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Lenovo ThinkPad X9-14 Aura Edition: 30-second review
With Intel’s 200 series chips now widely available, a whole new generation of business laptops has been hatched using them, with this being one of the Lenovo examples.
With a title as extended as the Lenovo ThinkPad X9-14 Aura Edition Laptop, the makers pushed all the boats out to cram this machine full of all the things that might sway corporate purchasers in its direction.
The processor can be up to a 200 series Core Ultra 7 class, and it has a 14-inch 2.8K OLED display and a 4K 8MP webcam. Integral Thunderbolt 4 ports, easy internal accessibility for upgrades, with both top and bottom covers made from 50% recycled aluminium, make this a practical and robust design.
And, if you use it, this is a Copilot+ PC for those embracing Microsoft’s version of AI.
For those considering purchasing this equipment, the slightly lower price than other brand competitors might be slightly offset by the necessity for a docking station. However, most Core Ultra 200 series laptops appear to need one.
Overall, Lenovo did a reasonable job delivering a high-quality option with plenty of bells and whistles at a palatable price. The only caveat is that compared to some of the AMD Ryzen machines currently appearing, this platform isn’t the quickest solution.
The Intel 200 series has its limitations, but the build quality of this machine and its competitive price make it highly likely to be included in our round-up of the best business laptops.
Lenovo ThinkPad X9-14 Aura Edition: Price and availability
- How much does it cost? From $1240/£1250
- When is it out? Available now
- Where can you get it? Direct from Lenovo
The model that Lenovo sent for review uses an Intel Core Ultra 7 258V, which has 32GB of RAM and 1TB of storage, costing around $1700 / £1700.
Taking the Core Ultra 7 268V processor option adds another £200.
An entry-level option using the Intel Core Ultra 5 226V CPU with 16GB of RAM, 512GB of storage, and a 1920 x 1200 resolution display starts at £1,250 inclusive of VAT.
American prices start at $1,239 for the base model and rise to $1,989 for the review level system. The top option using the same 268V CPU costs $2,149.
When you consider that the Dell Pro 14 Premium I recently reviewed costs $2661.50 for a machine with the Core Ultra 7 268V CPU, then the X9-14 looks like something of a bargain, being at least $500 cheaper for a machine with a better display and webcam.
Acer has the Swift 16 design that utilises the same architecture, is even cheaper, and has a larger battery, but we’ve yet to see that hardware to see how it compares in person.
Overall, what Lenovo is asking for the X9-14 seems reasonable, and the prices I’ve quoted are only retail numbers, not the cost to corporations who might buy in bulk.
Lenovo ThinkPad X9-14 Aura Edition: Specs
|
Item |
Spec |
|---|---|
|
Hardware: |
ThinkPad X9-14 Gen 1 |
|
CPU: |
Intel Core Ultra 7 258V vPro |
|
GPU: |
Intel Arc 140V GPU |
|
NPU: |
Intel NPU |
|
RAM: |
32 GB LPDDR5x SDRAM 8533 MT/s |
|
Storage: |
1TB M.2 NVMe SSD WD SN740 |
|
Screen: |
14? 2.8K (2880 x 1800), OLED, Anti-Reflection/Anti-Smudge, Touch, HDR 600 True Black, 100%DCI-P3, 500 nits, VRR 30-120Hz, Low Blue Light |
|
Ports: |
2x Thunderbolt 4 USB-C, 1x HDMI 2.1, Audio Combo Jack |
|
Camera: |
8MP HDR + IR Camera with Presence Detection, Temporal Noise Reduction, Camera Shutter, Microphone |
|
Networking: |
Intel BE201 Wi-Fi 7 2×2, Bluetooth 5.4 |
|
Dimensions: |
311.2 × 216.7 × 17.95 mm |
|
Weight: |
1.141 kg |
|
OS: |
Windows 11 Pro (pre-installed) |
|
Battery: |
3 Cell, 60 Wh, Li-ion, ExpressCharge 1.0, ExpressCharge Boost |
|
Power supply: |
64.98W (19V 3.42A) |
Lenovo ThinkPad X9-14 Aura Edition: Design
- Solidly built
- Minimalist aesthetics
- Only three ports
Sometimes, marketing people in big companies come up with things that I’m sure sounded epic in the boardroom and yet remarkably dumb when it arrived in the real world.
