scrlk a day ago

Speculation on my part, but the X220/230 had a simplified design (e.g. clickpad, no lid latch, fewer blinkenlights) compared to the X200/201. These FrankenPad mods are typically for die hard classic ThinkPad fans.

neilv 2 days ago

I have no idea why they did, but some pros: X200 is less expensive, (I think) it has a little more room, and it doesn't have the X220's crazy design flaw with the lid shell.

I also had better luck getting genuine replacement keyboards for the X200. Half of the X220 keyboards I stockpiled arrived as substandard garbage, even though I was trying to avoid that.

  • camgunz a day ago

    What's the lid shell design flaw (did a little googling couldn't find it)?

    • networked a day ago

      According to https://old.reddit.com/r/thinkpad/comments/1d13sb6/should_i_...:

      > - Display lid is very fragile at the top where the wifi antennas are and can easily crack there

      • neilv a day ago

        Yes, if you look at a photo of the X220 lid, what looks like a cosmetic accent across the lid near screen-top is actually a seam, between the nice alloy traditional lid, and some plastic that's barely held on, painted to look the same. Even minor impact can break the little plastic screw hole tabs that hold the screen-top edge of the lid. Absolutely not what you want from a ThinkPad, which has a legacy of being durable.

        https://www.reddit.com/media?url=https%3A%2F%2Fpreview.redd....

        A disappointing thing about this is that someone changed the design, to this, to be more fragile and non-ThinkPad. In this way, it's similar to the series of regression changes to the keyboard, and now the TrackPoint.