- ThinkPad X9 “White Moonlight” Edition’s Lunar Lake chips bring raw power, yet discrete GPU lovers are left in the cold
- Lenovo also removes red TrackPoint and physical buttons, erasing decades of ThinkPad identity
- Four ports on a premium laptop also feels like a design choice made without real users in mind
Lenovo has unveiled a new variant of its flagship ThinkPad business laptop range but has deviated from the black, boxy, and functional design principles which have sustained it for over three decades.
The new Lenovo ThinkPad X9 Aura “White Moonlight” Edition eliminates the iconic red TrackPoint and the physical touchpad buttons – in their place, this device offers a sleek white slab with only four ports.
The lack of a discrete GPU and premium price tag, starting around $1810, also make it a niche option rather than a broadly recommended pick.
Design and portability trade-offs
At just 1.4 kg and a svelte 6.8mm thick, the 14-inch model targets users who value extreme portability, and is one of the lightest laptop options Lenovo has ever produced.
It comes with Intel’s new Core Ultra chips based on the Lunar Lake platform (Core Ultra 7258V and Core Ultra 9 288V processors) and integrated Arc Xe2 graphics.
Combined with 32GB of LPDDR5x RAM and up to 2TB of PCIe-NVMe SSD storage, it can easily handle demanding business or creative tasks.
On paper, it checks off many of the features expected of a top business-focused device, as its 2.8K OLED display with HDR, 120Hz refresh rate, and 1ms response time should appeal to professionals who need clarity and speed.
Its on-device AI acceleration, up to 48 TOPS, is another nod toward the engineering and creative crowd, making it a contender for the best laptop for engineering students’ needs as well.
Yet, practicality suffers because the drastic slimming down comes at a cost. With only two Thunderbolt 4 ports, an HDMI 2.1 port, and a 3.5mm headphone jack, users who rely on multiple external devices like USB-A devices, SD cards, and Ethernet may find the connectivity underwhelming.
At least it supports the latest wireless connectivity options, Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4.
The biggest sticking point, however, remains the design’s ideological shift – this machine feels less like a continuation of the ThinkPad ethos and more like a clean break.
The white finish and minimalist profile may attract new users, but long-time fans will wonder whether the brand has abandoned the very features that once made it iconic.
Via Videocardz
