7.8 / 10
SCORE Lenovo ThinkPad X9 14 Aura Edition $1,337 at Lenovo Pros Thin, sturdy design
Includes OLED display for a great price
Excellent haptic touchpad
Great battery life Cons So-so performance
Keyboard isn't up to ThinkPad standard
Heavier than it looks
Aura Edition stuff is more marketing fluff than anything actually useful
For a laptop line steeped in tradition like the ThinkPad, one that goes back before Lenovo acquired IBM's computer business, the Lenovo ThinkPad X9 14 Aura Edition marks a radical departure. For starters, it lacks a ThinkPad's familiar boxy shape and matte black finish. There's also no red TrackPoint pointing stick in the middle of the keyboard, and the keyboard itself isn't very ThinkPad-like.
Flip it over, and you'll notice a pair of unusual design elements: a grooved bottom cover and what Lenovo calls an Engine Hub, a vented strip that houses the ThinkPad X9 14's cooling fans and ports. This hub protrudes from the bottom panel to optimize thermals while also allowing the rest of the laptop to be impressively thin.
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