Lenovo X220 (12.5") vs Macbook Air (11")

V

vela.faltu

Disciple
Hi, I am planning to buy a new small ultra portable. Two laptops I am considering are the new Macbook Air and the new Lenovo X220.

Macbook Air Specs: Apple - MacBook Air - Compare the 11- and 13-inch MacBook Air.

Lenovo X220 Specs: Lenovo - Customize your ThinkPad X220 laptop - Doorbuster!

Category, Macbook Air (11"), Lenovo X220

OS, OS Lion OSX, Windows 7 Home Premium

Processor, i7 (1.8 GHz, Low Voltage), i7 (2.7 GHz, Normal)

RAM, 4GB 1333MHz, 8GB 1333MHz

Hard disk, 128GB (Solid State), 320GB

Graphics, Intel HD3000, Intel HD3000

Battery, 5 hours, 9 cell (Lenovo people say 13.8 hours)

Cost, 1284$, 1218$

As far as looks go, I absolutely adore both laptops. It's just that the X220 will be a lot thicker and slightly heavier. I am a CS grad student, therefore, I'll probably be using the console most of the times. My primary requirements are portability, battery, specs, solid built quality, looks. As far as portability goes both are portable as far as I am concerned.

What do you guys suggest? I am leaning towards the X220 because of the better battery life primarily.

--- Updated Post - Automerged ---

Here is a review of the X220 if somebody is interested: Lenovo ThinkPad X220 review -- Engadget. The laptop was released in March. So I guess a new version could come out in 3-6 months. I don't know much about the Thinkpad Lenovo cycle.

--- Updated Post - Automerged ---

Review of the new Macbook Air 11": Apple MacBook Air (11-inch, 2011)
 
If you need solid build quality & Battery then i'd recommend the X220... Core i7, 8GB RAM & a rollcage to protect it all.... + adding the external slice battery to the 9 cell takes it to ~20 hours.

I wish i could get it for $1200 (~53k INR) here in India :(
 
I don't think it's a fair comparison. The X220 is better in each and every way except for one - portability. Macbook Air is much thinner and lighter. But if both are portable enough to you, no question, go for the X220. Note that i7 vs i7 is not a fair comparison when one is 1.8 GHz and the other is 2.7 GHz. Also one thing - Macbook Air has a SSD which is faster than HDD, but you compromise on storage space. To be fair, X220 has SSD options too.
 
My vote is to MBA, gorgeous screen, portability, and the look.. If you go just by the specs then Thinkpad X220 makes sense... but if you go by general usage then anytime MBA (photoshop, browsing, movies, music etc etc)... This is my personal opinion and if i have the money i will go for MBA.. nothing comes next to it ;)

Why can't you go and check personally both the laptops and make ur decision... that will make more sense i guess..
 
sbhas2k said:
My vote is to MBA, gorgeous screen, portability, and the look.. If you go just by the specs then Thinkpad X220 makes sense... but if you go by general usage then anytime MBA (photoshop, browsing, movies, music etc etc)... This is my personal opinion and if i have the money i will go for MBA.. nothing comes next to it ;)

Why can't you go and check personally both the laptops and make ur decision... that will make more sense i guess..
Click to expand...

MBA has got a decent screen, but X220's matte IPS screen is just in a different league. The only thing going for it is portability, while looks is subjective. But the OP adores the look of both, and considers them both as portable. For the OP, the X220 is the clear choice here.
 
^ I have tried both x220 and MBA and i liked MBA screen.. Thus i said so.. anyway i also mentioned it's my personal opinion...

@vela.faltu : Also the new MBA review is not yet out, so i suggest wait for a few weeks before making decision.. Also i guess you would be happy with whatever lappy you choose as both are amazing machines ;)
 
desiibond said:
btw doesn't the price of X220 go up to 1500$ with core i7 and 8gig of RAM selected?
Click to expand...

No, the price is with the selected options. Lenovo is offering discounts. I think this is for the "Back to School Offer."
 
sbhas2k said:
^ I have tried both x220 and MBA and i liked MBA screen.. Thus i said so.. anyway i also mentioned it's my personal opinion...

@vela.faltu : Also the new MBA review is not yet out, so i suggest wait for a few weeks before making decision.. Also i guess you would be happy with whatever lappy you choose as both are amazing machines ;)
Click to expand...
I have a feeling you have tried the stock TN panel option. The IPS option is just objectively better than anything in this price range!
 
