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My Thinkpad X220 still going strong, and I miss a computer I can open up, replace or upgrade what's needed in an easy way. The form factor is good enough and I

My Thinkpad X220 still going strong, and I miss a computer I can open up, replace or upgrade what's needed in an easy way. The form factor is good enough and I don't need or want this inch thin laptops just because one company decided it's suits them and fashionable. Unfortunately Lenovo doesn't really keep the brand and in the gazillion models they have on stock, there isn't one that can replace my X220 in convenience of use and long term usability. There is a market for this laptops and as long as they ignore it they will just lose more and more market share.

lallysingh 4y ago
I've got an x1 yoga (and w520) but my next is a framework.
apricot 4y ago
Same here. My blood pressure rises every time I have to type on a laptop that isn't my x220. Please give us laptops with real keyboards.
- omar_alt 4y ago
  Yes I have used the old usb sk-8855 and even bought the Tex Shinobi mechanical keyboard. I still prefer the feel of typing and using an x220 over anything else. When a client sends me a dedicated machine to work on I still get round this by installing VNC server and controlling it on a X220 keyboard
ct0 4y ago
I have an x220 in my line up of older machines. My newest is an X1 Carbon gen6 aka x1c6. I was surprised how quickly I was able to open the bottom of it up install a new wifi6 card. About 5 screws and the back is off and another screw holding in the wifi card. I dont think the x220 is that fast.
- jeffbee 4y ago
  To replace the WLAN card in an X220, you must remove all the screws on the bottom of the case, the keyboard, and the palm rest. It's not trivial but anyone can do it. Unfortunately it would be largely pointless since the X220 has an allowlist for PCIe cards, and I'm sure it does not include any modern wifi devices.
  - ct0 4y ago
    The whitelist can be removed pretty easily. https://www.bios-mods.com/forum/Thread-REQUEST-Lenovo-X220-8DETxxWW-Whitelist-Removal?page=40 https://www.bios-mods.com/forum/Thread-REQUEST-Lenovo-X220-8...
  - neilv 4y ago
    I upgraded the WiFi cards in my X200 units by installing Coreboot, which has no PCIe allowlist. https://www.neilvandyke.org/coreboot/ https://www.neilvandyke.org/coreboot/ I don't know the state of Coreboot support for X220, and the entire process can be a headache, but it might be an option. I understand some people instead use modified stock Lenovo BIOS to defeat the PCIe allowlist.
  - deleted 4y ago
    [deleted]
- calvinmorrison 4y ago
  I don't know if it's just the x220 but every time I open it I seem to have at least one left over screw on my desk.
spaniard89277 4y ago
If the frame.work laptops get trackpoint Ill say goodbye to Lenovo. Until then I see no replacement. We'll see how long my x260 lasts.
- commoner 4y ago
  The feature request for a TrackPoint option on the Framework laptop is right here: https://community.frame.work/t/any-chance-of-trackpoint/1026 https://community.frame.work/t/any-chance-of-trackpoint/1026
  - spaniard89277 4y ago
    I'm aware of that thread, but they're basically saying they won't do it. So I'm still trapped with Thinkpads.
- smnplk 4y ago
  Checkout Novena, where you can use Thinkpad keyboard. https://www.crowdsupply.com/sutajio-kosagi/novena https://www.crowdsupply.com/sutajio-kosagi/novena I also once saw a german butique laptop maker, that makes this thicc laptops where every part is customizable and has oldschool thinkpad style keyboard. I just can't remember the barand name.
nixcraft 4y ago
Lenovo ruined the ThinkPad reputation. They try so hard with unwanted features from Apple. If I need those features, I will get MacBook Air or Pro. The legendary brand, once known for reliability, now comes with RAM stuck to the motherboard. Not to mention overheating and a weird bug for Linux power management. The best ThinkPads are older ones. You can get them from eBay and install Linux on them. The newer ones are not worth my money and time. YMMV.
- criddell 4y ago
  Nobody is buying a Macbook because RAM is soldered in. Nobody, not even Apple fans, see soldered ram as a feature. Lenovo is trying to stand out selling what is basically a commodity device and that's hard to do. They are stuck buying the same parts and software as lots of other Windows OEMs.
EamonnMR 4y ago
I just replaced my x220 workhorse with an x280. Grabbed a cheapo referb and had to replace a single busted key. So far so good and it's far more solid than it looks.
jeffbee 4y ago
The X220 was for many long-time ThinkPad users the last good one. It had real keycaps and no trackpad. Too bad about the display, since the X220 was during the era that Lenovo was gaslighting buyers about how IPS panels simply could not be procured on the open market, right before Apple showed them to be liars. The X220 display is truly ghastly. Like some other X-series enthusiasts I consider the X61 Tablet with the AFFS panel to have been the pinnacle of the series.
- lproven 4y ago
  I think you're getting your models muddled. The X200 has no trackpad. The X220 has one as well as its trackpoint. Both have been called "the best laptop ever made". I have both. Both are good, but the 220 is more flexible and for me 100% usable today.
- calvinmorrison 4y ago
  This is probably my biggest pain point with my X220. 1366x768 isn't enough!
- boppo1 4y ago
  the x220 has a trackpad, but it's kind of an afterthought. It's disabled on my machine.
- pengaru 4y ago
  The X230 is nearly identical physically, and you can swap the X220 keyboard onto it. Advantage being 3rd-gen/HD4000 igpu which is Vulkan capable, not available on the X220. This difference makes the X230 far more practical in terms of modern graphics development/environments.
  - 369548684892826 4y ago
    Also after the X230, the next few generations of intel CPUs that thinkpads used really focused on low power over performance. So because of that it performs like much younger laptops.
  - jeffbee 4y ago
mhb 4y ago
I got an X1 about a year ago because I thought it would be a satisfactory replacement for an X220. The screen, sound and battery life are definitely big improvements, but the Trackpoint never worked well and the ridiculously thin keyboard was a real disappointment. When a few keys stopped working (after ~ 1 year), I improvised with a wireless Mac keyboard. It would be nice to get the keyboard working but it looks like that involves many tricky steps and very tiny screws and I resent having to fix something that is not pleasing to begin with. I realized that the X1's great display, battery life and keyboard didn't make me as happy as the X220's amazing keyboard and operational Trackpoint. So I found a replacement battery which looked like it wouldn't catch on fire and I'm back to the X220. My new adventure is figuring out how to move Office 2019 from the old computer to the new one.
- rjh29 4y ago
  I bought an X1 Carbon and it also broke (within 2 years). I really like the Trackpoint though so I bought a T14s. It does not have replaceable parts, but it is a lot thicker, and therefore more powerful (for the price), more reliable and has a better keyboard than the X series. The modern day equivalent to the X220 is the T-series, not the X-series.

