Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 9 vs. Dell XPS 15 9500: Which is better?

Here is a side by side comparison between Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 9 and Dell XPS 15 9500 specs including CPU, RAM, storage, battery, display, and more.

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 9 Pros

Reasons that Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 9 is better than Dell XPS 15 9500.

Newer manufacturing

2021 vs. 2020

Supports faster memory

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 9 supports a faster memory speed than the Dell XPS 15 9500. It supports up to 4267MHz versus 2933MHz of system memory on the Dell XPS 15 9500.

Memory type and speed
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 9 - LPDDR4X
4,267 MHz
Dell XPS 15 9500 - DDR4
2,933 MHz
About 38% lighter

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 9 weighed 2.49 pounds, 38% lighter than the 4 pounds Dell XPS 15 9500.

WeightLenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 9Dell XPS 15 9500
Pound
2.49 lbs.
4 lbs.
Kilogram
1.13 kg
1.81 kg
Has two more ports and slots

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 9 has more ports and slots count than the Dell XPS 15 9500. It has eight versus six amount of ports and slots on the Dell XPS 15 9500.

PortsLenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 9Dell XPS 15 9500
full-size SD card slotNoYes
HDMIYesNo
headphone jackYesYes
lock slotYesYes
nanoSIM card slotYesNo
Thunderbolt 3NoYes x2
Thunderbolt 4Yes x2No
USB-AYes x2No
USB-CNoYes
Total86

Dell XPS 15 9500 Pros

Reasons that Dell XPS 15 9500 is better than Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 9.

Much faster CPU performance

Intel Core i9-10885H inside Dell XPS 15 9500 has a 51% better multi-core CPU performance score than the Intel Core i7-1180G7 inside Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 9.

Geekbench 5 multi-core score
Dell XPS 15 9500 - Intel Core i7-10875H
6,874
Dell XPS 15 9500 - Intel Core i9-10885H
6,788
Dell XPS 15 9500 - Intel Core i7-10750H
5,412
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 9 - Intel Core i7-1180G7
4,474
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 9 - Intel Core i7-1160G7
4,238
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 9 - Intel Core i5-1130G7
4,079
Dell XPS 15 9500 - Intel Core i5-10300H
3,747
Supports larger memory

Dell XPS 15 9500 supports a larger memory capacity than the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 9. It supports up to 64GB versus 32GB of system memory on the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 9.

Max system memory size
Dell XPS 15 9500
64 GB
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 9
32 GB
Upgradable memory

Dell XPS 15 9500 comes with two SODIMM slots that allow you to replace or upgrade when needed. On the flip side, you can't upgrade RAM on the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 9 since it has onboard memory.

MemoryLenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 9Dell XPS 15 9500
Slots
Onboard
x2
TypeLPDDR4XDDR4
Supports discrete graphics

Configurable up to Nvidia Quadro GTX 1650Ti 4GB GDDR6 vs. integrated

11% larger display

Dell XPS 15 9500 has a 15.6-inch screen size 11% larger than the 14-inch Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 9.

Display size
Dell XPS 15 9500
15.6-inch
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 9
14-inch

Prices

Here are the latest price updates and offers for both devices.

