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Lenovo ThinkPad T495s Review: The AMD business laptop is good, but the fan is annoying

More affordable is better? The ThinkPad T495s with the Ryzen 7 Pro 3700U is a serious alternative to the Intel-based T490s. The price in particular makes the device very interesting, since there are not many compromises compared to the Intel model.

We have already looked at the ThinkPad T490s with the Intel processor in detail and found it a great office notebook. On the other hand, Lenovo has also made some compromises with the new design, since the performance turns out lower compared to the direct predecessor. The slimmer case does not offer a dedicated GPU anymore, and the CPU performance is also lower. In this regard, now there is also the ThinkPad T495s based on AMD, which uses the identical case. With the Ryzen 7 Pro and its integrated Vega 10 GPU, there is significantly more graphics power than in the corresponding Intel model.

Another argument for the T495s is its low price, since with a comparable equipment, you save about 300 Euros (~$330) compared to the T490s. Our test unit (20QKS01E00) comes from the Campus program and with the Ryzen 7 Pro 3700U, 16 GB of RAM, a 1-TB SSD, and the bright Full HD panel (400 nits), it costs only just 1299 Euros (~$1429; without operating system). The corresponding model with Windows 10 Pro is available in Lenovo's online shop for about 1850 Euros (~$2035; $1635 in the US); and the corresponding T490s, for 2330 Euros (~$2562). We will of course compare the ThinkPad T495s with the ThinkPad T490s, but also with the T495 and the X1 Carbon 2019:

Note that since the case does not differ from that of the ThinkPad T490s, for details on its construction, connection equipment, input devices, and speakers, we refer you to our detailed review of the Intel model.

Lenovo ThinkPad T495s-20QKS01E00
Processor
AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 3700U 4 x 2.3 - 4 GHz, Zen+
Graphics adapter
Memory
16 GB 
, DDR4-2400, dual-channel, on-board
Display
14.00 inch 16:9, 1920 x 1080 pixel 157 PPI, B140HAN05.7, IPS, glossy: no
Mainboard
AMD CZ FCH
Storage
Soundcard
AMD Raven - Audio Processor - HD Audio Controller
Connections
2 USB 3.0 / 3.1 Gen1, 2 USB 3.1 Gen2, 1 HDMI, 2 DisplayPort, 1 Kensington Lock, 1 Docking Station Port, Audio Connections: 3.5 mm audio port, Card Reader: microSD, 1 SmartCard, 1 Fingerprint Reader
Networking
Realtek RTL8168B/8111B Family PCI-E Gigabit Ethernet NIC (10/100/1000MBit/s), Intel Wireless-AC 9260 (a/b/g/n = Wi-Fi 4/ac = Wi-Fi 5/), Bluetooth 5.0
Size
height x width x depth (in mm): 16.1 x 328.8 x 225.8 ( = 0.63 x 12.94 x 8.89 in)
Battery
57 Wh Lithium-Ion
Camera
Webcam: 720p
Additional features
Speakers: stereo 2x 1W, Keyboard: chiclet, Keyboard Light: yes, 65-watt power supply, 36 Months Warranty
Weight
1.277 kg ( = 45.04 oz / 2.82 pounds), Power Supply: 351 g ( = 12.38 oz / 0.77 pounds)
Price
1299 Euro
Note: The manufacturer may use components from different suppliers including display panels, drives or memory sticks with similar specifications.

 

Differences between the ThinkPad T495s and T490s

As already mentioned in the comparison between the ThinkPad T490 and T495, there are no external differences between the two models. So other than looking at the stickers on the base unit, you cannot see whether it is a ThinkPad with an Intel or an AMD processor. However, Lenovo offers more display options for the Intel model, while the maximum resolution you can get for the ThinkPad T495s is Full HD. The AMD ThinkPad also does not offer Thunderbolt 3, but instead, there are HDMI 2.0 and a display with FreeSync support (adaptive synchronization technology). Due to the rather low gaming performance and the limited frequencies of the display (48-60 Hz), the functionality of FreeSync is limited.

