With Lenovo showing off the new ThinkPad T431 Ultrabook it seems as though there are some issues with the new device, which potential buyers have expressed. This is not the news that Lenovo wanted to hear before they release their latest version of the ThinkPad, but with only a minor refresh on the offering what else did they expect?

So what Lenovo ThinkPad T431 problems have been articulated? Firstly there’s the design because it looks like something we would have expected around a decade ago. Another issue is with the resolution, because the T431 doesn’t seem to be that high, which seems like an oversight when you look at some of the other Ultrabooks on the market, such as this selection.

One Engadget reader has given three reasons why he will not be buying the Lenovo ThinkPad T431 when it is released in April, and that is because it does not have discrete graphics, touchscreen and a screen that can fold back completely.

However, the main issue is with the ThinkPad T431 price, because $949 is considered a lot when you see that certain specs are lacking, come on Intel HD Graphics is a bit of a joke. And before people tell you that there are MacBooks offering the same for a higher price, these laptops excel in other areas, such as their design for one.

The full specs can be found in the source above, but the ones that mater are the 2.7GHz Intel Core i5 CPU (i7 is available) 4GB of RAM, although this can be increased to 12GB.

According to Lenovo it is looking to upgrade the popular device to the latest Android software by the second quarter of 2012, and could possibly be by May. The device that was launched back in July and aimed as a business tablet that currently runs Android Honeycomb. According to PC World Lenovo have stated in the past that the ICS updates will hit its IdeaPad and ThinkPad devices as an over the air update, but didn’t reveal any dates.

Once available users of the device will experience an enhanced user interface, connectivity, and improvements to applications and multimedia. Google has designed the operating system to work on both tablets and smartphones, and improves data and email security.

It is not all good news though as the upgrade may not enable some features that are specific to certain devices. Android Beam shares web content via NFC technology but devices such as the ThinkPad Tablet doesn’t have NFC capability.

The Ice Cream Sandwich upgrade has started the slow process of arriving on rival tablets such as the Asus Eee Pad Transformer Prime, which led to some users reporting rebooting issues after the upgrade. Do you have the Lenovo ThinkPad Tablet? What do you think of it?

OK, let’s start with the price and release date, according to IntoMobile the ThinkPad will become available on August 23 and prices will start at $479, for this you will get the 16GB model with WiFi connectivity, if you want you can buy the ThinkPad Tablet Pen for an additional $30 or perhaps the foldable ThinkPad Tablet Keyboard Folio case for $99. If the 16GB doesn’t meet your needs you can buy the 32GB model for $589 – Lenovo throw in the digitizer pen with this model for free.

So what else are you getting for your money? Well you can find out full details here, it comes with the NVIDIA Tegra 2 dual-Core 1GHz processor, a 10.1-inch multitouch display which outputs at 1280 x 800 and is protected by Gorilla Glass, Bluetooth, WiFi, a USB port, a micro-USB port, mini-HDMI out and a memory card slot. There will apparently be 3G models and capacities of up to 64GB, however pricing regarding these models is currently unknown. The ThinkPad weighs a little more than the iPad 2 (1.65lbs) and boasts 8 hours of life with WiFi enabled, as you can see there is nothing which truly makes this tablet a cut above the rest.

A quick look at features reveals that it comes with plenty of software pre-installed which helps it become “Business Enabled” tablet, highlights include integrated cloud storage (2GB free), the ability to view, edit and create Microsoft Office files using Documents to Go. Also you get business-centric apps such as Computrace, Cisco AnyConnect and Good for Enterprise. Lenovo also promise full device and SD card encryption and lost device disablement.

As you can see the Lenovo ThinkPad is more business-oriented than most of the tablets currently available – but will succeed? We would love to hear your opinions.

The 5330m is more like the MacBook Air in some cases, as it has a 13.3-inch display and has been made from metal. However, the $799 starting price means that the laptop will be lacking in some key areas. The design has left a lot to be desired, so we do not believe that Apple have to worry about that side of things.

