The Lenovo ThinkPad X9 15 Aura Edition (2025) is a premium Windows laptop. This 15-inch ultraportable features Intel's Lunar Lake SoCs, with options ranging from a Core Ultra 5 226V to a Core Ultra 7 268V. You can get up to 32GB of soldered RAM and 2TB of storage. It has a 2.8k 120Hz OLED display (with or without touch input), a haptic touchpad, a 1440p webcam, and Wi-Fi 7 wireless connectivity. Ports include a USB-A, two USB-C/Thunderbolt 4s, an HDMI 2.0, and a headphone jack.
See our unit's specifications and the available configuration options in the Differences Between Variants section.
Note: We performed the productivity benchmarks, gaming benchmarks, thermals and noise, and performance over time tests using the Best Performance mode instead of the default Balanced mode. This change makes the results more representative of the laptop's maximum potential and brings them closer to user expectations. However, this also means that the results are only comparable with reviews containing this disclaimer, as we previously tested laptops in their default mode, which usually throttles performance to prolong battery life.
Our Verdict
The Lenovo ThinkPad X9 is excellent for school use. It has a thin and light design that makes it easy to carry around, and its battery lasts around 15 hours in light uses, so you don't have to worry about bringing a charger. The overall user experience is amazing, as it sports a sharp OLED display that gets bright enough to combat glare, a comfortable keyboard, and a large, easy-to-use haptic touchpad. Its Intel SoC can easily handle general productivity workloads like web browsing, text processing, and video playback. You can do some moderately intensive tasks like programming and photo editing, but students in programs like 3D animation or simulations are better off getting a workstation or gaming laptop with a more powerful CPU and discrete GPU.
Thin and light design.
All-day battery life.
Bright, colorful OLED display.
Comfortable keyboard, responsive haptic touchpad.
Doesn't get overly hot or loud under load.
CPU and integrated GPU can't handle highly demanding workloads.
OLED is susceptible to permanent burn-in.
OLED display's 480Hz flicker may bother some people.
The Lenovo ThinkPad X9 isn't designed for gaming. While its Lunar Lake SoC's integrated GPU can handle some demanding games at 1080p with low settings, you'll likely come across a lot of titles that are simply too intensive to run smoothly. Its OLED display is pretty good, sporting a 120Hz refresh rate and a fast response time; however, it doesn't support FreeSync or G-SYNC, which means you'll still see some screen tearing when gaming. In short, this laptop is fine for casual gaming, but it isn't ideal if your primary goal is to play demanding AAA titles.
120Hz display with fast response time.
Minimal thermal throttling.
Doesn't get overly hot or loud under load.
CPU and integrated GPU can't handle highly demanding workloads.
Can only get up to 32GB of soldered RAM.
OLED display's 480Hz flicker may bother some people.
The Lenovo ThinkPad X9 is excellent for media consumption. This 15-inch laptop is very portable, thanks to its compact design, and with a battery that lasts nearly 19 hours of video playback, you can easily get through multiple movies and TV show episodes without reaching for the charger. Its OLED display looks sharp and colorful, and like all OLEDs, it produces deep, inky blacks, making it fantastic for dark room viewing and HDR content. The OLED display flickers at 480Hz, though, so it may cause some eye strain if you're sensitive to flickering. The speakers sound clear and well-balanced, with a good amount of bass. They get loud, too, but they distort a bit at higher volume levels.
Thin and light design.
All-day battery life.
Bright, colorful OLED display.
Loud, well-balanced sounding speakers.
Available with touch-sensitive display.
OLED is susceptible to permanent burn-in.
OLED display's 480Hz flicker may bother some people.
The Lenovo ThinkPad X9 isn't ideal for use as a workstation. Its Intel Lunar Lake SoC is a low-power chip that can only handle light to moderately demanding tasks. Also, you can only get up to 32GB of soldered RAM, which isn't enough for highly intensive workloads. You can do some color-correction work, though, as its 2.8k OLED display has full DCI P3 and near-full Adobe RGB coverage. Thermal throttling is minimal, and the laptop doesn't get hot or loud under load.