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 9 Price
Lenovo Gen 9 ThinkPad X1 Carbon Laptop with Intel i7-1165G7 Processor, 14" WUXGA 100%sRGB Anti-Glare Display, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD, 2.49lbs, Carbon Fiber, Windows11 Pro, and Three Year Premier Warranty
Lenovo Gen 9 ThinkPad X1 Carbon Laptop with Intel i7-1165G7 Processor, 14" WUXGA 100%sRGB Anti-Glare Display, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD, 2.49lbs, Carbon Fiber, Windows11 Pro, and Three Year Premier Warranty
By Lenovo
$1,129.99
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 9 20XW004QUS -14-inch (1920 x 1200) - Intel Core i5-1135G7 Quad-core (2.40 GHz) - 8 GB RAM - 256 GB SSD - Black - Windows 10 Pro – Intel Iris Xe Graphics (Renewed)
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 9 20XW004QUS -14-inch (1920 x 1200) - Intel Core i5-1135G7 Quad-core (2.40 GHz) - 8 GB RAM - 256 GB SSD - Black - Windows 10 Pro – Intel Iris Xe Graphics (Renewed)
By Lenovo
$499.99
LENOVO ThinkPad X1 Carbon 9th Gen 9 Intel Core i7-1165G7, FHD Non-Touch Screen,16GB RAM, 512GB NVMe SSD, Backlit KYB Fingerprint Reader, Windows Pro
LENOVO ThinkPad X1 Carbon 9th Gen 9 Intel Core i7-1165G7, FHD Non-Touch Screen,16GB RAM, 512GB NVMe SSD, Backlit KYB Fingerprint Reader, Windows Pro
By LENOVO
$1,019.00
Dell XPS 15 9500 Price
Dell XPS 15 9500 15.6 inches FHD i7-10750H 16 512GB SSD GTX 1650 Ti XPS9500-7002SLV-PUS (Renewed)
Dell XPS 15 9500 15.6 inches FHD i7-10750H 16 512GB SSD GTX 1650 Ti XPS9500-7002SLV-PUS (Renewed)
By Dell
$1,098.95
Dell XPS 9500 15.6" FHD Non-Touch Business Laptop, 10th Gen Intel i7-10750H, Windows 11 Pro, 32GB RAM, 1TB SSD, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 Ti, Fingerprint Reader, Backlit Keyboard
Dell XPS 9500 15.6" FHD Non-Touch Business Laptop, 10th Gen Intel i7-10750H, Windows 11 Pro, 32GB RAM, 1TB SSD, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 Ti, Fingerprint Reader, Backlit Keyboard
By Dell
$1,758.00
Dell XPS 15 9500 (Latest Model) 15.6-inch Laptop Intel Core i7-10750H 10th Gen 32GB DDR4 RAM 1TB SSD, 4K UHD+ (3840x2400) 500-NIT Touch NVIDIA Geforce GTX 1650 Ti 4GB GDDR6, Windows 10 PRO (Renewed)
Dell XPS 15 9500 (Latest Model) 15.6-inch Laptop Intel Core i7-10750H 10th Gen 32GB DDR4 RAM 1TB SSD, 4K UHD+ (3840x2400) 500-NIT Touch NVIDIA Geforce GTX 1650 Ti 4GB GDDR6, Windows 10 PRO (Renewed)
By Dell
$1,399.94

Availability

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 9Dell XPS 15 9500
Released20212020
Release Date
  • Announced on January 11, 2021 (CES 2021)
  • Available starting February 2021
Release Date: May 13, 2020
PricingStarting at $1,429Starting at $1,299.99
Generations-

Exterior

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 9Dell XPS 15 9500
Dimensions12.38” x 8.72” x 0.59” (314.5 x 221.6 x 14.9 mm)13.56 x 9.07 x 0.30 - 0.71 in (344.40 x 230.30 x 7.70 - 18 mm)
Width: 13.56” (344.40 mm)
Depth: 9.07” (230.30 mm)
Height: 0.30 - 0.71” (7.70 - 18 mm)
WeightStarting at 2.49 lbs (1.13 kg)
  • Non-touch with 56Wh: 4 lbs (1.83 kg)
  • Touch screen with 86Wh: 4.5 lbs (2.05 kg)
Colors
Black
Optional woven carbon fiber top cover
  • CNC machined aluminum in platinum silver with carbon fiber composite palm rest in black
  • Edge-to-edge Corning® Gorilla® Glass 6 on touch panel
Keyboard and Trackpad
  • Spill-resistant, Backlit with white LED lighting keyboard.
  • New FN row F9-F11
  • Trackpad + TrackPoint® pointing device.
  • Full size, backlit chiclet keyboard.
  • 5.91 x 3.54 in (150 mm x 90 mm) touchpad with multi-touch gesture support.

