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- Table of Contents
- Top
- Main Differences
- Design
- Display
- Interface
- Connectivity
- Configuration
- Performance
- Additional Features And Software
- Comments
Lenovo ThinkPad X9 15 Aura Edition (2025) vs Apple MacBook Air 15 (M4, 2025)
Side-by-Side Comparison
Products
Lenovo ThinkPad X9 15 Aura Edition (2025)
Apple MacBook Air 15 (M4, 2025)
Tested using Methodology v0.8.3
Updated May 02, 2025 02:48 PM
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Amazon.comTested using Methodology v0.8.3
Updated May 02, 2025 03:05 PM
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Amazon.com
Size15.3"
Operating SystemWindows 11
Size15.3"
Operating SystemmacOS
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 Air 15 (MW1L3LL/A) (Midnight - M4 (10-core CPU/10-core GPU)/16GB/256GB)
- MacBook Air 15 (MW1M3LL/A) (Midnight - M4 (10-core CPU/10-core GPU)/16GB/512GB)
- MacBook Air 15 (MC6L4LL/A) (Midnight - M4 (10-core CPU/10-core GPU)/24GB/512GB)
- MacBook Air 15 (MW1G3LL/A) (Silver - M4 (10-core CPU/10-core GPU)/16GB/256GB)
- MacBook Air 15 (MW1H3LL/A) (Silver - M4 (10-core CPU/10-core GPU)/16GB/512GB)
- MacBook Air 15 (MC6J4LL/A) (Silver - M4 (10-core CPU/10-core GPU)/24GB/512GB)
- MacBook Air 15 (MC7A4LL/A) (Sky Blue - M4 (10-core CPU/10-core GPU)/16GB/256GB)
- MacBook Air 15 (MC7C4LL/A) (Sky Blue - M4 (10-core CPU/10-core GPU)/16GB/512GB)
- MacBook Air 15 (MC7D4LL/A) (Sky Blue - M4 (10-core CPU/10-core GPU)/24GB/512GB)
- MacBook Air 15 (MW1J3LL/A) (Starlight - M4 (10-core CPU/10-core GPU)/16GB/256GB)
- MacBook Air 15 (MW1K3LL/A) (Starlight - M4 (10-core CPU/10-core GPU)/16GB/512GB)
- MacBook Air 15 (MC6K4LL/A) (Starlight - M4 (10-core CPU/10-core GPU)/24GB/512GB)
Our Verdict
Lenovo ThinkPad X9 15 Aura Edition (2025)
Apple MacBook Air 15 (M4, 2025)
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.
Main Differences forSchool
School
Threshold
School
9.0
8.7
Battery
9.6
8.8
Ports
8.0
5.0
Full Comparison
Design
Style
Style Photo
Form Factor
Traditional (Clamshell)
Traditional (Clamshell)
Build Quality
9.5
9.5
Build Quality Photo
Hinge
9.4
9.1
Hinge Photo
Range
177°
135°
Stability
Good
Good
One Finger Lift
Yes
Yes
Portability
8.7
8.7
Dimensions Photo
Size
15.3"
15.3"
Thickness
0.7" (1.7 cm)
0.6" (1.4 cm)
Width
13.4" (34.1 cm)
13.4" (34.0 cm)
Depth
9.3" (23.5 cm)
9.3" (23.7 cm)
Volume
83.1 in³ (1,362.3 cm³)
68.8 in³ (1,128.1 cm³)
Weight
3.1 lbs (1.4 kg)
3.3 lbs (1.5 kg)
Charger Size
5.5 in³ (90.0 cm³)
4.2 in³ (68.6 cm³)
Charger Weight
0.4 lbs (0.2 kg)
0.4 lbs (0.2 kg)
Serviceability
6.5
3.5
Internals Photo
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
Display
Screen Specs
Display Photo
Resolution
2880 x 1800
2880 x 1864
Aspect Ratio
16:10
16:10
Pixel Density
221 PPI
224 PPI
Panel Type
OLED
IPS
Touch Screen
Yes
No
Screen-To-Body Ratio
91%
87%
Refresh Rate
8.7
5.9
Motion Blur
Refresh Rate
120 Hz
60 Hz
Variable Refresh Rate
Dynamic Refresh Rate
No
Contrast
10
7.4
Contrast Photo
Native Contrast
32,997 : 1
1,348 : 1
Brightness
8.5
8.4
Maximum Brightness
469 cd/m²
448 cd/m²
Minimum Brightness
1 cd/m²
2 cd/m²
Reflections
7.7
9.0
Reflections Photo Off
Reflections Photo Max
Screen Finish
Glossy
Glossy
Total Reflections
3.77%
1.61%
Indirect Reflections
0.89%
0.29%
Calculated Direct Reflections
2.88%
1.31%
Black Uniformity
10
7.7
Black Uniformity Photo
Uniformity (Std. Dev.)