Display is suitable for color-critical work.
Great port selection incldues two Thunderbolt 4s and an HDMI.
Minimal thermal throttling.
Doesn't get overly hot or loud under load.
CPU and integrated GPU can't handle highly demanding workloads.
Can only get up to 32GB of soldered RAM.
OLED is susceptible to permanent burn-in.
OLED display's 480Hz flicker may bother some people.
The Lenovo ThinkPad X9 is excellent for business use. It has a sturdy all-aluminum build, a thin and light design, and a battery that lasts easily through a typical workday, making it a near-perfect device for those who travel a lot for work. It's also a joy to work on, thanks to its sharp OLED display, comfortable keyboard, easy-to-use haptic touchpad, and excellent webcam. Biometrics include a fingerprint sensor and a facial recognition IR camera, which is great if you want to avoid typing in your password in public spaces. Performance is great; its Intel Lunar lake SoC can easily handle productivity tasks like text processing, web browsing, spreadsheets, and presentations. Its OLED display flickers, though, which might bother people sensitive to flickering, causing eye strain. Additionally, it's susceptible to permanent burn-in, so you'll want to take active measures to prevent it if you plan to keep the laptop for a while, like hiding Windows' taskbar.
Thin and light design.
All-day battery life.
Bright, colorful OLED display.
Comfortable keyboard, responsive haptic touchpad.
Excellent 1440p webcam.
OLED is susceptible to permanent burn-in.
OLED display's 480Hz flicker may bother some people.
Changelog
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Updated Nov 27, 2025:
Added mention of the Apple MacBook Pro 14 (M5, 2025) as an alternative with more processing power in the CPU section.
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Updated Aug 13, 2025:
Added mention of the ASUS Zenbook S 16 UM5606 (2024) as an alternative with pen input support in the Extra Features section.
- Updated May 07, 2025: We've updated this review to Test Bench 0.8.3, which removes the viewing angle tests and adds a GPU Total Graphics Power comparison in the GPU section. The Pen Input test in the Extra Features section has also changed, as it now shows whether the laptop supports pen input rather than the inclusion of a stylus in the box. See the changelog for more details.
- Updated Mar 24, 2025: Review published.
Differences Between Sizes And Variants
We tested the Lenovo ThinkPad X9 15 Aura Edition (model 21Q6-002BUS) with a touch-sensitive 2.8k OLED display, an Intel Core Ultra 7 268V SoC, 32GB of RAM, and 1TB of storage. The display, SoC, memory, and storage are configurable; see the available options below. This review applies to all variants with a model number starting with '21Q6.'
SCREEN
- 15.3" OLED 2880 x 1800 120Hz (glossy, 500 cd/m², 100% DCI P3)
- 15.3" OLED 2880 x 1800 120Hz (touchscreen, glossy, 500 cd/m², 100% DCI P3)
SoC
- Intel Core Ultra 5 226V (8 cores/8 threads, up to 4.5GHz, 8MB cache, Arc Graphics 130V)
- Intel Core Ultra 5 228V (8 cores/8 threads, up to 4.5GHz, 8MB cache, Arc Graphics 130V)
- Intel Core Ultra 5 238V (8 cores/8 threads, up to 4.7GHz, 8MB cache, Arc Graphics 140V)
- Intel Core Ultra 7 258V (8 cores/8 threads, up to 4.8GHz, 12MB cache, Arc Graphics 140V)
- Intel Core Ultra 7 268V (8 cores/8 threads, up to 5GHz, 12MB cache, Arc Graphics 140V)
MEMORY
- 16GB LPDDR5x 8533MHz (Core Ultra 5 226V only)
- 32GB LPDDR5x 8533MHz (Core Ultra 5 228V, Core Ultra 5 238V, Core Ultra 7 258V, Core Ultra 7 268V)
STORAGE
- 256GB M.2 2242 PCIe Gen 4 NVMe SSD
- 512GB M.2 2242 PCIe Gen 4 NVMe SSD
- 1TB M.2 2242 PCIe Gen 4 NVMe SSD
- 2TB M.2 2242 PCIe Gen 4 NVMe SSD
COLOR
- Gray
See our unit's label.
