Lenovo ThinkPad T490s (i5, Low Power FHD) Laptop Review

The build quality of our test sample is very good and we did not find any issues. One interesting difference compared to the previous T480s and also the T490 is the surface of the base unit, which is not as susceptible towards fingerprints. Our unit still looked like new even after our review period and some use; you usually have to clean ThinkPads more often.

The full-size SD card reader is another victim of the slimmer chassis and has been replaced by a microSD reader at the rear. There is sufficient space at the side, but the manufacturer probably tried to save space in combination with the SIM-card slot. This solution is hardly convenient in practice, because you need a special SIM-tool to open the tray and the display has to be closed to get access in the first place.

At least the performance has not changed, because the maximum transfer rate we determine with our reference card from Toshiba (Exceria Pro M501 64 GB UHS-II) is pretty much identical to the previous model. However, the copy performance (pictures) was a bit lower. It is very inconvenient to change microSD cards regularly, so your best option is to use a card for permanent storage expansion. If you want to copy a lot of pictures for picture editing (which is possible with this screen), we recommend an external card reader.

Another disadvantage compared to the old ThinkPad T480s is the lack of the Ethernet port. You now need an adapter to use wired networks, but it is at least included in the box of our test sample and can be connected to the Side Dock on the left side. This means that you can still use a native Gigabit-Ethernet port (Intel I219-V).

The Wi-Fi module was updated to the current Intel Wireless-AC 9560 (2x2). Our performance tests with the router Linksys EA8500 show very good results and we did not notice any problems (such as connection dropouts) during our review period, either. Similar to the ThinkPad X390, the Wi-Fi module is now soldered onto the motherboard and a part of the wireless functionality is handled by the CPU (Intel CNVi technology). Bluetooth 5.0 is also supported by chip, but limited to 4.2 by the OS according to Lenovo. A Wi-Fi 6 module will be available as an option later this year.

The WWAN/LTE functionality is a tricky topic. According to the official spec sheet, you cannot add a WWAN module later on (not WWAN-ready), which would be similar to the X1 Carbon 2018. However, our Campus SKU is WWAN-ready and the necessary antennas are already installed. This is also the case for the topseller SKUs according to their specs (or LTE is already integrated, respectively). We will try to get a definitive answer for this problem and update the article correspondingly.

The integrated webcam has been improved this year. We are not talking about the picture quality, but the ThinkShutter mechanism. This shutter has been improved and is now much more compact and also easier to use (it does not require as much force as before). Thanks to the smaller construction, the ThinkShutter camera is now available in combination with the IR webcam.

Lenovo started shipping some models with better screens last year, and it looks like the manufacturer now takes care of the other models as well. You can choose between a total of five different displays for the T490s, including 4x 1080p screens (standard, touch, Low-Power, PrivacyGuard). All these panels have a matte surface and both Low-Power as well as PrivacyGuard options are rated at 400 nits. There will also be a WQHD model with HDR support and 500 nits, but we have no information about the screen surface as of yet (matte or glossy).

Our test sample is equipped with one of the most interesting options, the so called Low-Power display with 400 nits. The panel is from AUO (B140HAN05.7), but Lenovo can use different suppliers. Our test sample of the T490, for example, which is equipped with the same 1080p Low-Power option, uses a panel from BOE instead. In order to ensure the lower power consumption, this is most likely an IGZO IPS panel.

The subjective impression of the panel is very good: Rich colors, sufficiently sharp contents and the picture is not grainy even on bright surfaces, despite the matte surface. The measurements are positive as well, even though the advertised luminance is not reached on every measurement spot. We determine an average brightness of about 390 nits, which is still a clear improvement over the predecessor. The black value is pretty low at the same time at 0.24, which results in an excellent contrast ratio of 1700:1.

PWM is not used on our panel and backlight bleeding is no problem, either, but the response times are very long. This is most noticeable when you move the cursor or scroll through documents/websites (ghosting), but it is no problem when you watch videos. Based on our own experiences we can say that you get used to it and it would not be a reason to avoid the panel for us. However, the subjective perception of every user is different, so you should test it if possible.

The heart of our T490s is the Intel Core i5-8265U from the current Whiskey Lake generation. Compared to the old Core i5-8250U we get a slightly higher frequency and all four cores can now reach up to 3.7 GHz under load (previously 3.4 GHz), at least if the cooling is sufficient. The i5-8265U in our sample requires a pretty hefty 42 W for 4x 3.7 GHz, so almost three times the nominal TDP of 15 W. This once again shows that Intel's CPU development stagnates and the manufacturer basically just increases the frequency. The manufacturing process has also been improved, but we are still talking about 14nm chips and the basic microarchitecture is still based on the Skylake models.

But back to the T490s: The PowerLimits are pretty generous at 51 W (for 28 seconds) and 25 W for sustained load. The mentioned 42 W at the maximum 3.7 GHz on all four cores obviously quickly increase the CPU temperature to more than 90 °C (~194 °F), which is when the 25 W (4x 2.9 GHz) limit sets in. This value drops further to 20 W in time (4x 2.7-2.8 GHz). This is one difference compared to the T480s, which managed to cool more than 25 W even for longer periods.

This is also visible in the Cinebench results, where the old T480s with the previous Core i5-8250U is faster both in short-term as well as long-term load scenarios. We also get the confirmation why Lenovo does not offer the T490s with dedicated GPUs anymore, because the cooling performance is just not sufficient. The optional Core i7 does not make much sense, either, you should save the money and invest some time into tuning the i5 instead (see next section). The CPU performance is not throttled on battery power.

