full image - Repost: x280 -- upgrades and a small review! (from Reddit.com, x280 -- upgrades and a small review!)
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Finally got my hands on an x280! The specs it shipped with:i7-8650u16GB of RAM256GB NVME SSDFHD screenFingerprint scannerPeeling trackpadWhat I upgraded:1TB P31 Hynix NVMEA210 Intel WiFi 6 cardNew batteryARCTIC MX-6 thermal pasteGlass trackpad from the X1C 6GalleryThe ReviewTL;DR: It’s a superb 12.5” machine. 9/10.As an owner of an x220, I was interested in the x-series of devices primarily because of the screen size and form factor. I have great desktop screens already so I wanted something upgradable, portable, powerful, and sleek. I landed on the x280 because I love the form factor of the x220. I have to say, after about a week of usage, I am floored with this little laptop in almost every way.Build QualityThe build quality on the x280 has proven to be pretty reliable over the week I’ve owned it. I’m a clumsy person so its already banged into some stuff, without a dent, mark, or scratch on the device, wall, or door frame. The trackpad, as pictured, is worn significantly, which I knew about when I bought it. So, I suppose if a part on the device is going to show its age, I’m glad it’s a serviceable one.The device slots neatly onto a lap or a table, and given its small form factor and generous build quality, I think it’ll make a fine couch-surfer if that’s what you’re looking for.ScreenMy model came with an FHD touchscreen, maxing out at 1920x1080 in resolution. I instantly disabled the touchscreen in KDE Neon because I don’t really like using touch screen laptops (personal preference). The screen quality is exceptional, except my unit has small purple splotches ONLY on pure black colors. Likely a screen defect that’ll need replacing by Christmas. I’ve accepted these defects for now until I likely replace the screen, as they don’t appear unless I’m using dark mode or something. Which is fixed by not using dark modes lol.Still better than my x220’s (modded) screen.KeyboardI’m coming from an x220 so the keyboard on that thing I consider S tier. The keyboard on the x280 was actually quite a lot better than I expected, as compared to the x220’s. Lots of good feedback, travel, and the backlight has been nice in some scenarios. It’s not the x220, but it’s better than anything else I’ve used.PortsThis thing has all the ports I need. Most of everything in my life is USB-C now, and I wanted my laptop to be no exception. I’ve already used the thunderbolt port for some things, and plan to use the Ethernet dongle when it arrives today to also do some networking stuff at home.I haven’t had the chance to test out HDMI beyond just plugging it into a monitor I had sitting around, but that worked pretty flawlessly on KDE Neon when I did test it out.WebcamHaven’t had a chance to test this yet on KDE Neon, but usually keep the shutter closed.ConnectivityI upgraded this device with an A210 WiFi card. The upgrade was insanely easy, and on KDE Neon I had the new device recognize and working on first boot. Fantastic. I have WiFi 6 in my home and take full advantage of this nifty little feature.Bluetooth is great too, borderline MacBook-eque even. I have a pair of bluetooth headphones I connected to my phone and to my x280, and I can seamlessly use and control both. It’s awesome.BatteryThe battery this thing arrived with was terrible, so I replaced it with this one from Amazon. Thus far I’ve been able to get through a full day of medium-light usage without issue. The battery on the x220 was on its last legs, so this new battery on this power-sipping CPU is a big upgrade for me. I find myself usually hitting 30% battery by the time I finish up my day (6-7 hours by this point), but it’s so easy to just whip out my USB-C charger and top off. Plus I think this model has fast-charging on enabled chargers?PerformanceSo I’m not doing anything that might stress this system. No gaming, editing, rendering, or AI. It’s essentially my at-home, out-and-about device that needs to be powerful enough to handle stuff such as:Server administrationWeb tasksStreaming (lots)All without stuttering. Hence why I opted for the i7-8650u and 16GB RAM model of this device. I find that I never really hit above 30% CPU utilization when doing… anything, really. Mostly ticks around 8% or lower utilization. I haven’t encountered any slowness, laginess, or anything that makes this feel like a different experience from my arguably more powerful gaming desktop. I also re-pasted this laptop’s CPU with some good stuff I guess so it’s really not kicking the fan on… ever.On RAM: I have 16GB which I think is pretty much enough for my usage. I find myself using 8-10GB of RAM managing my various servers and service, streaming music, having Vesktop and Betterbird running. Buttery smooth at this RAM level.Everyday UsageI use the x280 for long periods throughout the day. Mostly I’m using the web browser, console, a music streamer (Feishin for me), Vesktop (great Discord wrapper), and Betterbird for email. Like I said my RAM is cresting at about 10GB of usage, while my CPU sips on power. I’m mostly doing server related stuff, so lots of quickly-rendered webGUIs in Firefox throughout the day. Firefox, by the way, is awesome on this thing and I recommend everyone use it with uBlock Origin installed.I find myself also on Reddit a lot and it’s great for simply browsing the web, watching YouTube, Twitch, and shopping. The screen is the PERFECT size for me, and is extremely portable while being very durable.The VerdictI’d rate 10/10 but there’s a few things holding me back on my x280:The screen splotchesSoldered RAMThat’s it. I can ignore the splotches as they’re really not that bad, and the RAM is plenty for what I do. My final score is a 9/10 for the ThinkPad x280. I’m in love with this thing, and it does everything I need it to. Coming from an x220 this thing is a monumental upgrade for me.
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