Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 4 vs. M1 Mac mini: Which is better?

Here is a side by side comparison between Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 4 and M1 Mac mini specs including CPU, RAM, storage, battery, display, and more.

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 4 Pros

Reasons that Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 4 is better than M1 Mac mini.

Newer manufacturing

2021 vs. 2020

Slightly faster CPU performance

Intel Core i9-11950H inside Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 4 has a 13% better multi-core CPU performance score than the Apple M1 (8C, 8G) inside M1 Mac mini.

Geekbench 5 multi-core score
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 4 - Intel Core i9-11950H
8,450
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 4 - Intel Core i7-11850H
8,205
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 4 - Intel Core i7-11800H
7,908
M1 Mac mini - Apple M1 (8C, 8G)
7,414
Supports larger memory

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 4 supports a larger memory capacity than the M1 Mac mini. It supports up to 64GB versus 16GB of system memory on the M1 Mac mini.

Max system memory size
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 4
64 GB
M1 Mac mini
16 GB
Upgradable memory

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 4 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 M1 Mac mini since it has onboard memory.

MemoryLenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 4M1 Mac mini
Slots
x2
Onboard
TypeDDR4Unified
Supports discrete graphics

Configurable up to NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 16GB GDDR6 vs. integrated

Upgradable storage

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 4 comes with two M.2 slots that you can easily upgrade and install an additional SSD to expand the storage on the device.

SlotsLenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 4M1 Mac mini
M.2
Yes x2
Onboard

M1 Mac mini Pros

Reasons that M1 Mac mini is better than Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 4.

About 35% lighter

M1 Mac mini weighed 2.6 pounds, 35% lighter than the 3.99 pounds Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 4.

WeightLenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 4M1 Mac mini
Pound
3.99 lbs.
2.6 lbs.
Kilogram
1.81 kg
1.18 kg

Prices

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

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 4 Price
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 4 16" 2K QHD (Intel Core i7-11800H, 64GB RAM, 2TB SSD, Geforce RTX 3050 Ti) Business & Mobile Workstation Laptop, Backlit, FP, 3-Yr WRT, IST Cable, Win 11 Pro, Black
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 4 16" 2K QHD (Intel Core i7-11800H, 64GB RAM, 2TB SSD, Geforce RTX 3050 Ti) Business & Mobile Workstation Laptop, Backlit, FP, 3-Yr WRT, IST Cable, Win 11 Pro, Black
By Lenovo
$1,799.99
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 5 Business Laptop, 16" WUXGA IPS Display, Core i7-12700H, Windows 11 Pro, 32GB RAM, 1TB SSD, GeForce RTX 3050 Ti, Wi-Fi 6E, Fingerprint Reader, Backlit Keyboard, TD
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 5 Business Laptop, 16" WUXGA IPS Display, Core i7-12700H, Windows 11 Pro, 32GB RAM, 1TB SSD, GeForce RTX 3050 Ti, Wi-Fi 6E, Fingerprint Reader, Backlit Keyboard, TD
By Lenovo
$1,885.77
$2,029.00 7% OFF
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 4 Intel i7-11850H, 16" WQXGA (2560 x 1600) IPS 400nits, 64GB RAM, 2TB SSD, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti, Backlit KYB, Fingerprint Reader, Windows Pro
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 4 Intel i7-11850H, 16" WQXGA (2560 x 1600) IPS 400nits, 64GB RAM, 2TB SSD, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti, Backlit KYB, Fingerprint Reader, Windows Pro
By Lenovo
$1,980.77
M1 Mac mini Price
Mac mini Apple M1 chip 8GB Memory 256GB SSD MGNR3LL/A (Renewed)
Mac mini Apple M1 chip 8GB Memory 256GB SSD MGNR3LL/A (Renewed)
By Apple
$389.99
$418.95 7% OFF
Apple 2023 Mac Mini Desktop Computer M2 chip with 8‑core CPU and 10‑core GPU, 8GB Unified Memory, 256GB SSD Storage, Gigabit Ethernet. Works with iPhone/iPad
Apple 2023 Mac Mini Desktop Computer M2 chip with 8‑core CPU and 10‑core GPU, 8GB Unified Memory, 256GB SSD Storage, Gigabit Ethernet. Works with iPhone/iPad
By Apple
$499.00
$599.00 17% OFF
Mac mini Desktop Apple M1 chip 8GB Memory 512GB SSD (Renewed)
Mac mini Desktop Apple M1 chip 8GB Memory 512GB SSD (Renewed)
By Apple
$435.59
$719.95 39% OFF

