ROG Strix SCAR 18 (2026) G835 vs ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 14 Aura Edition
The short answer
- ROG Strix SCAR 18 (2026) G835 has the faster screen: 240 Hz against 120.
- ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 14 Aura Edition is the cheaper of the two at the price its maker announced: INR 283,329 against INR 699,990.
Compared only on figures both makers publish. Everything else is in the table below.
2 phones side by side.
| Specification |
 ROG Strix SCAR 18 (2026) G835
₹6,99,990launch price
|
 ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 14 Aura Edition
₹2,83,329launch price
|
|---|---|---|
| Placement | ||
| At its price | Not assessed | Not assessed |
| Spec index | — | — |
| Key Specs | ||
| RAM | 32GB or 64GB DDR5-6400, up to 128GB | Up to 64GB soldered LPDDR5X-9600 |
| Processor | Intel Core Ultra 9 Processor 290HX Plus | Intel Core Ultra 5 / 7 / X7 Processor (Series 3), up to Core Ultra X7 368H |
| Battery | 90WHrs, 4-cell Li-ion | 58Wh Rechargeable Li-ion |
| Display | 18-inch 4K (3840 x 2400) Mini LED, 240Hz | 14" 2.8K (2880x1800) OLED, 120Hz VRR, 500nits |
| Graphics | Up to NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 Laptop GPU, 24GB GDDR7 | Intel Arc B390 GPU (integrated), up to 122 TOPS |
| Storage | Up to 8TB (4TB + 4TB) PCIe 5.0 NVMe M.2 SSD in RAID 0 | Up to 2TB M.2 2280 PCIe 5.0 x4 NVMe SSD |
| General | ||
| Launch Date | January 2026 (announced at CES 2026) | January 2026 (available from Q1 2026) |
| Operating System | Windows 11 Pro | Windows 11 Pro, Windows 11 Home, Fedora Linux, Ubuntu Linux, or no preload operating system |
| Colours | Off Black | Black; Black, FIFA Edition |
| Series | ROG Strix SCAR | ThinkPad X1 Series |
| Model Number | G835LWG / G835LXG | Machine type 21V7 (ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 14 Aura Edition) |
| Performance | ||
| Chipset | Intel Core Ultra 9 Processor 290HX Plus | Intel SoC (System on Chip) platform |
| CPU | Intel Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus, 36MB cache | Intel Core Ultra X7 368H (also Core Ultra 5 325/335, Core Ultra 7 355/356H/365/366H, Core Ultra X7 358H) |
| Graphics | NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 (ROG Boost 1550MHz at 175W) or RTX 5090 (ROG Boost 1647MHz at 175W) Laptop GPU | Intel Arc B390 GPU, up to 122 TOPS; Intel Graphics on selected models |
| RAM | 32GB or 64GB | 16GB / 24GB / 32GB / 64GB soldered, not upgradable |
| RAM Type | DDR5 SO-DIMM | LPDDR5X |
| Cores | 24 cores, 24 threads | 16 (4 P-core + 8 E-core + 4 LP E-core), 16 threads |
| Expandable Memory | Up to 128GB (64GB + 64GB), user upgradeable | Memory soldered to systemboard, no slots, dual-channel |
| RAM Speed | 6400 MT/s | LPDDR5X-7467 / LPDDR5X-8533 / LPDDR5X-9600 |
| Graphics Memory | 16GB GDDR7 (RTX 5080) or 24GB GDDR7 (RTX 5090) | Shared |
| Clock Speed | 2.7 GHz, up to 5.5 GHz | P-core 2.0GHz base / 5.0GHz max; E-core 1.6GHz / 3.8GHz; LP E-core 1.6GHz / 3.6GHz |
| Display | ||
| Display Type | ROG Nebula HDR Mini LED with G-Sync and MUX Switch | OLED (2.8K models); IPS (WUXGA models) |
| Screen Size | 18-inch (45.72 cm) | 14" |
| Resolution | 4K (3840 x 2400, WQUXGA) | 2.8K (2880x1800) or WUXGA (1920x1200) |
| Aspect Ratio | 16:10 | 16:10 |
| Brightness | 1600 nits peak brightness, over 2000 dimming zones | 500nits |
| Refresh Rate | 240Hz | 120Hz VRR (2.8K OLED); 60Hz (WUXGA IPS) |
| Colour Gamut | 100% DCI-P3 | 100% DCI-P3 (OLED); 100% sRGB (IPS) |
| Touch Screen | — | Add-on Film, in-cell or on-cell multi-touch, 10-point; non-touch options available |
| Screen to Body Ratio | — | 88.8% |
