Apple MacBook Pro 16 M5 vs Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 14

Apple MacBook Pro 16 M5 wins 7 of the 12 categories we compared, against 3 for Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 14 (2 tied) — including overall score (8.5/10 vs 5.7/10).

Apple MacBook Pro 16 M5 vs Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 14: which one should you buy?

Choose the Apple MacBook Pro 16 M5 if you care most about overall score (8.5/10 vs 5.7/10), performance score (9.6/10 vs 6.8/10) and battery score (9.2/10 vs 6.5/10).

Choose the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 14 if you care most about portability score (9.4/10 vs 6.8/10), weight (1 kg vs 2.14 kg) and thickness (15.3 mm vs 16.8 mm).

Watch the video comparison

Apple MacBook Pro 16 M5 vs Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 14: Overall Score

Apple MacBook Pro 16 M5 vs Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 14: Build & Design

Spec Apple MacBook Pro 16 M5 Apple MacBook Pro 16 M5 Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 14 Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 14
Portability score 6.8/10 9.4/10
Weight 2.14 kg 1 kg
Thickness 16.8 mm 15.3 mm
Fingerprint reader Yes Yes
Numeric keypad No No
Windows Precision touchpad No Yes
Facial recognition No Yes
Build material Aluminum Carbon fiber
Available colors Black, Silver Black
Keyboard Backlit, Island Backlit, Island
Key travel 1 mm 1.5 mm
Cooling system Active Active
Dimensions 355.7 x 248.1 x 16.8 mm 312.5 x 215.75 x 12.3-15.3 mm 12.3 x 8.49 x 0.48-0.6 inches
Footprint 882 cm2 (136.8 inches2) 674 cm2 (104.4 inches2)
Touchpad size 15.5 x 9.9 cm 12.0 x 8.0 cm
Touchpad surface Glass Glass

Apple MacBook Pro 16 M5 vs Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 14: Benchmarks

Spec Apple MacBook Pro 16 M5 Apple MacBook Pro 16 M5 Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 14 Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 14
Performance score 9.6/10 6.8/10
Cinebench (multi-core) 2065 845
Cinebench (single-core) 203 115
Geekbench (multi-core) 28544 12807
Geekbench (single-core) 4353 2594

Apple MacBook Pro 16 M5 vs Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 14: CPU

Spec Apple MacBook Pro 16 M5 Apple MacBook Pro 16 M5 Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 14 Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 14
CPU threads 18 12
CPU Apple M5 Pro (18-Core) Intel Core Ultra 5 336H
CPU cores 18 (6P + 12E) 12 (4P + 8E)
CPU base frequency 4.61 GHz 1.9 GHz
CPU turbo frequency — 4.6 GHz
CPU L3 cache — 18 MB
CPU manufacturing process 3 nm 2 nm
CPU configurations available Apple M5 Pro (18-Core) Apple M5 Max (32-сore) Apple M5 Max (40-сore) Intel Core Ultra 5 336H Intel Core Ultra 5 338H Intel Core Ultra 7 356H Intel Core Ultra 7 366H Intel Core Ultra X7 358H Intel Core Ultra X7 368H

Apple MacBook Pro 16 M5 vs Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 14: GPU

Spec Apple MacBook Pro 16 M5 Apple MacBook Pro 16 M5 Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 14 Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 14
GPU compute 8.3 TFLOPS 2.4 TFLOPS
GPU Apple M5 Pro (20-core) Intel Xe3 Graphics (4-Core)
GPU type Integrated Integrated
Integrated GPU Apple M5 Pro GPU (20-core) Intel Xe3 Graphics
GPU VRAM System Shared System Shared
GPU memory type LPDDR5X LPDDR5X
GPU memory bus 256 bit —
GPU base clock — 300 MHz
GPU boost clock 1620 MHz 2300 MHz
GPU power (TGP) 28 W 25 W
GPU configurations available Apple M5 Pro (20-core) Intel Xe3 Graphics (4-Core)

Apple MacBook Pro 16 M5 vs Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 14: Memory

Spec Apple MacBook Pro 16 M5 Apple MacBook Pro 16 M5 Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 14 Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 14
RAM 24 GB 16 GB
RAM upgradable No No
RAM type LPDDR5X LPDDR5X
RAM clock speed 9600 MHz 9600 MHz
RAM slots — 1
RAM channels 3x8 GB 2x8 GB
RAM configurations available 24GB|36GB|48GB|64GB|128GB 16GB|32GB|64GB

Apple MacBook Pro 16 M5 vs Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 14: Storage

Spec Apple MacBook Pro 16 M5 Apple MacBook Pro 16 M5 Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 14 Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 14
Storage 1 TB 256 GB
NVMe storage Yes Yes
Storage upgradable No Yes
Storage type SSD (M2) SSD (M2)
Storage interface Custom PCI-E Gen 5.0 (4x)
Storage configurations available 1 TB, 2 TB, 4 TB, 8 TB 256GB, 512GB, 1 TB, 2 TB

