I was running a similar setup with the i5 until I gave Chromium OS a try. Now I run Debian in a browser tab inside the Chromium browser and the battery life is significantly better. It's on par with the high-end Chromebooks made by Google in terms of processing power and RAM.https://anddevw.com/gdgsf-chromepad-chromium-for-thinkpad/

12.5" and 1366x768 though. That's way too tiny and low res for comfortable work.

You can swap in a full HD IPS panel.

Personally I'm OK with 1366x768, but my X220i is more of a travel buddy than a workstation.

For workstartion use, get a T420 or something with either the 1600x900 LCD or a swapped-in full HD panel.

Don't forget IPS screen that you can get off ebay for $50! The biggest upgrade I've done to my x220. I think you can even get FHD moded IPS somehow, but it looked like a bit of work last time I checked.

IPS is the easiest and biggest single improvement for the X220. Coreboot's the next single biggest improvement, although it's not easy.

I bought a used x230 recently. My only gripe has been the washed out display - I should give this a go. Otherwise the performance is very good for a machine that was so inexpensive.

I'm going to be selling my x230 soon. I've got a mod chip and 1080p IPS display I could sell you.

I am waiting on the backlist for the FHD mod... I already have the IPS screen forgot to mention that!