Size Comparison

331 mm / 13 inch 226.8 mm / 8.93 inch 18.45 mm / 0.726 inch 1.3 kg2.97 lbs329 mm / 13 inch 227 mm / 8.94 inch 18.9 mm / 0.744 inch 1.5 kg3.28 lbs329 mm / 13 inch 225.8 mm / 8.89 inch 16.1 mm / 0.634 inch 1.3 kg2.8 lbs328.8 mm / 12.9 inch 225.8 mm / 8.89 inch 16.1 mm / 0.634 inch 1.3 kg2.82 lbs323.5 mm / 12.7 inch 217.1 mm / 8.55 inch 14.9 mm / 0.587 inch 1.1 kg2.45 lbs297 mm / 11.7 inch 210 mm / 8.27 inch 1 mm / 0.03937 inch 5.7 g0.01257 lbs
SD Card Reader
average JPG Copy Test (av. of 3 runs)
Lenovo ThinkPad T495s-20QKS01E00
  (Toshiba Exceria Pro M501 64 GB UHS-II)
78.8 MB/s
Lenovo ThinkPad T495-20NKS01Y00
  (Toshiba Exceria Pro M501 64 GB UHS-II)
78.3 MB/s -1%
Lenovo ThinkPad T480s-20L8S02E00
  (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II)
75.2 MB/s -5%
Lenovo ThinkPad T490s-20NYS02A00
  (Toshiba Exceria Pro M501)
68.3 MB/s -13%
Average of class Office
  (8 - 196.8, n=50, last 2 years)
55.6 MB/s -29%
maximum AS SSD Seq Read Test (1GB)
Lenovo ThinkPad T495-20NKS01Y00
  (Toshiba Exceria Pro M501 64 GB UHS-II)
90.3 MB/s 0%
Lenovo ThinkPad T495s-20QKS01E00
  (Toshiba Exceria Pro M501 64 GB UHS-II)
90.2 MB/s
Lenovo ThinkPad T490s-20NYS02A00
  (Toshiba Exceria Pro M501)
87.8 MB/s -3%
Lenovo ThinkPad T480s-20L8S02E00
  (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II)
87.4 MB/s -3%
Average of class Office
  (26.4 - 173.2, n=44, last 2 years)
65.2 MB/s -28%
Networking
iperf3 transmit AX12
Average of class Office
  (280 - 1332, n=6, last 2 years)
810 MBit/s +23%
Lenovo ThinkPad T490s-20NYS02A00
Intel Wireless-AC 9560
667 MBit/s +1%
Lenovo ThinkPad T495s-20QKS01E00
Intel Wireless-AC 9260
658 MBit/s
Lenovo ThinkPad T495-20NKS01Y00
Intel Wireless-AC 9260
652 MBit/s -1%
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon 2019-20QE000VGE
Intel Wireless-AC 9560
652 MBit/s -1%
Lenovo ThinkPad T480s-20L8S02E00
Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 8265
515 MBit/s -22%
iperf3 receive AX12
Average of class Office
  (348 - 1690, n=6, last 2 years)
852 MBit/s +38%
Lenovo ThinkPad T490s-20NYS02A00
Intel Wireless-AC 9560
648 MBit/s +5%
Lenovo ThinkPad T495-20NKS01Y00
Intel Wireless-AC 9260
626 MBit/s +1%
Lenovo ThinkPad T480s-20L8S02E00
Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 8265
623 MBit/s +1%
Lenovo ThinkPad T495s-20QKS01E00
Intel Wireless-AC 9260
618 MBit/s
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon 2019-20QE000VGE
Intel Wireless-AC 9560
617 MBit/s 0%

Display – The ThinkPad T495s with a bright FHD display

Subpixel grid
Subpixel grid

The built-in 1080p panel with an advertised brightness of 400 nits is the highest display option for the ThinkPad T495s. The options with a higher resolution are reserved for the T490s Intel model. However, since the quality of the Full-HD display is completely okay and the resolution is sufficient for many application scenarios in our opinion, this limitation should not become a problem for most users.

