Lenovo ThinkPad X9-14 G1 Gris tonnerre 2025

At 1.21kg, this is one of the lightest 14-inch business laptops we've seen, landing in the 87th percentile for compactness. The OLED screen is bright and punchy, and the 16GB of fast RAM keeps things moving. Just know that gaming is a lost cause here, and the 512GB SSD will fill up faster than you'd like.

The Core Ultra 5 226V is a solid performer for everyday productivity, sitting in the 62nd percentile for CPUs. That's not going to set any records, but it handles Office apps, video calls, and dozens of browser tabs without breaking a sweat. The 16GB of LPDDR5x running at 8533MT/s is a standout, giving the system snappy responsiveness that you'll notice when multitasking. The NPU is the real wildcard here, with up to 48 TOPS of AI performance that can accelerate certain workloads, though most users will just feel it as smoother video calls and faster local searches.

Graphics are where things get interesting. The integrated Intel Arc 130V lands in the 65th percentile, which is actually above average for an ultraportable without a discrete GPU. You can do light photo editing and maybe some very casual gaming at low settings, but our gaming score of 21.6 out of 100 tells the real story. This is not a gaming laptop. The 512GB SSD is adequate but unremarkable, sitting at the 55th percentile. You'll want to lean on cloud storage or that Thunderbolt port for an external drive if you keep a lot of files local.

Stacked against the competition, the ThinkPad X9-14 G1 carves out a niche. The ASUS ROG Zephyrus G14 will run circles around it in gaming and creative work with its discrete GPU, but it's heavier and pricier. The Apple MacBook Pro M5 Pro offers a better screen, longer battery life, and a much faster CPU, though you'll pay more and give up the USB-A ports. The Samsung Galaxy Book5 Pro is a closer rival in weight and screen quality, often with a higher-res panel. Where the ThinkPad wins is pure portability and that classic keyboard feel, but it sacrifices raw power and storage space to get there. If you don't need the ThinkPad durability and port selection, the Samsung is a strong alternative.

Pricing on this model is all over the map, with a spread of over $37,000 across vendors. That's not a typo. The realistic range seems to start around $999, which is competitive for a business laptop with an OLED panel and this build quality. At that price, you're getting a lot of portability and a premium screen. But if you're seeing quotes closer to the high end, walk away. For the money, you could grab a MacBook Pro or a Zephyrus G14 with a real GPU. Shop carefully and don't overpay for the Aura Edition branding.

The Lenovo ThinkPad X9-14 G1 lands in the 87th percentile for compactness, and at 1.21kg it's one of the easiest 14-inch laptops to toss in a bag. That's the headline here. It's a business machine built for people who move around a lot, pairing a solid port selection with a bright 400-nit OLED display. The Core Ultra 5 226V and 16GB of fast LPDDR5x memory keep things snappy for office work, though the integrated Arc graphics mean you won't be doing any serious gaming on this thing. Our database puts its gaming chops in the bottom quarter, so keep your expectations grounded.

Build quality is classic ThinkPad, with an aluminum chassis that feels premium without being flashy. The 1920x1200 OLED panel is a nice touch at this size, giving you deep blacks and good color for spreadsheets and streaming. Storage is a bit of a letdown at 512GB, landing right in the middle of the pack. But for the target audience of students and business users, the combination of Wi-Fi 7, Thunderbolt, and that sub-2.7-pound weight makes a strong case. Just don't expect it to replace a workstation or a gaming rig.

Gamers and creative pros should look elsewhere. The integrated Arc graphics put this machine in the bottom quarter for gaming, and the 60Hz OLED panel won't do you any favors in fast-paced titles. If you're editing 4K video or working with large 3D files, the middle-of-the-pack CPU and limited storage will frustrate you. This is a productivity machine, not a portable workstation. Anyone who needs a discrete GPU or more than 512GB of local storage should check out the ASUS Zephyrus G14 or a MacBook Pro instead.

The ThinkPad X9-14 G1 is a purpose-built machine for road warriors who value weight and build quality above all else. It's not the fastest, it's not the best for media creation, and the storage is tight. But if you're a business user or student who lives in Excel, email, and web apps, the combination of a 1.21kg body, an OLED screen, and a great keyboard is hard to beat. Just make sure you're paying a sane price for it. At around a grand, it's a smart buy. At anything approaching four figures beyond that, it's a hard pass.