Mainstream ThinkPads Getting Sandy Bridge CPUs

By Marcus Yam
published

ThinkPads getting refreshed in April.

Lenovo has launched its AMD Zacate-based ThinkPad X120e, which is a great low-cost roadwarrior machine.

For those looking at a more full-sized affair, however, Lenovo also announced teo new laptops for small-to-medium business users (and those who just love ThinkPads) that are packing the new Sandy Bridge family of CPUs.

The 12.5-inch E220s measures less than one inch thick and weighs less than 3.5 pounds. The slightly larger 14-inch E420s starts at just one-inch and four pounds. They both feature metal accents that frame the black, soft-matte exterior.

The ThinkPad Edge E220s and E420s laptops have a new feature called Enhanced Experience 2.0, which Lenovo boasts is an exclusive technology for rapid boot up times into Windows 7. The technology speeds up boot time by 30 percent on select models with Rapid Drive, which uses an SSD for faster boot speed. Lenovo also optimized the preload, drivers and BIOS for speedy start up.

The ThinkPad Edge E220s and E420s will be available beginning in April at approximately $899 and $749, respectively.

Marcus Yam
Marcus Yam
Marcus Yam served as Tom's Hardware News Director during 2008-2014. He entered tech media in the late 90s and fondly remembers the days when an overclocked Celeron 300A and Voodoo2 SLI comprised a gaming rig with the ultimate street cred.
16 Comments Comment from the forums
  • microterf
    Gotta love thinkpads :)
    Reply
  • joytech22
    Nice, those laptop's are actually pretty cheap.

    I might grab one when the time is right, haven't made a review in ages..
    Reply
  • slam5
    I'm looking forward to these. after all the upgrades, I am sure it will be closer to 1500. c'est la vie!
    Reply
  • dEAne
    It is not a low cost ThinkPad but I have been using a ThinkPad for many years and it served me well. Well recommended.
    Reply
  • vaughn2k
    How does this compare with 'Zacate'? I'll wait for the benchies though...
    Reply
  • LeNONO, all companies are going to soon be using the Sandybridge cpu what is so special about this? LeNONO is not as reliable and is more expensive than others, I will pass.
    Reply
  • geekapproved
    Everyone thinks Sandy Bridge is some holy grail that is arriving, but the i7 is still gonna be king of the hill until Q3.
    Reply
  • belardo
    Lenovo is doing pretty good with ThinkPads. Granted, they are NOT quite as tough as the ones from 6~10 years ago... but thats based on business logic. They'd rather make a profit selling 10x the Thinkpads at a lower price... A $1000 (give or take) is a good 14~15" T-series notebook, that's their main series.

    It still rated for military use due to design. Still has the light, the liquid pass-thru for the keyboard (protects the computer), crash-cage on the inside and crash-cage on 14" and smaller notebooks.

    The Edge is their "modern" mid-range series, no crash cage - semi-island style keys. The L-series (Lame) still has an old-style keyboard, but not the ThinkPad layout.
    Reply
  • scook9
    GeekApprovedEveryone thinks Sandy Bridge is some holy grail that is arriving, but the i7 is still gonna be king of the hill until Q3.This is only true for desktops, for the mobile space the stuff already announced is the best available.
    Reply
  • rhino13
    Put the Ctrl key back on the far left and I'll think about it.
    Reply