On the other hand, it is a problem that Lenovo gets these 400-nit panels from four different manufacturers and they do show some differences. The most important here are the response times, which turn out to be very slow in two of the models, producing some streaking effects. This is also the case with the panel from AU Optronics (B140HAN05.7) that is used here. You can find out about all the other details on the four panel variants here. Unfortunately, there is no way to know ahead of time, which model you will get.

Subjectively, the display quality of the T495s is still able to convince, since the brightness as well as the contrast are high, and the content display is sharp. Despite the matte surface, there is no grainy image impression. Screen-bleeding is not a problem, and PWM is also not used.

392
cd/m²
401
cd/m²
409
cd/m²
357
cd/m²
380
cd/m²
370
cd/m²
364
cd/m²
377
cd/m²
378
cd/m²
Distribution of brightness
B140HAN05.7 tested with X-Rite i1Pro 2
Maximum: 409 cd/m² (Nits) Average: 380.9 cd/m²
Brightness Distribution: 87 %
Center on Battery: 380 cd/m²
Contrast: 1727:1 (Black: 0.22 cd/m²)
ΔE Color 4 | 0.5-29.43 Ø5, calibrated: 1.2
ΔE Greyscale 4.4 | 0.57-98 Ø5.3
96.6% sRGB (Argyll 1.6.3 3D)
62.2% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 1.6.3 3D)
68.3% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
96.8% sRGB (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
67% Display P3 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
Gamma: 2.54
Lenovo ThinkPad T495s-20QKS01E00
B140HAN05.7, , 1920x1080, 14.00
Lenovo ThinkPad T495-20NKS01Y00
N140HCG-GQ2, , 1920x1080, 14.00
Lenovo ThinkPad T490s-20NYS02A00
B140HAN05.7, , 1920x1080, 14.00
Lenovo ThinkPad T490-20N3S02L00
NE140FHM-N61, , 1920x1080, 14.00
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon 2019-20QES01L00
LP140WF9_SPF1, , 1920x1080, 14.00
Display
1%
0%
-1%
-3%
Display P3 Coverage
67
67
0%
67.1
0%
69.3
3%
64.5
-4%
sRGB Coverage
96.8
98.5
2%
97.6
1%
92.2
-5%
95.8
-1%
AdobeRGB 1998 Coverage
68.3
69.2
1%
68.5
0%
67.4
-1%
65.7
-4%
Response Times
54%
-2%
-22%
27%
Response Time Grey 50% / Grey 80% *
60.8 ?(30.8, 30)
32.4 ?(16.4, 16)
47%
61.6 ?(30.8, 30.8)
-1%
74 ?(33.6, 40.4)
-22%
44.8 ?(21.2, 23.6)
26%
Response Time Black / White *
37.6 ?(19.6, 18)
15.2 ?(6.8, 8.4)
60%
38.8 ?(21.2, 17.6)
-3%
45.6 ?(22.8, 22.8)
-21%
27.6 ?(15.6, 12)
27%
PWM Frequency
26040 ?(50)
2451 ?(50)
Screen
8%
4%
-16%
-9%
Brightness middle
380
420
11%
391
3%
418
10%
381
0%
Brightness
381
391
3%
389
2%
400
5%
375
-2%
Brightness Distribution
87
88
1%
87
0%
88
1%
94
8%
Black Level *
0.22
0.29
-32%
0.23
-5%
0.24
-9%
0.24
-9%
Contrast
1727
1448
-16%
1700
-2%
1742
1%
1588
-8%
Colorchecker dE 2000 *
4
2.1
47%
3.4
15%
4.7
-18%
4.6
-15%
Colorchecker dE 2000 max. *
5.7
5.5
4%
4.7
18%
8.7
-53%
8.5
-49%
Colorchecker dE 2000 calibrated *
1.2
0.7
42%
1.1
8%
2.1
-75%
1.2
-0%
Greyscale dE 2000 *
4.4
3.4
23%
4
9%
5.9
-34%
5.1
-16%
Gamma
2.54 87%
2.22 99%
2.49 88%
2.06 107%
2.52 87%
CCT
6963 93%
7168 91%
6809 95%
7350 88%
7052 92%
Color Space (Percent of AdobeRGB 1998)
62.2
63.5
2%
62.4
0%
59.9
-4%
60.7
-2%
Color Space (Percent of sRGB)
96.6
98.6
2%
97.4
1%
92.1
-5%
95.7
-1%
Total Average (Program / Settings)
21% / 12%
1% / 3%
-13% / -14%
5% / -3%

