With the release of the ThinkPad X300 (hereinafter referred to as X300), this 13.3-inch product, weighing only 1.33kg and with its thinnest point at just 1.86cm, is undeniably the lightest and slimmest full-featured notebook currently available on the market. This X300, equipped with a solid-state drive, LED backlight screen, full-size keyboard, fingerprint recognition, Ethernet, Intel Pro/Wireless 4965AGN wireless network card, Bluetooth, and optional UWB/WWAN networks, integrates various new technologies. Upon its release, it stunned the audience and drew global attention. So, what makes the X300 so exceptional? The Product Evaluation Center of Computer Weekly was the first to obtain the X300, and through images and comparisons with previous models, we will introduce you to the lightweight essence of the X300 and provide an understanding of ThinkPad's innovative design.
**Part One: The Path to Lightness**
If a laptop becomes sufficiently light and slim, mobility transforms into an enjoyment. This is akin to the first time picking up the X300 with one hand; the unexpectedly light feel dispels the deeply rooted perception of "heaviness" associated with 13.3-inch laptops, leaving one astonished by how light it truly is.
For designers, making a laptop sufficiently light is not a difficult task. However, considering cost and reliability complicates matters significantly, which is also the challenge in developing ultra-lightweight laptops. To address these issues, the X300 achieves lightness by using new materials and components, optimizing the heat dissipation structure, making the lightness of ThinkPad possible.
**1. Shell Material**
Currently, ThinkPad notebooks mostly use magnesium alloy shells, which are hard but do not meet the ultra-light and thin requirements of the X300. Therefore, carbon fiber, which is even harder and lighter than magnesium alloy, has become the ideal choice for the body material of the X300.
**2. Ultra-thin Optical Drive**
Equipping the X300 with an optical drive posed a challenge given its slim profile. To this end, Lenovo provided the X300 with an ultra-thin DVD burner measuring only 7mm thick, marking a pioneering move for the X series to be equipped with an optical drive. Regrettably, the X300 we received this time did not come with an optical drive but instead had a weight-reducing module (at which point the total weight was 1.33kg). However, from the reserved interface shown in Figure 1, we can imagine the thickness of the optical drive.
**3. LED Screen**
In the X300, ThinkPad introduced an LED screen for the first time in its X series. Compared to traditional LCD liquid crystal displays, LED screens are not only thinner but also more energy-efficient, effectively extending battery life.
**4. Lithium Polymer Battery**
Many laptops now use lithium batteries, but controlling the thickness of the cells remains challenging. To solve this problem, the X300 uses lithium polymer batteries commonly found in mobile phones, addressing the issue of battery size and usage time well (see Figure 2). Moreover, the optical drive position on the X300 can accommodate a second battery, extending the battery life of the X300 to around 10 hours.
**5. SSD Solid-State Hard Drive**
SSD solid-state hard drives use chips as storage media, being lightweight, generating less heat, offering faster storage speeds, and being shock-resistant, ensuring safer data storage. In the X300, Lenovo equipped it with a Samsung-made 64GB SSD solid-state hard drive (see Figure 3), weighing 40g, less than half the weight of a traditional hard drive (approximately 90g).
**6. Motherboard**
Ultra-light and thin models impose higher demands on motherboard circuit design. From the disassembled circuit board, the X300's circuit board is compact, with two memory slots and a CPU heat sink on the back of the motherboard occupying about 70% of the circuit board's surface area (see Figure 4). Additionally, to reduce the motherboard's size, both sides of the X300 motherboard are equipped with components, and there are circuits distributed in the middle of the motherboard.
**Part Two: The Path to Wisdom**
Besides being lightweight and slim, the unique design of the X300 brings many reliable experiences, and these designs incorporating a large number of new technologies also make the X300 more distinctive.
At 1.33kg, the X300 undoubtedly represents a breakthrough for a fully-featured 13.3-inch notebook. On such a light and thin body, one might naturally worry about its sturdiness and functionality. To ensure that the X300 possesses sufficient robustness and usability, a series of innovations and forward-looking designs have been discovered in the X300.
**1. Roll Cage**
The roll cage, a protective measure used in Formula 1 racing cars, is also a design widely adopted by Lenovo in the X60 and subsequent products, and the X300 is no exception. Enhanced roll cage designs have been added to both the display and body sections (see Figure 5), providing solid protection for the slim X300. Moreover, the enhanced roll cage uses composite materials made from carbon fiber, glass fiber, and resin, which do not affect the signal transmission of internal wireless antennas.
**2. Red and Blue Stripes**
Since Lenovo took over ThinkPad, the red and blue stripe design of the "mouse button" on ThinkPads once disappeared. This time, its reappearance on the X300 (see Figure 6) can be considered a response to public demand (Lenovo conducted a survey on its website where over 90% of users supported the red and blue stripe design), satisfying the historical sentiment of numerous "little black enthusiasts."
**3. Security**
For business applications, data security is a concern for many users. Apart from featuring a standard biometric fingerprint scanner, the X300 also comes equipped with multiple security measures like TPM security chips and hard disk passwords, easily achieving the high-security requirements of PC manageability and data protection.
**4. Improved Keyboard**
A comfortable keyboard is the pride of ThinkPad products. The X300 features a full-size keyboard, with appropriately sized keys, spacing, and travel, delivering a comfortable typing experience. By comparing it with the keyboard of the X60, we can clearly feel that the X300 has taken another step forward in comfort. The coating on the keyboard surface enhances finger touch and is more wear-resistant.
**5. ThinkVantage Button Light**
The ThinkVantage blue button is a classic design of ThinkPad, but compared to similar products from ThinkPad, the X300 features an indicator light under ThinkVantage (see Figure 7). When the PC receives new emails, the indicator light flashes, reminding the user to check their mail.
