Apple - MacBook Air 13 M4 vs Lenovo - ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 13
Between the MacBook Air 13 M4 and ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 13, the MacBook Air 13 M4 comes out ahead in cpu cores, while the ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 13 wins on storage and ram. Overall, the MacBook Air 13 M4 scores 52.8 and the ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 13 scores 60 on our Mars Score.
Which should you buy?
The ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 13 edges ahead on the Mars Score (52.8 vs 60), but the 7.2-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 you care most about cpu cores. The biggest gaps in its favor are cpu cores.
Pick the ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 13 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 claimed battery life, thunderbolt ports, backlit keyboard, so those specs don't separate the two — focus on the differences below.
Bottom line: the ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 13 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
- ▲CPU cores — 25.00% more. 10 vs 8.
Why Lenovo - ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 13 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 — 7.55% more. 57 Wh vs 53 Wh.
- ▲Screen size — 2.94% more. 14 " vs 13.6 ".
- ▲Panel type: OLED (vs IPS).
- ▲Weight — 0.26 kg less. 0.98 vs 1.24.
Spec comparison
Design
| Spec | Apple - MacBook Air 13 M4 | Lenovo - ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 13 |
|---|---|---|
| Weight | 1.24 kg | 0.98 kglead |
| Thickness | 11.3 mmlead | 14.4 mm |
| Build material | aluminum | carbon-fiber |
| Backlit keyboard | true | true |
| Fingerprint reader | true | true |
Display
| Spec | Apple - MacBook Air 13 M4 | Lenovo - ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 13 |
|---|---|---|
| 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 X1 Carbon Gen 13 |
|---|---|---|
| CPU | Apple M4 | Intel Core Ultra 7 268V |
| CPU cores | 10lead | 8 |
| GPUⓘ | Apple M4 10-core GPU | Intel Arc 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 X1 Carbon Gen 13 |
|---|---|---|
| Batteryⓘ | 53 Wh | 57 Whlead |
| Claimed battery life | 18 h | 18 h |
| USB-C ports | 2 | 2 |
| Thunderbolt portsⓘ | 2 | 2 |
| HDMI | false | truelead |
Frequently asked
Which has better battery life, MacBook Air 13 M4 or ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 13?+
ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 13 claims up to 18 hours — 18h vs 18h.
Which is lighter, MacBook Air 13 M4 or ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 13?+
ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 13 is lighter at 0.98 kg vs 1.24 kg.
Which has more RAM, MacBook Air 13 M4 or ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 13?+
ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 13 offers 32GB of RAM.
Which has an OLED display, MacBook Air 13 M4 or ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 13?+
ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 13 has an OLED display; MacBook Air 13 M4 uses IPS.
Spec-level deep dives
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