* ... smaller is better

CalMAN Grayscale
CalMAN Grayscale
CalMAN Saturation
CalMAN Saturation
CalMAN ColorChecker
CalMAN ColorChecker
CalMAN Grayscale calibrated
CalMAN Grayscale calibrated
CalMAN Saturation calibrated
CalMAN Saturation calibrated
CalMAN ColorChecker calibrated
CalMAN ColorChecker calibrated

The new LowPower Full HD panel in the 14-inch ThinkPads offers a very high image quality, which is also confirmed by the CalMAN measurements. Although there are still some deviations in the colors and grayscale in the state of delivery, there is no visible tint, and the display does not need to be calibrated for regular office work.

In order to be able to use the display to its full potential, you need to calibrate it. You can download our free calibration profile for the AUO panel using the link in the display box above. Using this, the deviations for the grayscale and also the colors drop below the important value of 3. So in combination with the almost complete coverage of the sRGB color space, image processing will also be possible.

sRGB coverage: 96.6%
sRGB coverage: 96.6%
AdobeRGB coverage: 62.2%
AdobeRGB coverage: 62.2%

Display Response Times

Display response times show how fast the screen is able to change from one color to the next. Slow response times can lead to afterimages and can cause moving objects to appear blurry (ghosting). Gamers of fast-paced 3D titles should pay special attention to fast response times.
       Response Time Black to White
37.6 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined↗ 19.6 ms rise
↘ 18 ms fall
The screen shows slow response rates in our tests and will be unsatisfactory for gamers.
In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.1 (minimum) to 240 (maximum) ms. » 95 % of all devices are better.
This means that the measured response time is worse than the average of all tested devices (21.6 ms).
       Response Time 50% Grey to 80% Grey
60.8 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined↗ 30.8 ms rise
↘ 30 ms fall
The screen shows slow response rates in our tests and will be unsatisfactory for gamers.
In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.2 (minimum) to 636 (maximum) ms. » 96 % of all devices are better.
This means that the measured response time is worse than the average of all tested devices (33.9 ms).

Screen Flickering / PWM (Pulse-Width Modulation)

To dim the screen, some notebooks will simply cycle the backlight on and off in rapid succession - a method called Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) . This cycling frequency should ideally be undetectable to the human eye. If said frequency is too low, users with sensitive eyes may experience strain or headaches or even notice the flickering altogether.
Screen flickering / PWM not detected

In comparison: 53 % of all tested devices do not use PWM to dim the display. If PWM was detected, an average of 18110 (minimum: 5 - maximum: 3846000) Hz was measured.

In the sun
In the sun
In the sun
In the sun
Viewing Angle Stability - vertical shift
Viewing Angle Stability - vertical shift
Viewing Angle Stability - vertical and horizontal shift
Viewing Angle Stability - vertical and horizontal shift

Performance – The AMD ThinkPad offers sufficient performance

LatencyMon WLAN deactivated
LatencyMon WLAN deactivated
 
 

Processor – The Ryzen 7 Pro is unable to use its full potential

Compared to the consumer models, the Ryzen Pro CPUs offer additional security and administrative functions. In this regard, they correspond to the vPro CPUs from Intel, for which you have to pay extra at Lenovo, though. The Ryzen 7 Pro 3700U in our ThinkPad T495s is the fastest model. However, the performance is limited by the TDP configuration here (25 watts for several minutes and then 18 watts). Therefore, we have also added the ThinkPad E595, which runs the consumer Ryzen 7 3700U at a constant 25 watts, into the comparison. While you have no influence on the processor in the Campus model of the ThinkPad T495s, if you configure the device in Lenovo's online shop, we recommend the Ryzen 5 Pro 3500U. You can find additional technical details on the Ryzen 7 Pro 3700U here.

