Lenovo ThinkPad X200

Although the ThinkPad X300 gets all of the attention for cramming so many features into a sleek 13.3-inch notebook, not everyone has more than $2,500 to drop on a laptop. As the successor to the ThinkPad X61, the equally portable and more affordable ThinkPad X200 (starting at $1,199; our particular Centrino Pro configuration will be available August 5 for closer to two grand) skips the X300’s optical drive and makes a solid state drive optional while offering a slightly smaller 12.1-inch widescreen.

More important, it boasts better performance and battery life than the pricier X300, thanks to Intel’s new Centrino 2 platform. And as with every ThinkPad, you get a durable design, stellar keyboard, and the security features that define a first-rate business ultraportable.

Design

The ThinkPad X200 features a lightweight, rock-solid design with Lenovo’s standard matte black finish. Measuring 11.6 x 9.2 x 0.8 inches and weighing 3.8 pounds (with the beefy nine-cell battery) the system’s magnesium alloy frame is thicker and heavier than the featherweight MacBook Air but feels more durable.

All the usual ports and connections are on board, starting with two USB ports, Ethernet, VGA, and an ExpressCard slot on the left side (along with the Wi-Fi switch). The right side houses an additional USB port, headphone and mic jacks, and a modem connection. Up front is a lone SD Card reader.

ThinkPads have been known for their sweet keyboards, and the X200 doesn’t disappoint. We loved the feel of the firm, responsive keys as we created documents in Word, and the spacious layout was conducive to an excellent typing experience. Unlike the X300, the X200 lacks a touchpad—we had to make due with just the TrackPoint—but we became acclimated to the responsive stick within a few minutes.

Display and Audio

Above the keyboard is the ThinkPad X200’s 12.1-inch display, which differs from its predecessor’s by offering a slightly sharper resolution (1280 x 800 pixels vs. 1024 x 768 pixels) and a much-appreciated widescreen format. (The standard format was one of our few gripes with the ThinkPad X61.) We jumped online to watch a high-definition trailer for The Dark Knight and were impressed with the deep blacks and color balance. The screen’s matte finish ensured minimal glare.

If you want to watch Blu-ray or DVD movies, you’ll have to invest in the ThinkPad X200 UltraBase dock ($299 for Blu-ray; $169 for DVD burner), as the system lacks an integrated optical drive. Above the display resides a VGA camera that delivered a smooth frame rate and a crisp picture both in bright and low light. Colors were a bit muted, however.

Audio quality is what you’d expect from a business machine; decent volume with a weak bottom end. Still, the dedicated volume controls located above the keyboard made it easy for us to quickly raise, lower, and mute sound.