Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 11 vs HP Dragonfly Pro Comparison

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Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 11

14 inches | April 2023

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HP Dragonfly Pro

14 inches | January 2023

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Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 11 vs HP Dragonfly Pro Comparison Overview

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HP Dragonfly Pro

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In this review, we will be comparing ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 11 and Dragonfly Pro, two laptops from Lenovo and HP. Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 11 was introduced to market in April 2023 and HP Dragonfly Pro was launched in January 2023. There is only 3 months difference between ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 11 and Dragonfly Pro so we are expecting this to be a fair comparison regarding age and technology level.

Click for Available Configurations of the Laptops

Here is a brief look at the main features of Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 11 and HP Dragonfly Pro before getting into our more detailed comparison.

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 11 Key Specs

Launched in April 2023
14.0" IPS LCD, 16:10 Aspect Ratio Display
CPU: Intel Core i5 1335U
GPU: Intel Iris Xe Graphics G7 (80EU)
16GB Ram
315.6 x 222.5 x 15.36 mm (12.43 x 8.76 x 0.6 inches)
Weight: 1.12 kg (2.47 lbs)

HP Dragonfly Pro Key Specs

Launched in January 2023
14.0" Touchscreen - IPS LCD, 16:10 Aspect Ratio Display
CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 7736U
GPU: Radeon 680M
16GB Ram
314.7 x 223 x 18.29 mm (12.39 x 8.78 x 0.72 inches)
Weight: 1.6 kg (3.53 lbs)

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 11 was replaced by lenovo-thinkpad-x1-carbon-gen-12. You may also be interested in these comparisons:
lenovo-thinkpad-x1-carbon-gen-12 vs Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 11
lenovo-thinkpad-x1-carbon-gen-12 vs HP Dragonfly Pro

Let's read on the following sections in order to better understand in detail how ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 11 and Dragonfly Pro compares and decide which one is better for you.

**This post contains affiliate links and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking through my links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Reasons to choose Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 11 over HP Dragonfly Pro

Weight	1.12 kg vs 1.60 kg	0.48 kg lighter
Screen Opening Angle	180° vs 140°	More flexible screen
Screen Type	Matte vs Glossy	potentially less reflections on screen
Response Time	54 ms vs 50 ms	Faster Response screen
Dolby Atmos Speakers	Yes vs No	3D Surround Sound Support
Number of Microphones	4 vs 2	Better Sound capture
Speaker Loudness	84.6 dB vs 80.2 dB	Generates higher sound levels
Bluetooth	v5.3 vs v5.2	More advanced Bluetooth connectivity
USB-C Port Type	v4.0 vs v3.2	Faster USB-C connection
HDMI Port	1x HDMI 2.0 vs No	Connect to external monitors directly via HDMI cable

Reasons to choose HP Dragonfly Pro over Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 11

Screen-to-Body Ratio	~81% vs ~80.9%	Larger screen area ratio
Side Bezel Thickness	6.6 mm vs 7.1 mm	0.5 mm thinner bezels
Noise Level	40.3 dB vs 42.7 dB	Less fan noise
Touch Screen	Yes vs No	Interact with your fingers
DCI-P3 Color Gamut	76.6% vs 75.4%	Wider DCI-P3 Color Gamut
Adobe RGB Profile	77.4% vs 77.3%	Wider Adobe RGB Coverage
CPU Fabrication Process	6 nm vs 10 nm	Newer Generation CPU
GPU Fabrication Process	7 nm vs 10 nm	Newer Generation GPU
GPU FLOPS	3.686 TFLOPS vs 1.41 TFLOPS	Higher Resolution Camera
Webcam Resolution	2560 x 1440 vs 1920 x 1080	Connect more device at the same time
Number of USB-C Ports	3x USB 3.2 vs 2x USB 4.0	Larger Touchpad Area
Touchpad Size	12.0 x 8.0 cm vs 11.0 x 5.6 cm	Lower Price (*may change depending on config, seller, location, and time)
Avg. MSRP Price	$800-1200 vs $2000-2400

