A thinkpad is no longer a Thinkpad.

[Amphibulus]

I feel like I need to make a post about it. My first thinkpad was a T43, it was really well build even with all the bad treatment, I got it for 3yrs and I got a good resale price for it. Then I got the X300, which was the best laptop I ever had. Lite, powerful, solid, I got it for 3 yrs too. Then it was a no brainer to get an other X220. I was a bit surprise about the lower price and the small screen resolution, but, hey, it's a thinkpad! so I got one. That was my first mistake.

Here all the problems that I got with my X220 so far:

1. The first one was the fan noise issue (FIXED with a BIOS update after few months).

2. I got a docking station and the connectivity between the docking and the laptop is not really good. As long as you don't touch your laptop (open or close the lib for exemple, or simply type on it) you won't have problem, but if you do, it will disconnect and reconnect from the docking (making external screen issue, usb to connect and disconnect, etc.) .

3. Screen issue, I got those white spot (I got them on my T43 after 3 yrs only, on the X220 it took 4 months). http://forums.lenovo.com/t5/X-Series-ThinkPad-Laptops/X220-IPS-display-problem-weird-bright-spot-on-...

4. Then I got the double clicking with the trackpad (even if you press once, it's like a click, and when you press harder you get an other click (it doesn't do a double click in windows, I talking about the sound and what you feel when you press on the trackpad). To make it simple, it's nearly impossible to click with the trackpad, bad design!) There is a post about it on the forum. (Right now, instead of double click, I sometime get tripple click...). Ok nice, I can live with an external mouse....

5. I now have the trackpad crack too (maybe it explain issue #4). Same issue as here: http://forums.lenovo.com/t5/X-Series-ThinkPad-Laptops/Chassis-Crack-on-X220-covered-under-warranty/t...

6. I have this electrical noise in the background (you can ear it in your speaker too, but you will ear it even if you mute your laptop). Before we was not noticing it since the fan was making so much noise.... Same as here: http://forums.lenovo.com/t5/X-Series-ThinkPad-Laptops/X220-loud-electrical-buzzing-Is-this-normal/td...

7. The lastest issue that I noticed a week or so ago, it's the lib that split in two, you can see some pics here: http://forums.lenovo.com/t5/X-Series-ThinkPad-Laptops/X220-Lid-breaking/td-p/559871

Basically the only last good thing with that laptop is the keyboard. I still like to type on it, it's probably why I still like it even if it's all falling apart. But on the X230, they drop the keyboard, so now there is nothing that keep me with thinkpad. It's sad to say so, but thinkpad it's now something of the past. I will move on and try to find a nice laptop of a different brand. After 11months with that laptop I feel it's now the time to replace it (already), while before I was using them for 3 yrs. Also, I have move around with my T43 a lot more in the first month of it's use then this X220 during the last 11 months. Is it possible for lenovo to resell the brand of thinkpad back to IBM? It would be appreciated, thank you. 

Now time to move on, goodbye lenovo, I miss Thinkpad.

[Puppy]

Having two old IBM ThinkPads (R51 and X31) I'm also rather disappointed by X220 build quality.

1. Keyboard needs to be replaced because the middle (scrolling) trackpoint button stopped to work first day (it has to be pressed very hard to get it work now).

2. Display frame issue after several minutes of exposing to sun light http://forums.lenovo.com/t5/X-Series-ThinkPad-Laptops/X220-display-frame-bends-in-sun-light/m-p/7390... There is probably no fix because new bezel would be made from the same material. So it would happen over and over.

3. Max brightness in BIOS screen http://forums.lenovo.com/t5/X-Series-ThinkPad-Laptops/Set-default-brightness-in-BIOS-x220/m-p/740307 Not a serious issue but pretty annoying. Why it can not keep the brightness setting from OS the same way older models did ?

4. Even with latest BIOS the fan is still too noisy (compared to X31)

5. Noticeable battery wobble (comparing to older ThinkPads)

[lead_org Microsoft MVP Contributor]

My X220 apart from the palmrest's get dimple impression has had very little issue. It has been so far the most reliable X series i have ever used. But i have heard there are some people having issues with the early X220 build.