Availability

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 4M1 Mac mini
Released20212020
Release Date
  • Announced on June 23, 2021 (MWC 2021).
  • Available starting August 2021.
Announced on November 10th, 2020
PricingStarting at €2,099
  • $699
    Apple M1 Chip | 8GB RAM | 256GB SSD
  • $899
    Apple M1 Chip | 8GB RAM | 512GB SSD
Applicable ModelsLenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 4-
Generations-

Exterior

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 4M1 Mac mini
Dimensions
  • 14.15 x 9.99 x 0.70 inches (359.5 x 253.8 x 17.7 mm)
    Non-touch models.
  • 14.15 x 9.99 x 0.72 inches (359.5 x 253.8 x 18.2 mm)
    Touch models.
7.7” x 7.7” x 1.4” (197 mm x 197 mm x 36 mm)
Weight
  • 3.99 lbs (1.81 kg )
    Non-touch models.
  • 4.1 lbs (1.86 kg)
    Touch models.
2.6 lb (1.2 kg)
Colors
Black
Silver
Keyboard and Trackpad
  • Bottom-load backlit keyboard with white LED, 1.5mm stroke
  • 6-row, spill-resistant, multimedia Fn keys with Unified Communications controls
  • Trackpad + TrackPoint® pointing device
  • Multitouch glass touchpad (115 x 67mm)
-

Display

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 4M1 Mac mini
Size16 Inches-
Info
  • 16” QHD+ Non-touch Display
    16:10, IPS, Anti-Glare, Non-touch, 2560x1600, 400nit, 100% sRGB, 1200:1, 60Hz, Low Blue Light.
  • 16” UHD+ Non-touch Display
    16:10, IPS, Anti-Glare, Non-touch, 3840x2400, 600nit, 100% Adobe RGB, HDR400 Dolby Vision, 1500:1, 60Hz, Low Blue Light, 8+2 bit color.
  • 16” UHD+ Touch Display 
    16:10, IPS, Anti-Reflective, Anti-Smudge, Touch, 3840x2400, 600nit, 100% Adobe RGB, HDR400 Dolby Vision, 1500:1, 60Hz, Low Blue Light, 8+2 bit color.
-

Ports

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 4M1 Mac mini
Left
  • 2 x Thunderbolt™️ 4
    Supports USB 4 with 40Gbps data transfer, DisplayPort 1.4, and Power Delivery 3.0.
  • 1 x HDMI
    HDMI 2.0 on models with integrated graphics.
    HDMI 2.1 on models with discrete graphics.
  • 1 x Headset jack
    3.5mm
  • 1 x Power connector
Right
  • 2 x USB-A
    1 x USB 3.2 Gen 1 (5 Gbps).
    1 x USB 3.2 Gen 1 (5Gbps) with Always On.
  • 1 x SD Card Reader
    Full-size with UHS-II supports
  • 1 x Kensington nano security slot.
M1 Mac mini Ports
Image Source: Apple
Back (8)
  • 1 x power port
  • 1 x RJ-45
    1 Gbps
  • 2 x Thunderbolt 3
    40 Gpbs, USB 4.0 (40 Gbps), DisplayPort, Power Delivery
  • 1 x HDMI
    v2.0
  • 2 x USB-A
    USB 3.1 Gen 1 (5 Gbps)
  • 1 x headphone jack
    Headphone/Microphone

