Lenovo ThinkPad T490

With a sturdy build and impressive performance, the ThinkPad T490 is made for office professionals who work nonstop and for programmers who need a machine that stays stable over long hours.

Well-Rounded Performance in a Business Laptop

The Lenovo ThinkPad T490 runs on the powerful Whiskey Lake CPU family and delivers impressive performance. It comes with several CPU options, from the Core i5 8265U to the Core i7 8665U, to suit different needs and users. Although these are power-efficient CPUs, Lenovo has tuned this machine's power limit up to 25W, which maximizes performance while keeping the system stable.

In late 2019, Lenovo added a few 10th-generation CPU options to this line, including the Core i5 10210U, Core i7 10510U and Core i7 10710U. The Core i7 10710U version in particular uses a 6-core CPU, which is well suited to running heavy Excel files as well as editing video.

The machine offers two graphics options: Intel UHD 620 and Nvidia MX250. Choosing the MX250 improves its ability to handle graphics-intensive software. The MX250 version also has better cooling, with 2 copper heat pipes, while the version with only Intel integrated graphics has a single heat pipe leading to the fan.

Lenovo ThinkPad T490 Design

In recent years, Lenovo has slimmed down the T series, which is no longer a stiff, somewhat clunky block. The Lenovo ThinkPad T490 is no exception: it is thinner, sleeker and a bit lighter than the previous T480. At a glance, it resembles the T480s, but the materials it uses are very different from the T480s. The body is made of plastic combined with glass fiber, with a magnesium-reinforced frame around the edges. The machine has a smooth, soft-touch coating that feels premium. But because it uses plastic instead of metal, the Lenovo ThinkPad T490 is not as rigid as the T480s, or even its sibling the T490s.

The hinge is firm and sturdy, and opens a full 180 degrees. The display bezels have also been slimmed down, improving the viewing experience. Truly, few machines match the T490 for build quality and materials.

A Display With Several Improvements

The Lenovo ThinkPad T490 comes with a Full HD IPS display with wide viewing angles. Brightness is modest: 250 nits on the standard version and 300 nits on the touchscreen. Color coverage on this display version is not very high either, at 62% sRGB and 40% AdobeRGB, which is enough for an office environment. However, the higher-tier options, the power-saving display and the PrivacyGuard display, reach a high brightness of 400 nits along with good color coverage of 92% sRGB and 60% AdobeRGB. It seems Lenovo has brought the better display options from its premium lines down to the T490.

In addition, the machine offers a 2K HDR display option that uses Dolby Vision technology with up to 100% AdobeRGB color coverage. The image is sharp and true to life, suited to users who work with photos professionally. There is also an HD resolution option for those who want to keep costs down but still want a dependable business laptop.

Keyboard and Touchpad

The keyboard is what has made the ThinkPad name for decades, and the T490 is no exception. The keys have good travel and a springy response, and the curved keycaps significantly reduce hand fatigue during heavy typing. The key spacing is sensibly laid out, and the arrow key cluster and Fn key are smaller than usual but still work well in everyday use.

The T490's touchpad has a textured plastic surface and a moderate size. The buttons give good feedback and click fairly quietly. Thanks to the Windows Precision Driver, gestures and touchpad response are smooth and accurate.
The TrackPoint remains a standout of the ThinkPad laptop line. It is highly precise and easy to use one-handed. The three accompanying buttons have a clear actuation point, just enough travel and a quiet click.

Optimized Audio Experience

Lenovo still equips the ThinkPad T490 with quality speakers using Dolby Audio Premium technology. The speakers are rated at 4W and deliver stereo sound that is clear and not thin. Notably, the machine moves the speaker strip from the bottom of the chassis up near the hinge, giving users better audio.

Ports and Connectivity

The machine has a fairly complete set of ports: 2 USB Type A 3.1 Gen 1, 1 HDMI 1.4b port, 1 RJ-45 network port, 1 MicroSD card slot and 2 USB Type C ports. However, only 1 of the USB Type C ports supports Thunderbolt 3. The other uses the 3.1 Gen 1 standard but still supports fast charging and video output.

Upgradability

The Lenovo ThinkPad T490 is fairly easy to upgrade. It has 8GB or 16GB of RAM soldered on, plus 1 open RAM slot that accepts up to 32GB. In addition, the T490 has 1 upgradable M.2 SSD slot supporting up to 2TB. However, the Wi-Fi card cannot be upgraded because Lenovo has soldered it to the mainboard.

Is the Lenovo ThinkPad T490 Worth It?

With an understated design that still feels refined, and stable performance across many configuration options, the ThinkPad T490 deserves its place as a good business laptop today. The one drawback that gives buyers pause is that it falls short of the T480s in build materials and weight, even though the specs are comparable.