Common Strengths of HP Dragonfly Pro and Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 11

Launch Dates	April 2023 vs January 2023	Both laptops are recent models
Fast Charging Support	Yes vs Yes	Charge the battery in a shorter time
USB Power Delivery	Yes vs Yes	Charging via USB port gives flexibility
RAM Type	PCI-E Gen 4.0 (4x) vs PCI-E Gen 4.0 (4x)	Fast RAM type
Upgradable Storage	Yes vs Yes	Option to increase the Storage size
SSD Type	NVMe vs NVMe	Faster Data Transfers
Wi-Fi Standard	v6E vs v6E	Fast and Reliable Wi-Fi Connections
Fingerprint Sensor	Yes vs Yes	Easy Login with Fingerprint Sensor
Thunderbolt Port	v4 vs v3	Fast data and power transfer via Thunderbolt Port
VGA Output	No vs No	Connect to External Displays via VGA cable
Keyboard Backlight	Yes vs Yes	Easily see the keys under low light

Common Weaknesses of HP Dragonfly Pro and Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 11

HDR Support	No vs No	No HDR Support
Upgradable RAM	No vs No	No Option to increase the RAM size

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 11 vs HP Dragonfly Pro: Physical Specs Comparison

In this section, we will be comparing the physical specifications and body features of the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 11 and the HP Dragonfly Pro.

Physical Specs
Weight	1.12 kg (2.47 lbs)	1.6 kg (3.53 lbs)
Surface Area	702 cm2 (108.9 inches2)	702 cm2 (108.8 inches2)
Screen to Surface Ratio	~80.9%	~81%
Side Bezel Thickness	~7.1 mm	~6.6 mm
Weight per Inch of Screen	0.08 kg/inch	0.11 kg/inch
	0.176 lbs/inch	0.242 lbs/inch
Colors	Black	White, Black
Cover Opening Angle	180Â°	140Â°

Comparison of the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 11 and the HP Dragonfly Pro External Dimensions

Weight

ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 11 weighs 1.12 kg (2.47 lbs), whereas the Dragonfly Pro weighs 1.6 kg (3.53 lbs). There is a notable difference in weight between these two laptops. The weight difference between the two laptops is not significant.

Weight Comparison

Displays size 14.0-14.9 inches

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 11 1.12 kg

HP Dragonfly Pro 1.60 kg

Min 0.88 kg

Average 1.42 kg

Max 2.19 kg

Thickness Comparison

Displays size 14.0-14.9 inches

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 11 15.36 mm

HP Dragonfly Pro 18.29 mm

Min 8.40 mm

Average 17.12 mm

Max 32.50 mm

Another value that we use for comparing the weights of the laptops is the Weight per Inch of Screen, which is calculated by dividing the total weight of the model with its usable diagonal screen size. This value for the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 11 is 0.08 kg/inch.In comparison, this value for the HP Dragonfly Pro is 0.11 kg/inch.Here are some of the best performing laptops in this area:

Microsoft Surface Go 4: 0.05 kg/inch
LG Gram SuperSlim 15.6 2023: 0.06 kg/inch
Asus ProArt PZ13 HT5306: 0.06 kg/inch
Asus Zenbook A14 UX3407: 0.06 kg/inch
Dell Latitude 7330: 0.07 kg/inch
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Nano Gen 2: 0.07 kg/inch
LG Gram 14 2022: 0.07 kg/inch
LG Gram 14 2-in-1 2022: 0.07 kg/inch

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 11 vs HP Dragonfly Pro: Internals (CPU, GPU, RAM, Battery, SSD, etc.) Comparison

