Lenovo ThinkPad X9 15 Aura Edition (2025) vs Apple MacBook Pro 14 (M5, 2025)
Which Laptop Is Better?
Products
Lenovo ThinkPad X9 15 Aura Edition (2025)
Apple MacBook Pro 14 (M5, 2025)
Tested using Methodology v0.8.3
Updated Nov 27, 2025 02:08 PM
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BestBuy.com
Tested using Methodology v0.9
Updated Nov 27, 2025 02:03 PM
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Amazon.com
Size
15.3"
Operating System
Windows 11
Size
14"
Operating System
macOS
Our Verdict
Lenovo ThinkPad X9 15 Aura Edition (2025)
Apple MacBook Pro 14 (M5, 2025)
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.
Variants
- ThinkPad X9 15 Aura Edition (21Q6002HUS) (Thunder Grey - Touch/Ultra 5 226V/16GB/512GB)
- ThinkPad X9 15 Aura Edition (21Q60024US) (Thunder Grey - Touch/Ultra 5 238V/32GB/1TB)
- ThinkPad X9 15 Aura Edition (21Q60029US) (Thunder Grey - Touch/Ultra 7 258V/32GB/1TB)
- ThinkPad X9 15 Aura Edition (21Q60027US) (Thunder Grey - Touch/Ultra 7 258V/32GB/1TB)
- ThinkPad X9 15 Aura Edition (21Q6002BUS) (Thunder Grey - Touch/Ultra 7 268V/32GB/1TB)
- ThinkPad X9 15 Aura Edition (21Q6002AUS) (Thunder Grey - Ultra 5 226V/16GB/512GB)
- ThinkPad X9 15 Aura Edition (21Q60026US) (Thunder Grey - Ultra 5 226V/16GB/512GB)
- ThinkPad X9 15 Aura Edition (21Q60025US) (Thunder Grey - Ultra 7 268V/32GB/1TB)
- MacBook Pro 14 (MDE54LL/A) (Silver - M5 (10-core CPU, 10-core GPU)/16GB/1TB)
- MacBook Pro 14 (MDE44LL/A) (Silver - M5 (10-core CPU, 10-core GPU)/16GB/512GB)
- MacBook Pro 14 (MDE64LL/A) (Silver - M5 (10-core CPU, 10-core GPU)/24GB/1TB)
- MacBook Pro 14 (MDE14LL/A) (Space Black - M5 (10-core CPU, 10-core GPU)/16GB/1TB)
- MacBook Pro 14 (MDE04LL/A) (Space Black - M5 (10-core CPU, 10-core GPU)/16GB/512GB)
- MacBook Pro 14 (MDE34LL/A) (Space Black - M5 (10-core CPU, 10-core GPU)/24GB/1TB)
Main Differences for
School
School
Threshold
School
9.0
Full Comparison
Design
Style
Style Photo
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Form Factor
Traditional (Clamshell)
Traditional (Clamshell)
Build Quality
9.5
9.5
Build Quality Photo
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Hinge
9.4
9.1
Hinge Photo
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Range
177°
135°
Stability
Good
Good
One Finger Lift
Yes
Yes
Portability
8.7
8.5
Dimensions Photo
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Size
15.3"
14"
Thickness
0.7" (1.7 cm)
0.7" (1.7 cm)
Width
13.4" (34.1 cm)
12.3" (31.3 cm)
Depth
9.3" (23.5 cm)
8.7" (22.1 cm)
Volume
83.1 in³ (1,362.3 cm³)
71.5 in³ (1,172.2 cm³)
Weight
3.1 lbs (1.4 kg)
3.5 lbs (1.6 kg)
Charger Size
5.5 in³ (90.0 cm³)
7.3 in³ (120.4 cm³)
Charger Weight
0.4 lbs (0.2 kg)
0.4 lbs (0.2 kg)
Serviceability
6.5
3.5
Internals Photo
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Ease Of Access
9.0
6.0
RAM Slots
0
0
Storage Slots
1
0
Replaceable Battery
Yes
Yes