lallysingh 4y ago

I've got an x1 yoga (and w520) but my next is a framework.

apricot 4y ago

Same here. My blood pressure rises every time I have to type on a laptop that isn't my x220. Please give us laptops with real keyboards.

omar_alt 4y ago
Yes I have used the old usb sk-8855 and even bought the Tex Shinobi mechanical keyboard. I still prefer the feel of typing and using an x220 over anything else. When a client sends me a dedicated machine to work on I still get round this by installing VNC server and controlling it on a X220 keyboard

ct0 4y ago

I have an x220 in my line up of older machines. My newest is an X1 Carbon gen6 aka x1c6. I was surprised how quickly I was able to open the bottom of it up install a new wifi6 card. About 5 screws and the back is off and another screw holding in the wifi card. I dont think the x220 is that fast.

jeffbee 4y ago
To replace the WLAN card in an X220, you must remove all the screws on the bottom of the case, the keyboard, and the palm rest. It's not trivial but anyone can do it. Unfortunately it would be largely pointless since the X220 has an allowlist for PCIe cards, and I'm sure it does not include any modern wifi devices.
- ct0 4y ago
  The whitelist can be removed pretty easily. https://www.bios-mods.com/forum/Thread-REQUEST-Lenovo-X220-8DETxxWW-Whitelist-Removal?page=40 https://www.bios-mods.com/forum/Thread-REQUEST-Lenovo-X220-8...
- neilv 4y ago
  I upgraded the WiFi cards in my X200 units by installing Coreboot, which has no PCIe allowlist. https://www.neilvandyke.org/coreboot/ https://www.neilvandyke.org/coreboot/ I don't know the state of Coreboot support for X220, and the entire process can be a headache, but it might be an option. I understand some people instead use modified stock Lenovo BIOS to defeat the PCIe allowlist.
- deleted 4y ago
  [deleted]
calvinmorrison 4y ago
I don't know if it's just the x220 but every time I open it I seem to have at least one left over screw on my desk.

