Mastodawn

Samuel Prudencio

A 10/10 repairability score doesn’t happen by accident. Lenovo’s newest ThinkPads prove that laptops can be powerful, durable, and actually repairable.

Swappable batteries, modular parts, and one of the easiest keyboard replacements we’ve seen. Learn more about what makes these laptops amazing, at the link below.

https://www.ifixit.com/News/115827/new-thinkpads-score-perfect-10-repairability

@iFixit do they have anything soldered? Knowing Lenovo there has to be some kind of downside

Thibaultmol 🌈Mar 5

@commanderred @iFixit I would assume that the cpu is probably soldered to the motherboard. but ram and storage are removable as per the blog post

Þór Sigurðsson Mar 5

@iFixit What is awesome about Lenovo Thinkpads is that good repairability is nothing new. They have ambition for doing things right, inherited from IBM, while others spend time shaving dimes off of the dollar - creating a microscopic blimp in the profit in favor of unrepairable trash for the customers. (Toshiba, Acer, I'm looking at you!)

🐈‍⬛David Sommerseth Mar 5

Lenovo certainly has been one of the better ones for many years. But they have had models, including in the T series, where you basically had to replace a huge part of the laptop for a minor thing.

My X1C Gen 8 got a new motherboard because of a broken USB-C port. A T14 Gen 1 had to replace the complete top-part of the frame as the keyboard was glued to it - and to replace it, you had to unscrew basically every single component inside the laptop; everything was attached to this frame.

Also, the overall quality seems to have dropped after the T460 models. I've had one service on a T450 and a T460. But had 3 services on the X1C Gen8 and 2 services on the T14 Gen 1. Currently, a X1C Gen11 has behaved nicely and properly, but that's also the newest one. Issues typically occurs after 2-3 years of use.

That said, the T14 Gen7 and T16 Gen 5 improvements begins to look more like the good old T4xx series again, in regards to repairability. That's definitely a good step in the right direction. Now that just need to happen with the X and X1 series too.

Þór Sigurðsson Mar 5

@dazo @iFixit I'll agree that they have some machines that could have been done better, but their overall good over bad is in the high numbers. I have a P53s, T15g1, a couple of Thinkpad Yogas (pre-forking of the Yoga brand) and a really old m-class CPU (next step after C2D). All of them have turned out to be 💯in terms of servicability. Even the oldest one which had a effed DSP. I could mute the DSP with a stick in the 3.5mm jack and just use a USB audio card instead.

Þór Sigurðsson Mar 5

@dazo @iFixit in contrast, my Toshiba laptops have been atrocious - especially the high-end one (a laptop that cost me $3k, had 4K display with touch, big HDD, dedicated ATI graphics etc) - insides look like someone randomly picked parts from AliExpress and hotglued them together. Quality is on par with the cheapest you can find in Temu.

Even Apple does not come remotely close to the servicability of Thinkpads. (I was Apple tech from 2007-08, can attest for lack of quality and servicability!)

Angela Scholder Mar 8

@thor @dazo @iFixit We did have a Toshiba Satellite A100 I think it was after my last Tecra 8100, but that A100 definitely wasn't the Toshiba from before.
And I started with a 2nd hand Satellite Pro 420 CDT and then quickly upgraded to a 480CDT.
Those and the Tecras I was absolutely happy with.
We also had a 2nd hand S 4000 CDT we were happy with.

I've worked with ThinkPad, but not owned one.

Þór Sigurðsson Mar 8

@AngelaScholder @dazo @iFixit Yeah - the Tecras and the Satellites were two different beasts. The Tecra with its Magnesium shell was more... enterprisey - on the outside (same crap on the inside though). The Satellites were "budget" systems (if you can call a $3K "budget") with good parts put together in a piss-poor way.

I had a Tecra M4 which I was very happy with until it proved me wrong - and a Satellite P50-t which I disliked from day 1 and until its untimely death. Wife also had one. 👎🏻

🐈‍⬛David Sommerseth Mar 8

@thor @AngelaScholder @iFixit Lenovo has the same. ThinkPad is the business line, IdeaPad consumer line and Legion youth/gaming line

ThinkPads are the more robust ones, where E and L models are the "plastic ones" and T, X and X1 are those with various types of metals in the casing.

Þór Sigurðsson Mar 8

@dazo @AngelaScholder @iFixit The difference being - the Thinkpads have the design quality through and through. I've done lots of work on all our Thinkpads and have had no bitter taste so far (more than a decade in).

And yes - the Lenovo non-Thinkpads are Toshiba Satellite quality. Definitely. Would not recommend any of the non-Thinkpads even to an enemy of mine.

But that's where Toshiba and Lenovo differ - I CAN recommend the Thinkpad, but wouldn't recommend a Tecra.

