This is a quick review of the Lenovo X200 Tablet running Windows 7. From a hardware perspective, the 12.1-inch widescreen X200 improves on the widely popular X61 tablet and offers a few goodies that competitors should be keen on matching, including a clear display (tablet screens are usually a bit grainy), an option for an actual viewable screen under direct sunlight, a multitouch screen option (unfortunately, you can’t combine multitouch with the outdoors screen), performance, and long battery life.

The X200 tablet is by far one of the best tablets with a convertible form factor on the market, offering zippy performance, all the features and benefits of Windows 7, and a sturdy frame with a durable magnesium alloy body and strong plastics. For its price (approximately $1600-$1800 or more depending on configuration), the Lenovo ThinkPad X200 is a business-class machine that delivers exceptional value.

Read on for more.

Hardware:

Looking at the Lenovo with its lid closed is like looking at any other PC—it’s boxy, understated, and quite the change from my elegant aluminum-clad MacBook Pro. However, as I put the device through use, it becomes very apparent that Lenovo’s form over function approach on this ThinkPad branded X200 tablet is not just an after thought; rather, every hardware consideration and design cue adds to the device’s overall usability, including the keyboard, which can handle some liquid spills (it’d be better if you spilled water over coffee, but at least you won’t wreck your near-$2,000 investment should a water accident emerge).

shown with optional dock, CD/DVD drive not built-into the X200 but can be added via dock or USB

Let’s start with the ports. The device’s ports are arranged all on either the left or right side while in conventional laptop mode. It’s bi-directional hinge can transform the laptop into slate mode, in which you’ll mostly use the device in portrait mode, placing the ports in new orientation (the left ports will be held at top and the right port will be on the bottom, anchoring closer to your abdomen). On the left side, you have a power port, which has a yellow interior for easy recognition on where to plug in the diminutive power adapter and supply—which is rated at 10 hours of computing time. After the power port, you have a vent, which ran very cool and I hardly ever heard the fan turning on even in intense use of playing back movies, word processing, and multitasking myself to browsing the internet for the latest tech news. You also have a VGA out port, USB, Ethernet port, ExpressCard 34/54, and a switch to toggle the wireless. Because of the vent’s placement on the left side of the device, the left side will be the side that is the top once you convert into tablet mode and hold the device in portrait view so that the vent points away from you rather than into your abdomen and may become blocked by clothing.

On the right side, you have a USB port at top. Next to that sits the slot for the digitizer pen. Next is a slot for the hard drive—you do need a screw driver to remove the hard drive slot and replace the drive. Next to that are jacks for the modem, microphone input, audio output, and a USB port. In total, between the left and right side, you will have three USB ports—not bad—but no i.Link or Firewire, which isn’t a big deal as even Apple is slowly dropping support for that standard.

The keyboard is a hallmark of the laptop and offers the most satisfying typing experience on any laptop. It is the more traditional variant and not the island-style keyboards found on newer Mac laptops or Sony VAIOs. Keyboards on ThinkPads are some of the best in the industry, and so far I haven’t found a competing product that can best the IBM/Lenovo ThinkPad keyboard click and tactile feel, offering the right amount of resistance and spring back to give a great typing experience.

The display is supported by a bi-directional rotating hinge, which is solid. No complaints on that hinge wearing out or snapping. There are LED lights—which glow green—on the display side of the display and on the back cover to let you know of system indicators, such as wireless radio, battery, etc. Since this is a business-class laptop/tablet, you won’t find any dedicated multimedia keys for music or video playback, though those functions are still supported and sound was loud on the device’s stereo speakers. On the display itself is a biometric fingerprint scanner and a number of buttons. Stereo microphones work well with the integrated webcam for video conferencing on this business-class ThinkPad. Although audio through the built-in speakers came out loud, it was hollow and I would recommend audiophiles invest in some headphones or better external speakers.

Screen:

Lenovo is giving its business customers two options for screens, and both options are great.

The first configuration is a glossy, glass outdoors display. While some other tablet manufacturers advertise their display as being outdoors-viewable, the Lenovo X200 tablet is actually viewable outdoors in direct sunlight! This would be the first laptop that you can take to a football stadium or park to catch up on some work while enjoying a bit of leisure time. The screen was crisp, bright, and responsive. Unfortunately, with the outdoors display, you do have to rely on the digitizer pen for tablet input as the outdoors screen doesn’t allow for finger input.

The second configuration available is the multitouch display. It’s not as bright and vivid as the outdoors-viewable screen used in its brother, but the multitouch panel still is bright and clear, unlike some cheaper tablets where there would be a noticeable grainy appearance. The multitouch screen is better for pen use as it’s more of a matte finish, giving the digitizer pen some traction and grip when you’re writing or drawing in tablet mode. This panel also supports gestures.

Battery Life:

The Lenovo X200 is rated for about 10 hours of use. In my use, with brightness set to a bit over half way, WiFi on, and using the browser and the Office, I extracted about 7 hours with outdoors screen and about 5 with the multitouch display. The Lenovo’s low-power Centrino processor with vPro technology, along with its intelligent software controls help to manage battery consumption better.

Benchmark:

Since this is our first review, we don’t really have our own benchmarks. We will, however, link to Notebook Review and use some of their detailed benchamarks. Before we get into the benchmarking, I should preface the review by noting that with Windows 7, I didn’t notice any lags, delays, nor slow down in system performance in using Microsoft Office, browsing the Internet, or chatting. On Internet videos, there were some stuttering despite a fast network connection.

wPrime Processor Performance Benchmark (lower scores mean better performance):

via NoteBook Review

 

via Notebook Review

 

via Notebook Review

 

Specs:

For complete specs, please visit Lenovo.

Conclusion:

With all the convenience, features, and inking and gesture support found in Windows 7, Lenovo had built a tablet that is exceptionally sturdy, well featured, and delivers great performance. The X200 is lightweight, easy to use. I am apt to give it 5 stars out of 5 stars and award it an Editor’s Choice rating. This one is definitely a Chuong’s Pick.