Display

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 9Dell XPS 15 9500
Size14 Inches15.6 Inches
Info
  • 14" UHD+
    16:10 3840 x 2400 IPS low-power HDR400 with Dolby Vision™ DCI P3 100% 500 nits TÜV Rheinland-certified for reduced blue light emissions
  • 14" FHD+
    16:10 1920 x 1200 IPS anti-glare low-power 100% sRGB 400 nits Low-power TÜV Rheinland-certified for reduced blue light emissions
  • 14" FHD+ with Touch support 
    16:10 1920 x 1200 IPS anti-glare touchscreen 100% sRGB 400 nits TÜV Rheinland-certified for reduced blue light emissions
  • 14" FHD+ with Touch & PrivacyGuard support 
    16:10 1920 x 1200 IPS anti-glare touchscreen 100% sRGB PrivacyGuard 500 nits
  • 15.6-inch FHD+ non-touchscreen
    1920 x 1200, IPS, 145 PPI, 500-nits brightness, 1650:1 contrast ratio, 100% sRGB, InfinityEdge Anti-Glare, Non-touch support, 4.41W.
  • 15.6-inch UHD+ IPS touchscreen
    3840 x 2400, IPS, 290 PPI, 500-nit brightness, 1600:1 contrast ratio, 100% AdobeRGB, InfinityEdge, Anti-Reflective, Touch support, 10.4W.

Ports

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 9Dell XPS 15 9500
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 9 Ports
Image Source: Lenovo
Left (4)
  • 2 x Thunderbolt 4
    40 Gpbs, DisplayPort, Power Delivery
  • 1 x USB-A
    USB 3.2 Gen 1 (5 Gbps)
  • 1 x HDMI
    v2.0
Right (4)
  • 1 x headphone jack
    Headphone/Microphone
  • 1 x nanoSIM card slot
  • 1 x USB-A
    USB 3.2 Gen 1 (5 Gbps), Always On
  • 1 x lock slot
    Kensington Lock
Dell XPS 15 9500 Ports
Image Source: Dell
Left (3)
  • 2 x Thunderbolt 3
    40 Gpbs, USB 3.1 Gen 2 (10 Gbps), DisplayPort 1.2, Power Delivery
  • 1 x lock slot
Right (3)
  • 1 x USB-C
    USB 3.1 Gen 2 (10 Gbps), DisplayPort, Power Delivery
  • 1 x full-size SD card slot
    v6.0
  • 1 x headphone jack
    Headphone/Microphone

Internal Specs

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 9Dell XPS 15 9500
Processor
  1. 11th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-1130G7
    4 cores, 8 threads, 1.80 → 4.00 GHz, 8MB SmartCache, 15W
  2. 11th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-1160G7
    4 cores, 8 threads, 1.20 → 4.40 GHz, 12MB SmartCache, 15W
  3. 11th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-1180G7 with vPro™
    4 cores, 8 threads, 2.20 → 4.60 GHz, 12MB SmartCache, 15W
  1. 10th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-10300H
    4 cores, 8 threads, 2.50 → 4.50 GHz, 8MB SmartCache, 45W
  2. 10th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-10750H
    6 cores, 12 threads, 2.60 → 5.00 GHz, 12MB SmartCache, 45W
  3. 10th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-10875H
    8 cores, 16 threads, 2.30 → 5.10 GHz, 16MB SmartCache, 45W
  4. 10th Gen Intel® Core™ i9-10885H
    8 cores, 16 threads, 2.40 → 5.30 GHz, 16MB SmartCache, 45W
Integrated Graphics
  1. 11th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-1130G7
    Intel® Iris® Xe Graphics
    80 Execution Units, 400 → 1100 MHz
  2. 11th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-1160G7
    Intel® Iris® Xe Graphics
    96 Execution Units, 400 → 1100 MHz
  3. 11th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-1180G7 with vPro™
    Intel® Iris® Xe Graphics
    96 Execution Units, 400 → 1100 MHz
  1. 10th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-10300H
    Intel® UHD Graphics 630
    24 Execution Units, 350 → 1050 MHz
  2. 10th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-10750H
    Intel® UHD Graphics 630
    24 Execution Units, 350 → 1150 MHz
  3. 10th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-10875H
    Intel® UHD Graphics 630
    24 Execution Units, 350 → 1200 MHz
  4. 10th Gen Intel® Core™ i9-10885H
    Intel® UHD Graphics 630
    24 Execution Units, 350 → 1250 MHz
Memory
8GB 16GB 32GB
4266 MHz Dual-channel LPDDR4x Memory.
4 GB 8 GB 16 GB 32 GB 64 GB
2933 MHz Dual-channel DDR4 RAM.
Discrete Graphics-NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 1650 Ti with Max-Q (Optional)
Turning Architecture, 4GB GDDR6 128-bit, 1035 → 1200 MHz, 1024 CUDA Cores.
Storage
256 GB 512 GB 1 TB 2TB
M.2 2280 PCIe Gen 4 SSD (Replaceable).
256 GB 512 GB 1 TB 2TB
Removable M.2 2230/2280 PCIe® 3x4 NVMe™ SSD, Up to 32 Gbps.
Fans Number-2