And i have used pretty much every X series since the X31. And currently have X31, X60, X61, X61s, X61t, X200, X200s, X201t, X220, X301, X1 in my possession.

[Amphibulus]

I have ordered an HP Elitebook, I hope I will get the heavy duty laptop that I was use to get with the old thinkpad. 1600x900, I will not miss the resolution of my X220.

[nitegale]

Hello,

I am dissapointed with the poor built quality on the X220.

Gale

[jiv]

The T43 was my first ThinkPad as well, and I'm still using it once in a while, after 7 years of ill treatment. I really don't see my X220 lasting that long, despite having to major issues with it yet (5 months so far). Just by using it, hearing the creaks, etc. you know it's not built as well as the older ThinkPads. I hate to say it, but I've seen better built Acers.

[lead_org Microsoft MVP Contributor]

my T43 creaks as well, but it has been bullet proof for most part, other than cracking palmrest and ATI GPU issue (which was fixed with a new motherboard). While, i have full faith in my X220 lasting as long as mine X31, if not longer.

[Amphibulus]

@Lead_org it looks like you are the only one with a well build X220. They probably made an exception just for you. My T43 was not creaking as my X300. The X220 does since day 1. At the moment I took the X220 out of box, the first thing I have noticed was the flex in the frame just by grabbing it (mostly the screen). What I should have done, it's to leave it in the box and return it. Then I open it and I saw the bad job with the webcam (there is holes), I was sure it was defective, but the design is like that. Then I took the battery, and it was loose. The next disappointment was when I did press on the power button, it doesn't feel right (when you press it, it incline to the left or to the right, it doesn't go down straight). 

After that the story continue with new problem (fan noise, turbo boost that doesn't work, docking station that doesn't connect firmly to the laptop (I have a T420 at work, and I have the same issue), IPS problems with ghosting effect, crack on the palmrest, now a crack with the screen frame, white spot in the screen, worst touch pad ever (not able to click properly and then I got the double click issue then sometime triple click, low screen resolution (really bad to perform any work on the laptop, well below what you can expect for a business laptop, electrical noise, etc. etc.)

If yours is different, ho well, lucky you. And I have been trying really hard to like it since then, but now it's falling apart and after 9 months.... And most of the time it sit in it's docking. I will send it on RMA when I get my new HP laptop, then I will sell that X220 back.

[ZaZ]

Lead is most certainly not the only X220 owner with a built X220. My X220i is fantastic. It's almost a year old and looks new. I'd agree the trackpad is not that great if you don't like the stick, but you can't have it all I guess.

[JWTS]

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ZaZ wrote:
Lead is most certainly not the only X220 owner with a built X220. My X220i is fantastic. It's almost a year old and looks new. I'd agree the trackpad is not that great if you don't like the stick, but you can't have it all I guess.

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My X220 has been really solid; no fan issues, the build quality seems good and there's no creaking or groaning. So, I'm sure there are plenty of good ones out there, and those with complaints are disproportionately likely to get on internet message boards to complain. I'm not discounting the posters with negative experience, as there are some legitimate gripes, but I'd be careful to think there experience is representative of the whole.

As far as the issues with the IPS screen, I wish I could say one way or another. My laptop was supposed to have it, and it didn't... I'm still working on getting this resolved without returning the unit and ordering another one, which is the only option I was given so far--and I'm really hopeful I don't have to go this route. So far, my customer service experience w/Lenovo has been a mixed bag, some positive, much of it pretty poor. So, I understand the concerns from a CS standpoint given my own experience. That said, I'll say the X220 that I had has been a solid beast.

Regarding the trackpad, you really should give this try:

http://forum.tabletpcreview.com/hp-touchsmart-tm2-wacom/38405-twofingerscroll-v1-0-7-update-two-fing...  I'm a long-time trackpoint user and I'm using the trackpad almost exclusively now.  It's highly customizable, so it takes a bit of time to set up how you like it, but one you get it dialed it works incredibly well.  It is SO much better than the synaptics management for the touchpad.