I think going for the X220 is a better option. The new MBA will also cost a lot in terms of MS Office for MAC also. Well, I'll wait a while before making my purchase. Of course, the MBA is definitely a beautiful machine but when it comes to specs esp. battery life it's just not bang for the buck.
 
If you are waiting, you might want to consider the upcoming Asus UX21 as well. It is drop-dead gorgeous (probably the most beautiful laptop I have seen, in pictures of course) and will feature the same specs as MBA but for a lower price (maybe $800-$900 for the entry level). And we all know about Asus' quality and reliability. HP, Dell and others are also coming up with their own "ultrabooks". The X220 will still win hands down on battery life, screen and peformance though. If it is "portable enough" then there's no point waiting - just get the X220. There's good discounts on as well now, don't want to miss those! The one and only thing ultraportables like UX21 or MBA beat X220 on is in thickness and weight (lack of).
 
vela.faltu said:
I think going for the X220 is a better option. The new MBA will also cost a lot in terms of MS Office for MAC also. Well, I'll wait a while before making my purchase. Of course, the MBA is definitely a beautiful machine but when it comes to specs esp. battery life it's just not bang for the buck.
Click to expand...

I have heard that students in the US get crazy discounts on the Mac as well as Office products (from MS). Have you explored those options?
 
vela.faltu said:
No, the price is with the selected options. Lenovo is offering discounts. I think this is for the "Back to School Offer."
Click to expand...

Then get it. I am using a T61 and even after 3 yrs, it is rock-solid. Battery is now dying (can't expect it to be at 100% after rigorous use for 3yrs) and only once there was a loose internal display connector which was fixed in no time.
 
Again the debate here is like iPhone vs Galaxy s2... Some people prefer iPhone for obvious reasons.. and others S2 for other obvious reasons...

Just go for it whichever suits you...

I myself used Thinkpad, it's a great sturdy & reliable machine, but more or less suited for Business use and not personal use... The same reason why Thinkpad is always branded as Business model.. Hope this clears things out..
 
sbhas2k said:
Again the debate here is like iPhone vs Galaxy s2... Some people prefer iPhone for obvious reasons.. and others S2 for other obvious reasons...

Just go for it whichever suits you...

I myself used Thinkpad, it's a great sturdy & reliable machine, but more or less suited for Business use and not personal use... The same reason why Thinkpad is always branded as Business model.. Hope this clears things out..
Click to expand...

please enlighten us. what kind of "personal" things would you do on air that you cannot do on X220. I am using T61. I run Ubuntu 10.10 on it, I watch movies, I play music, I do audio and video conversion, I do movie/music/photo organizing, I occasionally play games (on win7 with low settings as this is 3yr old laptop), i browse internet, I use feed readers, I use twitter applications, I play games on facebook, I chat with friends, I make voice calls using skype, gtalk, ymesg etc.

So, please tell me why I can't use a thinkpad as a personal laptop.

PS: The reason why Thinkpads are used mostly in offices etc is because they are usually priced lot lot higher. you can get a similar config Dell for 30-40% less price. Reason is that Thinkpads are build using high quality components that protect it from fall etc and the quality of components like keypad, display, wireless etc is just too good and they run for years. Due to this, they are default choice for corporate users as stability, data-protection are of utmost importance.

The ThinkPad X200, X301, X200s, X200 Tablet, T400, T500, R400 and SL300 laptops meet a barrage of military specifications tests and are enhanced with specially-designed durability features such as an air-bag like protection system and a roll cage in certain models. Baked, battered, blistered and blown with sand, Lenovo put the lineup of ThinkPad laptops through the gauntlet to pass a significant number of specifications for military-grade computing. We stopped just short of shooting one with a M16. Here is what the ThinkPad’s were subjected to:

Low Pressure – Tests operation at 15,000 feet

Humidity – Cycles 95 percent humidity through the environment

Vibration (operational and non-operational) – Jostles and jolts the laptops to make sure they can withstand shocks

High Temperature – Simulates high heat conditions by baking the laptop up to 140 degrees

Low Temperature – Tests operation at minus 4 degrees

Temperature Shock – Fluctuates between minus 4 and up to 140 degrees to test operation

Dust – Blows dust for an extended amount of time

source: http://www.lenovo.com/news/us/en/2009/02/rugged_computing.html
 
Back
Top