Lenovo ThinkPad X200 review

The ThinkPad range has an unmatched heritage when it comes to ultraportables, with the X series earning a place on the PC Pro A List via each of the X30, X40, X60 and X300 families. The most recent, the Lenovo X300, is one of the most remarkable laptops we’ve seen, squeezing an optical drive and 13.3in screen into its ultra-slim 1.45kg chassis.

At first glance the X200 appears like a step backwards: there’s no optical drive and the screen measures a mere 12.1in, but don’t be fooled; it still fills a cosy niche previously occupied by the X60, which it replaces. It’s more compact, it has a bigger hard disk, and it’s cheaper.

Performance and battery life

It’s also fast. Based on Intel’s Centrino 2 technology, and in particular the P8000 series processors, it packs in a surprising amount of horsepower: a score of 1.10 in our benchmarks is 10% faster than a 3.2GHz Pentium D desktop PC, so the X200 will have no issue running demanding applications.

The copious 4GB of RAM, of which 3GB is usable by the OS, employed in our review sample (the top-end NR35TUK), can claim some credit for this, but if you opt for an X200 with at least 2GB of RAM you can be assured of a responsive system.

The other promised benefit is lengthy battery life, and we were impressed in our tests. The X200 lasted for 1hr 57mins when pushed to the limit in our intense-use benchmark, but in real-world use you can expect closer to the 5hrs 53mins we saw from our light-use test.

Note also that Lenovo customises Vista’s power plans to provide all sorts of extra life-enhancing measures, including Battery Stretch: this disables unnecessary items like audio and wireless, and puts the display power settings into extra-aggressive mode.

If battery life is key, it’s also worth thinking about buying the extra-life battery. The X200’s standard six-cell battery has a 5,200mAh capacity, but switching to a nine-cell unit should add an extra three hours to the X200’s life under light use.

The inevitable cost is weight. With a six-cell battery in place, the X200 tipped our scales at 1.55kg. According to Lenovo’s figures this rises to 1.71kg with the nine-cell battery in place, and drops to 1.34kg with the four-cell battery.

Perfect for mobile professionals?

When you factor in the ThinkPad’s build quality it’s clear the X200 has plenty to offer a mobile professional who wants a reliable laptop to sling into a bag.

Especially when you consider that all new ThinkPads include a built-in 3G modem, which should help obtain a stronger signal than an external USB dongle. You get a free 30-day trial with Vodafone, at which point you can decide to stick with it (a perfectly reasonable choice, as you can see from our round-up of mobile broadband suppliers) or switch to someone else.

You’ll also enjoy using the X200 on the move. The screen is incredibly bright at its top setting, and goes down to a very low level if battery life is a priority, and its 1,280 x 800 resolution is just right on a screen of this size. The extra desktop space is noticeable over the 1,024 x 768 offered by the X60 series.

But it’s the keyboard that’s truly a thing of beauty. Not necessarily to behold – the blocky keys are never going to match the Sony Z-Series’ Scrabble-style offerings for style – but if you’re a serial typist then you’ll delight in their firm-yet-responsive feel underneath the finger.
Lenovo also takes full advantage of the extra width provided by the updated chassis. The keys themselves are a little wider than that of the ThinkPad X60 series, and it also offers generous amount of space for those oft-forgotten function keys: you won’t have any trouble hitting Home, Delete and the like, as they’re large and logically grouped.

The compromise is the trackpad, or lack of one. While long-time users of ThinkPads won’t have any concerns about using a trackpoint, anyone weaned on Dell and Sony ultraportables that include trackpads alone will mourn its absence. It’s not a killer blow though: once you get used to the trackpoint it’s a quick and easy way to navigate a 1,280 x 800 desktop.

Compromises

Of greater concern to most will be the omission of an optical drive, but before you dismiss the X200 solely on this basis it’s worth working out just when you really need one. If it’s just in the office, an external optical drive may well suffice. If you’re looking for a neater solution, Lenovo offers its UltraBase. The cost does start to mount up, though, as this sells for £129 exc VAT.

Also note that, because the X200 is a different body shape to the X60 series (and its predecessors), no previous bases will fit.

At least Lenovo doesn’t compromise on the ports. You get three sensibly spaced USB ports around the chassis, none of which are adjacent to each other so you can fit three thumbdrives in simultaneously without issue.

There are also the usual modem and Gigabit Ethernet sockets, along with an ExpressCard/54 slot and a versatile 5-in-1 card reader: it takes Memory Stick, Memory Stick Pro, SD, SDHC and MMC cards (note some models only include support for SD, MMC and SDHC).

The Lenovo extra

Most of the time we complain about the software companies bundle with their computers, but the ThinkPad approach has always been different: Lenovo’s ThinkVantage suite of applications is genuinely useful, from the Linux-based OS that allows you to download drivers when Windows won’t load, to Access Connections, a utility that lets you manage your wireless connections far more effectively than Windows’ own tools do.

Lenovo is also distributing the top-end version of the X200 with Windows Vista Ultimate, which brings with it BitLocker Drive Encryption. In combination with the Trusted Platform Module, this means you can encrypt the whole disk so only people with the correct password – or fingerprint – will ever be able to see its contents.

The warranty is disappointing, though. It’s a good length at three years, but there’s no hint of on-site cover; you have to pay for the courier costs both to and from the service centre.

A question of style

The final point we need to make is about the X200’s style. In terms of looks, comparing the X200 to the Sony Z11 is like putting a tractor side by side with a Porsche 911. It isn’t helped by the X200’s extraordinarily large screen surround; while it’s comforting to know that the extra space is used by the radio antennae, that’s not going to gain you any admiring glances.

And it’s a little disappointing that the X200 isn’t slimmer. At its rear, and including the feet, it measures 35mm thick, and though it tapers down at the front it still measures over 20mm. Compare that to the MacBook Air’s much-praised 19.4mm thickness – there’s simply no contest.

Does it matter? For serious-minded businessmen, probably not. And to be fair to Lenovo, the ThinkPad’s square, uncompromising design has become iconic in its own way over the years.
Conclusion

Intel’s Centrino 2 technology heralds a quiet revolution. It’s brought desktop-level power to ultraportables without harming battery life, and both the X200 and the Sony VAIO Z-Series show that you can buy a 1.5kg laptop that can also be your main PC.

What is surprising, however, is the price. Even though you can’t yet buy X200 units, you can pre-order a well-specified one (P8400 processor, 2GB RAM and 160GB hard disk) for £950 exc VAT, while the best price for our top-end NR35TUK review unit is £1,145.

Neither of these prices quite puts the X200 into bargain territory, but they’re by no means terrible either. So if you need true power from your laptop, and it’s substance rather than style that matters to your business, then this diminutive Lenovo is an excellent choice.