Cinebench R15
CPU Single 64Bit
Average of class Office
  (82.6 - 284, n=118, last 2 years)
215 Points +44%
Lenovo ThinkPad T490-20N3S02L00
Intel Core i7-8565U
180 Points +21%
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon 2019-20QE000VGE
Intel Core i7-8665U
180 Points +21%
Lenovo ThinkPad T480s-20L8S02E00
Intel Core i7-8550U
170 Points +14%
Lenovo ThinkPad T490s-20NYS02A00
Intel Core i5-8265U
162 Points +9%
Lenovo ThinkPad T495s-20QKS01E00
AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 3700U
149 Points
Average AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 3700U
 
149 Points 0%
Lenovo ThinkPad T495-20NKS01Y00
AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 3500U
144 Points -3%
Lenovo ThinkPad E595-20NF0000GE
AMD Ryzen 7 3700U
144 Points -3%
CPU Multi 64Bit
Average of class Office
  (160.8 - 2642, n=120, last 2 years)
1380 Points +110%
Lenovo ThinkPad T480s-20L8S02E00
Intel Core i7-8550U
723 Points +10%
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon 2019-20QE000VGE
Intel Core i7-8665U
701 (574.56min - 701.36max) Points +7%
Lenovo ThinkPad T490s-20NYS02A00
Intel Core i5-8265U
686 (566.02min - 686.12max) Points +4%
Lenovo ThinkPad E595-20NF0000GE
AMD Ryzen 7 3700U
683 (680.39min - 687.17max) Points +4%
Lenovo ThinkPad T490-20N3S02L00
Intel Core i7-8565U
680 (592.15min - 661.89max) Points +3%
Lenovo ThinkPad T495s-20QKS01E00
AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 3700U
658 Points
Average AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 3700U
 
658 Points 0%
Lenovo ThinkPad T495-20NKS01Y00
AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 3500U
611 Points -7%

In the single-core performance, the Intel processor is still ahead, but during the load of several cores, the AMD processor offers a comparable performance level. Only during longer load, which we simulate with our CineBench loop, the performance drops due to the TDP configuration and then levels out at almost 570 points. However, the Intel-based T490s is at the same level here, so there is no artificial limitation of the AMD model. During battery operation, the performance is not reduced.

04080120160200240280320360400440480520560600640680Tooltip
Lenovo ThinkPad T495s-20QKS01E00 AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 3700U, AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 3700U: Ø578 (565.26-658.27)
Lenovo ThinkPad T495-20NKS01Y00 AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 3500U, AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 3500U: Ø576 (569.82-610.73)
Lenovo ThinkPad E595-20NF0000GE AMD Ryzen 7 3700U, AMD Ryzen 7 3700U: Ø684 (680.39-687.17)
Lenovo ThinkPad T490s-20NYS02A00 Intel Core i5-8265U, Intel Core i5-8265U: Ø584 (566.02-686.12)
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon 2019-20QE000VGE Intel Core i7-8665U, Intel Core i7-8665U: Ø632 (574.56-701.36)
Cinebench R15 CPU Multi 64Bit
658 Points
Cinebench R15 OpenGL 64Bit
51.9 fps
Cinebench R15 Ref. Match 64Bit
98 %
Cinebench R15 CPU Single 64Bit
149 Points
Help

System Performance – AMD laptop with a fast PCIe SSD from Samsung

The high CPU performance in combination with the fast PCIe SSD from Samsung (PM981a) ensures a very responsive system. Input is executed promptly, and applications start without any delay. We did not encounter any problems during our test.

PCMark 10
Score
Average of class Office
  (2325 - 7157, n=105, last 2 years)
5312 Points +41%
Lenovo ThinkPad T490-20N3S02L00
GeForce MX250, i7-8565U, Toshiba XG5 KXG50ZNV512G
4341 Points +15%
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon 2019-20QE000VGE
UHD Graphics 620, i7-8665U, WDC PC SN720 SDAQNTW-512G
4005 Points +6%
Lenovo ThinkPad T490s-20NYS02A00
UHD Graphics 620, i5-8265U, Intel SSD Pro 7600p SSDPEKKF512G8L
3985 Points +6%
Lenovo ThinkPad T480s-20L8S02E00
GeForce MX150, i5-8550U, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB512HAJQ
3960 Points +5%
Lenovo ThinkPad T495-20NKS01Y00
Vega 8, R5 PRO 3500U, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB512HAJQ
3818 Points +1%
Lenovo ThinkPad T495s-20QKS01E00
Vega 10, R7 PRO 3700U, Samsung PM981a MZVLB1T0HBLR
3762 Points
Average AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 3700U, AMD Radeon RX Vega 10
 