CPU Comparison

CPU Model	Intel Core i5 1335U Intel Core i5 1340P Intel Core i5 1345U Intel Core i7 1355U Intel Core i7 1360P Intel Core i7 1365U Intel Core i7 1370P	AMD Ryzen 7 7736U
Base Frequency	1.3 GHz	2.7 GHz
Turbo Frequency	4.6 GHz	4.7 GHz
Number of Cores	10	8
Number of Threads	12	16
L3 Cache	12 MB	16 MB
Integrated GPU	Intel Iris Xe Graphics (80EU)	Radeon 680M
CPU Fabrication Process	10 nm	6 nm
Geekbench 5 (Single)	1706	1519
Geekbench 5 (Multi)	7593	9287
Cinebench 23 (Single)	1726	1550
Cinebench 23 (Multi)	7438	12770

Above you can see the CPU options and the CineBench and GeekBench test scores for both laptops, which gives an idea about what kind of performance difference you may experience between the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 11 and HP Dragonfly Pro.

You may also read reviews of latest laptops with the same CPU ( Intel Core i5 1335U ) and compare them:

GPU Comparison

GPU Model	Intel Iris Xe Graphics G7 (80EU)	Radeon 680M
Base Clock Frequency	300 MHz	2000 MHz
Boost CLock Frequency	1100 MHz	2200 MHz
TGP (Total Graphics Power)	15 W	50 W
Type	Integrated	Integrated
FLOPS	1,408 GFLOPS	3.379 TFLOPS
Memory Size	System Shared	System Shared
Memory Type	System Shared	System Shared
Memory Bus	System Shared	System Shared
Memory Speed	System Shared	System Shared
Shading Units Cores	640	768
TMUs	40	48
ROPs	20	32

GPU is as critical as the CPU for graphic heavy applications and the table above gives a picture of how the two GPU compares. FLOPS is a measure of a GPU's performance based on the number of floating-point arithmetic calculations that the processor can perform within a second. Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 11 has a FLOPS value of 1.41 TFLOPS whereas the HP Dragonfly Pro ' has a FLOPS value of 3.686 TFLOPS. If graphical performance of the laptop is important for your use type, the HP Dragonfly Pro may be the better choice between these two setups.

RAM Comparison

RAM	16GB 32GB 64GB	16GB 32GB
Memory Bus	2x8 GB	2x8 GB
RAM Clock	6400 MHz	6400 MHz
RAM Type	LPDDR5X	LPDDR5
Upgradable	No	No
Memory Bus	PCI-E Gen 4.0 (4x)	PCI-E Gen 4.0 (4x)

Both laptops, the ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 11 and the Dragonfly Pro, come with similar RAM capacities of 16 GB, providing comparable performance in memory-intensive tasks.

LOCAL LLM Compatibility Evaluation

This quick guide shows what types of large language models (LLMs) each of these laptops could support, based on their respective hardware specifications. It's meant to help you compare their suitability for running AI models locally.

LLM Category	Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 11	HP Dragonfly Pro
Small Models(1-3B):Examples: Phi-2, Qwen-1.8B	✔ Run smoothly.	✔ Run smoothly.
Medium Models(7-8B):Examples: Mistral-7B, Qwen-7B	✔ Good performance.	✔ Good performance.
Large Models(13-30B):Examples: Mixtral, Qwen-14B	✖ Not supported.	✖ Not supported.
Extra-Large Models(65B+):Examples: LLaMA2-70B, Qwen1.5-72B	✖ Not supported on most systems. Requires high-end GPU or advanced setup.	✖ Not supported on most systems. Requires high-end GPU or advanced setup.

Note: Optimized (e.g., 4-bit) models may run on limited hardware. Performance depends on runtime and setup.

📌 MoE Models: Some models like Mixtral 8x7B and Qwen3-30B-A3B use a Mixture of Experts (MoE) design, activating only part of the model during inference. This means they can often run efficiently on laptops with 12–16 GB of VRAM when quantized.

BATTERY

BATTERY	57 Wh	64.6 Wh
Battery Type	Li-Po	Li-Ion
Replaceable	No	No
Fast Charging	No	No
USB Power Delivery	Yes	Yes
Charging Port Position	Left	Left
Charge Power	45 / 65 W	96 W
Full Charging Time	2:00 hr	1:30 hr

On the other hand, the Dragonfly Pro features a higher battery capacity of 65 Wh, delivering longer usage time compared to the ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 11's 57 Wh.

