I haven't used old Thinkpads but my current x250 is great: 1)great pointing device - check (the buttons are back) 2)no annoying touch pad - it's there but it'

I haven't used old Thinkpads but my current x250 is great: 1)great pointing device - check (the buttons are back) 2)no annoying touch pad - it's there but it's small and easy to set to very low sensivity (I use it only for occasional quick click with my thumb) 3)highly portable - check + great battery life (I sometimes get more than 15 hours) I've got 8gb of RAM but 16GB chip is already available (RAM is not soldered but there is only one slot). The display (IPS 1920x1080) is fantastic and the keyboard is fantastic as well (well, apparently it depends if you are lucky to get it from one manufacturer over the other). I am not a fan of 16:9 but other than that I love almost everything about this laptop.