Lenovo ThinkPad 12.5" X250 Black 2019

The ThinkPad X250 is a cheap, compact refurb with a great keyboard and a terrible screen. It's fine for basic office work and web browsing, but the 1366x768 display and dual-core CPU feel ancient in 2024. Worth it at the low end of the CAD 320 to CAD 496 range, but don't overpay.

The i5-5300U is a 5th gen dual-core chip that sits in the 21st percentile for CPUs. It'll handle Word, Excel, email, and a dozen browser tabs without too much complaining, but don't expect to edit video or run heavy software. The 8GB of DDR3 is the bare minimum for Windows 10 Pro, and our data puts it in the 5th percentile for RAM. The 256GB SSD is snappy for boot times and app launches, but storage capacity lands in the 16th percentile. The 1366x768 IPS display is the real letdown, sitting in the 7th percentile for screens. It's dim and low-res by modern standards, though the IPS panel at least gives you decent viewing angles.

Against something like the ASUS Zenbook UX3405CA or HP OmniBook X Flip, the X250 gets smoked on screen quality, CPU performance, and RAM. Those are modern machines with high-res displays and much faster silicon. But they also cost several times more. The MacBook Pro Core i7 is in a completely different league for performance and display, though it's also way pricier and heavier. The X250's real competition is other cheap refurbished business laptops, and there it holds its own thanks to the ThinkPad pedigree.

Pricing on this thing is all over the place. We're seeing CAD 320 to CAD 496 across five listings, which is a CAD 176 spread for essentially the same machine. At the low end, it's a solid deal for a portable typing and browsing laptop. At the high end, you're getting into territory where a newer refurb with a better screen and more RAM starts to make more sense. Shop around and don't pay the premium.

The Lenovo ThinkPad X250 is a refurbished 12.5-inch ultrabook aimed at people who need a cheap, portable typing machine. It's rocking a dual-core i5-5300U, 8GB of DDR3, and a 256GB SSD. Nothing flashy, but the ThinkPad keyboard and build quality are the real draw here.

Our database puts its compactness and GPU at the 97th percentile, which sounds great until you realize the GPU is integrated Intel HD 5500 and the gaming score is a brutal 7 out of 100. This is a work laptop, not a play laptop. The screen and RAM are weak spots, but for basic office tasks and web browsing, it still gets the job done.

Skip this if you need a decent screen for photo editing, design work, or even just watching videos. The 1366x768 panel is one of the worst we've seen in this category. Also skip it if you run demanding software or keep dozens of tabs open, the dual-core CPU and 8GB of RAM will frustrate you. And if you want to play games, look literally anywhere else.

This is a budget business laptop for people who need a reliable typing machine and don't care about screen quality or modern performance. Students on a tight budget, office workers who live in a browser, or anyone who wants a cheap secondary laptop for travel will find it serviceable. Just know what you're getting: a 2015-era machine with a dated display and no upgrade path.