Replaceable Wireless Adapter
No
No
In The Box
In The Box Photo
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Display
Screen Specs
Display Photo
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Resolution
2880 x 1800
3024 x 1964
Aspect Ratio
16:10
16:10
Pixel Density
221 PPI
254 PPI
Panel Type
OLED
IPS
Touch Screen
Yes
No
Screen-To-Body Ratio
91%
89%
Refresh Rate
8.7
8.7
Motion Blur
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Refresh Rate
120 Hz
120 Hz
Variable Refresh Rate
Dynamic Refresh Rate
Apple ProMotion
Contrast
10
10
Contrast Photo
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Native Contrast
32,997 : 1
20,460 : 1
Brightness
8.5
9.0
Maximum Brightness
469 cd/m²
588 cd/m²
Minimum Brightness
1 cd/m²
1 cd/m²
Reflections
7.7
8.9
Reflections Photo Off
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Reflections Photo Max
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Screen Finish
Glossy
Glossy
Total Reflections
3.77%
1.79%
Indirect Reflections
0.89%
0.22%
Calculated Direct Reflections
2.88%
1.57%
Black Uniformity
10
10
Black Uniformity Photo
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Uniformity (Std. Dev.)
0.251%
0.241%
Out-Of-The-Box Color Accuracy
7.1
10
White Balance Screencap
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Gamma Curve Screencap
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Color Screencap
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Avg. White Balance dE
2.39
1.26
Avg. Gamma
2.26
2.2
Avg. Color dE
4.38
0.93
Avg. Color Temperature
6,396.5 K
6,403.5 K
Color Gamut
9.6
9.5
Gamut SDR
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sRGB xy
148.29%
99.99%
sRGB uv
142.95%
99.97%
Adobe RGB xy
92.55%
89.35%
Adobe RGB uv
97.1%
94.42%
Gamut HDR
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DCI-P3 xy
99.99%
99.8%
DCI-P3 uv
99.99%
99.7%
Rec. 2020 xy
78.33%
73.34%
Rec. 2020 uv
82.53%
74.19%
Flicker
7.2
9.0
Flicker Graph
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Flicker-Free
No
No
Flicker Frequency
480 Hz
> 1000Hz
Flicker Active Below
100%
100%
Interface
Keyboard
8.5
7.9
Keyboard Photo
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Typing Quality
8.5
8.0
Numpad
No
No
Backlighting
Adjustable
Adjustable
Key Switch Actuation Graph
Operating Force
59 gf
61 gf
Actuation Force
34 gf
39 gf
Pre-Travel
1.05 mm
0.72 mm
Total Travel
1.39 mm
0.78 mm
Touchpad
9.3
9.2
Touchpad Photo
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Tracking Quality
9.5
9.5
Size
16.7 in² (108.0 cm²)
16.1 in² (104.0 cm²)
Material
Glass
Glass
Dedicated Buttons
No
No
Speakers
8.1
9.1
Frequency Response Plot
Max Volume
81 dB SPL
80 dB SPL
Standard Error @ Normal Vol. (65 dB)
5.9 dB
4.1 dB
Slope @ Normal Vol. (65 dB)
1.9
0.9
Bass Extension (Low-Frequency Ext.)
143 Hz
110 Hz
Treble Extension (High-Frequency Ext.)
17 kHz
20 kHz
Dynamic Range Compression @ Max Vol.