Battery Comparison

Displays size 14.0-14.9 inches

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 11 57 Wh

HP Dragonfly Pro 65 Wh

Min 32.00 Wh

Average 55.79 Wh

Max 90.00 Wh

STORAGE
With a larger storage capacity up to 2 TB, the ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 11 provides more space for storing files and applications compared to the Dragonfly Pro's max. storage capacity of 1 TB.

Storage Options	256 GB, 512 GB, 1 TB, 2 TB	512 GB, 1 TB
Upgradable	Yes	Yes
Total Slots	1	1
Storage type	SSD (M2)	SSD (M2)
NVMe	Yes	Yes

If your budget allows, we recommend opting for the largest possible disk size, considering the potential increase in storage capacity needs in the future. However, please keep in mind the question 'What will the laptop be used for?' when making this decision. Of course, you can later upgrade the hard disk capacity by getting a larger disk. However, if your laptop has only one disk slot, it may not be as straightforward as a RAM upgrade, where you simply add or replace a module, as moving or cloning files to a new disk may be necessary.

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 11 vs HP Dragonfly Pro: Display Comparison

The display is an essential aspect to consider when comparing the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 11 and HP Dragonfly Pro since its is the component that you interact the most and significantly impact the experience.

Screen Area and Dimensions

Now let's look at the comparison of the actual display areas of both laptops below, keeping the bezels around the screens out of the equation. Both ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 11 and Dragonfly Pro screens have the same size of 14.0".The total usable screen area of the ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 11 is 568cm² / 88inch² whereas the Dragonfly Pro's total usable screen area is 568cm² / 88inch².

PPI (Pixels per Inch)
Both ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 11 and Dragonfly Pro feature the same pixel density with 162 pixels per inch (PPI).

Screen PPI (Pixels Per Inch) Comparison

Displays size 14.0-14.9 inches

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 11 162 ppi

HP Dragonfly Pro 162 ppi

Min 112 PPI

Average 173 PPI

Max 323.00 PPI

Refresh Rate
Both ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 11 and Dragonfly Pro offer the same refresh rate of 60 Hz.

Furthermore, the ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 11 boasts a faster response time of 9.9 ms, reducing motion blur for fast-paced content.

Brightness
Both ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 11 and Dragonfly Pro offer the same maximum brightness of 400 nits (cd/m²).

Brightness Comparison

Displays size 14.0-14.9 inches

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 11 400 nits

HP Dragonfly Pro 400 nits

Min

200 nits

Average 383 nits

Max 1200.00 nits

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 11 vs HP Dragonfly Pro Connectivity Comparison

In terms of connectivity,

Wifi
Both laptops offer the same Wi-Fi standard (v6E), ensuring fast and reliable wireless connections.

Below, you'll find a Wi-Fi Versions Table, along with their release dates and speeds, to provide a brief overview of its development.

Wi-Fi Versions and Speeds

Standard	Speed	Release Date	Network	Frequency Bands (GHz)
Wi-Fi 7	up to 40 Gbps (5 GB/s)	2023	802.11be	2.4, 5, 6
Wi-Fi 6E	up to 9.6 Gbps (1.2 GB/s)	2020	802.11ax	2.4, 5, 6
Wi-Fi 6	up to 9.6 Gbps (1.2 GB/s)	2019	802.11ax	2.4, 5
Wi-Fi 5	up to 6.93 Gbps (866.25 MB/s)	2014	802.11ac	2.4, 5
Wi-Fi 4	up to 600 Mbps (75 MB/s)	2009	802.11n	2.4, 5

* Please note that the provided transfer rates are maximum theoretical values, and real-life performance may vary based on environmental factors.

