Apple - MacBook Air 13 M4 vs Lenovo - ThinkPad X9 14 Gen 1
Between the MacBook Air 13 M4 and ThinkPad X9 14 Gen 1, the MacBook Air 13 M4 comes out ahead in claimed battery life and cpu cores, while the ThinkPad X9 14 Gen 1 wins on storage and ram. Overall, the MacBook Air 13 M4 scores 52.8 and the ThinkPad X9 14 Gen 1 scores 59.4 on our Mars Score.
Which should you buy?
The ThinkPad X9 14 Gen 1 edges ahead on the Mars Score (52.8 vs 59.4), but the 6.6-point gap is small enough that the right pick comes down to which spec advantages matter to you.
Pick the MacBook Air 13 M4 if your top frustration with your current device is running out of charge before the day ends — endurance is the lead spec here. The biggest gaps in its favor are claimed battery life, cpu cores, weight.
Pick the ThinkPad X9 14 Gen 1 if the display is what you stare at all day — refresh rate, brightness, or sharpness is where the difference will be most visible. Its strongest claims are storage, ram, refresh rate, among others.
Both ship with comparable thunderbolt ports, backlit keyboard, so those specs don't separate the two — focus on the differences below.
Bottom line: the ThinkPad X9 14 Gen 1 is the safer default. The other model is the right choice only when its specific advantages line up with your priorities.
Why Apple - MacBook Air 13 M4 wins
- ▲Claimed battery life — 28.57% more. 18 h vs 14 h.
- ▲CPU cores — 25.00% more. 10 vs 8.
- ▲Weight — 0.03 kg less. 1.24 vs 1.27.
Why Lenovo - ThinkPad X9 14 Gen 1 wins
- ▲Storage — 300.00% more. 1024 GB vs 256 GB.
- ▲RAM — 100.00% more. 32 GB vs 16 GB.
- ▲Refresh rate — 100.00% more. 120 Hz vs 60 Hz.
- ▲Battery — 3.77% more. 55 Wh vs 53 Wh.
- ▲Screen size — 2.94% more. 14 " vs 13.6 ".
- ▲Panel type: OLED (vs IPS).
Spec comparison
Design
| Spec | Apple - MacBook Air 13 M4 | Lenovo - ThinkPad X9 14 Gen 1 |
|---|---|---|
| Weight | 1.24 kglead | 1.27 kg |
| Thickness | 11.3 mmlead | 13.8 mm |
| Build material | aluminum | aluminum |
| Backlit keyboard | true | true |
| Fingerprint reader | true | true |
Display
| Spec | Apple - MacBook Air 13 M4 | Lenovo - ThinkPad X9 14 Gen 1 |
|---|---|---|
| Screen sizeⓘ | 13.6 " | 14 "lead |
| Refresh rateⓘ | 60 Hz | 120 Hzlead |
| Panel typeⓘ | IPS | OLEDlead |
Performance
| Spec | Apple - MacBook Air 13 M4 | Lenovo - ThinkPad X9 14 Gen 1 |
|---|---|---|
| CPU | Apple M4 | Intel Core Ultra 7 268V |
| CPU cores | 10lead | 8 |
| GPUⓘ | Apple M4 10-core GPU | Intel Arc Graphics 140V |
| RAMⓘ | 16 GB | 32 GBlead |
| Storageⓘ | 256 GB | 1024 GBlead |
| Storage typeⓘ | SSD | SSD |
Battery & Ports
| Spec | Apple - MacBook Air 13 M4 | Lenovo - ThinkPad X9 14 Gen 1 |
|---|---|---|
| Batteryⓘ | 53 Wh | 55 Whlead |
| Claimed battery life | 18 hlead | 14 h |
| USB-C ports | 2 | 2 |
| Thunderbolt portsⓘ | 2 | 2 |
| HDMI | false | false |
Frequently asked
Which has better battery life, MacBook Air 13 M4 or ThinkPad X9 14 Gen 1?+
MacBook Air 13 M4 claims up to 18 hours — 18h vs 14h.
Which is lighter, MacBook Air 13 M4 or ThinkPad X9 14 Gen 1?+
MacBook Air 13 M4 is lighter at 1.24 kg vs 1.27 kg.
Which has more RAM, MacBook Air 13 M4 or ThinkPad X9 14 Gen 1?+
ThinkPad X9 14 Gen 1 offers 32GB of RAM.
Which has an OLED display, MacBook Air 13 M4 or ThinkPad X9 14 Gen 1?+
ThinkPad X9 14 Gen 1 has an OLED display; MacBook Air 13 M4 uses IPS.
Spec-level deep dives
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