5.4 dB
3.3 dB
Webcam & Microphone
8.7
9.1
Webcam Video Sample
Video Quality
9.0
9.5
Resolution
1440p
1080p
Position
Top Center
Top Center
Privacy Cover
No
No
Face Unlock
Yes
No
Connectivity
Ports
8.0
8.5
Ports Photo
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USB-A Ports
1
0
USB-C Ports
2
3
Thunderbolt
Thunderbolt 4
Thunderbolt 4
USB-C Charging
Yes
Yes
USB-C Display Out
Yes
Yes
HDMI
2.0
2.1
DisplayPort
No
No
3.5mm Jack
Combo mic/headphone
Combo mic/headphone
Card Reader
No
SD UHS 2
Ethernet
No
No
Proprietary Port
No
Apple MagSafe 3
Security Lock
No
No
Wireless Communication
Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi 7 (802.11be)
Wi-Fi 6E (802.11ax)
Bluetooth
5.4
5.3
Configuration
CPU
Brand
Intel
Apple
Model
Core Ultra 7 268V
M5
Core Count
8
10
Thread Count
8
10
GPU
Brand
Intel
Apple
Model
Arc 140V GPU
M5
Dedicated/Integrated
Integrated
Integrated
VRAM Size
N/A
N/A
GPU Total Graphics Power (TGP)
N/A
N/A
RAM
Capacity
32 GB
16 GB
Modules
8 (Soldered)
Unknown
Type
LP-DDR5x
LP-DDR5x
Speed
8,533 MHz
9,600 MHz
Storage
Advertised Capacity
1,000 GB
512 GB
Usable Capacity
930 GB
442 GB
Drive 1
SK Hynix HFS001TEM4X169N
Apple SSD AP0512Z
Drive 1 Type
SSD
SSD
Drive 2
No 2nd Drive
No 2nd Drive
Drive 2 Type
No 2nd Drive
No 2nd Drive
Performance
Geekbench 5 (Synthetics)
9.2
Geekbench Image
CPU Single-Thread
2,032 points
CPU Multi-Thread
9,729 points
GPU Compute
29,320 points
CPU/RAM Performance
8.5
Cinebench 2024 - Single Core
199 points
Cinebench 2024 - Multi Core
1,162 points
Geekbench 6 - Single Core
4,310
Geekbench 6 - Multi Core
17,981
Blender - CPU (Avg)
92 samples/min
PassMark PT - CPU Mark
29,293
PassMark PT - Memory Mark
5,312
PassMark PT - Memory Mark (Android)
N/A
Mozilla Kraken
233 ms
Cinebench R23 (CPU Rendering)
9.7
Cinebench R23 Photo
Single-Thread
1,948 points
Multi-Thread
9,440 points
Low Tier Graphics
7.9
Geekbench 6 - GPU Compute
76,876
Basemark Web 3.0
2,211
PassMark PT - 2D Mark
N/A
PassMark PT - 2D Mark (Android)
N/A
PassMark PT - 3D Mark
N/A
PassMark PT - 3D Mark (Android)
N/A
Novabench 5 - GPU
217.0
mprep - Stress My GPU
34,640
Blender (3D Rendering)
7.8
Blender Image
CPU Render Time
4.3 min
GPU Render Time
N/A
GPU Render Time (Optix)
N/A
High Tier Graphics
5.9
3DMark - Steel Nomad (DX12)
N/A
3DMark - Steel Nomad (Vulkan/Metal)
1,142
Basemark GPU (DX12)
N/A
Basemark GPU (Vulkan/Metal)
70,336
GFXBench - High Level Test (Vulkan/Metal)
4,821 Frames
Basemark GPU (Game Scene)
7.1
Basemark Image
Overall Score
40,254
Professional 3D (GPU Accelerated)
2.3
Blender - GPU (Avg)
575 samples/min
Cinebench 2024 - GPU
5,875 points
CPU-Intensive Game Performance
6.0
Civilization VII - AI
15.4 s/turn
Civilization VII - Graphics (Avg)
164.3 fps
Civilization VII - Graphics (1% Low)
98.6 fps
Total War: Warhammer III (Avg)
24.5 fps
Baldur's Gate 3 (Avg)
71.5 fps
Baldur's Gate 3 (1% Low)
58.5 fps
