Lenovo ThinkPad X230 vs Lenovo ThinkPad X280

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ThinkPad X230 compared with ThinkPad X280

	LenovoThinkPad X230	LenovoThinkPad X280
Overview
Released
Released	June 2012	January 2018
Display
Screen size
Screen size	12.5″	12.5″
Resolution
Resolution	1366 × 768	1920 × 1080 (better)
Panel
Panel	IPS LCD	IPS LCD
Brightness
Brightness	200 nits or 300 nits	300 nits
Touchscreen
Touchscreen	No	Yes
Display type
Display type	12.5-inch HD 1366 × 768 LED-backlit LCD; standard 200-nit or Premium 300-nit IPS WideView option	Listed FHD IPS ten-point touch panel; FHD non-touch and HD 1366 × 768 options also offered; non-touch FHD not offered in US
Screen finish
Screen finish	Anti-glare	Anti-glare
Performance
Processor
Processor	Intel Core i5-3210M or Intel Core i7-3520M	Intel Core i5-8250U
CPU cores
CPU cores	2	4
CPU threads
CPU threads	4	8
Graphics
Graphics	Intel HD Graphics 4000	Intel UHD Graphics 620
Memory
Memory	4 GB	8 GB (better)
Storage
Storage	128 GB to 320 GB	512 GB (better)
CPU
CPU	Third-generation Intel Core dual-core processors; QM77 chipset	7th- or 8th-generation Intel Core processors; listed configuration verified by Windows Central
GPU
GPU	Integrated Intel HD Graphics 4000	Integrated Intel HD Graphics 620 or UHD Graphics 620, depending on processor
Memory type
Memory type	DDR3-1600; two SO-DIMM sockets, up to 16 GB	DDR4-2400 soldered to system board; no sockets, up to 16 GB; 4 GB option not offered in US or EMEA
Storage type
Storage type	Removable 2.5-inch SATA HDD or SSD; optical drive via optional Ultrabase Series 3; selected models support mSATA SSD instead of WWAN	Replaceable M.2 SATA or PCIe 3.0 ×4 NVMe SSD; listed configuration has a 512 GB PCIe SSD (Windows Central)
Battery and size
Battery life (maker's claim)
Battery life (maker's claim)	Up to 10.3 hours	Up to 16.6 hours
Battery capacity
Battery capacity	62.4 Wh (better)	48 Wh
Weight
Weight	1.5 kg	1.27 kg (better)
Thickness
Thickness	26.6 mm	17.8 mm (better)
Width × depth
Width × depth	305 × 206.5 mm	307.7 × 209.8 mm
Battery life detail
Battery life detail	Four-cell 28.8 Wh, up to 4.6 hours; six-cell 62.4 Wh, up to 10.3 hours; nine-cell 93.6 Wh, up to 15.5 hours; 64 Wh external battery, up to 10.6 hours; nine-cell plus external, up to 26.1 hours; weight shown with six-cell battery	Integrated 48 Wh battery; up to 16.6 hours in MobileMark 2014; Rapid Charge up to 80% in one hour with 65 W adapter; weight shown for touch configuration, non-touch FHD starts at 1.13 kg, HD at 1.26 kg; body thickness 17.4–17.8 mm
Charger
Charger	65 W	45 W or 65 W USB-C adapter
Materials
Materials	Magnesium and PCABS display cover; magnesium-alloy bottom	Glass-fibre display cover on HD and FHD touch models; carbon-fibre cover on FHD non-touch; magnesium/aluminium bottom
Colours
Colours	Black	Black
Connections
Ports
Ports	3 × USB-A, Ethernet, SD card slot, headphone jack	2 × USB-A, 2 × USB-C, Thunderbolt, HDMI, microSD slot, headphone jack
Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi	802.11b/g/n or 802.11a/b/g/n	Intel Wireless-AC 8265, 2×2 802.11ac
Bluetooth
Bluetooth	Optional Bluetooth 4.0	Bluetooth 4.1
Webcam
Webcam	Optional 720p	Optional 720p with ThinkShutter, or IR plus 720p without shutter
Operating system
Operating system	Windows	Windows
Port detail
Port detail	Two USB 3.0 and one powered USB 2.0; VGA, Mini DisplayPort, Gigabit Ethernet, audio combo, SD/MMC/SDHC/SDXC reader, ExpressCard/34/54 and Ultrabase docking connector	Two USB-A 3.1 Gen 1, USB-C Gen 1 with PD/DisplayPort, USB-C Gen 2/Thunderbolt 3 with PD/DisplayPort, HDMI 1.4b, Ethernet extension connector, microSD/nano-SIM combo slot, combo audio and side dock; optional smart card reader; RJ-45 requires ThinkPad Ethernet Extension Adapter Gen 2
External displays
External displays	Up to 2560 × 1600 at 60 Hz via Mini DisplayPort; 2048 × 1536 at 75 Hz via VGA	Up to three independent displays; USB-C up to 4096 × 2304 at 60 Hz, HDMI up to 4096 × 2160 at 30 Hz
Keyboard
Keyboard	Six-row spill-resistant keyboard; TrackPoint; optional backlight and ThinkLight overhead illumination	Six-row spill-resistant keyboard with optional LED backlight
Trackpad
Trackpad	UltraNav multi-touch touchpad	Buttonless Mylar multi-touch touchpad and TrackPoint
Speakers
Speakers	1 W × 2 stereo speakers	Stereo speakers, 2 W × 2, Dolby Audio Premium
Microphones
Microphones	Dual-array microphone	Dual-array microphones
Biometrics
Biometrics	Optional swipe fingerprint reader; TPM 1.2	Optional touch fingerprint reader or IR camera; discrete TPM 2.0