Engadget has said that the HP ProBook 5330m tries too hard to be something that it is not; although it could have got away with that a few years ago with its dated design and the weight of the device might put some off, as it weighed more than the X1, but not by much.

Looking at the battery performance the ProBook 5330m performs worse than the X1, Samsung Series 9, MacBook Air, ASUS U36Jc, Dell Vostro V13 and finally the R705. Having said all that, we do seem to forget the price of HP’s latest laptop, as the starting price is $500 cheaper than the ThinkPad X1. Choosing which laptop from the three listed above will come down to just one thing – money. Check out our Thinkpad X1 review.

Would you pay $500 more to get the ThinkPad X1 instead of the HP ProBook 5330m?

The base price for the basic ThinkPad T420s is $1,199.00 which gives you an Intel Core i5-2520M (2.5GHz) processor and runs Windows 7 Home Premium 64. The laptop has a 14-inch HD+ (1600 x 900) LED Backlit Antiglare display with Intel HD Graphics 3000.

This model features 2GB memory and a 250GB HDD along with a 6 cell lithium-ion battery, WiFi b/g/n, a DVD writer and a card reader. You can configure your own Lenovo’s ThinkPad T420s here, there are plenty of memory of RAM and storage upgrades available.

If you want some extra processing power you can pay an additional $50.00 to upgrade to the Intel Core i5-2540M (2.6GHz) processor, as for RAM you can upgrade to 4GB DDR3 for an additional $80.00, upgrade to 6GB DDR3 for an additional $160.00 or max out your Lenovo with 8GB DDR3 for $240.00.

Like other ThinkPad’s, the design has not changed much over the years, however the price tag is pretty attractive given the specs. Will you be buying the new Lenovo Thinkpad 420s?

The basic $699 model will come with an Intel Core i3-2310M processor (we recommend that you upgrade to the Intel Core i5-2410M processor for an extra $50), genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64, Intel HD 3000 graphics, 4GB DDR3 RAM (up to 8GB supported) and a 250GB SATA HDD (a 128GB SSD can be chosen instead for an additional $350.00).

Like a lot of ThinkPads, this one also comes with a Fingerprint reader and WiFi b/g/n. It also has a Multi Recorder Optical Drive and a Lithium Polymer battery, also there is optional Bluetooth 3.0 connectivity which costs $30.

If you choose all of the hardware upgrades offered by Lenovo you can spend near on $1500 you can customize your own ThinkPad Edge E420s here, will you be buying this model?

The list of new models consists of the ThinkPad T420s with a price of $1,329, the ThinkPad T420 at $779 and the ThinkPadT520 which will cost $909. From the L series we have the ThinkPadL420 and the ThinkPadL520 at $719. The W series has been given the ThinkPadW520 at $1,329

All the new ThinkPad’s will come with Intel-Core i-Series CPU’s, they will all offer 20% performance increase and will have double the graphics performance of its predecessors. Overall these ThinkPads sound pretty impressive and reasonably priced for what you are buying.

At the time of this post we do not have full specifications for all of these models, therefore we will have to keep you posted as we find out more, for more information you can visit the CNET page.

What are your opinions on the new ThinkPad’s?

Do not let that put you off the new MacBook Pro, which is rumored to be released this Thursday, as it is not as simple as you might think. PCWorld says that in order to get that kind of battery life you will need to purchase an extended battery, which you then need to connect to the optical bay. This is a little like you have to do with the Sony VAIO S laptop.

It certainly seems as if more computer makers are trying to offer something a little extra to try and compete with the MacBook Pro, and these new slimmer designs and 30 percent increase in performance is proof that Lenovo are doing just that. However, Apple do not sit around for long, and there are also rumors that the next Pro will also be on a diet – so will look a little like the MacBook Air.

Engadget has details on all six new models from Lenovo, but we are most interested in the T420, which will come with a choice of either a Intel Core i5 or i7 processors. The awesome GeForce 4200M graphics card is certainly a nice addition with its 1GB of VRAM. Expect to pay $1,329.

We have now covered three new laptops being released over the next month or two, and it seems as if Sony and Lenovo has their sights set on Apple and their MacBook Pro, but who will win out?