Connectivity

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 9Dell XPS 15 9500
Wi-FiIntel® Wi-Fi 6™ AX201 802.11AX (2 x 2)
Up to 2400 Mbps, Dual band 2.4 GHz/5 GHz, 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax.
  • Rivet Killer AX1650s
    Up to 2400 Mbps, Dual band 2.4 GHz/5 GHz, WiFi 802.11 a/b/g, WiFi-4 (802.11n), WiFi-5 (802.11ac), WiFi-6 (802.11ax)
  • Rivet Killer AX500s DBS
    Up to 1774.50 Mbps, Dual band 2.4 GHz/5 GHz, WiFi 802.11 a/b/g, WiFi-4 (802.11n), WiFi-5 (802.11ac), WiFi-6 (802.11ax)
BluetoothBluetooth 5.1
  • Rivet Killer AX1650s › Bluetooth 5.0
  • Rivet Killer AX500s DBS › Bluetooth 5.2
MoreOptional WWAN: 4x4 MIMO 5G (LTE CAT20) / 4G (LTE CAT12)-

Battery

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 9Dell XPS 15 9500
Size57 Wh
  • 3-cell smart lithium-ion 56 Wh
  • 6-cell smart lithium-ion 86 Wh
Battery LifeUp to 15 hours
Based on MobileMark® 2018 battery-life benchmark test
Full HD+ model
  • Up to 24 hours (productivity tasks).
  • Up to 16 hours, 52 minutes (streaming Netflix).
UHD+ model
  • Up to 13 hours, 52 minutes (productivity tasks).
  • Up to 8 hours, 27 minutes (streaming Netflix).
Power Supply65 W USB (Type-C) power adapter
Supports Rapid Charge.
  • 90 W USB Type-C power adapter
    Power rated at 5VDC/3A, 9VDc/3A, 15VDC/3A, 20VDC/4.5A.
  • 130 W USB Type-C power adapter
    Power rated at 5VDC/1A, 20VDC/6.5A.

Software

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 9Dell XPS 15 9500
OS
  • Windows 10 Home 64-bit
  • Windows 10 Pro 64-bit
Windows 10 Home Windows 10 Pro
Upgradable to Windows 11
Built-in Apps
Lenovo Vantage
  • Microsoft Office 30-days trial
  • McAfee LiveSafe™ 12 Month Subscription

Camera & Audio

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 9Dell XPS 15 9500
Camera
  • Front-facing camera with ThinkShutter privacy shutter
    720p (1280 x 720 HD) camera.
  • Optional: Hybrid Infrared (IR) & HD 720p with ThinkShutter
  • Front-facing camera
    Top-mount front camera with fixed focus lens, 0.92 Megapixels (1280 x 720 HD) at 30 fps.
  • Infrared camera
    576 x 360 (VGA) at 30 fps for Windows Hello Facial Recognition.
Audio
  • Dolby Atmos™ Speaker System
  • Dolby® Voice®
  • 4 x 360-degree microphones
  • Realtek ALC3281-CG
  • Studio quality tuning with Waves MaxxAudio® Pro and Waves Nx® 3D audio
  • Quad-speaker design with 2.5W x2 woofers and 1.5W x2 tweeters = 8W total peak output
  • Dual microphone array optimized with Waves MaxxVoice supporting VoIP - Microsoft Cortana capable

Misc

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 9Dell XPS 15 9500
Sensors
  • Windows Hello compliant fingerprint reader on the palm rest
  • Optional IR Camera
  • Ambient light sensor
  • NFC
  • Ambient light sensor
  • Windows Hello compliant fingerprint reader in the power button
Security
  • Power-on Touch Fingerprint Reader
  • Match on Chip Touch Fingerprint Reader
  • dTPM 2.0 chip
  • Webcam privacy shutter
  • HPD sensor with IR Camera
  • ThinkPad PrivacyGuard
  • ThinkPad PrivacyAlert
  • Kensington™ lock slot
  • Windows Hello with Fingerprint Sign in
  • Enterprise-grade protection with Windows Hello face sign-in
  • Wedge-shaped lock
In the box
  • ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 9
  • 65W AC adapter
  • 57Wh Internal battery
  • Quick Start Guide
-
Warranty1-year Depot or Carry-in-

