Lenovo ThinkPad T490s review: A more portable T490 that toes the line of the X1 Carbon

We reviewed Lenovo's standard ThinkPad T490, refreshed for 2022, and noted its port selection, gorgeous brandish options, and chassis that was thinner and lighter than the T480. Now nosotros accept the ThinkPad T490s in our hands, which is a slimmed-downwards version that has quite a few of the same features, including LTE support, generous port selection, and multiple display options. Let's take a look at whether or not the T490s has the right stuff to be your adjacent Ultrabook.

Slimmed-down T490

Lenovo ThinkPad T490s

From $922

Bottom line: The T490s is a beautiful laptop that'southward thinner and lighter than the T490, but for the price of the higher-end models, you might take a hard fourth dimension choosing between it and the X1 Carbon, specially if yous desire maximum portability.

Pros

• Keyboard has deep travel despite the thin body
• All-twenty-four hours battery life
• Beautiful depression-power display
• Packed with ports
• 4G LTE connectivity available

Cons

• Soldered RAM
• No total-size Ethernet port

Lenovo ThinkPad T490s tech specs

Lenovo supplied Windows Primal with a review unit of the ThinkPad T490s, consummate with eighth Gen Intel Core i5 processor (CPU), 16GB of DDR4 RAM, 512GB 1000.2 PCIe solid-state drive (SSD), and xiv-inch low-power FHD display with most 400 nits brightness.

This exact model costs about $ane,623, but yous can start a baseline model at about $922. Here is a detailed breakdown of the hardware that makes up the review unit of measurement nosotros have in-hand.

Category	Spec
Processor	eighth Gen Intel Core i5-8265U Iv cores Up to 3.9GHz
RAM	16GB DDR4-2400MHz Soldered
Graphics	Intel UHD 620
Storage	512GB M.2 PCIe NVMe SSD User upgradeable
Display	14 inches 1920x1080 (FHD) Low-power 400 nits IPS, matte
Ports	Thunderbolt 3 USB-C iii.1 Two USB-A 3.1 HDMI 1.four Lenovo Ethernet adapter MicroSD card reader Smart Bill of fare reader iii.5mm audio
Audio	Dual 1W stereo speakers
Wireless	Intel Wireless-AC 9560 802.11ac (2 x 2) Bluetooth 5.0
LTE	Fibocom L850-GL (optional)
Camera	Front-facing 720p ThinkShutter
Biometrics	Fingerprint reader IR camera (optional)
Keyboard	Backlit Spill-resistant
Touchpad	Precision TrackPoint arrangement
Battery	57Wh
Dimensions	12.95 inches x 8.89 inches x 0.63 inches (329mm x 225.8mm ten 16.1mm)
Weight	From two.81 pounds (ane.27kg)

Lenovo ThinkPad T490s pattern and features

The ThinkPad T490s chassis is well-counterbalanced and impressively lite, starting at about ii.81 pounds (ane.27kg) and measuring 0.63 inches (sixteen.1mm) thin. Information technology'southward even so just a bit bigger and heavier than the premium X1 Carbon, though it does outset at a lower price. Compared to the T480s, information technology has been slimmed down in nearly every style. The chassis, as usual, is made upwardly of a magnesium main portion and a carbon fiber lid, which gives information technology durability without a lot of weight. This laptop has gone through MIL-STD 810G testing to testify its resilience over and above weather condition you lot'd find in an office. The laptop doesn't bend when twisted, and the lid feels sturdy enough to take some corruption. No, it can't exist opened with one hand.

Due to its size, the T490s does not have a full-size RJ45 Ethernet port like the standard T490, instead relying on Lenovo'southward proprietary adapter hookup.

Gone too is the microSD card reader on the left side of the chassis for like shooting fish in a barrel access. It is instead arranged with the rear SIM carte slot that's a lot less convenient if you're one who often swaps out cards. Still, the left side of the laptop holds USB-C (for charging), Thunderbolt 3, USB-A, HDMI, and a 3.5mm sound jack, as well equally another USB-A on the right side and space for an optional Smart Bill of fare reader. You're still getting a generous selection of ports here, though if yous detest dongles or often use microSD, the T490 might be more attractive.

Like any worthwhile ThinkPad, the T490s has some extra security options on top of the dTPM 2.0 chip. A snappy fingerprint reader is built into the correct palm rest, an IR camera for facial recognition is available on select models (including this one), and there's a webcam shutter that effectively eliminates any unwanted spying through the standard front end-facing 720p camera. A PrivacyGuard choice, which cuts down on viewing angles so really simply you can see what's on your screen, is expected to be made available later in 2022.

For sound purposes, there are dual 1W speakers located on the lesser of the chassis. They're just alright, getting loud enough to clearly hear what'south being played but not offering much depth. At higher volume sound is hollow, but for a business laptop, they get the job washed.

Lenovo ThinkPad T490s brandish

Lenovo has a few different 14-inch displays to choose from, including the low-power, not-touch FHD option in the review unit. It has an IPS console for wide viewing angles and manages to hit upwards of 400 nits brightness, yet the power draw is small enough that battery doesn't take a heavy striking. Contrast is first-class, and color reproduction hit 99-percentage sRGB and 78-percent AdobeRGB in our testing. The matte finish does a keen job of cutting down on glare, and, combined with the to a higher place-average brightness, you shouldn't have issues working outdoors or in a sun-soaked space.

The low-power display selection has excellent color, and information technology will significantly extend the T490s battery life.

If you demand a touch brandish the option is available, though the effulgence is capped at 300 nits and its elevated power describe will drain the battery much faster. To keep the price downwards there is an FHD brandish that manages just 250 nits brightness, and you can look to see a PrivacyGuard choice later this year. In that location seems also to be mention of a WQHD option with HDR support, though information technology's unclear in which markets or when it volition be made available.

