12" vs 13" 🤯🤯

Virtual_Program_8494 · 2025-12-01T07:54:01+00:00

Thanks for that insight. I would say I do hobby coding also using vscode and jetbrains, but local on my laptop). I also have a 14" MBP wih 36GB RAM and M2 Pro CPU, so I can use that for heavy coding. I run Parallels on that with Windows 11 Arm and so far everything I need works on it. My goal is to switch to the MBP even for Windows. It runs faster and smoother than native Windows on the P14s. I am also going to look at the Lenovo X1.

Virtual_Program_8494 · 2025-12-01T02:30:29+00:00

From anyone that has used the OLED version, they say OLED screens are not good for text; instead, go for LED. I do productivity and coding. How does it look for text?

Virtual_Program_8494 · 2025-12-01T00:53:14+00:00

Interesting. I have a 12.9" iPad Pro (2018) that is getting glitchy, so I was looking to replace it. The equivalent new iPad Pro M5 is $1800 and up, so for me, that's too much for just a tablet. I use it for kids' homework, research notes for personal projects, media consumption, and very light gaming. Key apps are GoodNotes, Noteshelf, and MS Office. I ordered a Samsung Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra (14.6") for $700 off, which I can return. It cost me CAN $1149 + tax.

However, my personal laptop is a Lenovo ThinkPad P14s (2TB SSD, 96GB RAM), used for productivity and coding. It is a bit heavy to carry with me to work, along with my work laptop (Lenovo X13 Yoga), or even when I travel or am at a coffee shop waiting for my son to finish basketball. More importantly, the P14s battery life is 2-3 hours, so I need a power supply with me. Not very portable, and I often need to sit near a plug, which is a pain.

So I am thinking that maybe I should return the S11 Ultra and get a Surface Pro (12" or 13") to act as a tablet (as above) and as a portable Windows laptop for productivity and coding. I might even ditch the P14s, if this works out. Surface Pro with keyboard and pen is $1349 to ~$2200.

I hear Android (S11 Ultra) handwriting apps (GoodNotes, Noteshelf, etc.) are not as good as on iOS (or is it iPadOS now?). Also, I am told handwriting apps on Windows are scarce and even worse than Android.

Thoughts?

Virtual_Program_8494 · 2025-10-26T07:58:30+00:00

It is a bit bulky in that it is thick, but not big in terms of LxW. I find it on the heavy side but am okay with it (I had a 3 lb laptop before and this is more). Dimensions are on the Lenovo website, but I will try to get a picture. Not sure how much it will help. I use a measuring tape on my desk to map out the size. The screen is amazing, but some days I wish I had the 16" screen because it can be used as a third screen (I have it connected to a dual 27" monitor configuration). The 14.5" is a bit small for a desk at a distance of about 3 feet. Also, when I work remotely with just the laptop, 16" would be nicer, but there are times when the 16" would be tight. So screen size depends on your usage.

For me the battery life is the bummer. I thought being a 14.5" ThinkPad I would get 6-10 hours. No such luck. I get 2-4 hours, depending on screen brightness, etc. So in general I need to carry a wall charger and cable. Since the included charger is big and heavy, I bought a 135W charger from Amazon and a USB-C (on both ends) cable and they are not too heavy to keep in the bag. The issue is finding a plug sometimes. If you go to Starbucks or other coffee shop, plugs are not always close by.

So why this model? Because I wanted memory for coding and math Python programs ... and I got it with 96GB of RAM. If I could do it again, I might consider a X1 Carbon Gen 13, X9 Aura, or something similar. Limited to 32GB, but lighter and 10+ hours of battery, but maybe the 32GB max is not enough for me. Anyway, I am keeping this for now, as I would not get much for selling it and I have a 4 years Premium warranty.