3762 Points 0%
Essentials
Average of class Office
  (5095 - 20841, n=105, last 2 years)
9781 Points +31%
Lenovo ThinkPad T490s-20NYS02A00
UHD Graphics 620, i5-8265U, Intel SSD Pro 7600p SSDPEKKF512G8L
8361 Points +12%
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon 2019-20QE000VGE
UHD Graphics 620, i7-8665U, WDC PC SN720 SDAQNTW-512G
8199 Points +10%
Lenovo ThinkPad T480s-20L8S02E00
GeForce MX150, i5-8550U, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB512HAJQ
8045 Points +8%
Lenovo ThinkPad T490-20N3S02L00
GeForce MX250, i7-8565U, Toshiba XG5 KXG50ZNV512G
7981 Points +7%
Lenovo ThinkPad T495-20NKS01Y00
Vega 8, R5 PRO 3500U, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB512HAJQ
7556 Points +1%
Lenovo ThinkPad T495s-20QKS01E00
Vega 10, R7 PRO 3700U, Samsung PM981a MZVLB1T0HBLR
7480 Points
Average AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 3700U, AMD Radeon RX Vega 10
 
7480 Points 0%
Productivity
Average of class Office
  (3041 - 10198, n=105, last 2 years)
7439 Points +31%
Lenovo ThinkPad T490-20N3S02L00
GeForce MX250, i7-8565U, Toshiba XG5 KXG50ZNV512G
7392 Points +30%
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon 2019-20QE000VGE
UHD Graphics 620, i7-8665U, WDC PC SN720 SDAQNTW-512G
6870 Points +21%
Lenovo ThinkPad T480s-20L8S02E00
GeForce MX150, i5-8550U, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB512HAJQ
6825 Points +20%
Lenovo ThinkPad T490s-20NYS02A00
UHD Graphics 620, i5-8265U, Intel SSD Pro 7600p SSDPEKKF512G8L
6441 Points +14%
Lenovo ThinkPad T495-20NKS01Y00
Vega 8, R5 PRO 3500U, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB512HAJQ
5896 Points +4%
Lenovo ThinkPad T495s-20QKS01E00
Vega 10, R7 PRO 3700U, Samsung PM981a MZVLB1T0HBLR
5670 Points
Average AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 3700U, AMD Radeon RX Vega 10
 
5670 Points 0%
Digital Content Creation
Average of class Office
  (1912 - 9056, n=105, last 2 years)
5732 Points +68%
Lenovo ThinkPad T490-20N3S02L00
GeForce MX250, i7-8565U, Toshiba XG5 KXG50ZNV512G
3778 Points +11%
Lenovo ThinkPad T495s-20QKS01E00
Vega 10, R7 PRO 3700U, Samsung PM981a MZVLB1T0HBLR
3407 Points
Average AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 3700U, AMD Radeon RX Vega 10
 
3407 Points 0%
Lenovo ThinkPad T495-20NKS01Y00
Vega 8, R5 PRO 3500U, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB512HAJQ
3392 Points 0%
Lenovo ThinkPad T490s-20NYS02A00
UHD Graphics 620, i5-8265U, Intel SSD Pro 7600p SSDPEKKF512G8L
3210 Points -6%
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon 2019-20QE000VGE
UHD Graphics 620, i7-8665U, WDC PC SN720 SDAQNTW-512G
3111 Points -9%
Lenovo ThinkPad T480s-20L8S02E00
GeForce MX150, i5-8550U, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB512HAJQ
3071 Points -10%
PCMark 8
Home Score Accelerated v2
Average of class Office
  (2304 - 4830, n=12, last 2 years)
4261 Points +2%
Lenovo ThinkPad T490s-20NYS02A00
UHD Graphics 620, i5-8265U, Intel SSD Pro 7600p SSDPEKKF512G8L
4244 Points +2%
Lenovo ThinkPad T495s-20QKS01E00
Vega 10, R7 PRO 3700U, Samsung PM981a MZVLB1T0HBLR
4161 Points
Average AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 3700U, AMD Radeon RX Vega 10
 
