February 11th, 2008
Flyweight bout: Lenovo X300 vs. MacBook Air
Details of Lenovo’s new ultraportable have been leaking out for nearly a month.
The latest bit of info on the X300 comes from a product page on Best Buy’s business site, which according to TrustedReviews and others listed a $2,744 configuration with a 13.3-inch display, 2GB memory, a 64GB SSD (solid-state disk) and a DVD burner. The price seems to have disappeared but the rest is still there. Meanwhile, a CDW product page states the X300 will be available on February 26. At this rate, there won’t be much left for Lenovo to announce.
Because of its compelling specs, the X300 has been dubbed by some reviews sites as a “MacBook Air-killer.” Never mind that Lenovo already has a loyal business following for its popular ThinkPad X-series ultraportables, while the MacBook Air has been shipping for slightly more than a week to mixed reviews. In any event, based on what has been reported so far, here’s how the two stack up.
| Lenovo X300 | Apple MacBook Air | |
| Processor | 1.2GHz Core 2 Duo | 1.6GHz Core 2 Duo |
| Memory | 2GB | 2GB |
| Hard drive | 64GB SSD | 64GB SSD |
| Display | 13.3 LED backlit (1,440×900) | 13.3 LED backlit (1,280×800) |
| Optical drive | Internal DVD-R/RW | External SuperDrive |
| Weight | 2.5 pounds | 3.0 pounds |
| Price | $2,744 | $2,897 |
If you opt for the 80GB hard drive, in place of the SSD, on the MacBook Air, it knocks $1,000 off the price, though presumably the X300 will also be available with a standard HDD for significantly less. The X300 has an Ethernet jack and three USB ports; the MacBook Air’s 0.76-inch profile leaves room for only a single USB port (plus a headphone jack and Micro-DVI). Finally, the X300 will reportedly offer a long list of wireless options including GPS, HSDPA, EV-DO Rev A, WiMax, and wireless USB.
Aside from its limited connectivity, the MacBook Air has taken some shots for its mediocre performance, which has largely been attributed to the 1.8-inch HDD.
It will be interesting to see how the X300 truly stacks up in reviews. Other laptops to look at around this weight class include the Dell XPS M1330, Sony VAIO TZ series (11.1-inch display) and SZ series (13.3-inch display), and the Toshiba Portege R500.
John Morris is a former executive editor at CNET Networks and senior editor at PC Magazine. See his full profile and disclosure of his industry affiliations.
Subscribe to Laptops & Desktops via Email alerts or RSS.
