad 90W Slim AC/DC Combo Adapter Specifications:

• To recharge your ThinkPad, IdeaPad or Lenovo 3000 battery while you are in the office, at home, on the road, or in the air, plug the adapter into:

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• An AC wall outlet
• A vehicle DC power outlet
• An available airline power outlet

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• Through the use of interchangeable notebooks tips (included), you can use this adapter with new and older models of Lenovo notebooks that operate on 90W or below. Note that the adapter does not support Lenovo Y710 notebooks, which require 135W power. For additional compatibility information, please visit: www.lenovo.com/support/slimadapter.

• Ships with AC and DC cables, three interchangeable tips for powering ThinkPad, IdeaPad and Lenovo notebooks, and a handy carrying pouch (Note that tips to power peripheral devices must be purchased separately).

• Backed by Lenovo's one-year limited warranty with renowned Service and Support available from IBM.

• Retail Price: $119.95

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Dual Charging Cable Specifications:

• Delivers power from the 90W Slim AC/DC Combo Adapter to both a notebook and peripheral device (e.g., cell phone or PDA) simultaneously.
• Compatible with ThinkPad and Lenovo 90W Slim AC/DC Combo Adapter (41N8460) and associated notebook and peripheral tips (available separately).
• Backed by a 90-day limited warranty.
• Retail Price: $19.95

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Charging Tips for Accessories:

• L1 Tip for Motorola a, e, i, v Series Phones
• L2 Tip for Nokia Phones
• L3 Tip for Audiovox, Kyocera, Motorola, Nextel, Samsung Phones
• L4 Tip for Sony Ericcson Phones
• L5 Tip for Samsung Phones
• L6 Tip for Motorola i Series Phones
• L7 Tip for Palm Pilot
• L8 Tip for RIM Blackberry and Select Motorola Phones
• L9 Tip for Generic USB
• L10 Tip for Apple iPod and iPhone
• Retail Price for Each: $9.95

Setup and Design

The design of the Lenovo Slim Combo Adapter is such that it requires no adjustment besides swapping tips to work for a wide range of devices. You don't need to worry about changing any voltage setting for each tip to work properly. This means very easy field use no matter what person is using it, and no manual required.

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Use

I went a bit above and beyond for this test, since it came into the shop right as I was leaving for Spain. I was planning on carrying adapters for my notebook, iPod, and cell phone, but this ended up saving a ton of room in my bag. I also found it quite handy having a travel case to hold all of the cables together, since it let me cram it into one tight container, to then squeeze into a tight spot inside my backpack as one single piece.

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On the 767-400 flying out, as well as the 767-200 coming back we had a power plug on the front of our seats in coach. Having unlimited power for 9 hours of flight to kill time is one of the most splendid experiences you could imagine. I was able to play around doing something (even solitaire) on my notebook, instead of watching the TV shows playing in a massive loop on the flight's TV. I also used the dual charging cable and the iPod tip to keep my iPod charged up, as I was using it to play movies during the flight.

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Once I was back on solid ground, the adapter came in handy at the hotel, keeping my notebook and other devices charged up with a single plug going into the wall. I did have to use a separate pin adapter to convert the Euro plug to my US adapter, but all of the voltage conversion was handled by the Lenovo power adapter.

Complaints

The only part of this adapter that I did not really enjoy was the lack of &quot;easy&quot; travel storage. Besides the Velcro straps, it's just too awkward to find a way of compacting the wire assembly to easily fit it back inside the travel case. While it wasn't impossible, I would have preferred a more convenient method.

Conclusion

The Lenovo and IdeaPad 90W Slim AC/DC Combo Adapter is a great little travel charger for your Lenovo notebook and other mobile devices if you are a road warrior. You trade your old clunky adapter for an extra charging tip and save quite a bit of space. Personally, I wish more companies offered this type of charging adapter.

Pros:

• Saves space when replacing other extra power adapters
• Works in a wide range of situations

Cons:

• With all the tips being extra, price can add up if you have many devices that use different plugs
• No convenient way to wrap up the cords for easy storage.

