Lenovo releases new ThinkBook laptops in the US with Panther Lake and up to 32GB RAM

A few months after launching internationally, Lenovo has brought the Panther Lake-powered ThinkBook Gen 9 Intel laptops to the US. Both the ThinkBook 14 Gen 9 IPL and ThinkBook 16 Gen 9 IPL are now available to order from Lenovo, starting at $1,229.

For that price, buyers get an Intel Core Ultra 5 325 processor paired with 16GB of DDR5-5600 RAM and a 256GB PCIe Gen 4 SSD. Both can also be configured with up to a Core Ultra 7 355 for $150 more and 32GB RAM for an additional $195. According to our benchmarks, the Core Ultra 7 delivers around 5% better performance, though both CPUs still trail the Core 7 240H found in the older ThinkBook 16 Gen 9 IRL. Meanwhile, storage tops out at 1TB in the US, plus a second M.2 SSD slot leaves room for future upgrades.

Up front, the ThinkBook 14 Gen 9 IPL features a 14-inch 1920 x 1200 panel with 400 nits of brightness and a 60Hz refresh rate, with a touchscreen available for an extra $50. On the other hand, the ThinkBook 16 Gen 9 IPL offers largely the same display in a bigger 16-inch panel, though its optional touchscreen bumps the refresh rate to 120Hz.

Other highlights include a 1080P webcam, Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.4, and an optional backlit keyboard. Interestingly, Lenovo's PSREF database lists a larger 64Wh battery option, but US buyers are limited to the 48Wh version, which is said to last up to 18.97 hours on the 14-inch model and 18.18 hours on the 16-inch.

In our review of the Lenovo ThinkBook 14 Gen 9 IPL, the laptop lasted up to eight hours and 40 minutes in the Wi-Fi web surfing test. We also found it to be a solid everyday laptop with a comfortable keyboard, a wide selection of ports, and good repairability, though its display fell short of the competition.