- Very Strong Performance
- Long Battery Life
- Excellent Keyboard
- No Optical Drive
- Bulkier Dimensions for 12-inch Laptop
- No Digital (DVI/HDMI) Video Output
- Intel Core 2 Duo P8600 Dual Core Processor
- 2GB PC3-8500 DDR3 Memory
- 160GB 5400rpm SATA Hard Drive
- 12.1-inch WXGA (1280x800) Wide LCD with 1.3MP Webcam
- Intel GMA X4500 Integrated Graphics
- Gigabit Ethernet, 802.11a/g/n Wireless, Bluetooth 2.0
- Three USB 2.0, ExpressCard/54, Fingerprint Scanner, SD Slot
- 11.6" x 8.3" x 1.4" @ 3.2 lbs.
- Vista Home Premium, Norton Anti-Virus 2008
9/15/08 - Lenovo's ThinkPad X200 is really a successor to the X61 product lineup than the X300. It does use a smaller 12-inch LCD panel and loses the optical drive but this doesn't mean it is a smaller or lighter laptop. In fact, the system is a half inch thicker and weighs just as much as the X300.
It uses the Montevino package from Intel that includes the new Intel Core 2 Duo P8600 dual core processor and the use of DDR3 memory. The combination of these two provides it with some of the highest performance available in the ultraportable market. The other benefit of this platform is the improved power usage. Even with the fast processor and memory, the system has extremely long battery life that would make MacBook Air and ThinkPad X300 users jealous.
Thankfully the ThinkPad X200 retains the same and industry leading keyboard found on previous generation of ThinkPads. This is by far one of the best keyboards on the market with no flex, clean layout and very easy to use. The smaller dimensions of the laptop did mean the removal of the trackpad from below the keyboard leaving just the trackpoint device. Personally I have always preferred this type of pointing device on laptops but this may be a huge con for some users.
One surprising aspect of the ThinkPad X200 is the video output connector. Most new laptops feature an HDMI or DVI output for connecting to an external monitor. The X200 uses a standard VGA output connector. This will work with most monitors but it does limit the use of the system with some newer displays.
The end result of the ThinkPad X200 is a system for something looking for high performance and long battery life and are willing to sacrifice some level of portability due to its thicker design and the lack of a CD/DVD drive.
