Lenovo Thinkpad X200 Review

Lenovo has announced the launch of several new laptops in their IdeaPad and ThinkPad lines to coincide with the unveiling of Intel’s Centrino 2 platform earlier today. One of those is the new ThinkPad X200 ultra-thin laptop, which joins Apple’s MacBook Air and Lenovo’s own X300 as one of the lightest fully-functional laptops available today.
Lenovo’s heralded “rock solid” design? Check. An ample amount of ports stuffed into a lightweight package? Check. A price tag that’s on the good side of reasonable? Check. Laptop has just awarded Lenovo’s recently announced Lenovo Thinkpad X200 ultraportable an Editor’s Choice award after determining that what it has is likely what you’ll want. Reviewers deemed the travel-friendly machine an “excellent lightweight notebook for mobile professionals who demand the business essentials,” noting that the omission of an optical drive wasn’t really a deal-breaker for them.
The Lenovo Thinkpad X200 is the “Performance Model” and starts at 2.93lbs. It uses normal voltage processors. Lenovo estimates the X200 will provide 3.3-9.6 hours of battery life. On the other side, the X200s “Portability Model” with low voltage or ultra-low voltage CPU weighs from 2.47 pounds and runs estimated 4.5-13.3 hours on a single charge. The “Tablet Model” also uses Intel’s LV and ULV chips. It starts at 3.55lbs and should provide 3.3-11.1 hours of battery life.
The Lenovo Thinkpad X200 is a whole different animal than the 13.3-inch X300, which is optimized to be as thin and light as possible and has a low-voltage processor, built-in DVD burner, and a solid state drive and has an eye-popping sticker price of $3,225. The X200 doesn’t have an optical drive, but it does have full-speed Intel Core 2 Duo processors, an array of drive options and an optional docking solution.
The optical drive is the most glaring omission, although there was none with the X61. If an optical drive is really a must, the Lenovo Thinkpad X200 Ultrabase dock (which integrates an optical drive) is available for $219 through Lenovo. (Alternately, you can get a third-party USB external optical drive.) The array of ports isn’t going to blow you away, but you do have three USB ports and an SD card slot. A webcam and a fingerprint reader are nice touches, but the most compelling features are the wireless options.
It starts with internal WWAN connectivity, with your choice of AT&T, Verizon, or Sprint. The upgrade prices for an AT&T and a Verizon cellular modem are $80 and $130, respectively, although service plans are still on the pricey side. Because it’s one of the first Centrino 2 laptops, the Lenovo Thinkpad X200 runs the new Wi-Fi Link 5300 chipset. The 5300 is the higher-end version of two Centrino 2 Wi-Fi chips (the other being the 5100), sporting a larger antenna array and greater range than the previous Wi-Fi Link 4965AGN chipset.