T420 Screen - How is it?

[larry21]

@zeth006; Notebook on the right is T61 as Hearst mentions in his post. Unless you're talking about the Dell on the left which he also mentions in his post I think.

[afhstingray]

I can't help but wonder if the reason that I'm happy with my T420's screen is that, as one of the first people here to receive a T420, I wasn't able to read thread after thread of people griping about how horrible the screen is...

i for one never really read those threads or bothered about them because i wasnt interested in the T420, i only started clicking on them and posting in them after seeing it in real life and being shocked at how bad it was

[Hearst]

Just got my T420, will write a more detailed assessment about it later but for now I will comment on the screen. The screen is OK, not the best but certainly not the worst i've used. It is grainy due to the Anti-Glare coating and looking closely can appear to be griddy. Unfortunately my unit come with a stuck pixel on the right, my first ThinkPad to have it (the only other laptop I had with this issue was a cheap Acer back 5 years ago...).

The panel has a Lenovo ID of LEN40A1, in detail according to Everest is the B140RW02 V1 panel made by AUO. Looking at the screen it could possibly be the inferior of the two options available for this model but can't confirm unless others can provide more info.

[bmastenbrook]

Just got my T420, will write a more detailed assessment about it later but for now I will comment on the screen. The screen is OK, not the best but certainly not the worst i've used. It is grainy due to the Anti-Glare coating and looking closely can appear to be griddy. Unfortunately my unit come with a stuck pixel on the right, my first ThinkPad to have it (the only other laptop I had with this issue was a cheap Acer back 5 years ago...).

The panel has a Lenovo ID of LEN40A1, in detail according to Everest is the B140RW02 V1 panel made by AUO. Looking at the screen it could possibly be the inferior of the two options available for this model but can't confirm unless others can provide more info.

That's the same panel I have. I haven't see any other panel models reported by T420 users; if there's some difference in panel options, it might be down to a difference in the antiglare coating used. I wouldn't describe my panel as "grainy", and the only way I'd call it "griddy" is if I stick my nose in the display much closer than is natural, at which point I can start to see the divisions between the pixels as I would on any other display. I've asked multiple other people to comment on the display and none of them have noticed either of these effects.

Can you try adjusting your settings in software, or better yet, booting a Linux live CD/USB stick? Also look at the optional updates in Windows Update for a driver update for the panel; I was offered one when I had Windows on this system, but I didn't bother to see if it changed anything.

[Catzooka]

The panel has a Lenovo ID of LEN40A1, in detail according to Everest is the B140RW02 V1 panel made by AUO. Looking at the screen it could possibly be the inferior of the two options available for this model but can't confirm unless others can provide more info.

I have that exact same panel and it looks pretty grainy to me (more than I am used to coming from a T60p). I checked which of the two panels my system came with by clicking on "View parts lookup for this system". One can get to it by looking up the machine's warranty on Lenovo's website.

FRU part# 93P5693

It would be interesting to see if there really is a difference between those two panels. Technical support claims there is no difference between the two.

[bmastenbrook]

I have that exact same panel and it looks pretty grainy to me (more than I am used to coming from a T60p). I checked which of the two panels my system came with by clicking on "View parts lookup for this system". One can get to it by looking up the machine's warranty on Lenovo's website.

FRU part# 93P5693

It would be interesting to see if there really is a difference between those two panels. Technical support claims there is no difference between the two.

Same for me, but I'm not seeing the "grainy" thing. Maybe I'm just blind or not picky.

[Catzooka]

Same for me, but I'm not seeing the "grainy" thing. Maybe I'm just blind or not picky.

I hope I am just being picky and paying attention to it more than I should.

[LoneWolf15]

I've been using my new T420 for 5-6 hours straight now, from upgrading the RAM, to installing an mSATA SSD, to swapping out the platter hard drive for the one from my T400, and all the software installs between.

If you're switching from a T61 or a T400 to the T420, the brightness and contrast are an improvement. You'll likely wonder what the fuss is about, or why some people seem so disappointed, at least if you're going by those things alone. I can't say the same for the T410 because I never owned one, but it could be as well, I just don't know.

If I stick my nose six inches from the screen, I can see what some might describe as a "grainy" character. That character is completely invisible at the foot and a half distance most people have between their eyes and their screen when they are using it.

My only disappointment is the 16:9 aspect ratio. That's something that going to a new Dell or HP wouldn't change. For those of you who spend hours at your system and consider 1600x900 at 14" might be a little tough on the eyes, two options remain.

-Sigh, and buy a 1366x768 T420, sacrificing image resolution for larger text

-Sigh, and buy a 1600x900 T520, sacrificing a slight amount of portability for a larger screen.

If I had to do it again, I might go the T520 route, for my eyes' sake. The T420 is my favorite form factor though, and the screen itself is very usable.

[Thors.Hammer]

If I had to do it again, I might go the T520 route, for my eyes' sake. The T420 is my favorite form factor though, and the screen itself is very usable.

If you go to a 15.6" screen, you might as well go with the FHD screen and run it at 125% DPI. That's what I do.

[ThinkRob]

If I had to do it again, I might go the T520 route, for my eyes' sake. The T420 is my favorite form factor though, and the screen itself is very usable.

Why not just increase your font size to compensate for the increased pixel density? At least with GNOME I know that there's a setting which works exceedingly well for this sort of thing.