Previous Methodology Score
N/A
Previous Methodology Score Converted
N/A
GPU-Intensive Game Performance
3.3
Cyberpunk 2077 (Avg)
21.5 fps
Cyberpunk 2077 (Min)
19.0 fps
Assassin's Creed Shadows (Avg)
15 fps
Assassin's Creed Shadows (1% Low)
8 fps
GTA V (Avg)
N/A
GTA V (1% Low)
N/A
Black Myth: Wukong (Avg)
N/A
Black Myth: Wukong (5% Low)
N/A
Resident Evil 4 (Avg)
58.7 fps
Resident Evil 4 (1% Low)
40.0 fps
Previous Methodology Score
N/A
Previous Methodology Score Converted
N/A
Borderlands 3
4.3
Borderlands 3 Graph
Avg. FPS
32 fps
1% Low
16 fps
0.1% Low
6 fps
1% Low Delta
33 ms
0.1% Low Delta
135 ms
Avg. FPS On Very Low
73 fps
Ray Tracing Performance
2.1
Cyberpunk 2077 (Avg)
15.8 fps
Cyberpunk 2077 (Min)
13.3 fps
Assassin's Creed Shadows (Avg)
12 fps
Assassin's Creed Shadows (1% Low)
6 fps
Black Myth: Wukong (Avg)
N/A
Black Myth: Wukong (5% Low)
N/A
Civilization VI
7.2
Civilization VI Graph
Avg. FPS
56 fps
1% Low
40 fps
0.1% Low
38 fps
1% Low Delta
7 ms
0.1% Low Delta
9 ms
Avg. FPS On Minimum
178 fps
Avg. Turn Time
7.17 s
Storage Drive Performance
9.5
9.6
Storage Performance Image
Sequential Write Speed
1,474.6 MB/s
7,788.2 MB/s
Sequential Read Speed
4,402.4 MB/s
5,304.3 MB/s
Random Write Speed
87.2 MB/s
46.5 MB/s
Random Read Speed
63.5 MB/s
80.9 MB/s
Battery
9.6
9.7
Capacity
80 Wh
72 Wh
Battery Life (Web Browsing)
15.2 hrs
16.1 hrs
Battery Life (Video Playback)
18.8 hrs
15.7 hrs
Battery Life (Gaming)
4.2 hrs
2.0 hrs
Charge Time
1.9 hrs
1.9 hrs
Counter-Strike 2
7.0
CS2 Graph
Avg. FPS
54fps
1% Low
37fps
0.1% Low
34fps
1% Low Delta
8 ms
0.1% Low Delta
11 ms
Avg. FPS On Low
137fps
Thermals And Noise
7.4
7.6
Keyboard Temps Picture
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Keyboard Temp While Idle
34 °C (92 °F)
26 °C (79 °F)
Keyboard Temp Under Load
45 °C (112 °F)
45 °C (112 °F)
Fan Noise While Idle
25.0 dBA
25.0 dBA
Fan Noise Under Load
44.5 dBA
45.0 dBA
Power & Fan Control App
Yes
No
Shadow Of The Tomb Raider
5.6
SOTTR Graph
Avg. FPS
43 fps
1% Low
27 fps
0.1% Low
20 fps
1% Low Delta
14 ms
0.1% Low Delta
26 ms
Avg. FPS On Lowest
56 fps
Performance Over Time
9.2
10
Performance Over Time Graph
CPU Temp (Cinebench)
81 °C
100 °C
CPU Perf. Loss (Cinebench)
4% loss
0% loss
GPU Temp (Heaven)
73 °C
95 °C
GPU Perf. Loss (Heaven)
0% loss
0% loss
Additional Features And Software
Software
Operating System
Windows 11
macOS
Additional Software
Yes
None
Extra Features
Biometrics
Face Recognition and Fingerprint Sensor
Fingerprint Sensor
RGB Illumination
No
No
Touch Pen Support
No Stylus Support
No Stylus Support
Secondary Display
No
No
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Lenovo ThinkPad X9 15 Aura Edition (2025)
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Lenovo ThinkPad X9 15 Aura Edition (2025) vs Apple MacBook Pro 14 (M5, 2025): Main Discussion
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