2011 Lenovo ThinkPad X220 Tablet – Retro Review

Recently I acquired a used 2011 Lenovo Thinkpad X220 Tablet, for only $70. This is like the Swiss Army Knife of Lenovo Thinkpads!

In 2011, a time before Windows 8 came out, computer companies were gradually starting to come out with convertible laptops. A lot of them, were slightly different than today. For instance Dell had a Inspiron Duo laptop, where the screen flipped over in place. Others were like this too. Eventually, manufacturers moved onto either detachable laptop convertibles, or the Yoga style ones.

The ThinkPad X220 uses a convertible style, where the screen twists around a folds flat. I personally feel this is the best “Yoga” design. Rather than how the new laptop tablet convertibles are today. Where the screen flips over, with the keyboard exposed on the bottom.

Design

The ThinkPad X220’s design is very rugged, and utilitarian. The computer weighs 4.4 pounds. The laptop is made of very durable plastics. There are lots of ports like VGA, USBs, Ethernet, and an SD card slot. Many computer manufacturers don’t put these ports on laptops anymore, especially Ethernet.

Having an Ethernet port, can be advantageous. Especially if you are at place like a hotel or business with only Ethenet available.

Display

The display of the Thinkpad X220 tablet, is vibrant and beautiful. It is only 1366 x 768, which by today’s standards, is sub-par. However, the deep rich colors, of the IPS display, are really good. The viewing angles are excellent. The screen is also multi-touch, and comes with a ThinkPad pen for drawing (haven’t tried yet).

Performance

The X220 Tablet, has a Intel I5-2520M and a HD 3000 graphics chips. In comparison to my 2015 Thinkpad X1 carbon. I see no differences in performance, especially when browsing the web. I haven’t tested applications, I suspect, Lightroom should be equal performance. Perhaps, Adobe Premiere too? As for gaming, as like the Thinkpad X1 carbon or anything with Intel graphics, it probably wont play a lot of graphically intensive games.

Keyboard

The Thinkpad X220 Tablet’s keyboard, is amazing to type on! The key travel and resistance is excellent. There is no flex when typing. I easily could type on the keyboard forever. While my ThinkPad X1 carbon’s keyboard is best in it’s class. I think the X220’s keyboard is in some ways better.

Trackpad

The X220’s trackpad is quite tiny, but it is very responsive and accurate. There is also the track point and touchscreen, which make up for it.

Portability

The ThinkPad X220 Tablet has a 12 inch display and weights 4.4 pounds. It is not the lightest laptop, it is light. The battery on the rear is a bit bulky, but doesn’t totally take away from the portability.

Storage

The X220 tablet I have, comes with a 120 GB solid state drive. While it is not a lot, is sufficient, considering I keep a lot of things in the cloud.

Operating System

The Thinkpad X220 tablet, previously had Windows 7, but Windows 10 makes the computer better than new. With the lower resources in Windows 10, it makes the X220 a more efficient machine. Also, with the deep touch integration of Windows 10, drastically improves the touch aspect.

Battery life

I have not tested the battery thoroughly enough, but it does seem to last a long while. It should last a couple of hours.

Overall

The ThinkPad X220 Tablet, is the Swiss Army Knife of Thinkpads. It can be used for so many different applications, from drawing to much more. While it is not as thin or portable, like a Surface Pro, or the newer Thinkpads. It is an excellent, ThinkPad tablet.

If you ever come across a X220 tablet or the regular X220, for cheap. I highly recommend grabbing one. For the typing experience alone, it is worth it!