spaniard89277 4y ago

If the frame.work laptops get trackpoint Ill say goodbye to Lenovo. Until then I see no replacement. We'll see how long my x260 lasts.

commoner 4y ago
The feature request for a TrackPoint option on the Framework laptop is right here: https://community.frame.work/t/any-chance-of-trackpoint/1026 https://community.frame.work/t/any-chance-of-trackpoint/1026
- spaniard89277 4y ago
  I'm aware of that thread, but they're basically saying they won't do it. So I'm still trapped with Thinkpads.
smnplk 4y ago
Checkout Novena, where you can use Thinkpad keyboard. https://www.crowdsupply.com/sutajio-kosagi/novena https://www.crowdsupply.com/sutajio-kosagi/novena I also once saw a german butique laptop maker, that makes this thicc laptops where every part is customizable and has oldschool thinkpad style keyboard. I just can't remember the barand name.

nixcraft 4y ago

Lenovo ruined the ThinkPad reputation. They try so hard with unwanted features from Apple. If I need those features, I will get MacBook Air or Pro. The legendary brand, once known for reliability, now comes with RAM stuck to the motherboard. Not to mention overheating and a weird bug for Linux power management. The best ThinkPads are older ones. You can get them from eBay and install Linux on them. The newer ones are not worth my money and time. YMMV.

criddell 4y ago
Nobody is buying a Macbook because RAM is soldered in. Nobody, not even Apple fans, see soldered ram as a feature. Lenovo is trying to stand out selling what is basically a commodity device and that's hard to do. They are stuck buying the same parts and software as lots of other Windows OEMs.

EamonnMR 4y ago

I just replaced my x220 workhorse with an x280. Grabbed a cheapo referb and had to replace a single busted key. So far so good and it's far more solid than it looks.

jeffbee 4y ago

The X220 was for many long-time ThinkPad users the last good one. It had real keycaps and no trackpad. Too bad about the display, since the X220 was during the era that Lenovo was gaslighting buyers about how IPS panels simply could not be procured on the open market, right before Apple showed them to be liars. The X220 display is truly ghastly. Like some other X-series enthusiasts I consider the X61 Tablet with the AFFS panel to have been the pinnacle of the series.

lproven 4y ago
I think you're getting your models muddled. The X200 has no trackpad. The X220 has one as well as its trackpoint. Both have been called "the best laptop ever made". I have both. Both are good, but the 220 is more flexible and for me 100% usable today.
calvinmorrison 4y ago
This is probably my biggest pain point with my X220. 1366x768 isn't enough!
boppo1 4y ago
the x220 has a trackpad, but it's kind of an afterthought. It's disabled on my machine.
pengaru 4y ago
The X230 is nearly identical physically, and you can swap the X220 keyboard onto it. Advantage being 3rd-gen/HD4000 igpu which is Vulkan capable, not available on the X220. This difference makes the X230 far more practical in terms of modern graphics development/environments.
- 369548684892826 4y ago
  Also after the X230, the next few generations of intel CPUs that thinkpads used really focused on low power over performance. So because of that it performs like much younger laptops.
- jeffbee 4y ago

mhb 4y ago

I got an X1 about a year ago because I thought it would be a satisfactory replacement for an X220. The screen, sound and battery life are definitely big improvements, but the Trackpoint never worked well and the ridiculously thin keyboard was a real disappointment. When a few keys stopped working (after ~ 1 year), I improvised with a wireless Mac keyboard. It would be nice to get the keyboard working but it looks like that involves many tricky steps and very tiny screws and I resent having to fix something that is not pleasing to begin with. I realized that the X1's great display, battery life and keyboard didn't make me as happy as the X220's amazing keyboard and operational Trackpoint. So I found a replacement battery which looked like it wouldn't catch on fire and I'm back to the X220. My new adventure is figuring out how to move Office 2019 from the old computer to the new one.

rjh29 4y ago
I bought an X1 Carbon and it also broke (within 2 years). I really like the Trackpoint though so I bought a T14s. It does not have replaceable parts, but it is a lot thicker, and therefore more powerful (for the price), more reliable and has a better keyboard than the X series. The modern day equivalent to the X220 is the T-series, not the X-series.