ThinkPad T410 and T410s Launch Review, Why we love the ThinkPad T410 and T410s, and why you should buy one!
January 6, 2010
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The wait is over! The Lenovo ThinkPad T410 and ThinkPad T410s have been much anticipated by ThinkPad fans and we can tell you, it has been worth the wait. Equipped with the new Intel Dual-core, Core i5 and Core i7 processors from the i5-529M 2.4GHz to the 2.66GHz i7-620M for the ThinkPad T410 and with a choice of i5-529M 2.4GHz or 2.53GHz i5-540M for the ThinkPad T410s, performance is outstanding.
<– Shop for your ThinkPad T410 and ThinkPad T410s Now!
With a base price of $999 for the ThinkPad T410 and $1399 for the ThinkPad T410s they are also priced lower than current models.
In addition the ThinkPad T410s has now been given the option of Nvidia switchable Discrete Graphics with 512 MB of VRAM to improve graphical performance, something was which was slightly lacking in the ThinkPad T400s.
Visually the new ThinkPad T410 and T410s are similar to the models they precede, the main difference of course being under the skin due to the Calpella architecture. And its the new architecture that has made such a discernable difference to the overall performance of the new T Series.
Design changes are subtle, keeping the ‘Classic’ ThinkPad look and feel and apply mainly to the keyboard, touchpad and function buttons. Both notebooks have the new ThinkPad style flush fitting multi-touch TouchPad. The keyboard is excellent and doesn’t display any of the flex associated with the launch of the T400/T500 in the summer of 2008.
Both the ThinkPad T410 and the T410s support up to 6 GB 1067 MHz DDR3 (4 GB 1333 MHz + 2 GB 1067 MHz), or up to 8 GB 1333 MHz DDR4 (4 GB 1333 MHz x 2) memory and Hard Drive options range from 80 to 128 GB SSD drives or 160 GB up to a 500 GB (7200 RPM) Hard Drive
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There are plenty of connectivity options with 4 USB, 1 being powered so that you can charge your mp3 player, phone, or use any USB peripheral that needs power. The powered USB is color coded yellow and is ‘always on’, even when the machine is in hibernate or sleep mode.
You will also find 1 eSATA, IEEE 1394a, VGA, Display Port, Combo Jack, Express Card 34 mm and 5-in-1 MMC Reader, Optional Contact or Contact-less Smart Card Reader.
Screen options for the ThinkPad T410 include a 14.1″ WXGA 1280×800 16:10 aspect, 200Nit and a 14.1″ WXGA+ with a resolution of 1440 x 900 16:10 aspect, 200 Nit The ThinkPad T410s is equipped with a choice of WXGA+ 1440 x 900 or WXGA+ 1440 x 900 MultiTouch. What is surely going to please a lot of people is that 16:10 aspect ratio stays on the 14.1” screens for now! It is going to 16:9 however on the T510 and W510. We can almost hear the howls of protest from here!
The ThinkPad design team have made a great effort to improve communications with the ThinkPad T410 and ThinkPad T410s with a new 2 megapixel webcam, and integrated VIOP function keys, and an LED indicator added to the mute button.
ThinkPad T410 and ThinkPad T410s Specifications
Processors – Optional range of i5 and i7 processors as specified above
Operating System – Windows 7 (32 & 64 bit), Windows Vista Ultimate 32, Windows XP Professional
Display Resolution – ThinkPad T410s/T410: LED, 14.1 WXGA (1280×800) 16:10 aspect, 200 nit; WXGA+ (1440×900) 16:10, 200 nit
Memory – Up to 6 GB 1067 MHz DDR3 (4 GB 1333 MHz + 2 GB 1067 MHz), up to 8 GB 1333 MHz DDR4 (4 GB 1333 MHz x 2)
Hard Drive Options – 80GB or 128 GB SSD, 160 GB (5400/7200 RPM), 250 GB (5400/7200 RPM), 320 GB (5400/7200 RPM), 500 GB (7200 RPM) HDD
System Graphics – Intel integrated graphics and Nvidia NVS3100m discrete graphics – Switchable
Optical Drive - 9.5 mm CD/DVD drive with BluRay option
Audio and Sound – Combo 3.5mm audio jack and separate microphone and audio mute button, integrated Dual Array digital mics with noise and echo cancellation
Integrated Comms – Qualcomm Gobi, 2000 WWAN, Bluetooth, Intel WiFi Link 6200 2×2, 6300 3×3, Intel 2×2 6250 with WiMAX, ThinkPad WLAN Realtek 1×2, Intel 1000 b/g/n, support for Constant Connect
Connectivity – Ports and Slots, 4 USB (1 powered), 1 eSATA, IEEE 1394a, VGA, Display Port, Combo Jack, Express Card 34 mm and 5-in-1 MMC Reader, Optional Contact or Contact-less Smart Card Reader
Cameran – 2.0 megapixel camera low light camera
Weight – Starting at 4.9 pounds with 4-cell battery
Dimensions 13.1″ x 9.4″ x 1″ – 1.25″
ThinkPad Keyboard – Ergonomically designed keyboard and multitouch touchpad flush with palm rest with newly designed wider left and right mouse buttons, VoIP Fn + F6 hot key and optimized positions of LEDs
Battery Life – Up to 22 hours with optional 9 cell slice and 9 cell battery on T410
Software Suite – Adobe Acrobat Reader, Microsoft Office Ready 2007, Microsoft Live Toolbar and Search, Roxio Creator, Intervideo WinDVD (DVD models only), Intervideo WinDVD Creator, McAfee Virus Scan Plus with 30 days virus definition updates, Creator Business Edition (combo models), Creator Business Edition with MYDVD (DVD Burner), PC Doctor diagnostics, Sun JRL, ThinkPad Utilities (Power Management and Presentation Director)
Traditional ThinkPad touches are all there with the red highlights on the left/right mouse keys, the Red TrackPoint, the incredibly versatile UltraBay, and of course the trade mark ThinkLight. If you’ve never experienced how useful this can be in low light conditions, you only have to use it once. I can’t count the number of times its drawn comments from fellow air travellers!
