Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 9 vs. Dell XPS 15 9510: Which is better?

Here is a side by side comparison between Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 9 and Dell XPS 15 9510 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 9510.

Supports faster memory

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 9 supports a faster memory speed than the Dell XPS 15 9510. It supports up to 4267MHz versus 3200MHz of system memory on the Dell XPS 15 9510.

Memory type and speed
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 9 - LPDDR4X
4,267 MHz
Dell XPS 15 9510 - DDR4
3,200 MHz
About 41% lighter

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 9 weighed 2.49 pounds, 41% lighter than the 4.22 pounds Dell XPS 15 9510.

WeightLenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 9Dell XPS 15 9510
Pound
2.49 lbs.
4.22 lbs.
Kilogram
1.13 kg
1.91 kg
Has two more ports and slots

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 9 has more ports and slots count than the Dell XPS 15 9510. It has eight versus six amount of ports and slots on the Dell XPS 15 9510.

PortsLenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 9Dell XPS 15 9510
full-size SD card slotNoYes
HDMIYesNo
headphone jackYesYes
lock slotYesYes
nanoSIM card slotYesNo
Thunderbolt 4Yes x2Yes x2
USB-AYes x2No
USB-CNoYes
Total86

Dell XPS 15 9510 Pros

Reasons that Dell XPS 15 9510 is better than Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 9.

Much faster CPU performance

Intel Core i9-11900H inside Dell XPS 15 9510 has a 81% 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 9510 - Intel Core i9-11900H
8,121
Dell XPS 15 9510 - Intel Core i7-11800H
7,908
Dell XPS 15 9510 - Intel Core i5-11400H
5,592
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
Supports larger memory

Dell XPS 15 9510 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 9510
64 GB
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 9
32 GB
Upgradable memory

Dell XPS 15 9510 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 9510
Slots
Onboard
x2
TypeLPDDR4XDDR4
Supports discrete graphics

Configurable up to Nvidia Quadro RTX 3050Ti 4GB GDDR6 45W TGP vs. integrated

11% larger display

Dell XPS 15 9510 has a 15.6-inch screen size 11% larger than the 14-inch Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 9.

Display size
Dell XPS 15 9510
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 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
$1,009.77
$1,059.77 5% OFF
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" Ultrabook - WUXGA - 1920 x 1200 - Intel Core i5 i5-1135G7 Quad-core (4 Core) 2.40 GHz - 8 GB RAM - 256 GB SSD - Black - Windows 10 Pro - Intel Iris
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 9 20XW004QUS 14" Ultrabook - WUXGA - 1920 x 1200 - Intel Core i5 i5-1135G7 Quad-core (4 Core) 2.40 GHz - 8 GB RAM - 256 GB SSD - Black - Windows 10 Pro - Intel Iris
By Lenovo
$659.01
$699.00 6% OFF
Dell XPS 15 9510 11800H Price
Dell XPS 15 9510 (Latest Model) 15.6 Core I7-11800H(8-Core) 512GB PCIe SSD 16GB RAM FHD (1920x1200) 500 Nit Non Touch NVidia RTX 3050 4GB Windows 10 Professional (Renewed)
Dell XPS 15 9510 (Latest Model) 15.6 Core I7-11800H(8-Core) 512GB PCIe SSD 16GB RAM FHD (1920x1200) 500 Nit Non Touch NVidia RTX 3050 4GB Windows 10 Professional (Renewed)
By Dell
$1,099.00
Dell XPS 15 9510 15.6" Notebook - Full HD Plus - 1920 x 1200 - Intel Core i7 11th Gen i7-11800H Octa-core (8 Core) - 16 GB RAM - 512 GB SSD - Platinum Silver, Black
Dell XPS 15 9510 15.6" Notebook - Full HD Plus - 1920 x 1200 - Intel Core i7 11th Gen i7-11800H Octa-core (8 Core) - 16 GB RAM - 512 GB SSD - Platinum Silver, Black
By Dell
$999.00
Dell XPS 15 9510 OLED 3.5K (3456 x 2160) Touchscreen Laptop PC Intel Core i7-11800H Processor, 16GB Ram, 512GB NVMe SSD, Type C, NVIDIA RTX 3050 4GB GDDR6, Windows 10 Pro (Renewed)
Dell XPS 15 9510 OLED 3.5K (3456 x 2160) Touchscreen Laptop PC Intel Core i7-11800H Processor, 16GB Ram, 512GB NVMe SSD, Type C, NVIDIA RTX 3050 4GB GDDR6, Windows 10 Pro (Renewed)
By Dell
$1,499.00

