Lenovo’s latest ultraportable is the ThinkPad X100e, set to be launched in the Philippines this February 3. A ThinkPad under Php30k is unheard of so we check out if the X100e is worth all that wait.
The ThinkPad retains its signature design — sturdy, cold and not a hint of glossy finish. We’ve known the ThinkPad line to be very strong in the business segment but it’s also got its following with consumers because of the solid construction.
The unit is not really that thin but it’s already light for its size. The 6-cell battery protrudes at the back and not at the bottom which, I think, is a better positioning. The keyboard is nice and spacious with an almost chiclet-type form — it’s slightly curved at the bottom end and has a concave surface. This allows for better touch-typing experience which helps prevent your finger from slipping into two keys at a single tap.
My only gripe is that Lenovo still insists that the function key (Fn) is placed on the leftmost edge rather than the control (Ctrl) key. I use the Ctrl key more often than the Fn keys and putting it on the leftmost helps me hit it easily. The arrow key on the right are more prominent and they even added a dedicated Page Up and Page Down keys in between. This is probably one of the best keyboards I’ve ever tried on a laptop.
The trackpad has that same unique features of the ThinkPad — multiple sets of clickers with a dedicated scroll button — but all that seemed that have eaten a couple millimeters of the area of the trackpad. That nipple mouse (the track-point) is still there in the middle — a classic ThinkPad symbol and serves as alternative mouse pointer for those who still loves using it.
The ThinkPad X100e comes in different flavors — the one I had was a single core AMD Athlon Neo MV-40 which runs at 1.6GHz. It’s not as fast as the dual core Athlon X2 L335 on the Wind U210 but it’s still performs quite well. It can’t play YouTube HD 1080p (a bit choppy) but runs YouTube HD 720p just fine.
The rig came with an ATI Radeon HD3200 with 256MB dedicated RAM so it scored high in the graphics department. Results from Windows Experience Index gave the GPU a 4.8 for 3D gaming while the CPU got a decent 3.1 (will have some benchmark results between the MV40 and Neo X2 in the PCLabs later).
The 11.6″ screen, with a resolution of 1366×768 pixels, is bright but not very crisp (probably because of the matte finish). It’s more usable in the outdoors or bright environments compared to other glossy screens that attracts glare and fingerprints.
The other essential specs like the 2GB RAM and 320GB HDD are adequate as well as connectivity options with WiFi 802.11n and Bluetooth 2.1 (and no, there’s no ODD in here). The RAM is upgradeable to 4GB and there are models with 3G options too. The system comes with Windows 7 Home Premium pre-installed.
Lastly, the 6-cell battery is rated at about 5600mAh and Lenovo claims it could last up to 5 hours. However, on normal use with WiFi on and average display brightness, it only lasts just a little over 3 hours. BatteryBar shows the same with a full lifetime of 2:52. That’s really the trade-off you get with the MV40 and HD3200 which eats up a lot of juice.
Lenovo’s already got the ThinkPad T series in the thin and light category but those are targeted to enterprise users and businessmen and has a pretty hefty price tag (in the vicinity of Php100k) so seeing another ThinkPad at 1/4 of the usual price is an attractive offer. That’s with a starting price of Php28,990.
anu ba best brand na laptop for Autocad and 3d max ung pang 3d graphics pero medyo mura lang mga 4thou pababa?? thanks
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The Lenovo Think X100e, is really gorgeous…I would like to buy the heatwave red version. Check my blog.
There is no doubt that the ThinkPad X100e is a superb ultraportable, (Lenovo doesn’t like us calling it a NetBook!) the X100e is superb to use but at the end of the day its still only an 11″ screen.
For my money the ThinkPad Edge 13″ is the one to go for, for me it just has that little bit more usability.
http://www.thinkpadtoday.com/thinkpad-edge-13-3-review-thinkpad-for-small-business-emerging-markets-you.htm
We also like the IdeaPad S12 as well, its also one to consider, Ian
In the newest thinkpads or R and T series, fn and left ctrl keys are switchable in the bios settings. Maybe also the x100e is like these ones.
Sorry for my bad english :D
@jamie: saan ang store ninyo?
d2 samin store 27k x100e, s10-3t for 26k
Mas mura pa Thinkpad EDGE dito. Dapat kasi mahal ang Core 2 Duo na EDGE ($700) kesa 100e ($450).
@Jett: Thanks but the S12 is quite too big already. I just want a 10-incher. I looked at the S10-2 and S10-3 but they both have glossy screens! Darn it. Can’t really the best of both worlds I guess. :(
@patrick – yes talagang mainit… as in hotta :)
if you still want a lenovo netbook go for their ideapad S12 though walang trackpoint but still keyboard is excellent sa lahat ng netbooks na nagamit ko. cheers!
