ThinkPad X9-15p: Lenovo doubled fans and enlarged battery to fit Panther Lake

The new ThinkPad X9-15p Gen 1 Aura Edition looks nearly identical to its predecessor, the X9-15, but inside it is a completely different laptop. Lenovo engineers had to rework the design to fit a more powerful Intel Panther Lake processor without increasing the chassis footprint.

The main change is the cooling system. Due to higher allowable thermal design power (TDP), the fans have roughly doubled in size and are connected by a wider copper heat pipe. To free up space for this setup, the company altered the motherboard layout: it is now narrower but longer. The battery was also redesigned — capacity grew from 80 to 88 Wh, yet the pack takes up less space thanks to higher energy density.

External cosmetic differences are limited to exposed user-facing speaker grilles and an expanded port selection: an SD card reader and a third Thunderbolt 4 connector have been added. The laptop's form factor and dimensions remain unchanged.

Another internal novelty is the shift to the larger M.2 2280 SSD format instead of the limited 2242 used in the ThinkPad X9-15. This simplifies drive replacement and opens access to higher-capacity models.

The redesign has paid off: the new system is noticeably faster, and battery life is even slightly longer. The only real drawback is a weight increase from 1.4 to 1.53 kg, which seems a fair price for all the upgrades the ThinkPad X9-15p brings.