Wow, I was unprepared for just how crappy Lenovo LCDs are....

[fuzzybabybunny]

Just got my new Lenovo X201. I had heard that the screens are weak, but damn...

I use this lappy for photos. I've edited photos before on tiny screens, ips screens, super low resolution screens, damaged screens, TN screens, but DAMN..... this Lenovo takes the cake.

Contrast is absolutely horrible. Color saturation is very weak. The color / brightness shift as you change vertical viewing angles is extreme and takes very little change in angle to produce a large shift.

Uhhhh... good thing I know how to read my histogram really well.

Anyone know how I can replace the bottom of the barrel screen on this thing to at least a *normal* TN one?

 

[CurseTheSky]

You really have to research to figure out what panels are good and which are bad. They're pretty much all TN panels, but the difference between a "good" one and a crappy one is really dramatic.

For example, my UL30A has a horrible screen. It's bright and colorful when viewed spot-on, but the color shift from vertical angles (and somewhat horizontal angles) is pretty bad. The black levels are particularly poor. My girlfriend's XPS M1530, somewhat of a premium laptop, is only a hair better.

On the other hand, the Envy 15 I used for a while had a stellar screen. It was gorgeous, the black levels were top-notch, and the viewing angles were better than any other TN panel I had ever seen.

 

[Emulex]

sometimes they have multiple suppliers to screw with you even more so.

 

[HiME]

I had never been impressed with the ThinkPad's LCD screens since they Lenovo had taken over the product line. A week ago I had a chance to compare a T4x (from IBM) with the newer T6x (from lenovo) side by side... the view angle and contrast ratio was clearly much better on the T4x in my eyes.

ThinkPad's build quality is great (the X, T lineup only, not the new SL/Edge)... but the LCD screen had always been disappointing.

 

[fuzzybabybunny]

Well, after applying a calibrated profile, the display looks a lot better - colors are more and properly saturated and contrast is higher. Of course, vertical viewing angles still suck, but at least it's ok when viewed straight on.

 

[AndroidVageta]

Thats good to hear fuzzy...I hate bad LCD. Had a Asus G72 and the LCD was horrid...bland colors, HORRIBLE viewing angles (you know the ones where you HAVE to be center screen), and gray blacks. It was a TN screen. Recently got my Asus W90 and the screen on it is BEAUTIFUL...TN yes, but it has the best vertical viewing angles Ive ever seen, blacks are black, colors are nice, its bright...

In either case, I know where you are coming from...sucks to have a crappy LCD...

Now what about all this glare crap...

 

[fbrdphreak]

I believe you can swap the LCD for one that has better color reproduction, but IIRC it's still a TN and viewing angles are nothing special.

Take a look at http://forum.thinkpads.com/

 

[fire400]

Acer known for crappy laptop-chassis builds have better LCD's than a lot of the more expensive "premium" laptops out there.

Lenovo is no longer IBM branded, so don't expect your bells and whistles to shoot out too many fireworks. You have to get the T series for the best results from Lenovo.

 

[corkyg]

As for viewing angle, the goodness or badness depends on usage. I use my laptop when travelling, and often in public places such as airplanes and wi-fi sites. I really appreciate a narrow viewing angle - I don't want people sitting next to me to have full, unblemished access to my display. A laptop is desinged primarily for one person to use, and that one person should be able to sit perpendicular the the LCD.

 

[MJinZ]

Just got my new Lenovo X201. I had heard that the screens are weak, but damn...

I use this lappy for photos. I've edited photos before on tiny screens, ips screens, super low resolution screens, damaged screens, TN screens, but DAMN..... this Lenovo takes the cake.

Contrast is absolutely horrible. Color saturation is very weak. The color / brightness shift as you change vertical viewing angles is extreme and takes very little change in angle to produce a large shift.

Uhhhh... good thing I know how to read my histogram really well.

Anyone know how I can replace the bottom of the barrel screen on this thing to at least a *normal* TN one?

Throw that POS into the garbage ASAP.

The moment laptop makers finally get the message that they can't shove shit for screens into the consumers mouths, is the moment you'll actually get something decent.

Of course, consumers will continue to eat shit until then.

 

[Gibson486]

Lenovo is annoying. They have the worst configuration website. Look under W series, it says you can get it in 15.4 inches. There is no 15.4 inch option. Then there are the times when they say you can get discrete graphics, but when you configure it, you do not have the option.