Internal Specs

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 4M1 Mac mini
Processor
  1. 11th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-11800H
    8 cores, 16 threads, 2.30 → 4.60 GHz, 24MB SmartCache, 45W
  2. 11th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-11850H
    8 cores, 16 threads, 2.50 → 4.80 GHz, 24MB SmartCache, 45W
  3. 11th Gen Intel® Core™ i9-11950H
    8 cores, 16 threads, 2.60 → 5.00 GHz, 24MB SmartCache, 45W
  1. Apple M1
    8 cores, 8 threads, 3.20 GHz, 10W
Integrated Graphics
  1. 11th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-11800H
    Intel® UHD Graphics
    32 Execution Units, 350 → 1450 MHz
  2. 11th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-11850H
    Intel® UHD Graphics
    32 Execution Units, 350 → 1450 MHz
  3. 11th Gen Intel® Core™ i9-11950H
    Intel® UHD Graphics
    32 Execution Units, 350 → 1450 MHz
  1. Apple M1
    Apple M1 iGPU
    8 Graphics Cores, 1280 MHz
Memory
4GB 8GB 16GB 32GB 64GB
  • Memory Slots: 2 x SO-DIMM slots
  • Memory Type: Dual Channel Non-ECC DDR4 Memory
  • Memory Speed: 3200 MHz
  • Memory Per Slot:
    4GB 8GB 16GB 32GB
  • 8GB
    4266 MHz LPDDR4X onboard memory
  • Configurable to 16GB
Discrete Graphics
  • NVIDIA® GeForce® RTX™ 3050 Ti - 4GB GDDR6
  • NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU - 6GB GDDR6
  • NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Laptop GPU - 8GB GDDR6
  • NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Laptop GPU - 16GB GDDR6
  • All supports Advanced Optimus, Resizable BAR, Dynamic Boost 2.0, DirectX 12.
-
Storage
512GB 1TB 2TB 4TB
  • 1 x M.2 2280 PCIe NVMe slot
    Models with RTX 3060/3070/3080.
  • 2 x M.2 2280 PCIe NVMe slot
    Models with integrated graphics and RTX 3050 Ti. With RAID 0/1 support.
  • 256GB 512GB
    SSD
  • Configurable to 1TB or 2TB

Connectivity

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 4M1 Mac mini
Wi-FiIntel® AX210 Wi-Fi 6E 802.11AX (2 x 2)
Dual band 2.4 GHz/5 GHz, 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax.
  • 802.11ax Wi‑Fi 6 wireless networking
  • IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n/ac compatible
BluetoothBluetooth 5.2Bluetooth 5.0 wireless technology
EthernetEthernet support via optional Lenovo USB-C to Ethernet Adapter
10/100/1000 BASE-T Gigabit Ethernet (RJ-45 connector)
MoreOptional 5G supports.
  • Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ X55 5G Modem M.2 card - RF System with embedded eSIM functionality
  • No support
-

Battery

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 4M1 Mac mini
Size90 Wh Integrated Li-Polymer battery-
Battery LifeUp to 10.7 hours of battery life
Tested with MobileMark 2018.
-
Power Supply[featurs items="135W, 170W, 230W"] slim tip (3-pin) AC adapter with RapidCharge supports.150W built-in power supply

Software

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 4M1 Mac mini
OS
  • Windows® 10 Pro 64
  • Windows 10 Home 64
  • Windows 11 Pro 64
  • Windows 11 Home 64
  • Windows 11 DG Windows 10 Pro 64
  • Linux
  • Ubuntu Linux
  • No operating system
Shipped with macOS Catalina
Built-in Apps-
Photos iMovie GarageBand Pages Numbers Keynote Siri Safari Mail FaceTime Messages Maps News Stocks Home Voice Memos Notes Calendar Contacts Reminders Photo Booth Preview Music Podcasts TV Books App Store Time Machine Find My QuickTime Player

Camera & Audio

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 4M1 Mac mini
Camera
  • Front-facing camera
    1080p FHD with ThinkShutter privacy cover.
  • Windows Hello IR support (optional).
-
Audio
  • High Definition (HD) Audio, Realtek® ALC3306 codec
  • Stereo speakers, 2W x2, Dolby® Atmos®
  • Dual array microphone, far-field
  • Built-in speaker
  • 3.5mm headphone jack
  • HDMI 2.0 port supports multichannel audio output

