Lenovo ThinkPad X9 Aura Edition ZDNET's key takeaways Lenovo's first-edition ThinkPad X9 Aura Edition 14-inch is available now, starting at $1,239 for the lowest-tier configuration.
It's an experimental evolution of the ThinkPad line, exchanging some of the most defining features for a new sleek form factor and bold design.
The entry configuration only comes with 256GB of storage, which is not sufficient for a laptop in this price range. View now at Amazon
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When I first saw Lenovo's ThinkPad X9 Aura Edition at CES in January of 2025, I praised its bold design elements -- a striking departure from the norms of the ThinkPad line. There's no TrackPoint, a noticeable lack of I/O, and a minimalist trackpad that looks nothing like the X1 Carbon -- its (significantly more expensive) older sibling.
Now that I've been using it for months now, it has become one of my favorite laptops of the year, thanks to its versatility, brilliant display, and fantastic battery life. In a sense, the X9 Aura Edition is a ThinkPad that has evolved into a new form, retaining some of what we love about the iconic lineup while also elaborating on a new vision.
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But I should also mention that there is some friction here. First, if you're a ThinkPad enthusiast, it's easy to feel like Lenovo is abandoning the line's core features, but the X9 Aura Edition seems to be more of an experiment than a sweeping redefinition of the flagship family.
There's an obvious resemblance to the MacBook, and the Aura Edition features are definitely engineered to speak to the Apple user (or refugee). I've covered them extensively since the tap-to-share functionality spurred hordes of participants to slam their smartphones against the first Aura Edition laptops last year, and they're all still here, but more like bonus features rather than flagship headliners.
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