Availability

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 9Dell XPS 15 9510
Released20212021
Release Date
  • Announced on January 11, 2021 (CES 2021)
  • Available starting February 2021
Announced on May 11, 2021
PricingStarting at $1,429
  • $1,249.99
    i5-11400H, 8GB, 256GB, Intel UHD, FHD+ Non-touch
  • $1,949.99
    i7-11800H, 16GB, 512GB, RTX 3050 Ti, FHD+ Non-touch
  • $2,149.99
    i9-11900H, 16GB, 512GB, RTX 3050 Ti, FHD+ Non-touch
  • $2,349.99
    i7-11800H, 16GB, 512GB, RTX 3050 Ti, UHD+ Touch
  • $2,549.99
    i9-11900H, 16GB, 512GB, RTX 3050 Ti, UHD+ Touch
Generations-

Exterior

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 9Dell XPS 15 9510
Dimensions12.38” x 8.72” x 0.59” (314.5 x 221.6 x 14.9 mm)13.57” x 9.06” x 0.71” (344.72 x 230.14 x 18 mm)
WeightStarting at 2.49 lbs (1.13 kg)
  • 4.22 lb (1.92 kg)
    Non-touch with 56Wh.
  • 4.31 lb (1.96 kg)
    OLED touch with 86Wh.
  • 4.42 lb (2.01 kg)
    4K+ touch with 86Wh.
Colors
Black
Optional woven carbon fiber top cover
  • Platinum Silver exterior Black interior
  • Frost exterior Arctic White interior
  • CNC machined aluminum in platinum silver with carbon fiber composite palm rest in black
  • Edge-to-edge Corning® Gorilla® Glass 6 on the 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 9510
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” FHD+ Nontouch
    1920 x 1200 145 PPI 500 nits 16:10 100% sRGB 1650:1 60Hz Dolby Vision™️ Eyesafe®️ Anti-glare WVA 4.41 W
  • 15.6” 3.5K OLED Touch
    3456 x 2160 261 PPI 400 nits 16:10 100% DCI-P3 100000:1 60Hz DisplayHDR™️ 500TB Dolby Vision™️ Eyesafe®️ Anti-glare WVA 12.13 W
  • 15.6” 4K UHD+ Touch
    3840 x 2400 290 PPI 500 nits 16:10 100% AdobeRGB 99% DCI-P3 1600:1 60Hz DisplayHDR™️ 400 Dolby Vision™️ Eyesafe®️ Anti-glare WVA 10.4 W

Ports

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 9Dell XPS 15 9510
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 9510 Ports
Image Source: Dell
Left (3)
  • 2 x Thunderbolt 4
    40 Gpbs, USB 4.0 (40 Gbps), DisplayPort, Power Delivery
  • 1 x lock slot
Right (3)
  • 1 x USB-C
    USB 3.2 Gen 2 (10 Gbps), DisplayPort, Power Delivery
  • 1 x full-size SD card slot
  • 1 x headphone jack
    Headphone/Microphone

