Review: Lenovo ThinkPad X250

Introduction and design

Lenovo's ThinkPad X250 (starting at $755, £669.99, AU$1,499) is an Ultrabook designed for people who want business-class power without having to lug around a chunky workstation.

This 12.5-inch (31.75 cm), 2.88-pound (1.27 kg) laptop can be customized to include up to a full HD, touchscreen display, a fifth generation Intel Core i7 processor and 256GB of solid-state, Opal 2 storage. The notebook is military specifications approved, features a fingerprint reader and its battery can be swapped for a replacement without having to power down.

Despite these enterprise-friendly features, the ThinkPad X250 is best compared to consumer Ultrabooks, like the the Dell XPS 13 (starting at $799, £520, AU$980), and the Asus Zenbook UX305 (starting at $699, £649, AU$902). The best business-class comparison is the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon (starting at $1,249, £1,150, AU$1,433).

You wouldn't want to stack the X250 up against enterprise workhorses, like the HP ZBook 17 G2 ($1,900, £1,250, AU$2,400) or the Lenovo ThinkPad W540 ($2,573, £1,606, AU$2,946). Those devices blow the X250 out of the water in terms of performance, but they're much heavier, much thicker and much more expensive.

So, you've got to decide: do you want a laptop primarily designed for work, or do you want something that is portable and can handle basic business functions? If you chose the latter, the X250 might be right for you. But, in the face of lighter, thinner and more stylish consumer Ultrabooks, maybe not.

Design

I've written ad nauseum about the signature ThinkPad design, which basically hasn't changed since the line was born in 1992. The X250 is built with a black, carbon fiber chassis that is unremarkable in every way.

Lenovo advertises the carbon fiber as the same material used on racecars, which means it is light and more shock absorbent than the magnesium alloy or plastic found on mainstream laptops. As I've said in the past, ThinkPad laptops aren't ugly – they're vanilla. Even the X1 Carbon – the belle of the ThinkPad ball – wouldn't stand out if you saw a lineup of Ultrabooks at your local Best Buy.

The X250 measures 12.03 inches (30 cm) long by 0.8 inches (2 cm) thick. This is pretty slim compared to mobile workstations, but when you stack it up against the XPS 13, which is only 11.98 inches wide and 0.6 inches (15mm) thick, you can clearly go thinner. To be fair, the Asus Zenbook is one inch wider and one inch thicker than the XPS 13, so the difference between the Zenbook and the X250 are negligible.

At 2.88 pounds (without a touchscreen), the X250 is one of the lightest Ultrabooks on the market. The standard, full HD Dell XPS 13 weighs only 2.6 pounds (1.17kg), and the 13-inch Asus Zenbook weighs 2.65 pounds (1.18kg). In terms of portability, this is a nice bracket in which to fall. Of course, none of these laptops holds a candle to the problematic, but featherweight Lenovo La Vie Z (starting at $1,299, £852, AU$1,605), which weighs only 1.72 pounds (0.78kg).

The top of the device is adorned with Lenovo's standard ThinkPad logo with accompanying light-up lowercase letter "i," and a shiny silver Lenovo logo. The laptop folds via two minute, pinless steel hinges that are among the best on the market. The laptop folds easily and smoothly, while maintaining a semblance of stability that constantly on-the-go business users will appreciate.

The bottom of the device features several unambiguous vents that are positioned in no discernable pattern. Here, you'll also find the easily replaceable battery that pulls out via two slide buttons.

Unlike magnesium alloy and plastic, the X250's carbon fiber doesn't get oily or dusty at all. After a week of intense usage, I didn't see one fingerprint. Unlike old MacBook Pros that scald the base of your palms when you type, I never felt any heat coming from the laptop whatsoever.

The full HD (1,920 x 1,080) touchscreen is pretty standard these days. If screens are your thing, then you'll definitely want to go with the XPS 13, with its Infinity Design and WQHD+ display. But if you're satisfied with run-of-the-mill displays, the X250 is solid enough for video watching and/or spreadsheet filling. You can bend the display back 180-degrees, so that the laptop can be used in laptop or display mode, but I highly doubt you'll ever want to do this.

The spill resistant keyboard sports Lenovo's signature AccuType curved keys, of which I'm not a fan. Nor am I too fond of the three buttons at the top of the Clickpad, which – as I've noted in other reviews – just get in my way.

Specifications and performance

The X250 can be customized in a variety of different ways. You can go as low as fifth-generation Intel Core i3 processors, or you can order an i7 for more demanding computing needs.

All versions of the device feature Intel HD Graphics 5500, but what you're seeing on-screen can be displayed on a panel that comes in four different models: HD touch, HD no-touch, HD multi-touch, or full HD touch.

Port-wise, you're pretty well covered for most needs. See below for a full rundown of the specifications and inputs as featured on the X250 unit sent to TechRadar.

Specifications

• CPU: 2.2GHz Intel Core i5-5200U (3MB Cache, up to 2.70 GHz with Turbo Boost
• Graphics: Intel HD Graphics 5500
• RAM: 8GB DDR3L-1600 PC3-12800 1600 MHz
• Screen: Full HD (1,920 x 1,080) touchscreen
• Storage: 146 GB
• Ports: 1 x VGA, 1 x mini DisplayPort, 2 x USB 3.0, 1 x Integrated Smartcard Reader, 1 x Mic / headphone combo, 1 x RJ45 (ethernet), 1 x Fingerprint reader, 4-in-1 card reader (SD, MMC, SDHC, SDXC)
• Connectivity: Intel 7265 AC/B/G/N Dual Band Wireless; Bluetooth 4.0
• Camera: 720p webcam
• Weight: 3lbs (1.3kg)
• Size: 12.03 x 8.21 x 0.8 inches (W x D x H)

Here's where the X250 makes up ground against the lighter and prettier XPS 13 and Zenbook UX305. If you constantly need to plug and unplug your laptop from a bevvy of displays, printers, etc. then you're going to enjoy the X250's flexibility. The Zenbook features three USB 3.0 ports, a micro HDMI connector, and an SD card slot. The XPS 13 has two USB 3.0 ports, a mini DisplayPort, and a 3-in-1 (SD, SDHC, SDXC) reader. Ports are not a reason to buy a laptop. However, if you're on the fence, the X250's connections just might sway you.