Key Features

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 9Dell XPS 15 9500
At Glance
Released in Early
2021
16:9 4K UHD+
14”
2400p 60Hz
Weight
2.49 lb
1.13 kg
Up to
Intel Core i7-1180G7
4C/8T, 2.20 → 4.60 GHz
Geekbench 5
1,364
Single Core
Geekbench 5
4,474
Multi-Core
With integrated
Intel® Iris® Xe Graphics
96 Execution Units, 400 → 1100 MHz
Configurable up to
32GB
4267 MHz LPDDR4X
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 9 Ports
Released in Mid
2020
16:10 4K UHD+
15.6”
2400p 60Hz
Weight
4 lb
1.81 kg
Up to
Intel Core i9-10885H
8C/16T, 2.40 → 5.30 GHz
Geekbench 5
1,196
Single Core
Geekbench 5
6,788
Multi-Core
With integrated
Intel® UHD Graphics 630
24 Execution Units, 350 → 1250 MHz
Upgradable up to
64GB
2933 MHz DDR4
Dell XPS 15 9500 Ports
Nvidia Quadro
GTX 1650Ti
4GB GDDR6

Comparison Summary

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 9 vs. Dell XPS 15 9500

Lenovo has released the ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 9, a 14-inch machine, in early-2021. It is powered by up to a quad-core Intel Core i7-1180G7 with a boost clock speed up to 4.60 GHz. The laptop has an integrated graphics option up to Intel® Iris® Xe Graphics (96 Execution Units, 400 → 1100 MHz).

On the other hand, we have the 15.6-inch XPS 15 9500 was introduced by Dell about a year earlier in mid-2020. It comes with up to an octa-core Intel Core i9-10885H with a boost clock speed up to 5.30 GHz. It has a dedicated GPU option up to Nvidia Quadro GTX 1650Ti with 4GB GDDR6.

Geekbench 5 Single Core

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 91
11th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-1130G71,23890.76%
2
11th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-1160G71,34198.31%
3
11th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-1180G7 with vPro™1,364100.00%
Dell XPS 15 95001
10th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-10300H1,06177.79%
2
10th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-10750H1,13483.14%
3
10th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-10875H1,19287.39%
4
10th Gen Intel® Core™ i9-10885H1,19687.68%
01,364

Geekbench 5 Multi Core

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 91
11th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-1130G74,07959.34%
2
11th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-1160G74,23861.65%
3
11th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-1180G7 with vPro™4,47465.09%
Dell XPS 15 95001
10th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-10300H3,74754.51%
2
10th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-10750H5,41278.73%
3
10th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-10875H6,874100.00%
4
10th Gen Intel® Core™ i9-10885H6,78898.75%
06,874

The Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 9 has a 14-inch display which is slightly smaller than the 15.6-inch Dell XPS 15 9500. In addition, The Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 9 weighs 2.49 lbs. about 60% lighter than the 4 lbs. Dell XPS 15 9500. Moreover, measured at 12.38” x 8.72” x 0.59”, the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 9 is much more portable than the Dell XPS 15 9500 at 13.56” x 9.07” x 0.71”.

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 9Dell XPS 15 9500

There are a toal number of 8 ports and slots available on Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 9. That includes a Thunderbolt 4 port, two USB-A ports, an HDMI port, a headphone jack, a nanoSIM card slot, and a lock slot. With that said, it has two ports and slots more than the Dell XPS 15 9500 that has two Thunderbolt 3 ports, a lock slot, a USB-C port, a full-size SD card slot, and a headphone jack.

Moving over to upgradability, Lenovo claims that the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 9 supports up to 32GB 4267 MHz LPDDR4X memory. However, it has an onboard memory module that is not upgradable by the users. Fortunately, it comes with a single removable M.2 SSD slot that users can replace and upgrade in the future.

For Dell XPS 15 9500, it supports up to 64GB 2933 MHz DDR4 memory that you can upgrade with two memory module slots on the motherboard. It also has two M.2 slots that users can easily swap or add an extra SSD to get extra space when needed.

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