Lenovo ThinkPad T490 (i7, MX250, Low Power FHD) Laptop Review

[Tremaine]

As a Dell Latitude 7490 user, I am quite disappointed by the fact that you're comparing the i5-8350U of the 7490 to the 8th gen i7 processors of the T-series. I love T-series Lenovo laptops, but be fair and modify the review to include comparisons between identical processors!

[JLin]

I am deciding between T490 and T480s. The i5 version of T490 is same price with the i7 version of T480s (both with iGPU).

Considering that T480s have SD card slot and slightly lighter than T490, is it better to get T480s?

Will the performance or any other aspect that differs a lot?

[Michal]

Just small warning
I just bought the same model and I am really disappointed
CINEBECH
Mulit - 460 cb
Single - 146 cb

any advice what could possibly go wrong

just minor change:
I've added RAM module DDR 4 16 GB 2666MHz, SODIMM CL15 Kingston HyperX

[Ryan Weiss]

I own the T490.
REGARDING OPENING OF THE CASE:

It is NOT hard to open, at all.
It is very easy if you have one of those small plastic phone opening tools with the little lip, or any little plastic piece to slide in between the crease and "pop" the case off. It's actually way easier to open than many other laptops. Seriously, disregard the complaints about that aspect, it's not a deal killer, at all.

Aside from that, the T490 isn't all that powerful as one might expect, and it is a little noisy, but it is super light. Screen response time is pretty slow and can be annoying (using WQHD).

[anon]

poor translation: "PowerBridge was an interesting and comfortable feature"
That should be: PowerBridge was an interesting and convenient feature

[Joanna]

This is my last Thinkpad and last Lenovo laptop. Design is terrible and it has nothing to do with IBM quality. After one year both usb-C ports stopped working and I had to replace them, of course out of the warranty. This is a laptop designed to work for one year, afterwards one has to learn how to replace components.
I have been using Thinkpads all my life but it is no longer Thinkpad. Thinkpads were durable and well-designed. This laptop does not have replacable battery, is poorly designed and its charging ports get broken no matter how delicately You treat them.
If You have it, buy magnetic adapters, otherwise You are going to deal like me with the replacement of both usb-c ports.
I am left with Dell but I have to be careful with their soldiered RAM memory chips.
All my Lenovo laptops worked for one year without problems, afterwards, I had to fix them starting with motherboard and ending with everything else.

[Neenyah]

After one year both usb-C ports stopped working and I had to replace them, of course out of the warranty. This is a laptop designed to work for one year, afterwards one has to learn how to replace components.

That's why you apply critical updates in time and not after it's too late (all OEMs were affected, not just Lenovo): https://support.lenovo.com/us/en/solutions/ht508988-critical-intel-thunderbolt-software-and-firmware-updates-thinkpad

T490 is still a great machine today in 2024.

[DougF]

T490 is still a great machine today in 2024.

(No)