Lenovo ThinkPad T490 Laptop
Product Gallery
Product Overview
Introduced in 2000, the ThinkPad T-series is one of the longest-lasting line of laptops. The T490 is more compact and lightweight than ever before without compromise. Powered by the latest generation Intel Core processors, discrete NVIDIA graphics, and DDR4 memory, the T490 delivers best-in-class performance.
Ratings
What we found**
Pros
- Very good input devices
- Very good keyboard and touchpad
- Good system performance
- Long battery life
Cons
- Not as good as the ThinkPads of the T480s
What external reviewers found***
External score 72% (not directly comparable across industries)
Pros
- Excellent build quality
- Good system performance
- Good battery life
- Excellent security features
Cons
- Poor contrast
- Lackluster battery life
- Low color space coverage
- No Thunderbolt 3 port
- No dedicated GPU
- CPU throttling under load
Price Comparison
Specifications
Connectivity
Ports
2x USB-A, USB-C, HDMI, Thunderbolt 3, MicroSD, Audio combo
Wireless Connectivity
WiFi 6, Bluetooth 5, WWAN, NFC
Construction
Battery | Capacity
50 Wh
Dimensions
Size | Depth
227 mm
Size | Height
17.9 mm
Size | Width
329 mm
Weight
1.46 kg
Display
Brightness
220, 250, 300, 400 nits
Display Diagonal
14"
Display Type
IPS, PrivacyGuard and Low Power available
Resolution
HD, FHD
Function
Graphics
NVIDIA GeForce MX250
Processor
Up to 10th gen Intel Core i7
Touch Screen
Available
Performance
Memory | Capacity
Up to 48 GB
Memory | Type
DDR4
Storage
Up to 1 TB PCIe SSD
Production
Debut
2019 IFA
Made In
China
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Launch Comparison
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3rd-Party Review Videos
External Reviews
digitaltrends[1]
Reviewer score 61%The ThinkPad T490 lives up to its status as the line's workhorse option. It's well-built, it performs well, and it lasts all day and then some on its battery. The Full HD display in my review unit is flat-out disappointing for a premium laptop.
Find the original article here.
Pros
- Excellent build quality
- Excellent keyboard and touchpad
- Excellent battery life
Cons
- Display isn't all that bright
- Poor contrast
notebookcheck[2]
Reviewer score 77%The Lenovo ThinkPad T490 is about as slim and compact as the T480s. In this model Lenovo uses the 25-watt version of the MX250. This means that the graphics performance of the T490 turns out 7 to 9% faster. However, current games are not even close to being playable at the highest detail settings.
Find the original article here.
Pros
- Matte IPS display
- Full HD resolution
- Good battery life
Cons
- CPU throttling under load
- No Thunderbolt 3
notebookcheck[3]
Reviewer score 73%The T490-20N2004EGE has a 256 GB drive compared to the 512 GB one in the previous device that we tested. The PCIe NVMe drive has excellent transfer speeds, but there are faster SSDs on the market, namely the Samsung PM981 and the Intel 760p. The UHD Graphics 620 is only powerful enough to handle older and undemanding games.
Find the original article here.
Pros
- Matte IPS display
- Good system performance
- Decent battery life
Cons
- No dedicated GPU
- No Thunderbolt 3 port
notebookcheck[4]
Reviewer score 71%Running Prime95 causes the CPU to spike to 4.2 GHz for just a couple of seconds before falling to 3.5 GHz and at a core temperature of 97 C. Running both Prime95 and FurMark simultaneously will throttle the CPU down to 1.3 GHz with periodic dips to just 400 MHz. Running on battery power will not limit performance. A 3DMark 11 run on batteries returns Physics and Graphics scores of 8799 and 1947 points, respectively.
Find the original article here.
Pros
- Sleek, lightweight design
- Good battery life
- Fast Wi-Fi 6
Cons
- High CPU performance when on battery power
- Low color space coverage
notebookcheck[5]
Reviewer score 73%The ThinkPad T490 has a high resolution WQHD display. The display supports Dolby Vision HDR. Lenovo does not offer any option to modify the color space or color profile. As long as you work in the AdobeRGB color space, everything is okay, but with sRGB files there are some high color deviations.
Find the original article here.
Pros
- Full coverage of the AdobeRGB color space
- Very good battery life
- Bright WQHD panel
Cons
- Very reflective
- No color tint
pcmag[6]
Reviewer score 79%The Lenovo ThinkPad T490 is a perfectly capable home or student laptop. Its combination of build quality, security features, and input devices make it an ideal tool to get things done. Its 10-plus-hour battery life isn't exceptional these days, but it's hardly an inadequate amount of time off the plug.
Find the original article here.
Pros
- Excellent build quality
- Excellent security features
- Sleek design
Cons
- Lackluster battery life
User Reviews
Comments
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References
- ^ Lenovo ThinkPad T490 review: A classic workhorse. [digitaltrends]. https://www.digitaltrends.com/laptop-reviews/lenovo-thinkpad-t490-review/. 2019-11-27. Retrieved 2021-03-22.
- ^ Lenovo ThinkPad T490 (i7, MX250, Low Power FHD) Laptop Review. [notebookcheck]. https://www.notebookcheck.net/Lenovo-ThinkPad-T490-i7-MX250-Low-Power-FHD-Laptop-Review.421150.0.html. 2019-05-22. Retrieved 2021-03-22.
- ^ Lenovo ThinkPad T490 Laptop Review: A business laptop with long battery life and an iGPU. [notebookcheck]. https://www.notebookcheck.net/Lenovo-ThinkPad-T490-Laptop-Review-A-business-laptop-with-long-battery-life-and-an-iGPU.424838.0.html. Retrieved 2021-03-22.
- ^ Lenovo ThinkPad T490 Laptop Review: The Comet Lake-U Update. [notebookcheck]. https://www.notebookcheck.net/Lenovo-ThinkPad-T490-Laptop-Review-The-Comet-Lake-U-Update.455237.0.html. 2020-03-06. Retrieved 2021-03-22.
- ^ Lenovo ThinkPad T490 Review: The WQHD HDR panel convinces in the test, but makes only limited sense in an office laptop. [notebookcheck]. https://www.notebookcheck.net/Lenovo-ThinkPad-T490-Review-The-WQHD-HDR-panel-convinces-in-the-test-but-makes-only-limited-sense-in-an-office-laptop.434735.0.html. Retrieved 2021-03-22.
- ^ Lenovo ThinkPad T490 Review. [pcmag]. https://www.pcmag.com/reviews/lenovo-thinkpad-t490. 2019-05-30. Retrieved 2021-03-22.
The MSRP provided on this page may not apply to all regions equally. For the current price, please refer to the Price Comparison section.
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These key takeaways ("pros" and "cons") and summaries are identified from third-party reviews. They may differ from the original texts.
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