It has similar spec to my current broken laptop. Instead of a i5, it comes with an i7 8550U, 8GB of RAM and 256GB storage. It is a renewed product, by the way. And it goes for around ₹24,000. Honestly, I feel like it is too expensive, considering how there are better spec laptops available.
I’ve gone deeper in the ThinkPad rabbit-hole, and I’m in love with the X220, the T420, T420s and the T520, if I had to be honest. Why don’t they make machines like these - now that we also have low-profile mechanical keyboards? I’m almost considering to DIY-learn more about making my own laptop shell and stuff like that.
it’s a fun hobby; I got rid of my T420s a couple months back. yeah, the keyboard is otherworldly, compared with what’s standard these days. and the expandability and serviceability (you can fit FOUR drives inside) - insane! there are custom BIOS available for them, enabling you to whitelist unsupported PCI cards, overclocking, 1866 DDR3, etc. cross-model compatibility is exceptional - I replaced my defunct soaked keyboard with one from a X220!
but then the novelty wears off and you can see them for what they are - really old tech.
like, the screens are dogshit, even if you get the “premium” 1600x900 ones. even with heavy tweaking you’re still in double-digits W/hr territory and you’re depending on shitty aftermarket batteries. the phenomenal keyboard isn’t backlit and is accompanied by a tiny (and shitty) touchpad. the device is thick and bulky and its power brick is that - a brick (at least on my i7 + Nvidia model).
by the time you upgrade everything (1080p IPS screen + adapter, 16 GB DDR3, fast SATA SSD, high-quality battery - none of those come cheap) you’ve already surpassed the price of a T480/490 that runs circles around it.
so, if you stumble upon one for free (or close to it), it’s a fun project, but absolutely not a wise purchase, especially not if you’re tight on funds.
Photo of an old Thinkpad used by Drew DeVault, the founder of Sourcehut : https://fosstodon.org/@drewdevault/112478468031784230