Apple MacBook Pro 16 M5 vs Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 14: Display

Spec Apple MacBook Pro 16 M5 Apple MacBook Pro 16 M5 Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 14 Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 14
Display score 9/10 4/10
Display size 16.2 in 14 in
Refresh rate 120 Hz 60 Hz
Brightness 1000 nits 500 nits
Pixel density 254 ppi 162 ppi
Touchscreen No No
Display type Mini LED IPS LCD
Resolution 3456 x 2234 1920 x 1200
Screen coating Glossy Matte
Aspect ratio 16:10 16:10
Contrast ratio 1000000:1 —
sRGB coverage 100% 100%
Screen-to-body ratio ~86.2% ~84.3%
Side bezels 3.4 mm 5.5 mm
Maximum opening angle 135° 180°

Apple MacBook Pro 16 M5 vs Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 14: Battery

Spec Apple MacBook Pro 16 M5 Apple MacBook Pro 16 M5 Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 14 Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 14
Battery score 9.2/10 6.5/10
Battery capacity 100 Wh 58 Wh
Charging speed 140 W 65 W
Wireless charging No No
Charging port USB-C USB-C
Proprietary charging Yes No
Battery type Li-Po Li-Po
Full charge time 1:25 hr —

Apple MacBook Pro 16 M5 vs Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 14: Network & Connectivity

Spec Apple MacBook Pro 16 M5 Apple MacBook Pro 16 M5 Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 14 Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 14
Connectivity score 8.9/10 8.2/10
Wi-Fi generation 7 7
Bluetooth version 6 5.4
Ethernet port No No
HDMI port Yes Yes
DisplayPort No No
SD card reader Yes No
USB-A ports No 1x USB 3.2
USB-C ports 3x USB 4.0 3x USB 4.0

Apple MacBook Pro 16 M5 vs Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 14: Audio

Spec Apple MacBook Pro 16 M5 Apple MacBook Pro 16 M5 Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 14 Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 14
Dolby Atmos Yes Yes
Speaker configuration 4.2 (4 tweeters and 2 woofers) 2.2 (2 tweeters and 2 woofers)
Speaker loudness ~84.7 dB —

Apple MacBook Pro 16 M5 vs Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 14: OS & Software

Apple MacBook Pro 16 M5 vs Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 14: Extras & Features

Spec Apple MacBook Pro 16 M5 Apple MacBook Pro 16 M5 Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 14 Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 14
2-in-1 convertible No No
Webcam 1080p FHD 1440p QHD
Webcam position Above the display Above the display

Where each laptop wins

Apple MacBook Pro 16 M5

  • Overall score: 8.5/10 (vs 5.7/10)
  • Performance score: 9.6/10 (vs 6.8/10)
  • Battery score: 9.2/10 (vs 6.5/10)
  • Display score: 9/10 (vs 4/10)
  • Connectivity score: 8.9/10 (vs 8.2/10)
  • Cinebench (multi-core): 2065 (vs 845)
  • Cinebench (single-core): 203 (vs 115)
  • Geekbench (multi-core): 28544 (vs 12807)
  • Geekbench (single-core): 4353 (vs 2594)
  • CPU threads: 18 (vs 12)
  • GPU compute: 8.3 TFLOPS (vs 2.4 TFLOPS)
  • RAM: 24 GB (vs 16 GB)
  • Storage: 1024 GB (vs 256 GB)
  • Display size: 16.2 in (vs 14 in)
  • Refresh rate: 120 Hz (vs 60 Hz)
  • Brightness: 1000 nits (vs 500 nits)
  • Pixel density: 254 ppi (vs 162 ppi)
  • Battery capacity: 100 Wh (vs 58 Wh)
  • Charging speed: 140 W (vs 65 W)
  • Bluetooth version: 6 (vs 5.4)
  • SD card reader

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 14

  • Portability score: 9.4/10 (vs 6.8/10)
  • Storage upgradable
  • Weight: 1 kg (vs 2.14 kg)
  • Thickness: 15.3 mm (vs 16.8 mm)
  • Windows Precision touchpad
  • Facial recognition

More Apple MacBook Pro 16 M5 and Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 14 Comparisons

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is better, the Apple MacBook Pro 16 M5 or the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 14?

Apple MacBook Pro 16 M5 wins 7 of the 12 categories we compared, against 3 for Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 14 (2 tied) — including overall score (8.5/10 vs 5.7/10).

Which is cheaper, the Apple MacBook Pro 16 M5 or the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 14?

The Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 14 costs around $2032, $667 less than the Apple MacBook Pro 16 M5 at around $2699.

What are the main differences between the Apple MacBook Pro 16 M5 and the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 14?

The biggest gaps are in overall score (8.5/10 on the Apple MacBook Pro 16 M5 vs 5.7/10); performance score (9.6/10 on the Apple MacBook Pro 16 M5 vs 6.8/10); portability score (9.4/10 on the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 14 vs 6.8/10).