THINKPAD X100E REVIEWED

The Lenovo ThinkPad X100e is the first consumer-oriented ThinkPad notebook. It is powered by the AMD Neo MV-40 processor and ATI Radeon 3200HD graphics. The AMD-ATI combination does make the notebook stand out from rival notebooks sporting Intel Atom/CULV processors. But is the ThinkPad X100e any better than its cheaper rivals?

Well, Slash Gear recently did a review of the notebook and the findings aren’t very impressive. While the notebook delivers reasonable performance it isn’t significantly better than rival Atom powered netbooks. Worse still, the ThinkPad X100e gets only around 3 hours of uptime. Agreed, it was not meant to offer 10+ hours of uptime, but 3 hours is still too bad for an 11 inch notebook.

Review Laptop Specifications
Processor: 1.6GHz AMD Athlon Neo MV-40 processor
Memory: 2GB of RAM
Storage: 160GB, 5400 rpm hard drive
Graphics: ATI Radeon HD3200 graphics
Battery: 6-cell, 2,600mAh

Design and Build Quality
The ThinkPad X100e has the standard ThinkPad looks, but build quality is average. The keyboard is the best feature of this notebook. In fact, the keyboard on X100e is better than the keyboards on most ultraportable laptops. Besides the multi-touch touchpad there is also a red trackpoint in the middle of the keyboard.

Display
The display is good. It has a matte finishing which prevents the reflections and makes the display suitable for use outdoors.

Heat and Noise
The X100e is neither silent nor cool. The notebook gets warm to touch even during normal use. The fan is also loud.

Performance
Performance is satisfactory. The AMD Neo processor isn’t significantly better than Atom/CULV processors, but it has enough power to handle your everyday computing needs. The notebook is also capable of handling 1080p HD video playback, thanks to its ATI graphics.

Battery life
The most disappointing feature of this notebook is its mediocre battery life. Lenovo says that its 6-cell battery will power the laptop for around 6 hours, but that is not true. You should consider yourself lucky if you get anything beyond 3 hours.