Lenovo Thinkpad, are they worth the premium?

[mikedt]

LenovoThinkpad laptops are somewhat more expensive than their Ideapad brethren. What is the difference and are they worth the extra?

 

[MoodyBlues]

I've heard good things about them, but I have no personal experience with them. And probably won't, considering their web site says, "Lenovo recommends Windows."

 

[saptech]

I believe they are just as good as when IBM owned the Thinkpad line. They were pretty solid machines. I have an old IBM Thinkpad 380XD model I bought refurbished around 2002 and it's still kicking, with Linux on it of course.

Here at work, I'm a contractor for IBM and all of our computers are Lenovo brand and they are running very well. I don't use a laptop but some workers are given Thinkpads that works from home or need to carry them.

I wouldn't mind having one of those Ideapads, they are the Ultrabook models!

 

[SiempreTuna]

Lenovo Thinkpad, are they worth the premium?

No.

But that's only my opinion

Don't get me wrong: Thinkpads are good machines. I just think they're over-priced for what they are - you get a sturdy but medium spec machine for a high spec price.

I've had Dells for the last 15 years and they've been pretty good, pretty reliable - I had my last one for 7 years - and pretty cheap

 

[mplevy]

Being in a position where I see both Dell Latitude and Lenovo ThinkPad laptops, I'd choose the Lenovo over the Dell (and did when I had my PC refreshed, but I wasn't paying). Lenovo makes some nice machines when it comes to design and they feel more sturdy than the Dell IMO. I can't speak to the differences between the consumer and business lines though. I repair the laptops where I work (4,000-seat facility for a Fortune-5 company), we don't see nearly as many Lenovos in for repair as we do Dells, but they don't have the same saturation as Dell on the site either as they only became an option in the last couple years.

If you're looking at Ultrabooks, the X1 Carbon is a sweet little machine, we have those as well and (knock on wood) haven't seen an issue with them yet.

 

[sfbloodbrother]

No.

But that's only my opinion

Don't get me wrong: Thinkpads are good machines. I just think they're over-priced for what they are - you get a sturdy but medium spec machine for a high spec price.

I've had Dells for the last 15 years and they've been pretty good, pretty reliable - I had my last one for 7 years - and pretty cheap

I agree Dell is a good brand. Nothing is really worth the premium

 

[Rukbat]

Being in a position where I see both Dell Latitude and Lenovo ThinkPad laptops, I'd choose the Lenovo over the Dell

Lattitude is Dell's "are there any more corners we can cut" line. I can't believe the - excuse the word - quality of the components they use. Dell DOES put out some very high quality computers - just not in the Latitude line.

I'll agree with others who think that Lenovo is a lot of money for not a lot of computer.

 

[saptech]

I've come to the conclusion, buy a business class computer, they are much better then most consumer class models.

 

[mplevy]

Lattitude is Dell's "are there any more corners we can cut" line. I can't believe the - excuse the word - quality of the components they use. Dell DOES put out some very high quality computers - just not in the Latitude line.

I'll agree with others who think that Lenovo is a lot of money for not a lot of computer.

I've come to the conclusion, buy a business class computer, they are much better then most consumer class models.

Can't have two more contradictory statements in a row! Dell's business-class IS Latitude (yes, I know 2 different people made those comments). Considering we have over 4,000 computers where I work (I said it was a large site) and probably 75% or better are Dell Latitude laptops you'd think we'd be pretty busy if they were garbage. The reality is, they're fairly reliable though the materials feel fairly cheap compared to a Lenovo Thinkpad.