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Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 9 · Lenovo PSREF exact model; original-pixel crop excludes detached Intel badge; maker's Dolby Vision mark remains on the screen

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 9
Photo 1 of 17

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 9 · Lenovo PSREF exact model; original-pixel crop excludes detached Intel badge; maker's Dolby Vision mark remains on the screen

Lenovo · ThinkPad X1

ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 9

Released 2021

A 14-inch business laptop with a 16:10 screen, 11th-generation Intel processors and two Thunderbolt 4 ports.

Size
14″
Display
IPS LCD
Processor
Intel Core i7
Memory
16 GB
Weight
1.133 kg
Battery
21.3 h

What reviewers say

Reviewers praise the light, sturdy body, taller display and useful ports, but criticise the webcam. Laptop Mag loves the keyboard; Notebookcheck finds it worse than earlier Carbons. Both find strong FHD+ endurance, with different test results, while Notebookcheck's UHD+ model lasts less time. Speakers improve, and soldered memory still limits upgrades.

From laptopmag.com, notebookcheck.net and notebookcheck.net

Specifications

Report a wrong or missing spec

Display

Screen size
14″
Resolution
1920 × 1200
Panel
IPS LCD
Brightness
400 nits
Touchscreen
No
Display type
Listed low-power 400-nit WUXGA IPS display; touch version also available, plus 500-nit touch Privacy Guard WUXGA or 500-nit 3840 × 2400 WQUXGA IPS with DisplayHDR 400
Colour range
WUXGA options 100% sRGB; WQUXGA 100% DCI-P3
Screen finish
Anti-glare on WUXGA; glossy on WQUXGA

Performance

Processor
Intel Core i7-1165G7
CPU cores
4
CPU threads
8
Graphics
Intel Iris Xe Graphics
Memory
16 GB
Storage
512 GB
CPU
11th-generation Core i5-1135G7/i5-1145G7/i7-1165G7/i7-1185G7; listed i7-1165G7, 16 GB RAM, 512 GB SSD and non-touch FHD+ configuration is the exact unit tested by Laptop Mag
GPU
Integrated Intel Iris Xe Graphics
Memory type
8, 16 or 32 GB soldered LPDDR4x-4266; no memory sockets
Storage type
One replaceable M.2 2280 SSD; PCIe 4.0 ×4 slot with PCIe NVMe or PCIe 4.0 performance drive options; maker capacity up to 2 TB

Battery and size

Battery life (maker's claim)
Up to 21.3 hours
Battery capacity
57 Wh
Weight
1.133 kg
Thickness
14.9 mm
Width × depth
315 × 221.6 mm
Battery life detail
Integrated 57 Wh lithium-polymer battery; maker maximum 21.3 hours MobileMark 2014, 16.7 hours MobileMark 2018 or 26 hours JEITA 2.0; headline 1.133 kg is maker starting weight, configuration-dependent
Charger
45 W or 65 W USB-C adapter; country and configuration dependent
Fast charging
Up to 80% in one hour with a 65 W adapter
Materials
Carbon-fibre lid and magnesium-alloy bottom
Colours
Black paint or black weave finish

Connections

Ports
2 × USB-A, 2 × Thunderbolt 4, HDMI, headphone jack
Wi-Fi
Intel Wi-Fi 6 AX201, 2×2 802.11ax
Bluetooth
Bluetooth 5.1 in maker PSREF; hardware ready for 5.2 subject to operating-system limits
Webcam
720p or combined IR and 720p, both with privacy shutter
Operating system
Windows
Port detail
Two USB-A 3.2 Gen 1 ports, one always-on; two Thunderbolt 4/USB4 40 Gbit/s USB-C ports with Power Delivery 3.0 and DisplayPort 1.4a; HDMI 2.0 and combo audio; optional nano-SIM for WWAN models
External displays
Native screen plus three external displays; Thunderbolt up to 5K at 60 Hz and HDMI up to 4K at 60 Hz
Keyboard
Six-row spill-resistant backlit keyboard
Trackpad
Glass multi-touch touchpad and TrackPoint
Speakers
Two 2 W woofers and two 0.8 W tweeters with Dolby Atmos
Microphones
Four-microphone array with 360-degree far-field pickup and Dolby Voice
Biometrics
Match-on-chip fingerprint reader integrated into power button; discrete TPM 2.0; optional IR camera and human-presence detection

Configurations

ProcessorMemoryStorage
Intel Core i7-1165G716 GB512 GB

Pros and cons

Pros

  • Two Thunderbolt 4 ports alongside USB-A and HDMI
  • Low-power WUXGA and optional UHD+ displays
  • Four speakers and a four-microphone array

Cons

  • Memory cannot be upgraded
  • No card reader
  • No onboard Ethernet

Closest rivals

Model
SizeDisplayProcessorMemoryWeightBatteryReleased
AcerSwift Go 14 AI (SFG14-I71)
14″OLED, 60 HzIntel Core Ultra 5, 7 or 916 GB – 32 GB1.12 kg22 hMar 2026
AcerSwift Air 14 (SFA14-I31)
14″IPS LCD, 120 HzIntel Core 5 or 78 GB – 12 GB1.19 kg21 hJul 2026
ASUSZenbook 14 (UX3480) Intel
14″OLED, 60 HzIntel Core Ultra 5, 7 or 916 GB1.2 kg29 hJun 2026

Sources

  1. psref.lenovo.com/syspool/Sys/PDF/ThinkPad/ThinkPad_X1_Carbon_Gen_9/ThinkPad_X1_…
  2. news.lenovo.com/pressroom/press-releases/thinnest-thinkpad-ever-x1-titanium-yog…
  3. notebookcheck.net/The-X1-Carbon-Gen-9-has-arrived-Lenovo-ThinkPad-flagship-with…
  4. laptopmag.com/reviews/lenovo-thinkpad-x1-carbon-gen-9
  5. notebookcheck.net/Lenovo-ThinkPad-X1-Carbon-Gen-9-Laptop-Review-Big-16-10-upgra…
  6. notebookcheck.net/Lenovo-ThinkPad-X1-Carbon-Gen-9-Review-Longer-battery-runtime…

Photo: Lenovo PSREF exact model; original-pixel crop excludes detached Intel badge; maker's Dolby Vision mark remains on the screen

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