Interesting, Lenovo must have a wide spread over their product range, then ... at least quite a few of their products are amongst the top scorers on iFixit repeairability scores ... changing the keyboard on my IdeaPad was a different story, though 😅

...I literally just swapped a heatsink in a modern thinkpad yesterday. Can't say I agree with this.

Unless maybe they are only grading consumer-channel laptops? Because it is trivial for me to get replacement parts and manuals for any X, T, or P-series.

Anecdotes from an independent repair shop owner / operator.

I very rarely encounter reparability issues from Lenovo devices. I’ve worked on the full range down to Chromebooks and all the way up to high-end ThinkPad workstations. Parts are generally available, if not from Lenovo then on the aftermarket. They have repair documentation on their site. There are cases where the memory is soldered, but that is not something that is unique to Lenovo.

From my perspective, the least repairable devices end up being the LG and Samsung laptops. Parts are much harder to come by, which means that when they are available they’re usually quite expensive. Their designs are hostile to repair, documentation has not been readily available, they haven’t used modular memory for about 10 years now.

Microsoft’s Surface lineup has historically been real bad for repair, it’s not until recently that they’ve been turning a new leaf. Their logic board designs are so unusual that even component level repair becomes a huge pain compared to others.

Apple is absolutly the GOAT on this. I need a macbook for work. The fact that the hard drive is solder to the mobo is bullshit.

What about this then

Ifixit - Lenovo’s New ThinkPads Score 10/10 for Repairability

Lenovo Thinkpads ≠ IBM Thinkpads. They steadily got worse and worse. My T495 broke down really fast and didnt turn on anymore. Easy to replace some parts but hard to replace the rest

Shouldn't this also be weighed against the actual reliability of these devices?

I swapped the battery in mum's leonvo with minimal fuss. Same as most hardware issues - found a youtube and followed it.

Considering that ThinkPads are as beloved as they are for their repairability, I would have assumed Lenovo to score higher

iFixit says different about Lenovo.

https://www.ifixit.com/repairability/laptop-repairability-scores

Anecdotes from an independent repair shop owner / operator.

I very rarely encounter reparability issues from Lenovo devices. I’ve worked on the full range down to Chromebooks and all the way up to high-end ThinkPad workstations. Parts are generally available, if not from Lenovo then on the aftermarket. They have repair documentation on their site. There are cases where the memory is soldered, but that is not something that is unique to Lenovo.

From my perspective, the least repairable devices end up being the LG and Samsung laptops. Parts are much harder to come by, which means that when they are available they’re usually quite expensive. Their designs are hostile to repair, documentation has not been readily available, they haven’t used modular memory for about 10 years now.

Microsoft’s Surface lineup has historically been real bad for repair, it’s not until recently that they’ve been turning a new leaf. Their logic board designs are so unusual that even component level repair becomes a huge pain compared to others.

Purely anecdotal but my IdeaPad has very decent repairability . Certainly better than any modern phone. Fan can be cleaned, memory and storage can be upgraded except I think there is some base memory soldered on. But overall I was relived at how easy it is given it was a gift and I didn't get to meticulously investigate the model before buying

Yet the best performance and longevity

Was glad to see the new Macbook Neo was a small correction of this trend for Apple at least. No idea if it'll stick, seems unlikely. But one of the largest consumer electronics companies in the world becoming more repairable is great for everyone whether you like their products or not.

Hot take: elitebooks > thinkpads

I disagree about Lenovo. They sell a lor parts. I just replaced my Lenovo ThinkPad's battery last year.