Misc

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 4M1 Mac mini
InkingOptional inking supports.
  • Lenovo Precision Pen 2
  • No pen (pen sold separately)
  • No support (non-touch display doesn't support pen input)
-
Sensors
  • Infrared (IR) Camera (optional; required for use with Windows Hello)
-
Security
  • Security Chip
    • Discrete TPM 2.0, TCG certified
    • Firmware TPM 2.0 integrated into the chipset
    • Disabled (in some regions)
  • Physical Locks
    • Kensington® Nano Security Slot
  • Fingerprint Reader
    • Touch style fingerprint reader on the power button, match-on-chip
  • BIOS Security
    • Supervisor password
    • Power-on password
    • NVMe password
    • Self-healing BIOS
  • Other Security
    • (Optional) Camera privacy shutter
    • (Optional) IR camera for Windows Hello
-
In the box-
  • Mac mini
  • Power cord
Warranty
  • 1-year depot service
  • 1-year depot with 2-year system board service
  • 1-year limited onsite service
  • 1-year + 2-year depot service
  • 1-year + 2-year limited onsite service
  • 3-year (1-yr battery) depot service
  • 3-year (1-yr battery) limited onsite service
  • No base warranty
Your Mac mini comes with 90 days of complimentary technical support and a one-year limited warranty. Purchase AppleCare+ for Mac to extend your coverage to three years from your AppleCare+ purchase date and add up to two incidents of accidental damage coverage, each subject to a service fee of $99 for external enclosure damage, or $299 for other repairable damage, plus applicable tax.
More-Video Support
  • Simultaneously supports up to two displays:
    • One display with up to 6K resolution at 60Hz connected via Thunderbolt and one display with up to 4K resolution at 60Hz connected via HDMI 2.0
  • Thunderbolt 3 digital video output supports
    • Native DisplayPort output over USB‑C
    • Thunderbolt 2, DVI, and VGA output supported using adapters (sold separately)
  • HDMI 2.0 display video output
    • Support for one display with up to 4K resolution at 60Hz
    • DVI output using HDMI to DVI Adapter (sold separately)

Key Features

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 4M1 Mac mini
At Glance
Released in Mid
2021
16:10 4K UHD+
16”
2400p 60Hz
Weight
3.99 lb
1.81 kg
Up to
Intel Core i9-11950H
8C/16T, 2.60 → 5.00 GHz
Geekbench 5
1,581
Single Core
Geekbench 5
8,450
Multi-Core
With integrated
Intel® UHD Graphics
32 Execution Units, 350 → 1450 MHz
Upgradable up to
64GB
3200 MHz DDR4
NVIDIA GeForce
RTX 3080
16GB GDDR6
Released in Late
2020
Weight
2.6 lb
1.18 kg
Powered By
Apple M1 (8C, 8G)
8C/8T, 3.20 GHz
Geekbench 5
1,705
Single Core
Geekbench 5
7,414
Multi-Core
With integrated
Apple M1 iGPU
8 Graphics Cores, 1280 MHz
Configurable up to
16GB
Unified Memory
M1 Mac mini Ports

Comparison Summary

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 4 vs. M1 Mac mini

Lenovo has released the ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 4, a 16-inch machine, in mid-2021. It is powered by up to an octa-core Intel Core i9-11950H with a boost clock speed up to 5.00 GHz. The laptop has a dedicated GPU option up to NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 with 16GB GDDR6.

On the other hand, we have the M1 Mac mini was introduced by Apple about a year earlier in late-2020. It comes with an octa-core Apple M1 (8C, 8G). It has an integrated graphics option up to Apple M1 iGPU (8 Graphics Cores, 1280 MHz).

Geekbench 5 Single Core

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 41
11th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-11800H1,46685.98%
2
11th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-11850H1,58392.84%
3
11th Gen Intel® Core™ i9-11950H1,58192.73%
M1 Mac mini1
Apple M11,705100.00%
01,705

Geekbench 5 Multi Core

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 41
11th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-11800H7,90893.59%
2
11th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-11850H8,20597.10%
3
11th Gen Intel® Core™ i9-11950H8,450100.00%
M1 Mac mini1
Apple M17,41487.74%
08,450

the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 4 weighs 3.99 lbs. about 53% heavier than the 2.6 lbs. M1 Mac mini. Moreover, measured at 14.15” x 9.99” x 0.70”, the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 4 is considerably bulkier than the M1 Mac mini at 7.7” x 7.7” x 1.4”.

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 4M1 Mac mini

Moving over to upgradability, Lenovo claims that the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 4 supports up to 64GB 3200 MHz DDR4 memory that you can upgrade with two memory module slots on the motherboard. It also comes with two M.2 slots that users can easily upgrade and install an additional SSD to expand the storage on the device.

For M1 Mac mini, it supports up to 16GB Unified memory. Unlike Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 4, it has an onboard memory module that is not upgradable by the users. Furthermore, it also has an integrated storage module and has no M.2 slots for replacement.

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