It's interesting to note that the low-power display selection comes at a premium cost (expect to add virtually $299 to the price), which pushes the cost into range of the X1 Carbon that comes standard with the same 400-nit, low-power display. If yous're buying a laptop for ultimate portability and power, it's worth weighing the differences before making a final decision.

Lenovo ThinkPad T490s keyboard and touchpad

Every bit laptops thin out the keyboard travel often likewise shrinks, but the T490s does well to agree onto the archetype ThinkPad feel. In that location'south enough of motility for a comfortable typing experience, and bottoming out is equally soft as ever. If you lot're moving from an older ThinkPad, y'all might observe a marginal difference, just information technology'south not something that should take more than than a day to get used to. The 3-tier backlight makes it like shooting fish in a barrel to work after hours, and at that place are no surprises when information technology comes to primal placement and size.

The Precision touchpad is also classic ThinkPad, with a smooth mylar stop that tracks well and has space for Windows 10 gestures. Above are three physical buttons that necktie into the TrackPoint system, completed by the cerise pointing nub in the middle the keyboard. It all works without trouble to promote productivity, and if you're a long-time ThinkPad fan, you shouldn't be permit down.

Lenovo ThinkPad T490s performance and battery

The T490s is sporting 8th Gen Intel "Whiskey Lake" CPU options, including up to a Core i7-8665U vPro. The review unit of measurement has the standard Cadre i5-8265U, which was more than enough to handle everyday productivity tasks while staying cool nether load. The single fan spun up a few times, but it was never egregiously loud, and there were no signs of any thermal throttling.

RAM is unfortunately soldered to the board here and so you'll probably want to equip your model with as much as possible, peculiarly if you lot programme on using the laptop for years to come. If you'd rather go on your options open up, the standard T490 does have upgradeable RAM.

The T490s actually has a slightly larger bombardment than the T490, and coupled with the depression-power display option; I got betwixt nine and ten hours of life while going about regular tasks. That was with display brightness at a comfortable 200 nits, college than the 150 nits we often test at. The USB-C charger makes short piece of work of topping upwards, and you tin can expect to become about an 80-per centum charge in an hour. I ran some synthetic benchmarks to get an thought of how the T490s stacks upwardly to other laptops nosotros've recently reviewed.

CPU PCMark SSD

CPU

Geekbench 4.0 Benchmarks (Higher is ameliorate)

Device	CPU	Unmarried cadre	Multi core
Lenovo ThinkPad T490s	i5-8265U	4,911	15,834
Lenovo ThinkPad T490	i7-8565U	5,431	15,608
Dell Latitude 7400 2-in-ane	i7-8665U	v,469	xv,800
Huawei MateBook fourteen	i7-8565U	five,327	17,522
Lenovo ThinkPad X390	i7-8565U	5,472	eighteen,059
MSI PS63 Modernistic	i7-8565U	iv,909	14,466
Huawei MateBook X Pro	i7-8565U	5,192	16,757
HP Spectre x360 13t	i7-8565U	v,056	xiv,767
Surface Laptop 2	i5-8250U	iv,203	13,233
LG gram 14 2-in-1	i7-8565U	4,829	13,889

PCMark

PCMark Home Conventional 3.0

Device	Score
Lenovo ThinkPad T490s	3,575
Lenovo ThinkPad T490	iii,620
Lenovo ThinkPad X390	3,934
LG gram 14 2-in-1	3,452
Lenovo Yoga C930	3,506

SSD

CrystalDiskMark (Higher is improve)

Device	Read	Write
Lenovo ThinkPad T490s	three,060.vii MB/s	1,542.3 MB/s
Lenovo ThinkPad T490	3,254.eight MB/south	2,954.9 MB/south
Dell Latitude 7400 2-in-1	3,110 MB/due south	2,825 MB/due south
Lenovo ThinkPad X390	iii,024 MB/s	1,563.2 MB/due south
Huawei MateBook X Pro	iii,0416 MB/southward	2,779 MB/s
HP Spectre x360 13t	3,085 MB/s	1,182 MB/s
LG gram xiv 2-in-1	558.1 MB/s	523.i MB/s
Lenovo Yoga C930	2,596.ii MB/s	806 MB/s

Read speeds are excellent merely the Intel SSD does suffer a scrap when it comes to write speeds. Luckily you can replace the Chiliad.2 SSD after purchase.

Should you buy Lenovo'due south ThinkPad T490s?

If you lot're a fan of the T-series ThinkPads and need a powerful fourteen-inch business organisation partner that remains quite portable, the T490s should be a great fit. Information technology offers quite a few ports, the keyboard and touchpad are superb, and the low-power display option sucks up minimal bombardment and still offers fantabulous color and contrast. It'south durable, it's attractive, and it starts at a respectable toll. Optional LTE hardware keeps you connected at all times, and the extra security features available, including IR photographic camera, fingerprint reader, and webcam shutter, are more than welcome.

If you'd like to hold onto a full-size Ethernet port and better placement for the microSD card reader, definitely check out the slightly larger ThinkPad T490 that we besides loved. And once you start scaling up the hardware in the T490s, y'all might want to shift your attention to the new X1 Carbon, especially if yous want to go as thin and lite as possible and agree onto many of the same features found in the T490s.

Slimmed-down T490

Lenovo ThinkPad T490s

A fourteen-inch Ultrabook with impressive features

The T490s makes a great portable pick for lovers of the T-series ThinkPads, though it lacks some features found in the T490. Nevertheless, you lot'll find all-day battery life, powerful hardware options, a comfy keyboard, and a knockout display.

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Source: https://www.windowscentral.com/lenovo-thinkpad-t490s-review

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