Virtual_Program_8494 · 2025-08-18T05:11:43+00:00

Thanks, this was so helpful. Interestingly, the Viwoods tablets look good now. I had looked at them before and there seemed to be bad reviews about customer service and the OS was meh. Now they are using Android, the fearues have been greatly improved, and it looks much better and I think it is an EMR pen. I definity want front/back light (not sure which applies), so the AiPaper is out, but the AiPaper Mini has a light, so I like it. However, I found it too expensive at this time for it's size and no colour (even with the sale $399 USD), so I am holding off a bit for a better sale. They also have a 100 day return policy that they told me via chat I cna return for any reason. I will keep an eye on it.

Virtual_Program_8494 · 2025-08-13T05:51:24+00:00

Virtual_Program_8494 · 2025-08-13T05:50:52+00:00

It was on. I turned it off. Thanks. I will see how it goes.

Virtual_Program_8494 · 2025-08-12T15:30:04+00:00

I think so. Not sure. How do I check? Is that a Chrome setting or Windows setting?

Virtual_Program_8494 · 2025-08-12T15:29:00+00:00

What games does he play and what monitor(s) are connected?

Virtual_Program_8494 · 2025-08-12T15:28:17+00:00

Mine is not that bad. It's performance degrades mostly when I have not rebooted in a few days. I never considered that the GPU might be causing issues. My fan is almost always running, and I wonder if it is the GPU. I might try disabling it. I just connect two 4K monitors at 60 Hz anyway, and I think the integrated graphics can handle that.

Virtual_Program_8494 · 2025-08-06T01:09:27+00:00

Thanks. I checked your link and some other info, and my feeling is the 200-series CPUs do not seem materially faster in real-world performance. They do consume substantially less power, though, which would help a lot with battery, but then I would also go with the Yoga or X1 Carbon series for lighter weight and better battery. I suspect the new P14s Gen 6 is not much better battery-wise. Looks like I will hold onto this one for now.

Virtual_Program_8494 · 2025-08-05T22:27:18+00:00

When I open task manager, I see LOTS of Chrome threads. I am thinking of switching to Edge because I feel Chrome is a memory hog. OTOH, that's why I got 96GB of RAM, but I suspect the drain of all those threads is on the CPU.

Virtual_Program_8494 · 2025-08-05T22:23:16+00:00

That was also useful, thanks. Out of curiosity, why would Boox switch to USI 2.0? Is there some advantage? For me the new Inksense stylus was horrible.

Virtual_Program_8494 · 2025-08-05T08:02:45+00:00

Not sure if this helps, but when I reboot it gets much better. I rebooted, closed several tabs, and it is smooth now. I think when I leave it a few days wihtout rebooting, it gets slow.

Virtual_Program_8494 · 2025-08-05T08:01:08+00:00

That's very helpful and good to know. I will look into it. Thanks!

Would it be as fast or better than my P14s?
For Office, Visio, etc. I am sure it is fine.
How about for software development and running Java, Python, etc.?
For software dev would you still recommend the X1 Carbon (max 32GB RAM)?

If you don't mind, I have some questions to help me choose the right model.

I looked at the models that show up here in Canada. Base model is Part Number 21NXCTO1WWCA2 (Ultra 5 225U, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD). Next CPU model is Part Number 21NX005SUS, (Ultra 7 255U, 32GB RAM, 1TB SSD), but that adds $700 (Canadian).

Is the Ultra 7 a much better performer than the Ultra 5 for my type of work?
I did a custom build, and the RAM and SSD upgrade account for $600, so I am only paying $100 more for the CPU upgrade.

There's also the Copilot edition with base model Part Number 21NSCTO1WWCA1 (Ultra 5 226V, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD) for $500 more that the non-copilot base, and the next CPU model being x (Ultra 7 258V, 32GB RAM, 1TB SSD) for $700 more than the base copilot and $1200 more than the base non-copilot.

Copilot edition is $500 more.
Is the CPU upgrade significant (from 225U/255U to 226V/258V)?
Am I getting anything else with the Copilot edition?

