A business ultraportable is only as good as its user experience, a fact that Lenovo is well aware of. The company has made tremendous strides with its X-Series laptops based on this idea, and it continues to do so with its latest Lenovo ThinkPad X220. An improved keyboard, made up of larger keys, is made possible by widening what is now a 12.5-inch widescreen, yet the X220 is even lighter than its predecessor, the Lenovo ThinkPad X201 ($1,625 direct, 4 stars). Factor in the new Intel Core i5 i5-2520M CPU, basedon Intel's Sandy Bridge platform (now known as second-generation Core processors) and fantastic battery life and the ThinkPad X220 easily earns an Editor's Choice in the business ultraportable category.

Design
Lenovo is fortunate in that the bulk of its laptops are bought by IT managers who care more about the specs than the look of the laptop. The all-black frame doesn't appeal to the senses as much as the aluminum-clad HP EliteBook 2540p or silvery Dell Vostro V130 ($900 direct, 3 stars). If you're looking at it from a consumer standpoint, the X220 is too uniform and lacking in color. What isn't visible to the naked eye, however, is its brawn. The X220 is subjected to a series of military torture tests before it goes out to the customer, involving moisture, vibrations, drops, and extreme temperature resistance, to name a few. Its outer frame and inner skeleton, furthermore, are crafted from solid magnesium, not cheap plastic. Despite its ruggedized exterior, the X220 still only weights 3.3 pounds. It's lighter than the HP 2540p (3.9 lbs), Dell V130 (3.6 lbs), and Lenovo X201 (3.8 lbs).

The 12.5-inch widescreen is wider and bigger than that of the 12.1-inch screen of the Lenovo X201, resulting in a shift to a 16-by-9 aspect ratio (from 16-by-10) and to the more common 1,366-by-768 resolution. It's a slightly smaller screen than the 13-inch one found in the Dell V130 and Sony VAIO VPC-Z1390X, but a very capable and productive size nonetheless. If past X-series keyboards were considered great in the past, this one will surpass them. The X220's new keyboard is essentially the one you'll find in its 14-inch and 15-inch siblings. The Escape and Delete keys are twice their original size. It's a magnificent typing experience, to say the least.

Specifications (base version)
	Manufacturer	Lenovo
	Model name	Thinkpad X220
	CPU type	Intel Core i5
	CPU speed	2500 Mhz
	Graphics	Intel HD Graphics 3000
	OS	Windows 7
	Display Size	12.5" 1366 X 768
	Screen Type	LED-Backlit LCD
	RAM	8192 MB
	Flash	128 GB
	Hard Disk	350 GB
	Keyboard	YES
	Mouse Pointer	YES
	Weight	1300gm / 45.9 oz.
	Size (w/h/d mm)	305/207/35 mm
	Size (w/h/d inches)	12/8.1/1.4

Physical Interfaces

• DC-in
• Display Port
• Ethernet 10/100/1000
• Fingerprint Reader
• Line-out / Headphone (3.5mm)
• SDHC Card Slot
• USB2.0
• USB3.0 (x1)
• VGA

Wireless Interfaces

• 802.11 b/g/n
• No Wireless PAN (Bluetooth)
• 3G option

Additional Specs and Accessories (can vary)

• AC Adaptor
• Fingerprint reader
• IPS / Wide-View Display
• Keyboard
• Matt (Non Glossy) Screen
• Mic array
• Multitouch Touchpad
• Stereo speakers
• WebCam 1.3Mp
• WebCam 2.0Mp

Optional Specs and Accessories (can vary)

• Docking station
• Extended battery