The Lenovo ThinkPad X301 is an ultraportable that packs a super punch within a sleek, sexy design. It has an Intel Core 2 Duo U9400 processor that runs at 1.4 GHz, and has 2 GB of RAM. Weighing in at 3.3 pounds and sporting a 13.3 inch widescreen, it also comes with a DVD bruner and 64 GB of storage capacity.

It runs on the new Intel Centrino 2 platform and is super wafer-thin, just like the sexy Apple MacBook Air and the Voodoo Envy 133. The price (at $3000) is very high, but that is largely due to the 128 solid-state drive (SSD) present in the machine.

Let's first look at the laptop's design. Coming in a matte black frame, the Lenovo ThinkPad X301 is sexy in its own special way. Look beneath that 1-inch-thin frame and you'll see a solid keyboard enhanced by dual pointing devices - a touchpad and an special pointing stick. The machine is one of the thinnest in the market and yet still manages to pack in very decent computing performance.

The design of the ThinkPad X301 is one of the sleekest in the market

The Lenovo ThinkPad X301 has a solid display and comes with a 1,440-by-900 resolution. The screen renders colors vibrantly and you find that the display beats out the Apple MacBook Air and the Voodoo Envy 133. Remember, 13.3 inches of screen real estate in an ultraportable is pretty rare, and the X301 is one of the few that has it.

The X301 also has built-in DisplayPort. DisplayPort is a technology that allows you to stream digital content from your laptop to an external display easily.

The keyboard on the Lenovo ThinkPad X301 is one of the best in its class, beating the Apple MacBook Air and the Voodoo Envy 133. You will love the typing feel and how the keys respond to each of your finger presses. Although this is an ultraportable, the keyboard typing experience does not feel 'cramped' in any way.
 

The keyboard on the ThinkPad X301

Connectivity wise, we're looking at stuff like Ethernet, three USB ports, Centrino 2 WiFi, GPS, Bluetooth, and also WWAN through AT&T, Verizon, and Sprint. Compare that to the MacBook Air (with only a USB port, a headphone jack, and a mini-DVI out) and you'll will see how much better the X301 is in this area.

One of the things you will notice in the Lenovo Thinkpad X301 is the presence of a 128 GB Samsung solid-state drive (SSD). Now this SSD is the reason why the X301 is so expensive. There is now a trend towards using SSDs in ultra-thin laptops and you'd expect that as SSD prices go down, the prices of the laptops will eventually go down too.

You'll also see another nice feature in the Lenovo ThinkPad X301. The 7mm-thin optical drive is modular, meaning that you can unscrew the drive and replace it with a battery.

In terms of battery life, you'll find that the Lenovo ThinkPad X301 beats out the rivals. With a low powered processor, the 43-Wh battery gives us about 3 hours 44 minutes of juice. This lasts even longer is you remove the optical drive and add a 3-cell battery instead.

In terms of shortcomings, the Lenovo ThinkPad X301 is probably a bit lacking in terms of computing horsepower. The reason is because the X301 uses a new type of ultra-low-voltage (ULV) processor - that isn't as speedy as the standard-voltage ones. Those standard CPUs are found in the MacBook Air and the Envy 133.

However, the fact that the new processor runs on the Intel Centrino 2 platform allows it to deliver performance that beats out the Apple MacBook Air and the Voodoo Envy 133. On the whole, I'd say that the X301's performance is not as speedy as other bulkier laptops, but as far as wafer-thin laptops go, it is one of the fastest out there at the moment.

The other shortcoming is that the presence of the 128 GB SSD pushes up the price of the machine to a pretty high level, making the machine out of reach for most working professionals.

Well, I hope this article has given you more information about the Lenovo ThinkPad X301. On the whole, the Lenovo ThinkPad X301 is a solid machine - you'll find great components, connectivity options and also a first-rate 13-inch screen, modular optical drive, ThinkPad keyboard, DisplayPort and a faster Intel Centrino 2 platform. Definitely worth a look if you want a powerful, wafer-thin ultraportable to hold up against those MacBook Air owners.