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- Great keyboard
- Solid battery life
- Fast hard drive
- Responsive touchpad buttons
- Great performance
- Price
- Battery bulges
- Heavier than some netbooks
If you want to type extensively on your netbook keyboard and are willing to put up with slightly less than best-in-class features and design to make that experience nearly perfect, reviewers say you should look no further than the Lenovo ThinkPad X120e netbook (*Est. $400 and up) . Review after review calls its chiclet-style keyboard the best in the business, with a solid feel, cupped key caps that cradle your fingertips and a complete lack of flex as you type.
There's lots more to like; many reviews mention the matte-finish, high-definition display, nearly six-hour battery life and solid build quality. The AMD E-350 dual-core Fusion processor provides solid performance, more reminiscent of a laptop than a netbook. The HP Pavilion dm1z (*Est. $430 and up) is also powered by an AMD dual-core Fusion processor and performs similarly. Its keyboard is not as well appreciated, but other features earn it a small edge in some reviewers eyes.
CNET, NotebookReview.com, Engadget.com, PCMag.com, PC World, Laptop Magazine and HotHardware.com all put the ThinkPad X120e netbook through its paces. Each site does extensive benchmark and hands-on testing.
Our Sources
1. Engadget.com
Joanna Stern speaks highly of the Lenovo ThinkPad X120e's keyboard and matte-finish high definition screen. The netbook's performance was edged out on benchmarks by the HP Pavilion dm1z, but it is far and away better than most of the rest of its netbook competitors.
Review: Lenovo ThinkPad X120e Review, Joanna Stern, Feb. 7, 2011
Jerry Jackson gives the Lenovo ThinkPad X120e 3.5 of 5 stars, praising its battery life (nearly 6 hours), video performance, businesslike look and build quality (including the keyboard and touchpad). However, he says it's a little expensive for what you get, the keyboard should be backlit and that battery life could be improved.
Review: Lenovo ThinkPad X120e Review, Jerry Jackson, Feb. 23, 2011
3. CNET
Scott Stein awards the Lenovo ThinkPad X120e 4 out of 5 stars. Positives: battery life, graphics, keyboard and professional design. Negatives: touchstick takes up space, the battery bulges, it's heavy, and it's more expensive than some systems with the same processor. Still, he praises the X120e as a good choice for business users.
Review: Lenovo ThinkPad X120e, Scott Stein, Feb. 10, 2011
PCMag gives the Lenovo ThinkPad X120e 4 out of 5 stars. Cisco Cheng likes its fast, battery-life-efficient processor; fast hard drive; "best-in-class" keyboard; and trackpad buttons. He calls it "the best netbook for business," but he notes that it comes with a steep price tag.
Review: Lenovo ThinkPad X120e, Cisco Cheng, Feb. 16, 2011
PC World gives the Lenovo ThinkPad X120e a "business ready" rating and 4 out of 5 stars, saying it's fast for a netbook and offers "the best keyboard in the business." Though Lenovo calls the X120e an ultraportable, Jay Jacobi places it firmly in the netbook category. However, the magazine calls it "one of the best netbooks ever."
Review: Lenovo ThinkPad X120e, Jon L. Jacobi, March 1, 2011
HotHardware.com gives the Lenovo ThinkPad X120e an Editor's Choice award, praising its "outstanding build quality," AMD Fusion processor, performance, trackpad and display. Drawbacks include fan noise, the lack of USB 3.0, the bulging battery and the price tag. "Using it was a real pleasure, and it's really impressive to think about how capable this machine is while being portable enough to use in cramped spaces," Ray Willington writes.
Review: Lenovo ThinkPad X120e Review: AMD Fusion Infused, Ray Willington, Feb. 21, 2011
7. Laptop MagazineDetails/Subscribe
Laptop Magazine says that for business, the Lenovo ThinkPad X120e represents a better value than traditional ultraportable laptops at a lower price. The magazine awards it 3.5 out of 5 stars, and Avram Piltch takes special note of the long battery life, well-designed keyboard, wide viewing angles, low-light webcam and loud speakers. Mediocre video playback (due to an error that has reportedly been fixed), warm temperatures and the short palm rest were negatives. However, Piltch says the competing HP Pavilion dm1z is a better value.
Review: Lenovo ThinkPad X120e (AMD Fusion) Review, Avram Piltch, Feb. 4, 2011
Allen Ngo finds that the Lenovo ThinkPad X120e performs quite well compared to most netbooks in its class, with benchmark scores that beat non-Fusion chips handily. Battery life tests ranged from 2.5 hours (with every option turned on, full brightness and high use) to almost 10 hours (minimum brightness, no wireless and energy saving profiles). He does not give it a numeric rating, but praises it overall.
Review: Lenovo ThinkPad X120e Laptop Review, Allen Ngo, June 29, 2011
Computer Shopper gives the Lenovo ThinkPad X120e a 7.9 out of 10 rating, based in part on its price, portability (compared to its power), keyboard, built-in utilities and graphics display capabilities. In contrast to some other reviews, the reviewer says the productivity and multimedia software performance are poor, and it gets dinged for lacking an optical drive, even though no netbook has one.
Review: Lenovo ThinkPad X120e, Jamie Bsales, Feb. 2011
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