Rafa Font 🌻 🇪🇺 🏀Mar 5

@iFixit There are several 10/10s now in your database. Have you considered turning it to 11?

@rafa_font We're saving that for something really special.

Old Woofian Mar 5

@iFixit Out of curiosity, I looked at the guide on how to replace the motherboard on my Microsoft Surface Pro. I think I'll not even start to consider do8ng this.

https://www.ifixit.com/Guide/Microsoft+Surface+Pro+6+Motherboard+Replacement/144316

Microsoft Surface Pro 6 Motherboard Replacement

Use this guide to remove or replace the motherboard in a Microsoft Surface Pro 6. Applying new thermal paste to the CPU during reassembly may...

iFixit

@OldWoofian @iFixit

@OldWoofian @iFixit All because you don't have a scalpel, a guitar pick, a heat gun and professional lock picking skills (or heart surgeon precision skills) laying around ?

Old Woofian Mar 5

@avrona @iFixit precisely!

tootbrute Mar 5

@iFixit neato! certainly will consider this or Framework for next laptop. Finally some easy to service laptops.

@tootbrute Good choices!

HarryMutt Mar 5

Yep, buy a good laptop that is easy to repair, not glued together, install the only OS that guarantees your freedom, and laugh at those ignorant people who believe promises made by US tech gangsters. THAT's how to protect your digital souvereignty.

Same with phones. Buy a Fairphone, install an OS like /e/OS on it (or buy it pre-installed) and enjoy the freedom from those megalomaniac tech giants who use your data to manipulate and oppress you.

@HarryMutt @iFixit or Shiftphone

Lenz Grimmer Mar 5

@pt1997 @HarryMutt @iFixit if @shiftphones would actually be delivered. Orderered mine in mid-November, still waiting for the shipment 😕

ParabenAparaten 🇪🇺🇺🇦🇨🇦🇬🇱🇲🇽🇧🇷Mar 5

RE: https://mastodon.social/@iFixit/116175855387969471

@iFixit I think it's #Lenovo also that recently ditched #Windows in favor of #Linux for their laptops

@ParabenAparaten Lenovo hasn't "ditched" Windows. They are still selling their Laptops with Windows pre-installed by default.

It has been possible to buy their Laptops with Linux pre-installed for quite some time already (or without an OS).

ParabenAparaten 🇪🇺🇺🇦🇨🇦🇬🇱🇲🇽🇧🇷Mar 5

Yep, but that is super old, like since at least 10/15 years ?

But super recently, I saw a linux news about Lenovo ditching Windows on laptops

I will have to check my history, I'll pinpoint at it if I found again the piece of news in question

Tom Bortels Mar 5

@ParabenAparaten @truls46

They recently ditched Windows as the default option.

Turns out linux gets less complaints and is easier and cheaper to support. You can get Windows still, but they're adjusting the price to reflect real-world costs.

My source https://youtu.be/k8OMjEWOo_M

Bill Gates FURIOUS As Lenovo DITCHES Windows For Linux

YouTube

Trolli Schmittlauch 🦥Mar 5

@iFixit
My main reason to move away from thinkpads was their allow-list for WLAN and mobile data modules, that meant you could not use standard replacement parts but only those specific "official" modules that were already available at the launch of the product. These spare parts often were not available just a few year later, resulting in an inability to replace a broken WLAN module.
->

Trolli Schmittlauch 🦥Mar 5

@iFixit So what does
"We noted a similar lack of modularity on the Wi-Fi module, where repairs or upgrades will be impractical at best.”
mean here? Is the Wi-Fi module soldered? Or does exchanging the module with a perfectly fine newer one still result in a system refusing to boot?

@schmittlauch
It may be soldered, that would definitely be a 9/10.
Not to mention so is the CPU.
@iFixit

Random Walsh Mar 5

@iFixit yes but

@iFixit Uhhh, LPCAMM2 is very nice indeed! I'd still have a hard time not missing the insane battery life and fanless performance of a MB Air, that kinda spoiled me. And yet...

Julian Carax Mar 5

@ljrk FWIW, Linux runs much better on my P14s than my MBA 😁

@jcarax I had no issues with Asahi and soon-ish there'll be even USB-C DP mode and then I'm honestly fully satisfied ^^'

But it's mostly the hardware of the MBAs that's just crazy good

Julian Carax Mar 5

@ljrk It's better than a lot of laptops 15-20 years ago, in the dark days of compatibility. But DP alt and video decoding are pretty big shortcomings still. I do like it as a highly portable, passively cooled machine, but we'll hopefully see Snapdragon Elite support mature, and passive machines offered with that. The waiting game for new Macbooks to get hacked together support isn't great.