0.251%
0.924%
Out-Of-The-Box Color Accuracy
7.1
9.9
White Balance Screencap
Gamma Curve Screencap
Color Screencap
Avg. White Balance dE
2.39
1.51
Avg. Gamma
2.26
2.23
Avg. Color dE
4.38
0.95
Avg. Color Temperature
6,396.5 K
6,755 K
Color Gamut
9.6
9.4
Gamut SDR
sRGB xy
148.29%
99.99%
sRGB uv
142.95%
99.98%
Adobe RGB xy
92.55%
87.86%
Adobe RGB uv
97.1%
93.21%
Gamut HDR
DCI P3 xy
99.99%
99.47%
DCI P3 uv
99.99%
99.5%
Rec. 2020 xy
78.33%
72.17%
Rec. 2020 uv
82.53%
73.79%
Flicker
7.2
9.0
Flicker Graph
Flicker-Free
No
No
Flicker Frequency
480 Hz
> 1000Hz
Flicker Active Below
100%
100%
Interface
Keyboard
8.5
8.0
Keyboard Photo
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
37 gf
Pre-Travel
1.05 mm
0.80 mm
Total Travel
1.39 mm
0.90 mm
Touchpad
9.3
9.6
Touchpad Photo
Tracking Quality
9.5
9.5
Size
16.7 in² (108.0 cm²)
21.4 in² (138.0 cm²)
Material
Glass
Glass
Dedicated Buttons
No
No
Speakers
8.1
8.6
Frequency Response Plot
Max Volume
81 dB SPL
77 dB SPL
Standard Error @ Normal Vol. (65 dB)
5.9 dB
4.4 dB
Slope @ Normal Vol. (65 dB)
1.9
1.8
Bass Extension (Low-Frequency Ext.)
143 Hz
138 Hz
Treble Extension (High-Frequency Ext.)
17 kHz
16 kHz
Dynamic Range Compression @ Max Vol.