The new ThinkPad T410 and ThinkPad T410s are exactly what we expected on the outside, superb ThinkPad engineering, with a solid feel. They look and feel as if they have been machined out of a solid piece of black granite, with a few subtle design changes and improvements.
The real change however comes on the inside from the Calpella platform and the complete change in chip architecture which is designed to deliver energy savings thru lower power consumption which obviously delivers superior battery life. Calpella integrates the memory controller and PCI express controller giving enhanced performance and less bottlenecking,
Even the wireless chipset with adaptive snoozing automatically scales the radio down with a millisecond by millisecond power adjustment when data isn’t actively transmitting.
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What does all this add up to for the new ThinkPad T410 and ThinkPad T410s? Superior performance, enhanced graphics capability, but perhaps the most important thing of all, greatly reduced power consumption. This of course means we can expect stellar battery life!
Combine the new 9 cell slice battery (bump battery) which sits underneath the 9 cell battery on the bottom of the notebook and the ThinkPad T410 will give you up to 22 hours without mains power!
There is no doubt that the ThinkPad T410 and ThinkPad T410s continue the long ThinkPad tradition of excellence in engineering, design and build quality.
What really stands out here is the way the Arrandale based mobile i5 and i7 processors and the promise of the new Calpella platform have been implemented and fully realized. Lenovo has done a superb job with the ThinkPad T410 and the ThinkPad T410s. If you want the best 14″ enterprise quality business laptop, depending on your budget, choose either and you won’t go wrong.
When is the ThinkPad X210 going to be launched? Any idea about its price?
0. Great news and nice article, thanks!
1. It would be very interesting to know whether the engineers of Intel and Lenovo were able to allow for “AUDIO OVER DISPLAYPORT”.
I really want to purchase (my first) thinkpad but I can only do so, if the T410s does indeed provide audio over displayport.
Should it not be possible with the integrated “Intel HD Graphics”, will it be with the optional discrete Nvidia graphics card?
If the t410s allows for audio over displayport, does it support only stereo or full Dolby Digital / DTS (and if so which version).
2. Does the T410s really provide the combo audio jack? If so, is it able to output S/PDIF or is it again only analog?
I realize that it might be a little bit too much too ask for all this info but I really would appreciate if companies would actually provide detailed specifications for their products.
(Background: I’m using the laptop for my daily work in the office + my private needs as a music jukebox / video box. For this it is important that I can plug it into my TV with a simple displayport->HDMI adapter without the hassle of additional cables. I was deeply confused by the fact that Lenovo didn’t explicitly state the fact that the current t400s models DO NOT allow for audio over displayport, especially so as they offer a Bluray-option.)
Hi Ian,
Does the displayport this time around support digital audio output? I know the previous generation only supported digital video due to what I think was a chipset limitation – Just wondering if the new calpella’s support it?
Thanks!
Hi Brandon I will check with the ThinkPad Technical team this morning at CES and get back to you!
I don’t see the switchable graphics on lenovo’s site for the T410s. Will this be a Q2 feature? Also, what is the estimated battery life with just the 6-cell on the T410s?
Still ridiculous why they put a display port and not HDMI. I haven’t been in a conference that doesn’t have an LCD screen with built in speakers for the visual. Not many using projectors any more.
Is it true that Lenovo has stopped selling the Thinkpad T410s, perhaps because of production problems? It no longer appears on their website after having previously said that it would take more than four weeks for the product to be delivered.
