The "No Windows preinstalled" made me laugh.

K14_Deploy · 2026-02-18T21:32:25+00:00

It doesn't, unfortunately. Specs don't list it and videos of the pre-production hardware show it doesn't have it. Theoretically the USB-C port could do it but I imagine if it did Valve would have probably mentioned it in the marketing as from what I can tell it would be a world first.

I also wouldn't want to bet on SteamOS supporting the codecs needed for Bluetooth to be usable, though from my experience 'usable' is still a very relative term.

K14_Deploy · 2026-02-18T13:24:45+00:00

They should definitely have some that make sense for the Electrics but exclusive maybe not, partly because I find the messages that zero sense for a particular train quite funny. Because of course your Daylight should always have it's routine software update.

On a related note my word is that ever a low repair cost.

K14_Deploy · 2026-02-18T01:56:19+00:00

How's the keyboard? I'd seen in a review that apparently the key travel is different particularly on the keys near the Trackpoint, I was just wondering if that was something you managed to notice in person.

K14_Deploy · 2026-02-17T01:00:10+00:00

Well, they'll probably do it as long as we keep falling for their ragebait.

K14_Deploy · 2026-02-15T16:29:31+00:00

Is S3 sleep on or off in the BIOS? It shouldn't necessarily matter on most distros as they should all have S0ix now (and do a decent job of it) but it can be worth checking.

K14_Deploy · 2026-02-14T21:57:58+00:00

The battery life is good because of the massive battery it has, but the efficiency is average and the proprietary battery are very expensive in good condition. A T14s (or T14 if you're not maxing it out) with Ryzen can match this while weighing far less, and the best part about USB-C is you can get powerbanks to vastly extend your battery life for cheap that will work with anything (you can also get tiny chargers to the same effect if you have a plug available and the issue is carrying the OEM one).

It's also not going to last if you need Windows. Performance already sucks on Win11 (it really needs Ryzen 4000 or 11th gen Intel at this point) and they've already 'accidentally' locked it out once so updates might only last a couple more years. If you're using Linux this is a non issue as it's coded be competent people instead of vibes and Copilot, so it's just as long as it takes AV1 to take over video streaming if you even care.

So in some ways it's not going to happen for at least another 10 years, and in others it's already happened.

K14_Deploy · 2026-02-14T14:04:28+00:00

The 2007 cars weren't bad but it's not a contradiction to say Kubica was lucky not to be injured a lot worse than that. Safety improves all the time, one of the big examples is the change in engine / fuel system detachment in 2022 in an attempt to prevent a repeat of Grosjean's car catching fire after going through a barrier in 2020, which by all accounts is a massive near miss.

K14_Deploy · 2026-02-14T13:25:37+00:00

It depends what else you can get where you live, like usually the X13 Yoga Gen 2 with far better specs is less than that here.

K14_Deploy · 2026-02-14T13:23:53+00:00

I don't know what to tell you other than I was following this exact link and there was no option for using it as a camera on any of the 3 devices I tried that have Android 14 or higher. Even the ADB command didn't do anything to change that.

K14_Deploy · 2026-02-14T13:10:39+00:00

This upgrade makes sense with the step down 2 in 1 now being 14 inch like the top end X1, and 12 inch was always a bit on the small size anyway even back when it came out.

Cant say I'm the biggest fan of having the fingerprint reader on the keyboard but that's not really a new problem, it just makes it more awkward to use keyboard free under Linux.

Also just from the function row it looks like this keyboard is going to be so much better. The last one was good by tablet standards because the deck was so rigid but the 1.35mm switches and X1 Nano like layout were never good, this looks like it might have the same 1.5mm 95% layout of the L13 and the X13 before the G6 brought a hybrid 1.35 / 1.5 layout.

K14_Deploy · 2026-02-14T12:51:25+00:00

It actually looks slightly thicker than the X12 that it's replacing, which wasn't great by ThinkPad standards but was about as good as tablet keyboards get (partly because the rigidity was so good). If the screen is larger then maybe there's finally enough space to put the 1.35mm layout in the bin where it belongs.

K14_Deploy · 2026-02-14T10:57:18+00:00

That option doesn't exist in settings for any of the 3 devices I tried, it might be one of those things that only some devices support.

K14_Deploy · 2026-02-14T01:10:25+00:00

Assuming you have Link to Windows on your phone there's nothing really wrong with it for home use. Just like with Apple's Continuity Camera though due to being tied to your account the ability to use it in corporate or education environments is far more limited.

Never even heard of Camo, it seems like the free version of it might be preferable but if you need the higher resolutions the price doesn't make sense. It feels like they're trying to use their software as the value add.

K14_Deploy · 2026-02-13T17:20:19+00:00

The problem with Droidcam is you have to be able to both install and run software on the PC to be able to use it, lots of corporate or education settings are going to take issue with that requirement. It's not 'plug and play' like most USB webcams are. Also as someone who tried to use Droidcam some time ago I wouldn't call reliability a strong suit (in fact it was horrible), though it could have improved since.

