Lenovo ThinkPad X301
Earlier this year Lenovo released their ThinkPad X300, a super notebook for the business world. Recently, the X300 has been updated and introduced as the ThinkPad X301 model. The 301 has the same 337.82mm or 13.3-inch display, 1.5kg or 3.5lbs weight and 19mm or 0.74 with an 8X DVD burner and a 6-cell battery equipped.
When it comes to design, the X301 has the same look and feel as most other ThinkPad notebooks that have come before. The exterior is squared off and has a matte black finish with sides that are slightly tapered. This machine has all the normal connectors and ports with three USB 2.0, Ethernet, microphone and headphone jacks, DisplayPort, and a VGA connector. However, there is no memory card slot included with this laptop, which means you will need to use a USB card reader device or adapter to read from memory cards. This Thinkpad is a beautifully constructed notebook with internal roll cage design and a carbon and class fiber interior, which according to Lenovo, is stronger and lighter than titanium.
The 13.3″ (1440×900 resolution) WXGA+ matte (non-glossy) screen on the X301 is nice and bright, with its 300 nit LED backlit spec. In line with all the other ThinkPads, the X301 features a well designed keyboard that definitely ranks with the best in the business. The touchpad may be a bit small for some users since the design accommodates for the larger keys. A biometric fingerprint reader is integrated to the right of the touchpad to help keep private maters away from unauthorized access. Above the keyboard, you’ll notice buttons for volume, mute, the blue ThinkVantage button (for launching Lenovo’s system utilities), and the power button.
The ThinkPad X301 was not built to compete with your desktop equiped Quad Core Processor. The idea behind thin travel notebooks is using a low voltage processor to conserve power and reduce heat build-up. To be light, compact but yet powerful enough to handle all your business needs while traveling. The real change is whats under the hood: Lenovo has fitted the X301 with 2GB of RAM, Intel’s latest Centrino 2 platform, including the just-released ultra-low-voltage Core 2 Duo SU9400 processor. The SU9400 is a capable processor that remains cool and is economical with its power consumption. The boot-up time was a little slower than expected which took well over a minute to load Windows Vista, even with its SSD. Using PCMark Vantage the X301 showed measurable gains over the X300 scoring 3242, with the strongest areas being storage and productivity.
The ThinkPad X301 has a great arrangement of connectivity and wireless offerings:
- WLAN Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n
- WAN (Verizon or AT&T 3G services)
- UWB (optional)
- GPS (optional, available only with Verizon card)
- Ethernet LAN port
- BlueTooth
However there is no modem included, you’ll have to use a modem extension if you want that. The integrated WAN and WLAN will keep you connected just about anywhere in your travels, the UWB is an option for roaming wireless but there are not many cities in the U.S. that offer this. Or you can add a 3G connection from AT&T or Verizon Wireless, which also features integrated GPS
When it comes to long battery life, the X301 falls a bit short. Its six cell battery lasts only 3.5 hours during testing. On the same test, Sony’s VAIO VGN-Z530N lasted 5 hours. A little more should be expected out of ultraportable laptops when it comes to battery life (at least 4 hours).
The $2,700 laptop market is certainly an exclusive group of buyers, but for many business people their laptops are their lifelines to work, and thereby money made. If 64GB does not satisfy your needs for storage, an upgrade option is available for a 128GB SSD, which costs $400. So if your a globe traveling executive that needs a reliable and top of the line notebook, the cost of the X301 can easily be justifiable.
Technical Specifications
| CPU | 1.4GHz Intel Core 2 Duo U9400 ULV |
| RAM Included | 2GB |
| RAM Upgradable To | 4GB |
| Hard Drive Size | 64GB |
| Hard Drive Speed | 90MB/s Read and 70MB/s Write |
| Hard Drive Type | SSD Drive |
| Optical Drive Type | DVD+RW |
| Optical Drive Speed | 8X |
| Display Size (inches) | 13.3 |
| Native Resolution | 1440×900 |
| Graphics Card | Intel GMA X4500MHD |
| Video Memory | 384MB |
| Wi-Fi | 802.11a/g/n |
| Bluetooth | Bluetooth 2.0 |
| Mobile Broadband | Optional Add-on 3G connection from AT&T or Verizon Wireless |
| Operating System | MS Windows Vista Business |
| Ports (excluding USB) | DisplayPort; Ethernet; Headphone; Microphone; VGA |
| USB Ports | 3 |
| Card Slot(s) | N/A |
| Warranty/Support | One-year parts and labor/24/7 toll-free phone |
| Size | 12.5 x 9.1 x 0.9 inches |
| Weight | 3.5 pounds |
