Lenovo recently showed off its latest ThinkPad T-series laptop, the T431s. Featuring a fairly significant design revamp, the changes on the ThinkPad T431s are likely to make its way to future ThinkPad models.
The ThinkPad T431s is expected to be released in April at a starting price of US$949. There's no price or availability information for Asia yet.
The first thing that strikes us about this ThinkPad is that Lenovo is striving for a more contemporary design. While it isn't as thin as the outstanding ThinkPad X1 Carbon, the T431s has been slimmed down to fit its designation as an Ultrabook. It has a carbon-fiber lid and a magnesium chassis to achieve a weight of around 1.6kg, which is more than acceptable for a 14-inch model.
The most controversial change is probably the switch to a large touchpad. It's something we had noticed on the ThinkPad Helix--the buttons for the ThinkPad's iconic trackpoint are still present, but are now integrated into the touchpad.
The backlash against the new ThinkPad design has already begun. On Lenovo's blog, which explains the research behind the changes, there are over 100 comments (and counting) about the new design, many of them negative. It's easy to dismiss the grumbling as belonging to a vocal minority that's resistant to change, but they are valid concerns, too.
An especially relevant issue that we agree with is the screen resolution--at 1,600 x 900 pixels, the T431s doesn't improve on its predecessor. It also bothers us that reports are saying that the T431s doesn't even have an IPS display that would ensure good viewing angles. There should be at least an option for a full-HD display.
There's no optical drive on the T431s. While this probably helps to reduce the weight and thickness of the laptop, it's also an important feature for some users. A more thorny issue is the lack of a removable battery. Like most Ultrabooks, the battery (rated at up to 8 hours) is sealed, which means users won't be able to extend uptime with a spare battery.
We also believe that the T431s needs more USB ports--a 14-inch laptop with just two USB 3.0 ports just isn't acceptable these days. HDMI is also missing, with Lenovo preferring a mini-DisplayPort connector. Thankfully, the VGA and Ethernet ports are still present.
For the mainstream user, the new ThinkPad design may appear less intimidating--it may even persuade some to upgrade from the consumer-oriented IdeaPad. Change, however, could be difficult to accept for long-time ThinkPad users, but Lenovo is merely adapting to the trends. There are increasingly fewer notebooks that continue to have features such as removable drive bays and batteries, while laptops screens with a 16:10 or 4:3 aspect ratios are as good as non-existent (well except for the Google Chromebook Pixel).
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