USB
ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 11 is equipped with 2x USB 3.2 USB-A ports. Dragonfly Pro does not have USB-A ports.
Both ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 11 and Dragonfly Pro have USB Type-C ports. ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 11 has 2x USB 4.0 USB Type-C ports, while Dragonfly Pro has 3x USB 3.2 USB Type-C ports.

Below, you'll find a table of USB ports, along with their release dates and speeds.
To mitigate the confusion caused by generation names, the USB Implementers Forum (USB-IF) suggests using marketing names like USB 5Gbps, USB 10Gbps, and so forth, based on their respective transfer rates.

USB Type and Speeds

USB Type	Version	Speed	Date	Other Features/Explanations
USB4	Gen 4 (2.0)	80 Gbps	2022	Also known as USB 80Gbps
USB4	Gen 3×2	40 Gbps	2019	Also known as USB 40Gbps
USB 3.2	3.2 Gen 2x2	20 Gbps	2019	Double the data transfer rates of Gen 2
USB 3.2	3.2 Gen 2	10 Gbps	2017	Previously known as USB 3.1
USB 3.2	3.2 Gen 1	5 Gbps	2017	Previously known as USB 3.0
USB 3.1	3.1 Gen 2	10 Gbps	2013	Faster data transfer rates
USB 3.0	3.1 Gen 1	5 Gbps	2010	SuperSpeed USB, improved data transfer rates
USB 2.0	2.0	480 Mbps	2000	High-speed data transfer
USB 1.0	1.0	1.5 Mbps	1996	Original USB standard

Thunderbolt
Both ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 11 and Dragonfly Pro feature Thunderbolt ports. ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 11 has Thunderbolt 4, while Dragonfly Pro has Thunderbolt 3.

HDMI
ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 11 features an HDMI port (1x HDMI 2.0) for connecting to external monitors. Dragonfly Pro does not have an HDMI port.

Below, you'll find a comparison table detailing different HDMI versions, including their bandwidth, color depth, maximum resolution, and release dates. This information can be helpful in understanding the capabilities of each HDMI version and choosing the most suitable one for your needs.

HDMI Comparison Table

HDMI Version	Maximum Resolution	Bandwidth (Gbps)	Color Depth (bits)	Release Date
HDMI 2.1-2.1b	7680 x 4320 *(8K)* @ 60p 3840 x 2160 *(4K)* @ 120p	48.0	48	2017
HDMI 2.0-2.0b	3840 x 2160 *(4K)* @ 60p	18.0	48	2013
HDMI 1.4-1.4b	3840 x 2160 *(4K)* @ 30p	10.2	48	2009
HDMI 1.3-1.3a	2560 x 1440 @ 60p	10.2	48	2006
HDMI 1.0-1.2a	1920 x 1200 @ 60p	4.95	24	2002

* Please note that the provided resolution values represent the maximum supported resolution, and actual display quality may depend on other factors such as source content and connected devices.

SD Card Reader
Neither ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 11 nor Dragonfly Pro has an SD Card Reader.

Audio Jack
ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 11 is equipped with a 3.5mm Audio Jack, allowing seamless connection to headphones and speakers. Dragonfly Pro does not have a 3.5mm Audio Jack.

To summarize the connectivity and ports details, please refer to the table below to see them listed.

Connectivity and Ports
WiFi Standard (latest: v7)	v6E	v6E
Bluetooth (latest: v5.4)	v5.3	v5.2
USB-A (latest: 3.2)	2x USB 3.2	No
USB Type-C (latest: USB4 2.0)	2x USB 4.0	3x USB 3.2
Thunderbolt (latest: 4)	Thunderbolt 4	Thunderbolt 3
HDMI (latest: 2.1)	1x HDMI 2.0	No
Display Port (latest: v2.0)	No	No
VGA	No	No
Fingerprint Sensor	Yes	Yes
Optical Drive	No	No
Audio Jack 3.5mm	Yes	No
Ethernet RJ45	No	No
SD CardReader	No	No
Proprietary Charging Port	No	No