Tired of the awful OEM screen on your T420? Want FHD (1920×1080) resolution with the full colors and deep blacks of IPS screens? Having a hard time deciding which to order? Then this page might help you.
There are several screens available for the non-S T420 laptop which have performance characteristics on par with true IPS screens. This page has a good explanation of how the various panel types differ.
This thread by RMSMajestic seems to be the origin of the screen upgrade for the non-S Thinkpad T420 and T430. The first post explains why flickering is a common problem.
There are several eBay sellers carrying FHD IPS controllers. The one sold by moe-tech, for example, supports the following screens:
1920×1080 (FHD) Screens
| Brand | Model | Type | Finish | Colors | Brightness | Contrast | Viewing Angle | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AUO | B140HAN01.0 | AHVA | Glossy | 16.2m | 300 cd/m^2 | 800:1 | 89/89/89/89 | |
| B140HAN01.1 | AHVA | Matte, hard | 16.2m | 300 cd/m^2 | 700:1 | 89/89/89/89 | ||
| B140HAN01.2 | AHVA | Matte, hard | 16.2m | 300 cd/m^2 | 700:1 | 89/89/89/89 | ||
| B140HAN01.3 | AHVA | Matte, hard | 16.2m | 300 cd/m^2 | 700:1 | 89/89/89/89 | ||
| LG | LP140WF1-SPB1 | AH-IPS | Matte | 262k | 300 cd/m^2 | 700:1 | 85/85/85/85 | |
| LP140WF1-SPV1 | ||||||||
| LP140WF1-SPK1 | AH-IPS | Matte, hard | 262k | 300 cd/m^2 | 700:1 | 80/80/80/80 | ||
| Samsung | LTN140HL02-B01 | PLS | Matte, hard | 262k | ??? | ??? | 85/85/85/85 | |
| BOE | NV140FHM-N62 | ADS | Matte | 16.7m | 300 cd/m^2 | 800:1 | 85/85/85/85 | |
| NV140fhm-n41 | ADS | Matte, hard | 262k | 250 cd/m^2 | 800:1 | 85/85/85/85 | ||
| Innolux | N140HCA-EAC | AAS | Matte | 262k | 250 cd/m^2 | 800:1 | 89/89/89/89 |
There are also 40-pin controllers that support 2560×1440, such as this one by e-qstore. It lists the following screens:
2560×1400 (WQHD) Screens
| Brand | Model | Type | Finish | Colors | Brightness | Contrast | Viewing Angle | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AUO | B140QAN01.1 | AHVA | Matte, hard | 16.7m | 340 cd/m^2 | 700:1 | 85/85/85/85 | |
| B140QAN01.5 | AHVA | Matte | 16.7m | 300cd/m^2 | 700:1 | 85/85/85/85 | ||
| LG | LP140QH1-SPB1 | IPS | Matte | 16.7m | 300cd/m^2 | 700:1 | 85/85/85/85 | |
| LP140QH1-SPB3 | ||||||||
| LP140QH1-SPA2 | IPS | Glossy | 16.7m | 300cd/m^2 | 700:1 | 85/85/85/85 | ||
| LP140QH2-SPB1 | IPS | Matte | 16.7m | ??? | 800:1 | 85/85/85/85 |
I chose the AUO B140HAN01.3 from eBay seller neidersch, and the LCD controller from moe-tech. Why that particular screen? Because I wanted a matte finish, and it appears to be identical to the B140HAN01.1, aside from being 0.2mm shallower. Both have been working great for around nine months.
Your post here was quite valuable to me and I enjoyed reading it!
Would be great if you could tell me how the B140HAN01.3 is treating you these days, assuming you’ve still been using the fhd mod on the t420 for 3 years now.
Tried getting myself a good mod kit and the mod kit seems to work but unfortunately got a B140HAN01.3-“compatible” innolux something or another by mistake.
Unfortunately RMSMajestic doesn’t sell anymore!
Yes, the screen has been great for several years now. I bought my screen from eBay seller ‘neidersch’. They appear to still have a listing for the B140HAN01.3 ($108.01 as of 2023, it was $75 back in 2020). https://www.ebay.com/itm/234817055365?hash=item36ac2fea85:g:NpYAAOSwUYNaOOpM