I mention this because when you power this machine on, it declares that the “Lenovo Aura Edition was imagined with Intel”. Really, Intel has ‘imagination’?
Well, that’s a revelation that I didn’t have on my bingo phrases card for 2025.
Passing over the mutual appreciation society run exclusively between Intel and Lenovo, the ThinkPad X9-14 Gen 1 struts some immaculate lines and a cool-to-the-touch aluminium skin.
Where laptops are often ignored, the engineers of this one made the underside impressive with a rippled surface, and it has two air vents that measure roughly 4cm square on each side for pulling cooling air in. It looks like the vent is side to side, but when the underside is removed, it reveals that most holes in this section are an aesthetic detail and aren’t a means to pass air through.
Air is vented through a wider slot hidden by the screen hinge when the machine is closed, hopefully keeping it from being uncomfortable for those using it on a lap.
There are two slots, one on each side nearer the front, directing sound out of the case, leaving the whole working area to the keyboard and trackpad.
Evidently, the red rubber mouse alternative has finally bit the dust for this ThinkPad, and instead, Lenovo has a haptic trackpad that I found much easier to use. The keyboard could have been bigger, leaving a gap left and right, but the spacing of the keys is good for avoiding accidental keystroke overlaps.
In the top right corner of the keyboard is the fingerprint reader, which is about 1.2cm square, with at least 1cm square being the sensor area. For those who don’t like those, the 4K webcam is Windows Hello compatible, enabling it to recognise you visually.
So you may be wondering what’s not so good with the X9-14. There is only one significant annoyance: the lack of ports.
Previously, I gave the Dell 14 Pro Premium a hard time because it only had four ports, but Lenovo went one better in this design, with only three, if you exclude the audio jack.
On the left is an HDMI port for an external display and a single Thunderbolt 4 port, and on the right is another Thunderbolt port and the audio jack.
While the transition away from USB-A to USB-C is well underway, not including any USB-A appears to be forcing the switch with unnecessary haste.
The lack of ports effectively mandates the need for a docking station here, unless you never plug anything into your laptop. The only mitigation to this is that the X9-14 only needs 65W of charging power, so an expensive dock isn’t required, and a cheaper Thunderbolt hub should work fine.
Overall, with the exception of the poor port selection, the X9-14 is a well-made and effective design.
Lenovo ThinkPad X9-14 Aura Edition: Hardware
- Intel Core Ultra 200 series CPU
- One upgrade
- OLED display
- 4K camera
For many years, Intel has led the world with its Core series processors, with ever-increasing core counts and the multiplier impact of hyperthreading.
Then, Intel engineers presumably realised that path was taking its silicon in the wrong direction, especially with respect to power efficiency.
Initially, it tried the method that most phone SoCs use by creating performance and efficiency cores, and when it launched the Ultra series, it did away with hyperthreading.
The 200 series is the second incarnation of that direction change, and the Intel Core Ultra 7 258V vPro in our review X9-14 has only eight cores, four each of performance and LP (low power) efficiency.
Since Intel offered mobile CPUs with twenty-thread processing a couple of years back, this seems a dramatic step backward.
However, these new chips provide exceptional power efficiency, enabling them to easily provide a working day of use without the need for a recharge. Conversely, they’re not good at multitasking, and power users might find they lack the performance needed for the most demanding tasks.
Inside the X9-14 is a replay of what I experienced with the Dell 14 Pro Premium, where the memory is surface-mounted, and the only storage option is a single M.2 2230 SSD.
Therefore, if you want 32GB of RAM, you need to purchase that pre-installed because you can’t order 16GB and then increase the memory later.
The 2230 NVMe is also a limitation, although you will need a USB-C caddy handy if you want to clone an existing system to a larger drive, since there is only one slot.
At least Lenovo does offer this machine with a 2TB drive in this form factor, which is the largest capacity you can typically get on 2230 M.2.