Performance

I have no complaints about my day-to-day experience with the X250. Programs opened snappily, I was able to open a bunch of tabs at once without crashing the browser and video streamed smoothly.

But, as you'll see below, the X250 doesn't benchmark as a business class device should. It's right on par with consumer Ultrabooks, but even in this class it loses some head-to-head comparisons.

Here's how the X250 performed in our suite of benchmark tests:

• 3DMark: Cloud Gate: 4,475; Sky Diver: 4,275; Fire Strike: 606
• Cinebench CPU: 249 points; Graphics: 23.04 fps,
• PCMark 8 (Home Test): 2,238 points
• PCMark 8 Battery Life: 3 hours and 33 minutes

The X250 ran slightly faster than the XPS 13 and Zenbook, which scored a 2,104 and 2,107 on the PCMark 8 Home test, respectively. This test measures typical PC use in the home and the office.

The X250 features an Intel HD 5500 GPU, which was released in early 2015. Like the XPS 13, the X250 does a better job handling design tasks than the Zenbook, which features a previous generation chip. Unfortunately, the XPS 13 blows the X250 out of the water in graphics rendering, scoring a 739 on 3DMark's Fire Strike test, compared to the X250's 606 points. The ZenBook scored 594 points.

The X250 is again middle-of-the-pack when it comes to a computer's ability to process graphics and manage gameplay physics. On 3DMark's Cloud Gate test, the X250 scored 4,475 points, compared to the XPS 13, which scored 4,935 points and the Zenbook, which scored 4,210 points.

During Cinebench's frame rate test, the XPS 13 managed 28.76 frames per second (fps), a little more than 7 fps than the Asus and about 5.7 frames per second better than the X250. The XPS also outperformed the X250 during Cinebench's CPU test, which measures a CPU's multi-core and hyper threading performance . The X250 scored 249 points, the Asus only scored 202 points, and the XPS crushed them both with a 259-point performance.

Battery life

The X250's battery lasted three hours and 33 minutes during the PCMark 8 Battery Life test, which performs a wide range of tasks simultaneously, including video editing, web browsing and gaming. This is a dramatic underperformance compared to the Asus Zenbook and the XPS 13, which ran for five hours and 21 minutes and four hours and 21 minutes, respectively.

However, it's important to remember that, with the X250, you can swap in a new battery when the current one runs low. So, you could double the X250's PCMark score to make your final determination.

I was able to crank out five hours and 46 minutes of video playback by lowering the screen brightness and audio volume to 50%. So, you're looking at about 12 hours of continuous usage with both batteries on-hand, which is more than sufficient.

Verdict

Because of its price tag, performance and portability, the Lenovo ThinkPad X250 shouldn't be compared to business-class mobile workstations. It just doesn't make sense to pit two laptops against one another when one is several thousand dollars, several pounds, and several exponents more powerful. However, the X250 should be thought of as a heavyweight fighter who loses 50 pounds to fight against the world's best middleweight.

We liked

The X250 is almost as portable and far more connection-friendly than rival Ultrabooks. You'll love being able to toss this device into your backpack knowing that you're ready for almost any situation.

Additionally, having the ability to hot-swap your battery means you'll get more than a day and a half of video playback without having to find a wall outlet. X250 owners will also enjoy the customization options available, which should help budget conscious buyers keep costs down.

We disliked

The most important thing you'll need to know about this device is that its business class advertising doesn't match up with its consumer class performance. You're just as capable in the office using top-of-the-line consumer Ultrabooks as you are using the X250.

This device is military-specification-approved, which means it can operate in cold and warm climates, and it won't cough and choke if too much dust swirls around it. But those features are secondary in importance to how fast and how capable the machine is.

Lenovo's ThinkPad lineup could use a makeover. I've seen this design a million times and it does nothing to entice new customers. If you look at the X250, then at the XPS 13 and the Zenbook, you'll never look back. This is not to say that this laptop is offensive-looking (it isn't), but it's awfully boring. How can the company behind the gorgeous Yoga 3 Pro still crank out cookie-cutter laptops reminiscent of Soviet-era housing complexes?

Final verdict

The Lenovo ThinkPad X250 is almost as capable as top-of-the-line Ultrabooks, like the Dell XPS 13 and the Asus Zenbook UX305. However, it underperforms slightly, costs the same amount of money and doesn't look nearly as good.

Thanks to its hot-swappable battery and it's plethora of ports, this device is ideal for on-the-go business users who want to be prepared for any situation. Just know that it's not as powerful as a workstation, and it's not as attractive as consumer Ultrabooks.

Conversely, it's not as heavy as a workstation, and it's more versatile than consumer Ultrabooks. So, it's up to you: if ports and a hot-swappable battery are more important than workstation-class performance or cutting-edge consumer laptop design, then the Lenovo ThinkPad X250 is right for you. But that's sure a lot of "ifs."

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