Popular Laptop Comparisons
The Lenovo ThinkPad X9 is among the best Windows ultraportable laptops currently on the market, rivaling competing premium models like the Microsoft Surface Laptop 7th Edition 15 (2024) and the Apple MacBook Air 15 (2024) in build quality, battery life, and overall user experience. Its Intel Lunar Lake SoC performs well and is likely more than adequate for most people with a light to moderately demanding productivity workload, though it's a little behind Apple's M3 SoC in single-thread performance and the Surface Laptop's Snapdragon X Elite SoC's in multi-thread performance. The X9's OLED display is arguably better than the MacBook Air and Surface Laptop's IPS panels due to its significantly higher contrast ratio, but keep in mind that its 480Hz flicker might bother some people, and it's susceptible to permanent burn-in, especially with static content like Windows' taskbar.
For more options, check out our recommendations for the best lightweight laptops, the best laptops for business, and the best 15- and 16-inch laptops.
The Apple MacBook Air 15 (M4, 2025) and the Lenovo ThinkPad X9 15 Aura Edition (2025) are premium ultraportables. While both laptops provide outstanding user experiences, the Lenovo has the edge. It has a wider port selection with an HDMI port and USB-A, a longer battery life, and arguably a better display. The Lenovo's OLED display is sharper, has a higher 120Hz refresh rate, and has a vastly superior contrast ratio, so blacks don't appear gray in dim settings. Just know that its 480Hz flicker might bother some people, and it's susceptible to permanent burn-in. On the other hand, the Apple M4 SoC delivers better performance in intensive tasks, and the fanless design means you don't need to worry about noise.
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (M5, 2025) is better than the Lenovo ThinkPad X9 15 Aura Edition (2025) in most uses. In terms of the overall user experience, the MacBook Pro has better-sounding speakers and a wider port selection, but the Lenovo's keyboard is more comfortable to type on because it has more key travel. The MacBook Pro has a lot more processing power under the hood, making it a better option if you need to perform more intensive tasks like programming and video editing.
The Lenovo ThinkPad X9 15 Aura Edition (2025) and the Lenovo Yoga Slim 7i Aura Edition (2024) are both ultraportables featuring Intel Lunar Lake chips, delivering nearly identical performance. However, the ThinkPad X9 is an even more premium device, sporting a sturdier build, a haptic touchpad, and a better 1440p webcam. The X9 also has a better battery life, lasting nearly four hours longer in light uses. That said, if you're sensitive to display flicker, know that the X9 is only available with OLED displays that flicker at 480Hz, while the Yoga Slim 7i has a flicker-free IPS panel option.
The Lenovo ThinkPad X9 15 Aura Edition (2025) and the Microsoft Surface Laptop 7th Edition 15 (2024) are both premium Windows ultraportables that deliver a similar user experience overall. The main difference between these two models is that the ThinkPad uses an x86 Intel SoC, while the Surface Laptop uses an AMR-based Qualcomm Snapdragon SoC. This likely won't affect you if you only perform light productivity tasks, but if you use any third-party program, it's best to check for compatibility first, as many apps don't run on the Surface's Arm-based chip or will perform poorly via emulation. Another significant difference is the display type; the ThinkPad's OLED panel is visually more pleasing because it can produce deeper blacks, but unlike the Surface's IPS panel, it's susceptible to permanent burn-in, and its 480Hz flicker can bother some people, causing eye strain.
Test Results
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