Given that this is the second laptop using this Intel platform that has these limits, I’m inclined to blame Intel for these choices. Quite why Intel gave the 200 series such an excellent PCIe lane selection that is massively underutilised in most laptops is a mystery. But at least these might get some use on Mini PCs that use this platform eventually.
What’s great about this design is that it has two features missing from some branded Ultra designs: the OLED display and an 8MP camera.
As I’m sure you are aware, OLED technology provides some of the best colour representation, and the 14” 2.8K (2880 x 1800) on this one delivers HDR 600 level blacks and up to 500 brightness, according to Lenovo. It also has an Anti-Reflection/Anti-Smudge coating on this panel, which is most useful for those who use the touch functionality.
Some of the cheaper models in this series have a 1080p IPS display, but the OLED option is definitely worth the extra expense if your budget will stretch to it.
The screen is a notch above the norm, and so is the webcam.
While the majority of conferencing is done at lower resolutions, the ability of the camera to deliver up to 4K streaming and 8K image capture elevates it to an entirely new level. These capabilities could be especially useful for those demonstrating products, as it avoids the necessity of attaching an external camera.
But be mindful that if you didn’t get a full quota of beauty sleep, the 4K mode won’t spare you much if used in conferencing mode.
I should mention that this camera also uses Infrared for Windows Hello identification, but it lacks a physical privacy shutter. If you don’t trust the software shutter, some tape may be required.
Lenovo ThinkPad X9-14 Aura Edition: Performance
|
Laptops |
Header Cell – Column 1 |
Lenovo ThinkPad X9-14 Aura Edition |
Dell Pro 14 Premium |
|---|---|---|---|
|
CPU |
Row 0 – Cell 1 |
Intel Core Ultra 7 258V |
Intel Core Ultra 7 268V |
|
Cores/Threads |
Row 1 – Cell 1 |
8C 8T |
8C 8T |
|
TPD |
Row 2 – Cell 1 |
8W-17W |
17W-37W |
|
RAM |
Row 3 – Cell 1 |
32GB LPDDR5X |
32GB LPDDR5X |
|
SSD |
Row 4 – Cell 1 |
1TB WD SN740 |
1TB PVC10 SK Hynix |
|
Graphics |
Row 5 – Cell 1 |
Intel Arc 140V GPU |
Intel Arc 140V GPU |
|
NPU |
Row 6 – Cell 1 |
Intel NPU (47 TOPS) |
Intel NPU (48 TOPS) |
|
3DMark |
WildLife |
27,146 |
20,738 |
| Row 8 – Cell 0 |
FireStrike |
9170 |
9375 |
| Row 9 – Cell 0 |
TimeSpy |
4104 |
4335 |
| Row 10 – Cell 0 |
Steel Nomad.L |
3250 |
2899 |
|
CineBench23 |
Single |
1846 |
1831 |
| Row 12 – Cell 0 |
Multi |
9017 |
9567 |
| Row 13 – Cell 0 |
Ratio |
4.88 |
5.23 |
|
CineBench24 |
Single |
117 |
125 |
| Row 15 – Cell 0 |
Multi |
564 |
665 |
| Row 16 – Cell 0 |
Ratio |
4.82 |
5.31 |
|
GeekBench 6 |
Single |
2639 |
2531 |
| Row 18 – Cell 0 |
Multi |
10607 |
11143 |
| Row 19 – Cell 0 |
OpenCL |
29415 |
30382 |
| Row 20 – Cell 0 |
Vulkan |
35136 |
34370 |
|
CrystalDIsk |
Read MB/s |
5277 |
6569 |
| Row 22 – Cell 0 |
Write MB/s |
4944 |
5844 |
|
PCMark 10 |
Office |
7139 |
7232 |
| Row 24 – Cell 0 |
Battery |
16h 10m |
21h 23m |
|
Battery |
Whr |
55 |
60 |
|
WEI |
Score |
8.8 |
8.8 |
The obvious candidate to pitch the X9-14 against is the recently reviewed Dell Pro 14 Premium, which also uses a similar 200 series CPU/GPU. These machines compete in the same ultra-laptop business space, even if the pricing isn’t incredibly close.
