Lenovo ThinkPad X230 vs Lenovo ThinkPad X390

Every spec side by side, from each maker's published figures.

Better figure, where one is clearly better

ThinkPad X230 compared with ThinkPad X390
LenovoThinkPad X230LenovoThinkPad X390
Overview
ReleasedJune 2012March 2019
Display
Screen size12.5″13.3″
Resolution1366 × 7681920 × 1080 (better)
PanelIPS LCDIPS LCD
Brightness200 nits or 300 nits300 nits
TouchscreenNoYes
Display type12.5-inch HD 1366 × 768 LED-backlit LCD; standard 200-nit or Premium 300-nit IPS WideView optionListed FHD ten-point-touch IPS panel, 72% NTSC; optional FHD non-touch IPS, HD 1366 × 768 TN at 250 nits or Privacy Guard FHD IPS at 400 nits
Screen finishAnti-glareAnti-glare
Performance
ProcessorIntel Core i5-3210M or Intel Core i7-3520MIntel Core i7-8565U
CPU cores24
CPU threads48
GraphicsIntel HD Graphics 4000Intel UHD Graphics
Memory4 GB16 GB (better)
Storage128 GB to 320 GB512 GB (better)
CPUThird-generation Intel Core dual-core processors; QM77 chipset8th-generation Core i3/i5/i7; later 10th-generation Core i5/i7 outside EMEA; listed combination verified by Windows Central; available by March 2019 according to contemporaneous Notebookcheck coverage, ahead of maker's planned May launch
GPUIntegrated Intel HD Graphics 4000Integrated Intel UHD Graphics; no separate graphics option
Memory typeDDR3-1600; two SO-DIMM sockets, up to 16 GBDDR4-2400 soldered to system board; no sockets; 4, 8, 16 or 32 GB; 32 GB unavailable on later 10th-generation models
Storage typeRemovable 2.5-inch SATA HDD or SSD; optical drive via optional Ultrabase Series 3; selected models support mSATA SSD instead of WWANOne replaceable M.2 SATA or PCIe NVMe drive; PCIe 3.0 ×4 for 2280 or ×2 for 2242; listed 512 GB PCIe NVMe drive (Windows Central)
Battery and size
Battery life (maker's claim)Up to 10.3 hoursUp to 17.6 hours
Battery capacity62.4 Wh (better)48 Wh
Weight1.5 kg1.28 kg (better)
Thickness26.6 mm16.9 mm (better)
Width × depth305 × 206.5 mm311.9 × 217.2 mm
Battery life detailFour-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 batteryIntegrated 48 Wh; up to 17.6 hours MobileMark 2014 or 19 hours JEITA 2.0; Rapid Charge up to 80% in one hour with 65 W adapter; weight and dimensions shown for PPS touch configuration, non-touch carbon-fibre FHD starts at 1.22 kg and 16.5 mm thickness
Charger65 W45 W or 65 W USB-C adapter
MaterialsMagnesium and PCABS display cover; magnesium-alloy bottomPPS or carbon-fibre display cover; magnesium-aluminium bottom; carbon-fibre cover offered only with non-touch FHD
ColoursBlackBlack
Connections
Ports3 × USB-A, Ethernet, SD card slot, headphone jack2 × USB-A, 2 × USB-C, Thunderbolt, HDMI, microSD slot, headphone jack
Wi-Fi802.11b/g/n or 802.11a/b/g/nIntel Wireless-AC 9560, 2×2 802.11ac; optional Wi-Fi 6 AX200
BluetoothOptional Bluetooth 4.0Bluetooth 5.1 in current PSREF; earlier Windows configurations reported as 5.0
WebcamOptional 720pOptional 720p or IR plus 720p hybrid, with ThinkShutter
Operating systemWindowsWindows
Port detailTwo 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 connectorTwo USB-A 3.1 Gen 1, USB-C Gen 1 and USB-C Gen 2/Thunderbolt 3 with PD/DisplayPort, HDMI 1.4b, Ethernet extension connector, combo audio and side dock; optional microSD or microSD/nano-SIM combo slot, smart card reader; RJ-45 requires ThinkPad Ethernet Extension Adapter Gen 2
External displaysUp to 2560 × 1600 at 60 Hz via Mini DisplayPort; 2048 × 1536 at 75 Hz via VGAUp to three independent displays; HDMI up to 4096 × 2160 at 24 Hz, Thunderbolt up to 4096 × 2304 at 60 Hz
KeyboardSix-row spill-resistant keyboard; TrackPoint; optional backlight and ThinkLight overhead illuminationSix-row spill-resistant keyboard with optional LED backlight; removable without taking apart the main chassis (Notebookcheck)
TrackpadUltraNav multi-touch touchpadMylar multi-touch touchpad and TrackPoint
Speakers1 W × 2 stereo speakersStereo speakers, 1 W × 2, Dolby Audio Premium
MicrophonesDual-array microphoneDual-array far-field microphones; no-microphone option for special bids
BiometricsOptional swipe fingerprint reader; TPM 1.2Optional match-on-chip fingerprint reader or IR camera; discrete TPM 2.0

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