IBM ThinkPad X30

IBM's X-series of ThinkPads have continually impressed us, and the latest has a few changes in store. So many, in fact, that IBM has taken the model number up six notches. Let's introduce the ThinkPad X30.

The main selling point is its 4,400mAH lithium ion battery, which IBM claims will last for four and a half hours. In our Labs, the X30 lasted 99 minutes in our intensive test, but an incredible 278 minutes under light use - even longer than IBM's claim. By comparison, the X24 lasted for 143 minutes and 253 minutes respectively.

IBM is also introducing its new optional £140 extended battery, which clips to the bottom like a docking station. With this in place, the ThinkPad X30 lasted for an even more incredible 540 minutes.

But battery life isn't the only change. The Pentium III-M processor has been upped to 1.2GHz, you now get a 40GB hard disk and there's also a welcome return for the parallel port (great for those of us with older printers) as well as modern connectivity like FireWire, a CompactFlash slot and two USB ports - all of which are sensibly side-mounted for easy access.

The only drawback is performance, which is partially held back by the graphics chip. The X30 uses the integrated Intel 830M controller rather than the X24's dedicated ATi Radeon Mobility chip. The overall 2D benchmark score of 0.74 is perfectly adequate; it's just disappointing next to the X24's score of 0.81.

To top it all off, the X30 weighs only 1.65kg and doesn't even cost the premium usually associated with IBM. At £1,928, the X30 isn't as competitive as the Dell Latitude X200 (see Reviews, issue 97, p122), but it's still a great ultra portable at a reasonable price.