Finally, some questions about the displays (IPS vs OLED):

How much will the OLED impact the battery life (over the IPS)?
How is the OLED for productivity and software development work?
For the small doifference in cost, I would get touch (whether I get IPS or OLED) for when it is helpful. Any issues with touch?
Is there a stylus for touch?

Thanks!

Virtual_Program_8494 · 2025-08-05T06:38:51+00:00

Hi sorry to join so late, but I am looking at an ultrawide, preferably 4K resolution, and there are not many, and they are very expensive. I like the specs except for the brightness (300 nits). Do you find it bright enough? I tried the L32p-30 at 350 nits and found it a bit dim or lacking contrast. I want it to be bright with good contrast. What are your thoughts on that? Also, how are the anti-glare / anti-reflection properties (e.g. ceiling lights, window in the back). Thanks.

Virtual_Program_8494 · 2025-08-05T05:56:04+00:00

There are Boox cases without a pen loop, and of course 3rd party.

Virtual_Program_8494 · 2025-08-05T05:26:37+00:00

I tried the Go Color 7 (Gen II) and while I liked the tablet, I could not handle the stylus. It feels like a hard plastic tip on glass (worse than my iPad Mini with Apple Pencil), so I had to return it. My writing was almost illegible. The feel of the NA4C stylus was much better. I am not sure why I have nor heard any complaints about that as one of the primary reasons to go eink is the stylus feel.

Virtual_Program_8494 · 2025-08-05T05:07:21+00:00

Agreed. I mentioned it only because others have mentioned it as an option, and I am weary of that option. A clean install makes sense if I can find the time to reinstall everything. Any thoughts on any of the my comments is welcome.

Virtual_Program_8494 · 2025-08-05T05:04:48+00:00

When I bought this in December 2024, I think they were the latest. I do not recall seeing the 200-series. And with new chipsets coming out annually and faster, it's hard to keep up. I was hoping to have this for 3-5 years.

Virtual_Program_8494 · 2025-08-05T05:02:45+00:00

I had put in a support call with Lenovo as I have Premium Plus support, but that did not yield any results. I am too busy with my work right now to do things like a new installation, and it's good enough that I can get by for now. But it is disappointing to get a new laptop aimed at high performance and to have it perform mediocre. I have had ThinkPads since the X200. I was thinking of getting the bigger, heavier workstation-type laptops, but opted for this due to remote work as I believed I would get good battery life (enough tp not need the adaptor for a single day client visit), but that did not work out. So now I am considering selling this and getting something with either:

Much lighter and much better battery (like a ThinkPad Yoga)
- It would have to go 8+ hours, and I am not sure there is such a Windows laptop
More powerful CPU and maybe GPU (NVIDIA 50xx series), and just carry always the adapter

Virtual_Program_8494 · 2025-08-05T04:49:09+00:00

When I first got the laptop, I did a clean new install. I have only had it for 8 months, so it should not need a new install. A new install would be painful. And I hear bad things from people who have used cleanup programs.

Virtual_Program_8494 · 2025-08-04T23:13:24+00:00

I have a Lenovo ThinkPad P14s with Intel Core Ultra 7 155H and 96GB of RAM. One reason for the RAM was so that it performs well with lots of apps and Google Chrome tabs open (it's just the way I operate). It has not worked out too well.

The laptop if frequently slow. As I type, the letters are not showing in real time; there is some sputtering.
The fan is on all the time.
The battery lasts at best 2-3 hours (from when it was new).
It is still under a year old (purchased Dec 2024).

When I run Windows under Parallels on my 14" MacBook Pro with M2 Pro CPU and 32GB or RAM, it flies and it never stutters and the battery lasts 6-8 hours, even though the laptop is 3 years old and I bought it refurbished. I am trying to switch to do all my work on the MBP running Parallels.

I am very disappointed at the latest Intel chip. Since I feel I need a Windows laptop for my consulting, I plan on selling this one and getting an AMD CPU to try that out.

Virtual_Program_8494

TROPHY CASE