ThinkPad X230
Hacker ApprovedShares rank 34 of 63 laptops by recommenders
A small, well-built laptop that still handles simple everyday tasks and works well with Linux and FreeBSD. Resolution and power are limited, and battery life is poor for a 14-year-old CPU.
A small, well-built laptop that still handles simple everyday tasks and works well with Linux and FreeBSD. Resolution and power are limited, and battery life is poor for a 14-year-old CPU.
12 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 11
- criticize it
- 1
- approval share
- 92%
Recommended in 8 of 13 months
- November 2025: recommended
- December 2025: recommended
- January 2026: recommended
- February 2026: recommended
- March 2026: not recommended
- April 2026: recommended
- May 2026: recommended
- June 2026: recommended
- July 2026: not recommended
- August 2026: not recommended
- September 2026: recommended
- October 2026: not recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it carries the badge
- 11 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, met.
- 11 recommenders for every criticNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 8 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Still gets everyday tasks done
“I still sometimes use a Thinkpad X230, and wait- a G4 PowerBook, and they are fine machines for many tasks.”
Comment from 29 Nov 2025 in “New OS aims to provide (some) compatibility with macOS” “I still love it. Sure, resolution is limited, and so is the power. But it gets the job done”
Comment from 18 Jan 2026 in “Spirit of ThinkPad” “it makes a pretty decent around-the-house laptop. I'd rate it pretty highly”
Comment from 29 Sep 2026 in “Google ending ChromeOS support two years early” - Comment from 29 May 2026 in “It's hard to justify buying a Framework 12”
Simple needs well covered
“My needs are simple, and I think normal people (i.e. probably not most people on this site) don't have needs that are any more demanding than mine.”
Comment from 18 Feb 2026 in “Asahi Linux Progress Report: Linux 6.19” “it makes a pretty decent around-the-house laptop. I'd rate it pretty highly”
Comment from 29 Sep 2026 in “Google ending ChromeOS support two years early” Works with FreeBSD and Linux
“I own these and they also work great with FreeBSD”
Comment from 9 Apr 2026 in “FreeBSD Laptop Compatibility: Top Laptops to Use with FreeBSD” “Everything works on all of them”
Comment from 1 Dec 2025 in “A Love Letter to FreeBSD” Small and well built
“it is so small, yet so well build”
Comment from 9 Jun 2026 in “Porting the ThinkPad X61 to Coreboot” “I love the edge on the X230”
Comment from 11 Apr 2026 in “Filing the Corners Off MacBooks”
What people warn about
Each mark is one comment
Poor battery life
“a 14 year old CPU is going to have pretty terrible battery life”
Comment from 18 Feb 2026 in “Asahi Linux Progress Report: Linux 6.19” Slower than newer laptops
“It's fine. It's a worse computer, but not €1500 worse.”
Comment from 28 Jun 2026 in “Linux on Older Hardware: The Complete Revival Guide”
Other laptops people recommend
The four most recommended other laptops, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
| Product | Recommend | Criticize | Approval | Months | Owned | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apple MacBook Pro | 928 | 688 | 57% | 13 | 5 yrs248 owners | — |
| Apple MacBook Neo | 707 | 355 | 66% | 9 | 1 mo8 owners | — |
| MacBook Air | 633 | 209 | 75% | 12 | 5 yrs130 owners | Approved |
| Apple MacBook | 499 | 348 | 59% | 12 | 9 yrs77 owners | — |
| ThinkPad X230This page | 11 | 1 | 92% | 8 | — | Approved |
What people said
All 15 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“it makes a pretty decent around-the-house laptop. I'd rate it pretty highly”
“It's fine. It's a worse computer, but not €1500 worse.”
“it is so small, yet so well build”
“My x230 with an i5 still has lower and more stable DPC latency and has remained my DJ laptop.”
“my Lenovo X230 is working fine”
“you can replace RAM, SSD and battery without unscrewing the entire bottom”
“I love the edge on the X230”
“I own these and they also work great with FreeBSD”
“a 14 year old CPU is going to have pretty terrible battery life”
“My needs are simple, and I think normal people (i.e. probably not most people on this site) don't have needs that are any more demanding than mine.”
“I still love it. Sure, resolution is limited, and so is the power. But it gets the job done”
“it worked amazing... for a few minutes at a time, since it blue-screened often”
“IMO each one is suited to its own task and I use both of them equally often.”
“Everything works on all of them”
“I still sometimes use a Thinkpad X230, and wait- a G4 PowerBook, and they are fine machines for many tasks.”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.