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of the IBM Laptop Battery First post by: batterystores#ca
Admit it, when you look at the picture above, all you really see is a laptop with a design that hasn't changed much in the last ten years. It's true, based on its professional aesthetic alone, the ThinkPad X220 can't really be distinguished from the other X Series laptops Lenovo's released pretty much on an annual cycle, but there's much more than meets the eye with that there ultraportable. The 12.5-inch machine is filled to the brim with the latest and greatest technology, including a new Intel Sandy Bridge Core i5 processor, an IPS display, and a six-cell battery like IBM ThinkPad A20M Battery, IBM ThinkPad A21M Battery, IBM ThinkPad R60 Battery, IBM ThinkPad T60 Battery, IBM 40Y6797 Battery, IBM 40Y6799 Battery, IBM FRU 92P1139 Battery, IBM FRU 92P1141 Battery, IBM FRU 92P1137 Battery, IBM 02K6651 Battery. And if you look even closer, Lenovo's made some small tweaks to the touchpad and keyboard, which make more difference than you'd ever think. The point is, that all-too-familiar ThinkPad can deceive you with its boring business looks, but it's arguably one of the best laptops we've ever tested. Hit the break to find out why we think it's so laudable.
We've already established that the X220 has the ThinkPad look and feel that laptop users have grown numb to over the years, and while it may be understated and plain by today's standards, we still think there are parts about it that are pretty timeless. The matte black plastic body gives the system a uniform look, which sure does beat the plethora of mismatched systems out there (see a system like the ASUS U30Jc), and the lid is still blanketed with a rubbery coating. Obviously, the laptop industry's move to metal exteriors makes the X220 look a bit more sissy than rival business lappies (i.e. HP's EliteBooks and Dell Vostro), but as we've said before, it really is still tough as nails. The metal hinges keep the screen wobble-free and the bottom of the case feels tougher than most.
Yet despite its rigidity and powerful internal organs, the X220, like the X200 and X201 that came before it, is still incredibly light. The 1.25-inch chassis weighs just 3.6 pounds, and that's including its six-cell battery. Strapping on the slice battery adds an extra 1.16-inches in thickness and an extra 1.4 pounds to the overall package. The upside is that the extra battery fits pretty flush with the system, and thus doesn't block any of the important ports -- things like a trifecta of USB jacks, an Ethernet port, headphone connector, and VGA / DisplayPort sockets. There's also an ExpressCard 54 and four-in-one card slot. We should also note our review unit came with a single USB 3.0 port, but that's only available on certain configure-to-order models.
Usually we lump the battery life section together with the performance and graphics, but in the case of the X220, it deserves its own section. Why? We've never seen an ultraportable -- or any laptop for that matter -- last this long on a charge. Just with the 63Wh six-cell battery, the system lasted seven hours and 19 minutes on our video rundown test, which loops the same standard definition video with brightness set at 65 percent. In typical use, we were actually able to squeeze out about eight hours of run time with that cell. Let's repeat that: eight hours.
And that's just with the standard battery. So what, you ask, about that whopping slice battery up there? What does that add? About another seven hours, if you can believe it! That's right, on our video rundown test with both batteries strapped on, the system ran that standard definition video on loop for 14 hours and 30 minutes. Technically, that means this system could last you an entire flight from New York to Taipei. Yep, it's a lot of cord-free time, but don't forget that that slice will set you back an additional $179 and add a bit of weight to your carry-on.
It's true, from afar the X220 could be mistaken as a five year old laptop -- one that couldn't last longer than four hours on a charge, and would be considered sluggish by today's standards (most likely because it would have been running Vista!). But in fact, that laptop is now the longest lasting and fastest ultraportable we've ever tested. How's that for unexpected? When you consider that it packs some of the fastest speeds and one of the nicest panels we've ever used, there's no denying that the X220 is worth its $889 starting price, or the $1,299 our review unit costs. (By the way, that price doesn't include the extended battery, which pushes your total northward by $179.) Plain and simple, the four pound system requires no performance, durability, or endurance sacrifices, and that's not something we can say very often when it comes to the many ultraportables out there. Sure, there are flashier looking options out there (Apple's MacBook Air and ASUS' U36J come to mind), but hey, good luck getting those to run for 15 hours on a single charge.
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