TravelMate Spin P4 with higher resolution screen?

htsmi

I've been shopping for a 2-in-1 work laptop for a few weeks now for a replacement for my old ThinkPad X200. The TravelMate Spin P4 14 has been close to top of my list for a while, but the one sticking point I have is the 1920x1600 screen resolution. Even the 2 year old Spin 313 has a 2560x1600 screen, and of course we have 6-inch phone screens with similar resolutions these days. I really think that 1920x1600 will just be too cramped for any kind of multitasking.

Unfortunately I just haven't found anything that comes close. My criteria are:

• 2-in-1
• Windows 11
• 13.3 - 14" max screen size with relatively small bezel
• 16:10 or taller aspect ratio
• Cellular connection
• Upgradeable RAM, SSD
• Thunderbolt 4
• USB-A ports
• Ethernet port

The last one really limits things. The two I have found are the TravelMate Spin P4 and the Fujitsu U5313X, and Fujitsu is almost impossible to get in the USA now. I've tried using a dongle, but one of my main work tasks is plugging into field devices via an Ethernet interface and it really gets in the way, I have also had occasional issues with compatibility.

It just puzzles me that we have ultracompact laptops with super high quality displays, but as soon as we add ports and features, we're forced to take a downgrade on the display. If next year's model had a higher resolution screen, I'd be willing to hold out for a few months. Unfortunately I'm afraid that it's more likely that I'll lose the Ethernet port.

billsey

Look into the SP513-55N models. USB to Ethernet is so easy to find that I wouldn't discount a machine just because it doesn't have Ethernet on the side… The issue with Ethernet on a thin and light is the depth of the port, they have to do weird things with a hinged section to get it to fit. Note that most thin systems don't have upgradeable memory, the sockets for SO-DIMMs add to the thickness as well, so pick a model with enough from the beginning. Cell connection is a problem in the USA, you have to tie it in with a vendor and that limits your market for that SKU.

htsmi

Thanks for the reply! Honestly though getting the TravelMate Spin and just living with the screen seems like the better option to me. I have Ethernet USB adapters and have tried that approach, it's just too cumbersome in the settings I work in. Maybe if I didn't use the port every single day… Thinness isn't that important, but I do want to minimize dimensional size, I'm coming from a 12.5" laptop after all. Just to be clear though, even the models without cellular from the factory have an M.2 slot for it right?

billsey

Nope, cellular is different than the M.2 slot used for the WLAN card.

htsmi

In other words it's soldered on board and not replaceable then. Because I'm not aware of another standard interface than M.2 that is used nowadays for cellular modems. Which is not really going to work for me, cellular infrastructure changes too fast and varies too much around the globe to be locked in to one modem. I upgraded it twice over the life of my old laptop. That's a bummer, I may have to see if I can manage to get that Fujitsu...

billsey

Looking at that 5G module, the interface might be M.2, but Acer doesn't specifically say it is. The connector has one lane of PCIe and a USB 3.2 port on it, so similar to what a WLAN card has. Here is what spec says on that:

And here is the module itself:

htsmi

Oh nice! That looks like M.2 to me. It does look like the WiFi/Bluetooth was moved to onboard based on the antennas, but it could be worse. That Fibocom module is in fact supported by the three main US carriers according to my research. Is it or will it be available in the US as far as you know?

billsey

I got that model number off the US website, so it should be available. The WLAN card is a separate one on an M.2 slot with it's own two antennas and not shown in that picture.

htsmi

Can you point me towards the model you are looking at? I am only seeing the TMP414RN-52-711D, TMP414RN-52-58HG, and a few older ones. The TMP414RN-53 doesn't show up for me at all in the products listing, though I can find a manual for it that says it has an optional SIM slot.

billsey

That was the TMP614RN-52-58ZC, but I see now it doesn't have the Ethernet port…