 

Good one, thank you!
PS: It's 105$ at BLT.
So I guess it works in Europe too (considering they say it works worldwide), but they only have it with the original power plug. Or do they have a different power plug (like type C or F) in that package?

 

Definitely something business travelers should look into getting here, I have an iGo Juice but I prefer this Lenovo adapter over the iGo.

Which airline were you on? It sure as h*ll wasn't Delta, who I end up flying with most. They don't even have the in seat TVs you complained about.

 

When are we going to get some IdeaPad reviews?

 

This reminds me of the power adapter for my mom's old Gateway Solo 3450. It was also quite slim, and it stored its own power cord! But then again, it didn't have interchangeable tips for other electronics like this new Lenovo power adapter does. This power adapter looks pretty intriguing for Thinkpad owners as it is, but it would be perfect if it stored its own power cord and had tips for other laptops.

 

You tell me, I think you guys paid for it

Going out I think it was Delta > Continental > Air Europa, coming back it was Continental > Continental

Oh god I hope soon

 

Dell make the same thing too and they got the slim one and all those fancy plugs. I return mine because the cord is just too short.

 

Thanks for the review, but does anyone have pics comparing the slim adapter to the regular adapters? I've never seen a Q like in the photo in real life and it's hard to imagine the size.

 

the Y710 notebook requires 135W? I thought it's around the same as the T61p since the gpus are comparable.

 

I will snap a shot of my regular 90w compared to this tomorrow first thing.

 

How does the weight, including cables, compare with a normal PSU?

I once bought the iGo Juice, but it has never left home because the cables were bulky and heavy.

John

 

Slim 90w with all cables, tips, etc jammed inside the case = 1lb 9.5oz

Here is a shot of the 3 adapters side by side, 60w > 90w > slim 90w

 

That's a great shot! Can you stack them up and take one from the side also? The AC/DC combo adapter looks HUGE compared to my 60W adapter, but I know it is slimmer...

 

Thanks for the side by side shot. I would also like to see a stacked up pic too.

 

These things are pricey. I guess that makes sense if they can be used for so many different devices.

 

I bought this thing. I am somewhat disappointed.

This thing is *heavy*, double the weight of the AC adapter for my X60.
The adapter plugs are not well thought out; they form a stiff 8cm-long
protuberance from the side of your laptop, which is not good for airline
use, which is the big raison d'etre for this thing.

One big advantage does not seem to be mentioned anywhere, namely
that the business end of the 12V adapter wire is an Empower (airline)
plug going into the automotive plug. You don't have to buy an Empower
if you fly on lines that use them.

I would investigate the iGo adapters, maybe they have one that is lighter.

This is the only Lenovo-supplied 12V adapter for the X60 series I know about,
so it does constitute a 12V solution, I'll give it that much.

The package does not include AC adapters, so you need a simple euro
adapter or maybe the three-prong thing for the UK/India, etc.

The 2nd-device splitter gizmo is not impressive. Because the pigtails on
it are very short, the cell phone you are charging sits right next to the
laptop.

I wanted to get a plug to charge my pda, but the pages that describe the
tips don't list my device. It would be hard to hotwire your own, because
the device produces DC at several voltages, and the information does not
go into the details enough to figure out what might work in a pinch.

I believe this thing weighs so much because it attempts to be a one-size-
fits-all solution for 12V power for all Lenovo laptops, and they all charge
at different voltages, so the device contains a lot of heavy power
electronics and heat sinks that you probably don't use. I would like to
see Lenovo make one for the T40 series that charges at 16V, one for
the X60's that charge at 20V etc. And I wish they would use aircraft
Tefzel wire, so the cables could be lighter. Basically, I wish they would
go agressively at the mass of this thing. This device is powerful: 90W,
which should keep a very powerful laptop going even while doing heavy
work like DVD playing etc. For my purposes, I would accept a less powerful
device if it could be lighter.

The AC adapter for my X60 weighs 296 grams.
This device weighs about 600 grams, this thing is a heavy brick.

Cheers.