The first detail is that the X9-14 uses a slightly lower specification processor, the Intel Core Ultra 7 258V, and not the Intel Core Ultra 7 268V on the Dell.
The faster Intel Core Ultra 7 268V is an option on the X9-14, but it wasn’t installed on the review hardware Lenovo sent over.
The differences between these two Luna Lake generation processors are that the Intel Core Ultra 7 258V has a 200 MHz slower clock turbo boost, 4.8 GHz versus 5 GHz, the Arc Graphics core is clocked 50 MHz slower, 1.95 GHz versus 2.0 GHz, and the AI is only rated at 47 TOPS, not 48. In short, paying much more for the Core Ultra 7 268V would seem silly.
Overall, the Core Ultra 7 268V on the Dell does beat the Core Ultra 7 258V on the X9-14 by a small margin in many tests, but the difference is typically less than 5%.
However, this caused some brow furrowing, and there are some results where the X14-9 performed better, especially in the graphical tests.
Of these, the one I mistrusted most was the 3Dmark Wildlife test, which appeared to infer that the X9-14 was nearly 31% quicker than the Pro 14 Premium. This outcome seemed so odd that I reran these benchmarks on both machines, but the result was the same.
I also find it fascinating that the Steel Nomad Lite test was also in favour of the lower specified machine, suggesting that Lenovo had set something on the Arc Graphics that Dell missed in its configuration. I have no definitive answer to why the Lenovo machine is faster at solving graphics problems. It just is.
Dell wins out in these results mostly in its battery life, where it managed to operate for another 5 hours and 13 minutes longer. However, it has a larger battery, so the extra running time is undoubtedly a combination of the bigger battery and the lower power consumption of its IPS display compared to the OLED used on the X9-14.
If you want the longest possible running time on a battery, then Dell has the edge, but Lenovo does offer at least two working days of power, which is beyond decent.
Looking at these results overall, Dell clearly went for power efficiency for its build, whereas Lenovo made a slightly more performance-oriented laptop that sacrificed some battery life to deliver a better user experience.
Neither path is definitive; it all depends on how you envision using a laptop.
At this price point, the performance of this hardware is acceptable.
Lenovo ThinkPad X9-14 Aura Edition: Final verdict
Those who read my review of the Dell Pro 14 Premium might have realised that I liked the X9-14 much more than that machine for several critical reasons, even if they share the same underlying architecture.
Despite the omission of the red control thingy that was a ThinkPad icon, the X9-14 delivers on most of the other signature features for which this brand is known. It’s robustly made, simple, and direct to use. It has an excellent trackpad and keyboard, and the screen is ideal for working on detailed documents.
While the battery life doesn’t match some competitors that use a larger battery, it still has more than enough running time for most business people, even if the working day extends into the night. Trading battery life for performance makes the machine more suitable for creatives and enhances the user experience.
I still think the whole AI PC concept is missing a killer use. However, Intel and Microsoft somehow convinced all the laptop makers to jump on board this bandwagon until we all accepted that locally processed AI models would never compete with cloud-based ones.
What Lenovo managed to create with the Lenovo ThinkPad X9-14 Aura Edition is a solid solution that delivers Windows 11 Pro in a form that most employees won’t destroy immediately and at a price that won’t bankrupt the companies buying it.
So far in 2025, this is one of the better laptops I’ve encountered and one I’d happily use daily.
Should you buy a Lenovo ThinkPad X9-14?
|
Value |
A reasonable price for a high-specification system |
4 / 5 |
|
Design |
Solid construction and elegant styling, but limited ports |
4 / 5 |
|
Hardware |
200 series CPU, DDR5 and ARC GPU make for power efficiency, and storage can be upgraded. |
4 / 5 |
|
Performance |
The same weaknesses as all 200 series, but decent graphics power and battery life |
4 / 5 |
|
Overall |
A good 14-inch laptop, though you need to buy a dock with it |
4 / 5 |
Buy it if…
Don’t buy it if…
For more options, we reviewed the best Dell laptops.
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