All SKUs so far (Campus & Topseller) are shipped with fast PCIe-SSDs, even though Lenovo also lists a SATA-SSD in the spec sheet. This drive is probably limited to certain regions. Besides the M.2-2280 SSD, you can also use the M.2.2242 slot as an additional drive if you do not plan on using the LTE module.

Our test model is equipped with the 512 GB version of the Intel SSD Pro 7600p. The benchmark results for this drive are very good and it does not have to hide behind the models from Samsung, either. As per usual, Lenovo uses multiple vendors for the SSDs (Samsung, Toshiba, Intel, …), but you never know the exact model you get. You will either have to open the chassis or read the drive ID with a corresponding tool.

For more comparisons with other drives, please see our comprehensive SSD/HDD list.

We have already mentioned that the new T490s is not available with an optional dedicated GPU anymore, so all the graphics calculations are handled by the familiar Intel UHD Graphics 620 of the processor. It is powerful enough for standard office tasks and can also handle high-resolution video playback thanks to the integrated decoder. If you prefer a T490s with more GPU power, you should wait a few more weeks until Lenovo releases the T495s with an AMD SoC and much faster iGPU. We have included the ThinkPad E485 with the Vega 8 in the table below for comparison, which is already on par with the old GeForce MX150 in the T480s. The GPU performance of the T490s is not reduced on battery power.

The T490s is a very quiet office device in general. However, the fan quickly reacts to load and sometimes starts spinning without an apparent reason, especially on mains. We already know this problem from other current ThinkPad models. You should adjust the Windows Performance slider and avoid the option "Best Performance", which will affect the fan behavior. The fan control is better on battery power. We often used the device on battery, for example for the writing of this article in our web interface (multiple tabs, web radio, Skype) and the fan was usually deactivated in this case.

The fan bursts while idling are not particularly loud at 30.9 dB(A), but you can still hear them in quiet environments. We only recorded two more RPM levels for the fan at 31.7 dB(A) and the maximum at 33.3 dB(A). However, the fan is never really annoying or too loud and we did not notice any other electronic noises on our test sample. The fan quickly returns to idle after the load period is over.

We once again want to mention the voltage reduction of the processor at this point, because it also has a positive effect on the fan behavior for short peak load scenarios. All in all, we would still like Lenovo to improve the fan behavior.

Our stress test with the synthetic tools Prime95 and FurMark supports our findings from the CPU section above. After a good start, the performance drops continuously and eventually levels off at a TDP of ~18 W, so the cooling solution cannot handle more for sustained workloads. CPU and iGPU have to share the TDP envelope, which results in 4x 1.3 GHz (CPU) and 750 MHz (GPU). The performance is not reduced immediately after the stress test.

The two stereo speakers are located at the bottom and also direct the "sound" towards the bottom. It is then reflected from a solid surface such as a table in the best case scenario, but it can also be quickly muffled on softer surfaces. Still, the quality is not good even on a table. The focus of the speakers is the clear production of high tones, so the device is mainly suited for calls/conferences. This is obviously not a bad thing for an office laptop, but you quickly want better speakers when you watch a video or listen to music. We recommend headphones or external speakers for better quality.

We can keep it short this time: The ThinkPad T490s is a very good business laptop and one of the best overall packages right now with the new display. The Campus SKU for just 1259 Euros (~$1406) is also a real bargain.

We could end our verdict at this point, but the situation is a little more complex when you compare the ThinkPad T490s with its predecessor and Lenovo's other 14-inch laptops. A look at the current portfolio of high-quality business devices shows that all series are more similar than ever. This includes the T490, the T490s, the X1 Carbon as well as the new X390, which even shares the motherboard with the T490s. There are obviously some differences, but customers get pretty much four almost identical systems when you look at similarly equipped SKUs, and we did not even include the competitors from other manufacturers.

In the past, the T4x0s model was usually a slimmer version of the regular T4x0, which was often equipped with better components and it did not fall behind in terms of performance. This changes with the new T490s. Yes, the new chassis is a success and the quality is also a step above the regular T490, but the T490s falls behind in the performance department. This obviously includes the graphics adapter, because there is no dGPU anymore, but also the processor performance. The latter suffers from the less powerful cooling solution, and even the predecessor was a bit faster.

The ThinkPad T490s is more of a less expensive X1 Carbon (or X1 Carbon Lite) in our opinion. It is a bit bigger and heavier, but offers similar performance figures as well as the identical keyboard design. By the way, the quality of the keyboard is on par with the more expensive X1 Carbon and subjectively one step above the T490 and the competition from Dell, Fujitsu, or HP. The port situation of the T490s also reminds us of the X1 Carbon, including the inaccessible location of the microSD reader.

We appreciate the additional display options, and the reviewed matte Low-Power 1080p screen leaves a great impression except for the slow response times. We expect it to be the most popular display option both for the T490s as well as the regular T490. The brightness is very good, the picture quality benefits from the high contrast ratio, and the content is not grainy, despite the matte surface. The panel also covers the smaller sRGB gamut and the color deviations are very low, especially after the calibration. This means that the display can also handle some picture editing – the T490s might even be an interesting option for photographers if it just had a full-size SD reader.

Thinner chassis, better display, better keyboard, longer runtime – lower CPU performance, no dedicated GPU, compromises for the ports and much more limited maintenance options. Depending on your expectations, the new T490s will either be great or a major disappointment.

The T490s is currently better than the rivals, because it is just a very complete package in the segment of office/business laptops. There are some drawbacks, but some of them are in relation to the previous model and the competitors are not perfect, either. We therefore give the T490s our Editors' Choice Award. The competition will update their lineup in the next couple of weeks, so the ranking might change soon. Lenovo will probably offer serious competitors with the upcoming AMD counterparts.

Update September 2019: The rating drops from 92% to 89% due to our updated Rating system v7.