Ultralight ThinkPad with No Compromises (Except $$$)

The Lenovo (no more IBM branding to be found) ThinkPad X300, while still marketed as part of the long-runing X-series, is actually a completely new type of ThinkPad. Part ultraportable, part conventional and part PDA, the new X300 is quite a radical departure from previous ThinkPads and actually has more in common with some of the Japan-only ultra-portables than with anything ever before released in the US market.

To start, the X300 is a full-sized computer. It has a spacious 13.3" widescreen display, which is the same size as Apple's popular MacBook laptop and as the new ultralight MacBook Air, which many are billing as the X300's only competitor. The X300 may share this popular and decidedly UNcramped screen size, but it does both of Apple's 13 inchers significantly better in resolution, which is how much information, measured in pixels, you se on those 13.3 diagonal inches. On the Apple machines you get 1280 pixels in width by 800 pixels in height, which is perfectly fine for normal use. Lenovo, however, gives you 1440 by 900, which is quite a bit better for working with graphics. The X300 screen, like Apple's new Air, is backlit by a low-power LED that is both whiter and faster, as in instant, to reach full illumination. The X300 backlight is nice and bright, but Apple's is a good 40% or so (in my eyes) brighter. The X300 screen is about as bright as my (non-LED) MacBook and should be more than adequate for any use save outdoors in sunlight.

The rest of the package is standard ThinkPad, on the surface anyway. Its got the same outstanding ThinkPad keyboard, and the other ThinkPad touches are all accounted for as well. A small light above the keyboard for working in the dark, dedicated keys for sound level, consistent keyboard shortcuts for Windows functions and of course the famous ThinkPad Ultranav pointer that consists of both a decent touchpad and the much-loved/uch-hated eraserhead mouse. Personally, I love the eraserhead and this very superior pointing device had me using ThinkPads even when the other factors made me desperately want something else. I finally moved back to a Mac and of course the thing I miss most is the eraserhead mouse.

So if the X300 looks like any other ThinkPad, what is the big deal and why is this thing so expensive? Quite simply, because less costs more. The X300 is built on the theme of less. Less weight. Less thickness. Less power consumption. Less (fewer) moving parts. Less harmful material that is difficult to recycle. At right around 3 lbs depending on battery choices, the X300 is lighter than any current ThinkPad and about the same as Apple's Air. Unlike the Air, however, you can have a DVDRW drive in your X300 and have the ability to swap batteries on the go. You also have a full suite of ports that Apple doesn't give you on the Air. Available built-in GPS and cellular broadband wifi are other features that can be built into an X300 and that can only be added to a MacBook Air through its single USB port, which isn't the most convenient thing to do on the road if you need more than one device.

Like the higher-end Air, the X300 uses a solid-state SSD drive in place of a conventional hard disk. Apple offers this same drive in the Air and reviews have been mixed. Its quiet and adds no heat, and it is faster than the conventional 1.8" (iPod size) hard drive offered in the base model Air, but it isn't the blazing speed demon that many thought SSD would be. A conventional 5400 RPM 2.5" SATA laptop drive will outperform the SSD in many areas, and won't lag too far behind in other. In Ars Technica's tests, the SSD MacBook Air was a bit faster than the hard drive model, but the hard drive model was exceptionally slow in all disk measurements compared to conventional hard drives. This is not a bad performance for what is actually the first generation of modern SSD drives and the technology will surely get better, but for the cost, there just isn't that much advantage yet. Capacity is even less than the small iPod drive at 64GB.

Apple also stole Lenovo's thunder with its thin design, but don't forget the sacrifices required to get that thinness. Lenovo lets you have a built-in optical drive and allows you to swap out a spare battery, which makes the X300 hardware far more versatile while still measuring about 3/4 inch in thickness.

Should you buy the X300? If you want the smallest full-feature Windows laptop you can get that doesn't force you to compromise features or ergonomics, then yes, this is the best you can get. If you are looking for ultimate performance, this machine was not made for you. What this was made for is travel, specifically business travel. The combination of an LED screen, an SSD drive and a low voltage 1.2GHz Core2Duo (Apple's start at 1.6GHz and aren't low volt) leads to impressive battery with more runtime just a quick battery swap away. of course, the legendary ThinkPad build quality is all here as well, and improved upon.

The case plastics are still very rigid and solid-feeling, but the rubberized paint now somehow feels almost leather-like, and is quite luxurious. Compared to the MacBook Air, the X300 is very traditional and conservative-looking, while Apple's is wild and showy. Think Mercedes Benz vs. Lotus. The X300 forces no compromise and is impeccable in its design and construction while the Air forces many compromises and while gorgeous, has some serious hardware limitations, the inability to swap in a new battery on-the-go is possibly a deal-breaker.

So do I like the X300? Oh yeah. Will I buy one? No way. I love lightweight laptops, but SSD technology is just too new and too expensive to justify right now. I hope that Lenovo introduces a lower-price hard drive model and somehow squeezes in a conventional 2.5" drive instead of the tiny 1.8" drive used in the MacBook Air and the old X40 series. With a fast and cheap hard drive, the argument for the X300 would be far more compelling.