5.4 dB
1.7 dB
Webcam & Microphone
8.7
8.7
Webcam Video Sample
Video Quality
9.0
9.0
Resolution
1440p
1080p
Position
Top Center
Top Center
Privacy Cover
No
No
Face Unlock
Yes
No
Connectivity
Ports
8.0
5.0
Ports Photo
USB-A Ports
1
0
USB-C Ports
2
2
Thunderbolt
Thunderbolt 4
Thunderbolt 4
USB-C Charging
Yes
Yes
USB-C Display Out
Yes
Yes
HDMI
2.0
No
DisplayPort
No
No
3.5mm Jack
Combo mic/headphone
Combo mic/headphone
Card Reader
No
No
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
M4
Core Count
8
10
Thread Count
8
10
GPU
Brand
Intel
Apple
Model
Arc 140V GPU
M4
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
7,500 MHz
Storage
Advertised Capacity
1,000 GB
256 GB
Usable Capacity
930 GB
211 GB
Drive 1
SK Hynix HFS001TEM4X169N
Apple SSD AP0256Z
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
9.5
Geekbench Image
CPU Single-Thread
2,032 points
2,638 points
CPU Multi-Thread
9,729 points
12,987 points
GPU Compute
29,320 points
40,460 points
Cinebench R23 (CPU Rendering)
9.7
9.9
Cinebench R23 Photo
Single-Thread
1,948 points
2,175 points
Multi-Thread
9,440 points
12,004 points
Blender (3D Rendering)
7.8
9.2
Blender Image
CPU Render Time
4.3 min
3.0 min
GPU Render Time
N/A
0.5 min
GPU Render Time (Optix)
N/A
N/A
Basemark GPU (Game Scene)
7.1
7.5
Basemark Image
Overall Score
40,254
46,774
Storage Drive Performance
9.5
9.3
Storage Performance Image
Sequential Write Speed
1,474.6 MB/s
2,802.5 MB/s
Sequential Read Speed
4,402.4 MB/s
3,192.6 MB/s
Random Write Speed
87.2 MB/s
46.5 MB/s
Random Read Speed
63.5 MB/s
62.3 MB/s
Battery
9.6
8.8
Capacity
80 Wh
67 Wh
Battery Life (Web Browsing)
15.2 hrs
11.6 hrs
Battery Life (Video Playback)
18.8 hrs
12.9 hrs
Battery Life (Gaming)
4.2 hrs
3.2 hrs
Charge Time
1.9 hrs
3.0 hrs
Borderlands 3
4.3
4.2
Borderlands 3 Graph
Avg. FPS
32 fps
30 fps
1% Low
16 fps
15 fps
0.1% Low
6 fps
8 fps
1% Low Delta
33 ms
32 ms
0.1% Low Delta
135 ms
94 ms
Avg. FPS On Very Low
73 fps
51 fps
Civilization VI
7.2
6.4
Civilization VI Graph
Avg. FPS
56 fps
43 fps
1% Low
40 fps
29 fps
0.1% Low
38 fps
26 fps
1% Low Delta
7 ms
11 ms
0.1% Low Delta
9 ms
15 ms
Avg. FPS On Minimum
178 fps
80 fps
Avg. Turn Time
7.17 s
6.97 s
Counter-Strike 2
7.0
0.0
CS2 Graph
Avg. FPS
54fps
N/A
1% Low
37fps
N/A
0.1% Low
34fps
N/A
1% Low Delta
8 ms
N/A
0.1% Low Delta
11 ms
N/A
Avg. FPS On Low
137fps
N/A
Shadow Of The Tomb Raider
5.6
5.3
Avg. FPS
43 fps
39 fps
1% Low
27 fps
24 fps
0.1% Low
20 fps
15 fps
1% Low Delta
14 ms
16 ms
0.1% Low Delta
26 ms
41 ms
Avg. FPS On Lowest
56 fps
63 fps
Thermals And Noise
7.4
8.2
Keyboard Temps Picture
Keyboard Temp While Idle
34 °C (92 °F)
25 °C (77 °F)
Keyboard Temp Under Load
45 °C (112 °F)
49 °C (120 °F)
Fan Noise While Idle
25.0 dBA
N/A
Fan Noise Under Load
44.5 dBA
N/A
Power & Fan Control App
Yes
No
Performance Over Time
9.2
7.3
Performance Over Time Graph
CPU Temp (Cinebench)
81 °C
87 °C
CPU Perf. Loss (Cinebench)
4% loss
4% loss
GPU Temp (Heaven)
73 °C
84 °C
GPU Perf. Loss (Heaven)
0% loss
13% 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)
Apple MacBook Air 15 (M4, 2025)
Comments
Lenovo ThinkPad X9 15 Aura Edition (2025) vs Apple MacBook Air 15 (M4, 2025): Main Discussion
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