Internal Specs

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 9Dell XPS 15 9510
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. 11th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-11400H
    6 cores, 12 threads, 2.70 → 4.50 GHz, 12MB SmartCache, 45W
  2. 11th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-11800H
    8 cores, 16 threads, 2.30 → 4.60 GHz, 24MB SmartCache, 45W
  3. 11th Gen Intel® Core™ i9-11900H
    8 cores, 16 threads, 2.50 → 4.90 GHz, 24MB 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. 11th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-11400H
    Intel® UHD Graphics
    16 Execution Units, 350 → 1450 MHz
  2. 11th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-11800H
    Intel® UHD Graphics
    32 Execution Units, 350 → 1450 MHz
  3. 11th Gen Intel® Core™ i9-11900H
    Intel® UHD Graphics
    32 Execution Units, 350 → 1450 MHz
Memory
8GB 16GB 32GB
4266 MHz Dual-channel LPDDR4x Memory.
4 GB 8 GB 16 GB 32 GB 64 GB
3200 MHz Dual-channel DDR4 RAM.
2 x SODIMM slots.
Discrete Graphics-
  • NVIDIA® GeForce RTX™ 3050
    Ampere Architecture 4GB GDDR6 128-bit 2304 CUDA Cores 45W
  • NVIDIA® GeForce RTX™ 3050 Ti
    Ampere Architecture 4GB GDDR6 128-bit 2560 CUDA Cores 45W
Storage
256 GB 512 GB 1 TB 2TB
M.2 2280 PCIe Gen 4 SSD (Replaceable).
256 GB 512 GB 1 TB 2TB 4TB 8TB
 M.2 2230/2280 PCIe® 3x4 NVMe™ SSD, Up to 32 Gbps.
2 x M.2 2230/2280 PCIe® 3x4 NVMe™ slots.

Connectivity

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 9Dell XPS 15 9510
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 Wi-Fi 6 AX1650s
Dual Band 2.4GHz/5GHz Up to 2400 Mbps WiFi 6 802.11a/b/g/n/ac/ax
BluetoothBluetooth 5.1Bluetooth 5.1
MoreOptional WWAN: 4x4 MIMO 5G (LTE CAT20) / 4G (LTE CAT12)-

Battery

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 9Dell XPS 15 9510
Size57 Wh
  • 56 Wh
    3-cell "smart" lithium-ion.
  • 86 Wh
    6-cell "smart" lithium-ion.
Battery LifeUp to 15 hours
Based on MobileMark® 2018 battery-life benchmark test
-
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 9510
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 9510
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 9510
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
  • IR Camera
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-in1 Year Premium Support

Key Features

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 9Dell XPS 15 9510
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
2021
16:10 3.5K
15.6”
2160p OLED
Weight
4.22 lb
1.91 kg
Up to
Intel Core i9-11900H
8C/16T, 2.50 → 4.90 GHz
Geekbench 5
1,430
Single Core
Geekbench 5
8,121
Multi-Core
With integrated
Intel® UHD Graphics
32 Execution Units, 350 → 1450 MHz
Upgradable up to
64GB
3200 MHz DDR4
Dell XPS 15 9510 Ports
Nvidia Quadro
RTX 3050Ti
4GB GDDR6 45W TGP

Comparison Summary

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 9 vs. Dell XPS 15 9510

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 9510 was introduced by Dell around the same year in mid-2021. It comes with up to an octa-core Intel Core i9-11900H with a boost clock speed up to 4.90 GHz. It has a dedicated GPU option up to Nvidia Quadro RTX 3050Ti with 4GB GDDR6 45W TGP.

Geekbench 5 Single Core

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 91
11th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-1130G71,23884.45%
2
11th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-1160G71,34191.47%
3
11th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-1180G7 with vPro™1,36493.04%
Dell XPS 15 95101
11th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-11400H1,32090.04%
2
11th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-11800H1,466100.00%
3
11th Gen Intel® Core™ i9-11900H1,43097.54%
01,466

Geekbench 5 Multi Core

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 91
11th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-1130G74,07950.23%
2
11th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-1160G74,23852.19%
3
11th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-1180G7 with vPro™4,47455.09%
Dell XPS 15 95101
11th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-11400H5,59268.86%
2
11th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-11800H7,90897.38%
3
11th Gen Intel® Core™ i9-11900H8,121100.00%
08,121

The Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 9 has a 14-inch display which is slightly smaller than the 15.6-inch Dell XPS 15 9510. In addition, The Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 9 weighs 2.49 lbs. about 69% lighter than the 4.22 lbs. Dell XPS 15 9510. 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 9510 at 13.57” x 9.06” x 0.71”.

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 9Dell XPS 15 9510

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 9510 that has two Thunderbolt 4 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 9510, it supports up to 64GB 3200 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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