So talagang mainit ito? Sayang naman. I just need a netbook for typing and websurfing. This caught my attention because it’s got the trackpoint. But if the battery life is really that dismal, well it’s no use for mobile computing. Oh well, the search continues…
this just arrived today sa megamall. 29.9K without OS. sabi nung attendant add 2.5k to add another 2gb ram.
sobrang panalo ang unit…na RED. :D
ergonomics is good, slim ang matte. forgot to ask about the battery tho kung 6-cell yung kasama.
im still waiting for further reviews, im not sold yet on the processor.
the only freebie daw is a lenovo laptop bag, the regular sized laptop bag for 14″ lappies :(
My gripes with the x100e. mabilis uminit, 2.5 hours lang battery in my experience using it
@dan umiinit nga sya – really hot. not too impressed with the performance of amd. if you are used to using dual core, medyo maiinip ka – nakakainip ang start up. a minute and a quarter duon sa ibang youtube reviews na nakita ko but overall considering the keyboard, the size, & weight – panalo sya!
i saw the post on the newspaper also at 38k.
anyone knows where its sold at 29k?
someone is selling sa tipidpc at 35k pre-order.
@Bok – Still getting the SRP from Lenovo. The 29k has no OS>
The Fn- and Ctrl-Button can be switched in the BIOS.
Also if you’re talking about “thin and light” re Thinkpads then it’s the X-series (12 and 13 inch models like the x200 and x301).
The ThinkPad T series is bigger and heavier (14 and 15 inch).
Saw this model in the papers. SRP is 38.499 pesos
got one from fry’s today. i haven’t opened the box but have played the real macoy at the store. i get excited when i see thinkpads… big fan eh. kaso nakatihan kong magbasa ng review. one review says it gets really hot that you could hurt your finger if you let it stay there for 10 seconds or more. hmmm… will read some more before i open this baby. got this for $549 (gift ng hubby ko). ng mabasa ko na umiinit sya ng husto… wouldn’t that fry the motherboard in the future? siguro hintayin ko na lang muna na gamitin nile eh intel just like Char said for longer battery life and cooler base.
Yeah, too bad on the battery life. It’s already protruding at the back so I expected it’d last longer.
But yay on the keyboard! I swear Lenovo has the best laptop keyboards! :D
Hi Abe,
San po ang launch nung Thinkpad x100e locally?
@BrianB: in Macs, the command key is used for keyboard shortcuts way more than the control key. The latter’s only active function is to switch between spaces.
hi there!
im from a big company and you know wat, i have a service unit lenovo X61 thinkPad. All i can say is that this unit is pretty amazing, really powerful most esp for data management, emails, etc. Though i wont recommend for media use (like non-linear video editing, dvd watching, etc). and this unit is very durable, too. I think it cost them around 100K to purchase this, plus another hundred thousand plus to purchase a licensed adobe web premium CS3 (im in charge of our unit’s portal). that’s all i can say!
now thinking twice because of the battery life. will probably wait for the acer 1810TZ instead.. :P
I could make do of the 3-hr battery life on wifi when I’m traveling because our province is only 2 1/2 hours ride. But when I’m in the mall, that would suck!
Is there a no Windows option?
“My only gripe is that Lenovo still insists that the function key (Fn) is placed on the leftmost edge rather than the control (Ctrl) key.”
So true. I myself am using Lenovo Y410. Di ko maintindihan bakit hindi standard ang Ctrl keys nya. Pag ibang laptop tuloy nalilito ako sa Fn and Ctrl.
This thinkpad model is so old-school (in a positive way). Eto lang yata nakita kong bagong release na may trackpoint pa.
How much are the other variants priced?
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Macbooks have the FN leftmost. The matte finish should be a big draw. No idea why manufacturers insist on glossy for netbooks when you use netbooks mostly outdoors.
love the trackpoint!
would have been nicer if it has longer battery life..sana magrelease din sila ng intel version..
Nice, but battery life is disappointing. There are some netbooks with similar specs that could outlast this battery. Good pricing though.
arrghhh 3-hours real-world time? that sux for a small laptop. wala bang switchable graphics option to conserve power? i do like the concave keys though.
sir abe, hindi ba sya mabilis uminit?
ive been waiting for this, akala ko matagalang paghihintay na naman katulad ng S12 na hanggang ngayon hindi dumarating sa pinas. nice one sir abe