**6. Improved Waterproof Keyboard**
This classic waterproof keyboard design has been improved on the X300. In addition to covering the circuit board underneath the keyboard with an anti-electromagnetic radiation protective film that is water-resistant, the drainage port has been changed from square to elongated (see Figure 8), improving airflow and doubling the drainage efficiency.
**7. Error Reminder**
Busy business people may press the caps lock or mute button inadvertently, resulting in password input errors or silence during presentations without knowing the cause. For this, warning lights set near these two buttons on the X300 offer satisfactory solutions (see Figure 9).
**8. Heat Dissipation Design**
Due to its compact size, the X300 uses a 45nm ultra-low voltage Core 2 SL7100 dual-core processor. At the same time, the motherboard is moved further back, and the wireless network card is relocated closer to the processor, relying on the improved heat dissipation channel of the X300 processor to cool the wireless network card. Below the wrist rest lies the battery, completely eliminating the heat accumulation phenomenon experienced in the previous X60 series.
**9. Entertainment**
Each wrist rest on either side of the X300 is equipped with a speaker, ending the era of single-speaker sound production in the X series, giving the X300 stereo sound effects. The 1.3 million pixel camera located above the display offers convenience whether for video chats or business meetings (see Figure 10).
**10. Smooth Communication**
The X300 is equipped with an Intel PRO/Wireless 4965AGN wireless network card connected to three antennas, leading us to conclude that the X300 already supports MIMO (2x3) multi-transmission specifications. Additionally, some high-end models of the X300 support next-generation communication technologies like WWAN, WiMAX, and UWB. Models that temporarily do not support these technologies also reserve a half mini PCI Express slot, WWAN antenna below the keyboard, and SIM card slot behind the battery, indicating that the X300 is ready for WWAN (see Figure 11).
**Summary**
Through the preliminary analysis of ThinkPad X300, we see a fully-featured ultra-thin notebook that combines the portability elements of the X series and the entertainment elements of the Z series. Next week, we will also test its performance and usability. Actually, for ordinary users, they may not particularly care if their notebook weighs 1.33kg or 1.55kg. However, for the X300, the 1.33kg weight not only sets a new record for lightweight, fully-featured notebooks but also serves as the most impressive answer Lenovo has given to global users since taking over the ThinkPad product line.
Extended Reading:
How Was the X300 Created?
On March 18, 2008, when Chairman Yang Yuanqing of Lenovo officially showcased the ultra-thin notebook ThinkPad X300 to the audience, perhaps for Lenovo, it marked the addition of a revolutionary product to its product lineup. For the entire notebook industry, it unveiled the prelude to the top-level R&D and design battle of notebooks.
So, how was this much-anticipated notebook created before its launch, and what stories lie behind it?
Origins
In 2005, when the chairman of Lenovo went to the US to establish Lenovo's headquarters and met with some senior executives, he expressed this idea: Could a notebook product be designed that embodies Lenovo's top creativity and quality, allowing the world to feel the value of the ThinkPad brand?
At the beginning of 2006, the development of the X300 was officially placed on Lenovo's agenda. Richard Hill, Lenovo's chief designer, received a simple directive: create a notebook product that could be considered perfect, at least perfect for the current stage. Later, Yang Yuanqing recalled: "The product I envisioned is not a pure work of art; it must have practical powerful functions and be a cutting-edge product that can serve customers."
Persistence
To complete this product development, Hill and his design team spent a full 20 months, setting a new record for the longest time Lenovo has spent on the R&D of a single product.
As notebook products became increasingly smaller, the challenges in R&D became more apparent: the smaller the volume, the more problems arise with heat dissipation and performance. Improvements made to solve these problems often hinder the reduction in size. Currently, there are two common practices in the industry to address this issue: either compress performance by adopting external optical drives and removing certain interfaces to reduce size and weight, or adopt small-screen designs to ensure the overall size of the notebook.
After intense discussions, Hill and the Japanese process team led by Naito reached consensus on several key aspects of this notebook: 1. Use a 13-inch display screen, allowing direct adoption of a full-size keyboard design rather than a "butterfly keyboard" solution, reducing design complexity; 2. Retain interfaces; 3. Adopt an integrated ultra-thin optical drive design.
Agony
To successfully achieve a perfect combination of performance and size in this notebook, almost all accessories had to be redesigned. The R&D personnel endured great agony, as accessory manufacturers also had to adjust accordingly for the revolutionary design of the X300, causing hard drive suppliers and memory suppliers to temporarily be unable to provide necessary accessory products for the R&D team. However, Lenovo's R&D team never gave up and ultimately successfully obtained two important parts of the X300: solid-state hard drives and memory modules, both specially designed for this notebook by accessory suppliers.
From October 2006 to the end of the year, Hill and Lenovo's product R&D personnel, including the two R&D teams from North America headquarters and Japan, communicated almost daily via email and video conferences. Soon after, Lenovo's sales team also joined the meetings, providing suggestions to the R&D department from a market perspective. Intense discussions frequently erupted, and many existing problems were resolved amid the arguments, greatly enhancing the product's performance and practical application capabilities. Furthermore, there was more room for commercial expansion.
Breakthrough
Thus, in early September 2007, Lenovo finally produced the engineering sample of the X300 notebook. At this point, product development reached a critical moment, as the X300 engineering machine had to undergo rigorous performance testing, the most important of which was the "free fall" test. During the test, with the machine turned on, the testers let the X300 drop from a height of five feet above the ground, and the X300 emerged unscathed. Ultimately, the X300 passed Lenovo Group's review.
Reprinted from Computer Country, www.pcguo.com