No its not true Dave, they have just sold out of the first batch! I just wish they would be more informative on the site!
We don’t see the switchable graphics either JW, should be released soon we hope. Battery life on the 6 cell for the T410s should be about 5.5 hours
Hi Fermion, according to the ThinkPad engineer that I spoke to at CES, the T410s will not support Audio over display port, the port does support audio but you would need a dongle to split the signal. The T410s does have the combo audio jack. But we haven’t been able to confirm the output as yet
Hi Guy, we have the launch date of the ThinkPad X201 for February and will be releasing a firmer date over the next few days. We have no idea as to price at the moment.
Hi Brandon, apparently the chipset and DisplayPort DO support Audio, according to the engineer we spoke to at CES however, the challenge is still getting the audio signal out, it would need a dongle to split the video and audio signal. If that makes sense? We would love to hear other peoples comments on this topic
Any news about the audio/displayport issue?
Please disregard my comment before, my browser was not updated
I’m really disappointed by the SSDs available. Most of the other big-name OEMs have 256GB units (generally Samsung-ish, like Lenovo’s 128) available, often along with Intel’s excellent 160GB units. Lenovo’s current offerings top out at a paltry 128GB… which means, at least in the short term, the only way to get a good configuration is to order with the minimum spinning disk, sell/give away/etc the disk, and put in a real SSD from a 3rd party source.
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I don’t seee the 410s on the website yet. Only the new 410. When can we start purchasing the 410s?
Your guess is as good as ours Haydn, they have been on the site then disappeared again due to being sold out! Should be any time soon as of the 19th Jan!
Thanks for your comment Simon. We will endeavor to get a comment from those in the know at Lenovo re the larger SSD’s available in the ThinkPad T410 and ThinkPad T410s
I bought t410s when it was available earlier but not sure if it does have IEEE 1394a and removable media card reader since it only got one express card slot. How about LED back-lit display quality, is that improved from t61p or compared to their Y450?
What’s really odd about the SSDs is that Lenovo themselves sell the ultimate upgraded SSD – a Toshiba 256GB self-encrypting unit, for “only” $799. http://shop.lenovo.com/SEUILibrary/controller/e/web/LenovoPortal/en_US/catalog.workflow:item.detail?GroupID=38&Code=43N3417¤t-category-id=9B7E41BDCE704020B8E567C67D3FA082&ProductName=ThinkPad%20laptops
You just can’t get it built into a system, despite most Thinkpads effectively being custom builds anyway.
Hi Ian,
thanks for your research. I think when Brandon and I where asking about “Audio over DisplayPort” we were both primarily referring to the use of an DisplayPort->HDMI-adaptor. With one of those you can connect any DisplayPort-enabled device to your TV/projector.
As the last generation notebooks with DisplayPort often didn’t support audio over DisplayPort, these adaptors would also only transfer video. I will arange for a HDMI-presentation at my local dealer to make sure, it works the way it is supposed to be, as this really is a mandatory requirement for me.
To understand my second question, you should know, that I’m using a digital optical SP/DIF fibre connection between my audio receiver and my computer.
As far as I understand, the “Combo-Jack” enables for a combination of Microphone-In and Headphone-Out. The question is, whether the Headphone-Out is simple analog stereo or digital multi-channel enabled. If the latter would be the case a cheap electro/optical-adaptor could provide the necessary optical SP/DIF-port for me. Again, I will try to find out at my local dealer, as I do not find the information on the lenovo website.
I too am like many other Thinkpad fans am waiting for the 500 ssd/hd to be launched, my T60 is still doing ok with Vista installed, money is in the bank waiting for the “engineers” to get their act together, then I will be across to Wan Chi computer centre to get my new machine with W7 installed.
hope they get it done this year.
I too am like many other Thinkpad fans am waiting for the 500 ssd/hd to be launched, my T60 is still doing ok with Vista installed, money is in the bank waiting for the “engineers” to get their act together, then I will be across to Wan Chai computer centre to get my new machine with W7 installed.
Then you must be in Hong Kong Mike! Lucky you, some great prices over there. Hope you don’t have to wait to long for the 500 Gb SSD
@ Fermion
Which machine do you want to test, the T410?
Would you mind to share your experiences with audio support over DSP-HDMI adapter?
Appreciate that…
@Beniamin
I want to buy a T410s without Multitouch, so I’m going to test it on that machine (although I think that it will either work on all T510/T410/T410s or on none). Until now my dealer here in Germany only has the Multitouch-machines around (if any) and as it looks like it will be up to me to provide all the testing equipment, as the dealer doesn’t have the DisplayPort-HDMI-adaptor, nor the HDMI cable or a useable TV. So I have to bring everything.
Nevertheless I’m willing to do it, once they receive the non-Multitouch T410s but I have no clue how long it may take.
