There have been design derivations in the recent past, but most of Lenovo’s ThinkPads hew pretty close to their IBM-era heritage: A boxy black rectangle with familiar rounded-bottom “smile”-shaped keys, and that oh-so-distinctive red rubber TrackPoint. But with its new ThinkPad X9, Lenovo is going in a different direction – and after a different kind of customer. But fret-not, loyal TrackPoint users: your trusty pointing stick will remain on other existing ThinkPad models.
Aside from its lack of a TrackPoint, the ThinkPad X9 Aura Edition features a 50% recycled aluminum shell with a ribbed bottom that gives the laptop a very distinct feel in your hands, reminding me of a fancy metal suitcase. Offered up in 14- and 15-inch sizes, the laptop’s bottom also has a rectangular “engine hub” strip near the back that aids in cooling while also making room for full-size ports.
You get HDMI 2.1 on the left edge, along with one Thunderbolt 4 / USB-C. The right edge houses another TB4 port and an audio jack on the 14-inch model, while the 15-incher adds a USB-A port as well.
The company says the new design retains the same MIL-SPEC 810H rating as other ThinkPads, and the screens are OLED all the way. You get two screen options for the 14-inch model, 1920 x 1200 non-touch with a 400-nit rating, or a 2.8K touchscreen with 500 nits of brightness. The larger 15-inch model has a 2.8K resolution, and will be offered with or without touch.
Both sizes offer up to 32GB of RAM and 2TB of PCIe 4.0 solid-state storage and feature Intel CPUs up to Core Ultra 7. These aren’t the lightest laptops, but they aren’t particularly heavy, with the smaller model tipping the scales at 2.74 pounds while the 15-incher starts at 3.19 pounds.
The keys of the keyboard technically retain their bowed-bottom design, but that’s really just a design choice, as the keys here are square and definitely feel different than a traditional ThinkPad keyboard. We’ll have to spend more time with a review unit to pass full judgement, but definitely expect an adjustment period if you’re thinking of opting for an X9 as an upgrade from your older ThinkPad.
The large touchpad is haptic and, combined with the keyboard and look of the deck, make it clear the company is angling the X9 toward MacBook users.
Another nice modern move is that the company is including a tiny 65W GaN charger with the X9, with a removable cable. While I would have liked a second USB charging port here for my phone, it’s nice to finally see a laptop maker ship a USB-C charger that’s as travel-friendly as sub-$50 models from the likes of Anker and Baseus.
Lenovo says the X9 will be available beginning in February, starting at $1,399 for the 14-inch model or $1,549 for the larger 15-inch sibling. As with the ThinkPad Z series, we like the look and feel of the X9, but we’ll have to spend more time with a review unit to figure out how we feel about the keyboard, how well they perform, and what their battery life is like. In its press materials, Lenovo only makes a vague “all day long” battery life claim.
