Lenovo ThinkPad L490 20Q6S08600

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Reviews for the Lenovo ThinkPad L490 20Q6S08600

Lenovo ThinkPad L490 review – it’s all about security and durability
Source: Laptop Media Archive.org version
As we mentioned at the start of this review, the ThinkPad L490 is all about security and durability. While it’s designed is outdated and looks kind of clunky when placed against a modern 14-inch laptop, we have to note that the plastics used for the build of this machine is very thick. What is weird about it, is that it throttles without any logic. Instead of boosting the fan, it turns it off and relies on mostly passive cooling.
Single Review, online available, Very Long, Date: 12/10/2019

Lenovo ThinkPad L490 review – it’s all about security and durability
Source: Laptop Media Archive.org version
As we mentioned at the start of this review, the ThinkPad L490 is all about security and durability. While it’s designed is outdated and looks kind of clunky when placed against a modern 14-inch laptop, we have to note that the plastics used for the build of this machine is very thick. What is weird about it, is that it throttles without any logic. Instead of boosting the fan, it turns it off and relies on mostly passive cooling.
Single Review, online available, Very Long, Date: 11/24/2019

Comment

Series: The Lenovo ThinkPad L490 is a solitary laptop unit built for business and designed for success. Unlike its other ThinkPad siblings, which had long graced the scene, the Lenovo ThinkPad L490 model in particular has what it takes to go all the way while sharing similar widely-acclaimed qualities drawn from the other existing ThinkPads. The Lenovo ThinkPad L490 shares a rather similar look with all the other ThinkPads in the market hailing from the very same company brand itself. It has a matte 14-inch FHD display, which caps at a native resolution up to 1,920 x 1,080 pixels. This is considered as the common standardization for laptops these days. However, the Lenovo ThinkPad L490 comes equipped with the 8th generation Intel Core i7-8665U as its processor of choice, which makes light of even the most heavy and strenuous of workload. The Intel Core i7-8665U is a power efficient quad-core processor. It offers higher clock speeds due to the fact it is produced in a further improved 14 nanometer process. This method of improvement enables the Intel Core i7-8665U to achieve up to 4.8 GHz upon the activation of the Turbo Boost mode and thus furnishes this particular processor to outperform a lot of the existing processors in the scene.

On top of that, the Intel Core i7-8665U comes with a vPro technology. Hence, personnel from IT departments can remotely manage, diagnose and update the Lenovo ThinkPad L490 without having the personnel in question to be present at the same location. This means that should the Lenovo ThinkPad L490 require immediate care and solution, vPro can be utilized to establish a secure connection with an IT department and enable them to diagnose the operating system through accessing the vPro internal systems. In addition to concerns regarding security, the Lenovo ThinkPad L490 pretty much covered all the required bases. For instance, the Lenovo ThinkPad L490 features a ThinkShutter mechanism, which is a common found piece of equipment on the latest releases from the Lenovo brand, functions as a physical slide-over cover to shield the front webcam from virtual prying eyes from the other end of the connection. Apart from that, the Lenovo ThinkPad L490 also comes with optional security features in the form of a touch fingerprint reader and also infrared camera. This biometric login technology is made possible thanks to the Windows Hello facial software. It can be readily implemented into the Lenovo ThinkPad L490 should the user decides to opt for extra security measures on their laptop.

Hands-on article by Jagadisa Rajarathnam

Intel UHD Graphics 620: Integrated GPU (GT2, 24 EUs) found on some Kaby-Lake-Refresh CPU models (15 W ULV series). Technically identical to the previous Kaby-Lake GPU called HD Graphics 620.

Modern games should be playable with these graphics cards at low settings and resolutions. Casual gamers may be happy with these cards.

» Further information can be found in our Comparison of Mobile Graphics Cards and the corresponding Benchmark List.

i5-8265U: Whiskey Lake based low power quad-core processor (technically identical to Kaby Lake but produced in a further improved 14nm++ process). The four cores are clocked between 1.6 and 3.9 GHz (Turbo Boost) and support HyperThreading.» Further information can be found in our Comparison of Mobile Processsors.

14.00":

There are hardly any tablets in this display size range anymore. For subnotebooks, on the other hand, it is the standard format.

The advantage of subnotebooks is that the entire laptop can be small and therefore easily portable. The smaller display also has the advantage of requiring less power, which further improves battery life and thus mobility. The disadvantage is that reading texts is more strenuous on the eyes. High resolutions are more likely to be found in standard laptops.

Lenovo: Lenovo ("Le" from English legend, novo (Latin) for new) was founded in 1984 as a Chinese computer trading company. As of 2004, the company was the largest laptop manufacturer in China and, after acquiring IBM's PC division in 2005, the fourth largest in the world. In addition to desktops and notebooks, the company manufactures monitors, projectors, servers, etc, and specializes in developing, manufacturing and marketing consumer electronics, personal computers, software, enterprise solutions and related services.

In 2016, the company ranked first in the world in computer sales. It still held it in 2023 with about 23% global market share. Important product lines are Thinkpad, Legion and Ideapad.

In 2011, it acquired a majority stake in Medion AG, a European computer hardware manufacturer. In 2014, Motorola Mobility was purchased, which gave Lenovo a boost in the smartphone market.

85%: This rating is slightly above average, there are somewhat more devices with worse ratings. However, clear purchase recommendations look different.

» Further information can be found in our Notebook Purchase Guide.

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