Site Title

Lenovo ThinkPad T490 Laptop

MSRP 1096 USDExt score 72%

Product Gallery

Photo 0of Lenovo ThinkPad T490 LaptopPhoto 1of Lenovo ThinkPad T490 LaptopPhoto 2of Lenovo ThinkPad T490 LaptopPhoto 3of Lenovo ThinkPad T490 Laptop

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.

<

>

X

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***

Ext 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
Read More

Price Comparison (incl. referral links)*

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

Related Products

Thumbnail of Lenovo ThinkPad T14 Business Laptop w/ Intel

Lenovo ThinkPad T14 Business Laptop w/ Intel

Ext 80%
Thumbnail of Lenovo ThinkPad T14 GEN2 i Laptop w/ Intel

Lenovo ThinkPad T14 GEN2 i Laptop w/ Intel

Ext 76%
Thumbnail of Lenovo ThinkPad T15 GEN2 i Laptop w/ Intel

Lenovo ThinkPad T15 GEN2 i Laptop w/ Intel

Ext 74%
Thumbnail of Lenovo ThinkPad T14s Business Laptop w/ Intel

Lenovo ThinkPad T14s Business Laptop w/ Intel

Ext 77%
Thumbnail of Lenovo ThinkPad T15p Business Laptop

Lenovo ThinkPad T15p Business Laptop

Ext 59%
Thumbnail of Lenovo ThinkPad T14 Business Laptop w/ AMD

Lenovo ThinkPad T14 Business Laptop w/ AMD

Ext 80%
Thumbnail of Lenovo ThinkPad T14s Business Laptop w/ AMD

Lenovo ThinkPad T14s Business Laptop w/ AMD

Ext 82%
Thumbnail of Lenovo ThinkPad L15 15.6" Laptop

Lenovo ThinkPad L15 15.6" Laptop

Ext 70%
Thumbnail of MSI Modern 14 B11S Laptop (Late 2020 / 2021)

MSI Modern 14 B11S Laptop (Late 2020 / 2021)

Ext 62%
Thumbnail of Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme GEN 4 16" Laptop (2021)

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme GEN 4 16" Laptop (2021)

Ext 85%
Thumbnail of Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme G2 Laptop

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme G2 Laptop

Ext 86%
Thumbnail of Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga Gen 4 Laptop

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga Gen 4 Laptop

Ext 84%

Related Articles

Thumbnail of ThinkPad, ThinkBook, Yoga, Legion, & IdeaPad: Understanding Lenovo's Laptop Lineup

ThinkPad, ThinkBook, Yoga, Legion, & IdeaPad: Understanding Lenovo's Laptop Lineup

This guide help you navigate Lenovo's 2020 laptop lineup with comparisons between the five main sub-brands and an overview of the most popular models availab...
Guide · 12 Aug 2020

3rd-Party Review Videos

External Reviews

digitaltrends[1]

Sentiment Score 61%
Reviewers from digitaltrends have found the following***:
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]

Sentiment Score 77%
Reviewers from notebookcheck have found the following***:
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]

Sentiment Score 73%
Reviewers from notebookcheck have found the following***:
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]

Sentiment Score 71%
Reviewers from notebookcheck have found the following***:
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]

Sentiment Score 73%
Reviewers from notebookcheck have found the following***:
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]

Sentiment Score 79%
Reviewers from pcmag have found the following***:
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

References

1. ^ 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.
2. ^ 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.
3. ^ 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.
4. ^ 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.
5. ^ 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.
6. ^ Lenovo ThinkPad T490 Review. [pcmag]. https://www.pcmag.com/reviews/lenovo-thinkpad-t490. 2019-05-30. Retrieved 2021-03-22.

Neofiliac places the utmost respect for your privacy. We use no cookie whatsoever beyond that needed for the proper functioning of the website.

The MSRP provided on this page may not apply to all regions equally. For the current price, please refer to the Price Comparison section.

*This page contains affiliate links to third-party merchants such as Amazon, eBay, and Rakuten. When you make a purchase using the supplied links, we will receive a commission.

***These key takeaways ("pros" and "cons") and summaries are identified from third-party review by our AI using advanced language models.

Comments

Please login before adding comments.