I still hope that Ian is able to get this information out of those engineers he knows. They really should know these kinds of things without further need of investigation.
And then there’s still the chance that there will be a review of the machine that sheds some light on this topic.
Of course it would be great if one of the first lucky T410/T410s owners could just test this with his setup at home. I think a HDMI-TV should be around most people’s home by now and I think the use case of having your movie collection with you and hooking it up to a given TV is quite obvious.
I think it already becomes apparent, that this “Audio over DisplayPort” topic actually concerns quite a bunch of people. And the more we ask here and there, the more likely it is, that we get a definite answer.
According to these sources it seems that finally AUDIO over DisplayPort – HDMI is supported…
http://forums.lenovo.com/t5/T400-T500-and-newer-T-series/T510-Still-missing-audio-on-DisplayPort/m-p/202164
http://forum.notebookreview.com/showpost.php?p=5856996&postcount=19
Ian
yes my shopping zone is HK, I actually live on the mainland in Dongguan City, I am always in HK looking around, I really appreciate your page, I am a beliver, I tried a Sony Viao about 2 years ago, that was the biggest mistake in my life, blue screen of death 2/3 times a day, I am back to thinkpads, will be with them for evermore, that’s while I will wait for the 500 gb/ssd
thanks for all your help and assistance.
Best wishes
Thinkpad Mike
Thanks Mike, keep us informed!
I have upgraded a Lenovo ThinkPad 410 from it’s default Seagate Momentus 320GB 7200RPM to a new Intel X25-M 160GB SSD. I have posted some benchmarks and pictures here : http://system-log.com/?p=305
A SSD really gives this new computer a nice boost!
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[...] a starting price of $999 for the ThinkPad T410 and $1399 for the ThinkPad T410s they’re also priced lower than present [...]
[...] are many more options available with the ThinkPad T410s that are absent from the X300-series, so don’t fear, ThinkPad fans; the changes implemented in [...]
[...] ThinkPad T410 Review. Equipped with the new Intel Dual-core, Core i5 and Core i7 processors from the i5-529M 2.4GHz to the 2.66GHz i7-620M for the ThinkPad T410, performance is outstanding. With a base price of $949 for the ThinkPad T410 and $829 for the Intel Core i3-370M ThinkPad T410i they are also priced lower than previous models and represent outstanding value. The ThinkPad T410 is the only 14″ notebook to consider for discerning business users. [...]
[...] a base price of $999 for the ThinkPad T410 and $1399 for the ThinkPad T410s they are also priced less than existing T [...]
[...] for more details! Lenovo ThinkPad T410 and ThinkPad T410 [...]
[...] a base price tag of $999 for the ThinkPad T410 and $1399 for the ThinkPad T410s they’re also listed lower than existing [...]
What’s the max battery life on the T410s?
ThinkPad T410s battery life will obviously very depending on the model you choose. You should get between 4 1/2 to 6 hours with the 6 cell and up to 8 with the additional 3 cell UltraBay battery. With the usual caveats of course depending on what your doing, graphics intensity, processor speed etc
[...] What really stands out here is the way the Arrandale based mobile i5 and i7 processors and the promise of the new Calpella platform have been implemented and fully realized. Lenovo has done a superb job with the …. Lenovo’s current offerings top out at a paltry 128GB… which means, at least in the short term, the only way to get a good configuration is to order with the minimum spinning disk, sell/give away/etc the disk, and put in a real SSD from a 3rd party source. …Read more… [...]
[...] The wait is over! The Lenovo ThinkPad T410 and ThinkPad T410s have been much anticipated by ThinkPad fans and we can tell you, it has been worth the wait. … Lenovo’s current offerings top out at a paltry 128GB… which means, at least in the short term, the only way to get a good configuration is to order with the minimum spinning disk, sell/give away/etc the disk, and put in a real SSD from a 3rd party source. ThinkPad T410s Review and Our Opinion « thinkpad on January …Read more… [...]
[...] Is it true that Lenovo has stopped selling the Thinkpad T410s, perhaps because of production problems? It no longer appears on their website after having previously said that it would take more than four weeks for the product to be … Lenovo’s current offerings top out at a paltry 128GB… which means, at least in the short term, the only way to get a good configuration is to order with the minimum spinning disk, sell/give away/etc the disk, and put in a real SSD from a …Read more… [...]
[...] ThinkPad T410 Review. Equipped with the new Intel Dual-core, Core i5 and Core i7 processors from the i5-529M 2.4GHz to the 2.66GHz i7-620M for the ThinkPad T410, performance is outstanding. With a base price of $949 for the ThinkPad T410 and $829 for the Intel Core i3-370M ThinkPad T410i they are also priced lower than previous models and represent outstanding value. The ThinkPad T410 is the only 14″ notebook to consider for discerning business users. [...]