| Design | ||
| Height | 29.8 cm | 215.75 mm (8.49 inches) depth |
| Width | 39.9 cm | 312.50 mm (12.30 inches) |
| Thickness | 2.35 ~ 3.50 cm | 7.7/14.3 mm (front/rear), 16.85 mm maximum (non-touch models) |
| Weight | 3.70 ~ 3.73 kg | Starting at 0.977 kg (2.15 lbs) with Trackpad; 0.998 kg (2.20 lbs) with Haptic Touchpad |
| Backlit Keyboard | Yes, per-key RGB | LED backlight |
| Keyboard | Backlit Chiclet Keyboard Per-Key RGB with Num-key | 6-row, spill-resistant, air intake design, multimedia Fn keys, key travel 1.5mm / 1.35mm (Fn row & G/H/B), Copilot key |
| Touchpad | Touchpad | Glass surface multi-touch Haptic Touchpad 80 x 130 mm, or glass-like Mylar surface multi-touch 3-button Trackpad 80 x 120 mm, with TrackPoint pointing device |
| Build Material | — | Carbon fibre (top) with magnesium bottom on 2.8K OLED models; carbon fibre (top) with aluminium bottom on WUXGA IPS models |
| Fingerprint Sensor | — | No |
| Storage | ||
| Storage Type | PCIe 4.0 or PCIe 5.0 NVMe M.2 SSD, RAID 0 | M.2 2280 SSD, PCIe NVMe (PCIe 4.0 x4 or PCIe 5.0 x4 Performance), Opal 2.0 |
| Internal Storage | 2TB + 2TB or 4TB + 4TB | 256GB / 512GB / 1TB / 2TB |
| Storage Slots | 2x M.2 slots | One M.2 2280 PCIe 5.0 x4 slot |
| Expandable Storage | Up to 8TB (4TB + 4TB), user upgradeable | One drive, up to 2TB M.2 2280 SSD |
| Battery | ||
| Capacity | 90WHrs | 58Wh |
| Type | 4S1P, 4-cell Li-ion | Rechargeable Li-ion |
| Power Adapter | 450W AC adapter, output 21V DC, 21.45A | 65W USB-C AC adapter, supports PD 3.0, 100-240V, 50-60Hz (nano GaN and slim GaN options) |
| Charging | — | Rapid Charge, up to 80% in 1 hour with 65W AC adapter |
| Battery Life | — | MobileMark 30: up to 19.2 hr @250nits; local video playback: up to 32.6 hr @150nits |
| Ports & Connectivity | ||
| Bluetooth | Bluetooth 5.4 | Bluetooth 5.4 (Bluetooth 6.0 hardware ready) |
| Wi-Fi | Wi-Fi 7 (802.11be) triple band 2x2 | Intel Wi-Fi 7 BE211, 802.11be 2x2 |
| Audio Jack | 1x 3.5mm audio jack | 1x headphone / microphone combo jack (3.5mm) |
| USB Type-C | No | No |
| Thunderbolt | 2x Thunderbolt 5 | 3x Thunderbolt 4 |
| HDMI | 1x HDMI 2.1 FRL | 1x HDMI 2.1, up to 4K/60Hz |
| USB Type-A | 3x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A, up to 10Gbps | 1x USB-A (USB 5Gbps), Always On |
| Ethernet | 1x 2.5G LAN port | No onboard Ethernet; supported via optional Lenovo USB-C to Ethernet adapter |
| Card Reader | — | No card reader |
| Multimedia | ||
| Audio Features | Dolby Atmos, AI noise-cancelling | SoundWire, Cirrus Logic CS42L45 codec |
| Speakers | 4-speaker system | Stereo speakers, 2W x2, Dolby Atmos |
| Webcam | 1080p FHD IR camera for Windows Hello | 5.0MP + IR discrete with privacy shutter, fixed focus, vHDR; or UHD 10.0MP + IR discrete with privacy shutter, ToF sensor, ultrawide |
| Microphone | Built-in array microphone | Dual-microphone array, 360° far-field |
| Features | ||
| Operating System Edition | Windows 11 Pro | Windows 11 Pro or Windows 11 Home |
| Security | Firmware TPM, BIOS password protection | ThinkShield, discrete TPM 2.0 (TCG certified), Kensington Nano Security Slot, camera privacy shutter, IR camera for Windows Hello, self-healing BIOS, optional Human Presence Detection |
| In the Box | ROG backpack, ROG Fusion II 300 headset, ROG Impact Gaming Mouse | Optional bundled accessories: Lenovo HDMI to VGA Monitor Adapter, Lenovo USB-C to Ethernet Adapter (1Gbps), or none |
| Cooling | ROG Intelligent Cooling with end-to-end vapour chamber, sandwiched heatsink and Tri-Fan Technology | Space-frame chassis with 20% smaller printed circuit board and 70% larger fan |