Two of the best touchscreen tablet PCs on the market today, the Lenovo Thinkpad X200 and the Latitude XT from Dell both feature a 12.1-inch dual pen/finger touchscreen and are primed for convenience and portability. The laptops incorporate high-end features and are built sturdy. However, there are a few conspicuous differences that a buyer might want to consider before investing in either of them.

Build

Lenovo and Dell are renowned for their rugged design. This characteristic is visible both in the Thinkpad X200 and Latitude XT. However, the X200 is what Thinkpads have always been – minimalist in visual appeal. The Dell Latitude XT may not be a stunner, but does pretty well in rounding-up the edges and introduces a touch of sleekness to the design. Weighing 3.57lbs (with a 6-cell battery), the Latitude XT is marginally heavier than the X200, which weighs 3.24lbs. There isn’t much separating either laptop in terms of thickness either, with the Latitude XT measuring 1.0” across its belly and the X200 starting at 0.8”.

Performance

We might be a tad unfair to the Dell Latitude XT by comparing it with a higher-performing X200. Latitude XT has a Core 2 Duo delivering 1.2GHz, while the X200 features a 2.4GHz Core 2 Duo P8600 processor. Dell’s tablet offers a memory of 2GB, while the X200 does a little better with a 4GB maximum RAM. However, we have a feeling the X200 might have just gone overboard considering its size. Nevertheless, we have a bigger performer in the Lenovo, which also offers a 9-cell battery to hold up during heavy-duty usage.

Display

As Tablet PCs, both X200 and Latitude XT offer an automatic orientation change option. The Latitude XT, though, scores on the touch screen front with its N-Trig digitizer technology. The capacitive touch screen on the Latitude XT also earns it brownie points over the X200. The Latitude XT features a 1280×800 LED backlit screen, while the Lenovo gets a widescreen 200-nits LCD. However, both displays are quite impressive and judging which one is better would be a tough ask.

Ports and wireless options

Both notebooks have a wide variety of ports. The Latitude XT is loaded with Wi-Fi Catcher switch, three USB ports, an SD card slot, ExpressCard/54 slot, headphone and microphone jack, an Ethernet port and a FireWire port. The X200, on the other hand, has three USB ports, a 5-in-1 Card Reader, PCI ExpressCard, VGA, RJ-11 and RJ-45, microphone and headphone ports, and a dock option for other add-ons like an optical drive. However, the lack of a high-definition video output port such as HDMI, DVI or Display Port lowers the desirability of the Lenovo a bit. The Lenovo X200 and the Latitude XT offer decent wireless options, including Bluetooth, WWAN, WiMax etc. The Latitude XT goes one-up with an integrated Verizon Wireless Broadband EV-DO Rev A option.

Watch This: The Dell Latitude XT and Lenovo Thinkpad X200 are both exceptionally designed tablet PCs. They have some great features as well as noticeable limitations. While the X200 lets you down by not including a touchpad and a built-in optical drive, the Latitude XT lags behind in the performance aspect. However, the latter scores on its capacitive dual touch display that’s more responsive than the X200. The X200, though, ranks higher with an integrated GPS and an incredible battery life. Picking the better laptop would require some amount of subjectivity, considering the visible pros and cons of both notebooks. We’d rather go by the limitations and proclaim the Latitude XT as a better buy for its “lesser cons.”326620