The Exes (Lenovo ThinkPad)

My old company laptop was a Lenovo ThinkPad X280… Sadly, I think the stress of working from home made it retire early.

It was a great laptop and one of my favorite company issued laptops.

I really think the hardware is still ok, it was just getting overloaded by all the running office apps I need, also note that it was running a special version of Windows 10 which was stripped down by out IT department.

While waiting for a new device, our IT department gave me an emergency temporary laptop, the X260. Yes it was older that the X280, it was thicker, heavier and way slower.

One thing the X260 got right was the positioning of the vent… It was on the left side. Since the vent of the X280 was on the right side, you would feel the hot air when you hold the mouse too near the laptop.

The right side of the X280 would also significantly get hot when you’re working from home.

X260 was better suited for working without A/C (at home), the machine was just cooler. Only drawback I have is the lack of USB-C.

Yes the X280 was faster, screen was better and the keyboard was way better. But as I’ve mentioned, this was all expected as it was a newer device…

After a month with the X260, my new T495s has arrived. It’s been a while since I used a device running on AMD.

The T495s almost looks and feels identical to my old X28, I cannot comment on the performance yet as it’s been less than a day of use for me…

But immediately I can say… It charges faster which is a good plus when a lot of work is done… outside the office.

After a few weeks of use… the T495s is noticeably bigger than my old X280. Vent location is the same, but it does not go as hot. Battery life is way better. The camera has a slider if you need that “camera cover.” Keyboard is a bit squishy compared to the X280, you will feel the difference even if the laptops are not side by side.

I think, being an AMD powered laptop, the T495s should be cheaper compared to the Intel versions. Again, highly recommended… and would even consider buying one if I need a personal Windows device.