Lenovo ThinkPad X220, 12.5 inch Premium HD Notebook, The Complete Review

Lenovo ThinkPad X220, 12.5 inch Premium HD Notebook, The Complete Review
Lenovo's newest 12-inch business notebook, the ThinkPad X220, offers the latest Intel Sandy Bridge processors, a high-quality IPS display, and battery life that is so incredible you've got to see it to believe it.

Our review unit of the Lenovo ThinkPad X220 features the following specifications:

  • Intel Core i5-2520M dual-core processor (2.5GHz, 3MB cache, 3.2GHz Turbo frequency)
  • Windows 7 Professional (64-bit)
  • 12.5-inch Premium HD (1366 x 768) LED Backlit Display (IPS)
  • Intel Integrated HD Graphics
  • 4GB DDR3 (1333MHz)
  • 320GB Hitachi Travelstar hard drive (Z7K320)
  • Intel Centrino Advanced-N 6205 (Taylor Peak) 2x2 AGN wireless card
  • Intel 82579LM Gigabit Ethernet
  • 720p High Definition webcam
  • Fingerprint reader
  • 6-cell battery (63Wh) and optional slice battery (65Wh)
  • Dimensions: 12 (L) x 8.2 (W) x 0.5-1.5 (H) inches with 6-cell battery
  • Weight:
    • 3.5 pounds with 6-cell battery
    • 4.875 pounds with 6-cell battery and optional external battery slice
  • Price as configured: $1,299.00 (starting at $979.00)


 Build and Design
Lenovo recently announced their latest ThinkPad line of business notebooks, but they had one more surprise in store: the ThinkPad X220. The previous generation of 12-inch Thinkpads, the ThinkPad X201, was widely regarded as the best 12-inch business notebook on the market.

Lenovo continues to provide essentially a full-size keyboard on a 12-inch ultraportable notebook, but that larger keyboard comes at the expense of space for the palm rests. Regardless of the compact design, the X220 continues Lenovo's trend of "business rugged" laptops. This ThinkPad is Milspec tested (physical shock, thermal shock, altitude, dust, vibration, humidity, heat and cold) for proven durability. 

The majority of Lenovo's business clients order their notebooks pre-configured exactly the way they want them. 

Ports and Features
The ThinkPad X220 has what can only be described as the most robust port layout we've seen on any current-gneration 12-inch notebook. You get two standard USB 2.0 ports and your choice of either one "always on" USB 2.0 port (for charging USB devices when the notebook is powered off) or one USB 3.0 port for high-speed data transfers. 

Screen and Speakers
The 12.5-inch screen on our review unit of the ThinkPad X220 is an optional IPS panel with LED backlighting. Our lab test results show this screen has a 743:1 contrast ratio and a peak brightness of 263 nit. 

Keyboard and Touchpad
The keyboard on the new ThinkPad X220 features a few subtle changes from the previous generation of X200/X201 series keyboards. The typing surface has excellent support with barely any flex under heavy pressure. 

The new buttonless touchpad provides a 45 percent larger surface area than the touchpad on previous generation of X Series notebooks.

Specifically, if you rest one of your fingers or thumbs on a touchpad button while you move the cursor with another finger, it's possible that the touchpad will interpret the two fingers on the touchpad surface as a two-finger gesture or quickly move the cursor between the two fingers when you lift one finger off the touchpad surface.

Our review unit came equipped with the Intel Core i5-2520M dual-core processor. The new integrated graphics in the Intel Sandy Bridge platform are a noticeable step up from the previous generation of Intel integrated graphics. Lenovo also offers a number of optional solid state drives (SSDs) ranging in capacities of 4GB to 160GB.

Battery Life
The ThinkPad X220 with Intel Core i5-2520M processor delivered 8 hours and 47 minutes of battery life with the 6-cell battery. Lenovo was also kind enough to send us a review sample of the optional slice battery. During our standard battery drain test the X220 with 6-cell battery and slice kept running for 18 hours and 34 minutes. 

Conclusion
The Lenovo ThinkPad X220 is arguably the best 12-inch business notebook currently on the market and we won't argue. Any business laptop that can deliver top-of-the-line perfromance and more than eight and a half hours of battery life with a standard 6-cell battery is amazing. Considering that the starting price of this notebook is less than $1000 we have a hard time not recommending the ThinkPad X220 for businesses looking for a powerful and durable notebook for a mobile workforce.

Plus:
  • Exceptional performance
  • Amazing battery life
  • Excellent durability
Minus:
  • Buttonless touchpad may bother some users
  • No docking station pass through on the optional slice battery
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