@jcarax Oh totally, but QCom is also not really known for keeping up their promises and r/n every laptop of theirs was something of a letdown. The MBA is there already so I'm not in the market of buying new anyway.

𝙹𝚘𝚎𝚕 𝙲𝚊𝚛𝚗𝚊𝚝 ♑ 🤪Mar 5

@iFixit TIL about LPCAMM2 form factor.

nano 🔜 #eh2026 Mar 6

@joel @iFixit Same 🤔

buherator Mar 5

@iFixit Do you see any improvements on the keycap front? My perfectly good ThinkPads become unsuable because keycaps break all the time and I can only order full keyboards (*if* I can find any!).

@iFixit lol sloppad in pic

Hippo 🍉Mar 5

@iFixit I'm kind of not buying mainstream (closed-hardware) laptops for now, but damn, if I wanted to then this would be the one I'd choose. I thought the ThinkPad line was in decline and I'm glad to hear that isn't entirely the case!

Julian Carax Mar 5

@badrihippo Yeah, I've been a Thinkpad going back to the last few generations of IBM. They've gone down hill over the years, but I still prefer them to HP and Dell for more minor reasons than the past. I'd decided to go Framework next time around, but this is tempting me.

Hippo 🍉Mar 6

@jcarax my current machine is a ThinkPad too! The ancient but awesome X230 Tablet

I think it'll serve me for a while yet, but whenever it stops I'm planning to go straight for MNT

I've heard about the downhill trend of ThinkPads too. Do you think this new repairablity thing is a reversal, though, or is that just my wishful thinking?

Julian Carax Mar 6

Maybe? The iFixit blog makes it clear that it wasn't a single generation commitment, they made big strides last generation and again this one. Maybe it will turn the stand Framework took into a trend in the industry.

The MNT is awfully chunky. I bought a P14s as a single machine, but if I go back to desktop and laptop I'd probably look to a Framework 12 or 13. But ARM ultraportables are tempting.

@iFixit Auge @frameworkcomputer

Philip Theus Mar 5

@iFixit good news about thinkpads? That‘s a welcome change.

@Philip It's great news! Big win for consumers and Right to Repair.

zettpunkt Mar 5

@iFixit Did someone steal the trackpoint cap or what's going on in that picture?

@iFixit Your 'out of 10' scale needs recalibrating because there's plenty that's not fixable in this 10 scored unit. Then there's the Lenovo crapware which counts them out completely.

Julian Carax Mar 5

@vp9kf @iFixit That's the problem with these scales, eventually they get maxed out. I do hope iFixit addresses that, and not by recalibrating an out of 10 scale. That throws everything going forward out of whack with past results. Better to make it out of 15, and start working up towards that.

Lenovo’s newest ThinkPads prove that laptops can be powerful, durable repairable.

My T410 2.53-GHz Intel Core i5-540M proves all that too, and still runs well with antiX Linux and ICEWM.

Sound is medocre, screen acceptable.
Had to replace the dvd drive and wireless card, fitted an SSD to improve performance. Must replace battery.

Very easy to work on.

Daughter has W520, i7

Palm rest cracked, common issue, warranty refused which really angered me.

@iFixit Shrug https://frame.work Got There First. And you can buy them without paying the Microsoft Tax.

Introducing the Framework Desktop and newest Framework Laptop 13

Choose between our latest Framework Laptop 13 powered by Ryzen™ AI 300 Series processors or our brand new Framework Desktop with Ryzen™ AI Max Series processors.

Framework

javensbukan Mar 5

@iFixit Buy this instead of a MacBook. K thx.

FreediverX Mar 5

@javensbukan @iFixit
Will it run Linux? Because otherwise, Windows is a non-starter.

javensbukan Mar 5

@freediverx @iFixit From my personal experience Lenovo ThinkPads have always run Linux very well. I'm expecting this to not be much different as long as it doesn't have any weird exotic hardware...

My old T420 ran Ubuntu like a champ.

Aldin The Mage Mar 5

@iFixit along with the option to buy new with Linux... Lenovo is killing it!

@jtskywalker We're impressed for sure!

@jtskywalker
Lenovo's just reading the room (well, which is unusual for big corpos). At the end of the day line must go up regardless.
@iFixit

@iFixit fwiw I’ve had a bad experience with Lenovo. My ($1300) pc will freeze unexpectedly, randomly. And especially if the logi receiver is unplugged. No answer from the company as to how that gets fixed. And Linux can’t be installed on this model

Gary Seven Mar 5

@iFixit But does it run Linux without jumping through HP-style hoops?

@garyseven
You can buy it preinstalled in some markets and the Ts have a long history of linux support.
@iFixit

The π Of 🎂s 🇧🇪Mar 5

@iFixit amazing! 👏🎉