Lenovo’s revamped ThinkPad Aura Edition laptops get cooler–literally

At CES 2026, Lenovo officially pulled the curtain back on the ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 14 Aura Edition and the ThinkPad X1 2-in-1 Gen 11 Aura Edition. It’s a refreshed take that focuses less on gimmicks and more on smarter performance and AI that actually does something useful. The biggest change, however, is the redesigned cooling system.

Foundry / Mark Hachman

Lenovo has a new internal design, dubbed “Space Frame,” that reorganizes the laptop’s internals so the components now sit on both sides of the motherboard. This reorganization should result in better cooling, higher sustained performance, and… easy repairs! USB ports, the battery, keyboard, speakers, even the fans! It’s all modular, which is pretty interesting.

Performance gets a sizable bump this year thanks to the inclusion of new Intel Core Ultra X7 Series 3 processors with built-in NPUs for AI stuff you can use directly on the laptop itself. Lenovo says the improved thermals allow up to 30W of sustained power, and they’ve got faster LPDDR5x memory too, so, given the equipment we’re working with here, these ThinkPads should have zero problems tackling some heavy multitasking.

Foundry / Mark Hachman

Lenovo’s also rolling out new AI-powered software features on Aura Edition laptops. There’s Smart Modes, which automatically adjust performance, privacy, and focus settings based on whatever it is you’re doing at the time. Smart Share enables tap-to-share photos and videos, and Smart Care acts like an AI troubleshooting assistant when things go sideways.

There are hardware upgrades too, including a new 10MP ultra-wide webcam, larger haptic touchpads, a better pen for the 2-in-1 model, and more sustainable materials throughout the chassis.

The ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 14 Aura Edition and the X1 2-in-1 Gen 11 Aura Edition are expected to launch in March 2026, with prices starting at $1,999 and $2,149, respectively.