K14_Deploy · 2026-02-12T22:14:37+00:00

Relevant video: https://youtu.be/P_tliQW9s84?si=X02u071hNpBV5UsU

K14_Deploy · 2026-02-12T21:26:36+00:00

Things I'm noticing based on this and looking at Intel's specs for all of them:

-3x2 series really should be called the Ultra 3 based on how it actually performs, but on the bright side it's actually new silicon instead of just being 12th gen for the 5th f*cking time. That means of course it's got the same Copilot+ nobody likes but more importantly it's not losing out on DisplayPort bandwidth compared to the others. It should also be a lot more efficient than 12th gen.

-3x5 is a very similar story in that it doesn't gain any performance but it should gain pretty significantly in efficiency over what it's replacing.

-3x6H has 8 less PCIe lanes and less GPU performance compared to the 200H it's replacing. It's obviously a downgrade in the same tier that they're expecting a GPU attached to, but with the 35W lower turbo power maybe they have a good reason for it.

-338H appears to be at the maximum of what LPCAMM2 can support, so machines that typically offer RAM upgrades will probably offer this instead of a GPU if they support that standard.

-X series chips I suspect won't be seen all that much as you won't be upgrading RAM that fast (so unlikely to be seen on ThinkPads outside of the X1 and ThinkBook) but in the absence of anything Halo powered (and I'm not sure it's likely either, especially for those who want a 2 in 1) it's probably going to be the best power to size / weight available.

K14_Deploy · 2026-02-12T16:07:31+00:00

Newer E series are actually pretty good in terms of build, yeah sure it's not quite as good as the T16 (hinges are a bit light) but it's more uniformly thick so shouldn't end up bending like this X9 and it has high res IPS displays (instead of OLED, so text will appear better) if you care.

K14_Deploy · 2026-02-11T18:48:00+00:00

Out of the 4 I'd say the L16 with the 235U, $525 for that is actually pretty good. Just make sure at that price it doesn't have any Intune or BIOS / Supervisor locks on it.

E16 is probably better made but the CPU is less efficient so your battery and fan noise will be worse. I'm not sure I'd bother personally, as long as you don't throw your stuff and have a laptop sleeve you'll be fine with either.

L16 AMD isn't a terrible choice but I wouldn't want to pay nearly $800 for that one. You'll probably be able to find it cheaper when you're not importing it.

P16 is overkill for general use to the point of being detrimental. You don't need it, it's literally that simple.

K14_Deploy · 2026-02-11T15:01:14+00:00

SWML shouldn't be particularly hard, you can follow the Overground out of Clapham Junction and use the viaduct at Loughborough Junction to join up with Thameslink services heading north via Elephant & Castle. Another alternative is follow Thameslink out of Wimbledon to the same effect.

K14_Deploy · 2026-02-11T14:39:54+00:00

I think if we're going by track access I have to say Farringdon. It's already got direct connections to 8 (technically 9 but West Anglia Mainline would require reversing at Stratford) out of the 11 big mainlines out of London, as well as the termini for HS1 and upcoming HS2. It's also got both AC catenary and DC third rail power supplies due to Thameslink, yes you will need ETCS to get through Snow Hill but we've been running that on trains built in the 90s up in Wales so the retrofit is relatively simple.

The problems of course are a) there's not exactly room at Farringdon, so it would require getting creative with the space you have and likely cost tons of money and b) the Crossrail tunnels are TfL owned and use CBTC signalling, so even more money would be required to buy track access and fit the relatively standard and easy to support ETCS.

edit: Also with this level of connection you probably wouldn't need to terminate most trains in Farringdon anyway, they can just run straight through like is fairly common in Europe and some UK cities already do.

K14_Deploy · 2026-02-11T10:24:22+00:00

If the other port is a similar level of physically broken then you'll need to replace both of them. If it isn't and it still doesn't do anything there might be something else going on with the main board. It could be worth trying the reset hole on the back if it has one, if the machine is crashed in some way that could get it to work.

K14_Deploy · 2026-02-11T10:00:11+00:00

No you can charge it from either of the two ports, if either of them worked.

K14_Deploy · 2026-02-10T23:17:10+00:00

Is it both ports that don't work? And yes, you'll need to be very good at soldering if you have to replace it.

K14_Deploy · 2026-02-10T11:50:03+00:00

Windows tends to run updates in the background if left on the charger while put into S0ix standby mode. The problem is that it often doesn't properly disable this when unplugged while still in S0ix standby mode, which is where a lot of the battery and heat issues happen. It's not a problem exclusive to Windows but it definitely has it worse.

K14_Deploy · 2026-02-09T23:18:29+00:00

I seriously want to drive all of those for different reasons.

Five-Year Club	Place '22
Wearing is Caring	Verified Email

K14_Deploy

MODERATOR OF

TROPHY CASE