Thunderbolt 4 (2x) Thunderbolt — 4 Laptops Compared

Decision table

Thunderbolt 4 (2x) Thunderbolt: which one for what?

The 4 models on this page are scored only against each other, for the use you pick. Scores come from the spec sheets; no price and no advertising go in.

What will you use it for? Gaming Thin & Light Battery Life Content Creation

Leads for Gaming: MSI Stealth 16 AI+ B3W91%

Leads for Thin & Light: MSI Stealth 16 AI+ B3W67%

Leads for Battery Life: Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 1370%

Leads for Content Creation: MSI Stealth 16 AI+ B3W91%

#2#2#1#2
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 13Lenovo
Intel Core Ultra 7 258V · 32 GB · 14 inch
54% 64% 70% 62%
Why it ranks here
Nothing stands out for this use; the score comes from overall balance.
Good for gaming?
Why it ranks here
- 0.99 kg — among the lightest in the pool
Why it ranks here
- Editorial tag: Battery Life
- 57 Wh battery — top of the pool
How long does the battery last?
Why it ranks here
- OLED panel
#1#1#2#1
MSI Stealth 16 AI+ B3WMSI
Intel Core Ultra 9 386H · NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 Laptop GPU · 32 GB
91% 67% 67% 91%
Why it ranks here
- Editorial tag: Gaming
- Discrete graphics: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 Laptop GPU
- 240Hz display
- Current model — 9 months on the market
Good for gaming?
Why it ranks here
- Editorial tag: Thin & Light
- Current model — 9 months on the market
Why it ranks here
- 90 Wh battery — top of the pool
- Current model — 9 months on the market
How long does the battery last?
Why it ranks here
- Editorial tag: Content Creation
- Discrete graphics: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 Laptop GPU
- OLED panel
- Current model — 9 months on the market
#3#4#4#3
Apple MacBook Air 13 (M4)Apple
Apple M4 · 16 GB · 13.6 inch
45% 50% 57% 48%
Why it ranks here
- 19 months on the market — a successor may be near
Good for gaming?
Why it ranks here
- 19 months on the market — a successor may be near
Why it ranks here
- Editorial tag: Battery Life
- 19 months on the market — a successor may be near
How long does the battery last?
Why it ranks here
- 19 months on the market — a successor may be near
#4#3#3#4
Dell XPS 13 (9350)Dell
Intel Core Ultra 7 258V · 16 GB · 13.4 inch
45% 54% 61% 48%
Why it ranks here
- 24 months on the market — a successor may be near
Good for gaming?
Why it ranks here
- 1.2 kg — among the lightest in the pool
- 24 months on the market — a successor may be near
Why it ranks here
- Editorial tag: Battery Life
- 24 months on the market — a successor may be near
How long does the battery last?
Why it ranks here
- 24 months on the market — a successor may be near