4161 Points 0%
Lenovo ThinkPad T495-20NKS01Y00
Vega 8, R5 PRO 3500U, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB512HAJQ
4072 Points -2%
Lenovo ThinkPad T490-20N3S02L00
GeForce MX250, i7-8565U, Toshiba XG5 KXG50ZNV512G
4052 Points -3%
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon 2019-20QE000VGE
UHD Graphics 620, i7-8665U, WDC PC SN720 SDAQNTW-512G
3823 Points -8%
Lenovo ThinkPad T480s-20L8S02E00
GeForce MX150, i5-8550U, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB512HAJQ
3540 Points -15%
Work Score Accelerated v2
Lenovo ThinkPad T490-20N3S02L00
GeForce MX250, i7-8565U, Toshiba XG5 KXG50ZNV512G
5277 Points +4%
Lenovo ThinkPad T495s-20QKS01E00
Vega 10, R7 PRO 3700U, Samsung PM981a MZVLB1T0HBLR
5077 Points
Average AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 3700U, AMD Radeon RX Vega 10
 
5077 Points 0%
Lenovo ThinkPad T490s-20NYS02A00
UHD Graphics 620, i5-8265U, Intel SSD Pro 7600p SSDPEKKF512G8L
4927 Points -3%
Lenovo ThinkPad T480s-20L8S02E00
GeForce MX150, i5-8550U, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB512HAJQ
4909 Points -3%
Lenovo ThinkPad T495-20NKS01Y00
Vega 8, R5 PRO 3500U, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB512HAJQ
4880 Points -4%
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon 2019-20QE000VGE
UHD Graphics 620, i7-8665U, WDC PC SN720 SDAQNTW-512G
4696 Points -8%
Average of class Office
  (1854 - 5610, n=12, last 2 years)
3746 Points -26%
PCMark 8 Home Score Accelerated v2
4161 points
PCMark 8 Work Score Accelerated v2
5077 points
PCMark 10 Score
3762 points
Help
Samsung PM981a MZVLB1T0HBLR
CDM 5/6 Read Seq Q32T1: 3561 MB/s
CDM 5/6 Write Seq Q32T1: 3033 MB/s
CDM 5/6 Read 4K Q32T1: 359.6 MB/s
CDM 5/6 Write 4K Q32T1: 268.3 MB/s
CDM 5/6 Read 4K: 46.69 MB/s
CDM 5/6 Write 4K: 142.3 MB/s
CDM 6 Write 4K Q8T8: 1491 MB/s
CDM 6 Read 4K Q8T8: 1499 MB/s

Graphics Card – The AMD Vega 10 is significantly faster than Intel's iGPU

GPU-Z Vega 10
GPU-Z Vega 10

The graphics computations are handled by the integrated Radeon RX Vega 10, which benefits from the dual-channel RAM configuration. However, the speed of the iGPU is slightly reduced by the TDP configuration, as the comparison with the IdeaPad S540 14 shows. Thus, the Vega 10 is only minimally faster than the Vega 8, but about twice as fast as the integrated Intel GPU in the ThinkPad T490s. You can find additional information and benchmarks on the AMD Radeon Vega 10 here. In battery operation, the performance is not reduced.

The gaming performance is only sufficient for older or not very demanding games. Since there is no Thunderbolt-3 connection, you cannot connect an external graphics card. In this case, you should choose the Intel based ThinkPad T490s. You can find additional gaming benchmarks of the Vega 10 in our games section.

3DMark 11 - 1280x720 Performance GPU
Average of class Office
  (1474 - 12230, n=115, last 2 years)
5878 Points +55%
Lenovo ThinkPad T490-20N3S02L00
NVIDIA GeForce MX250, Intel Core i7-8565U
4748 Points +26%
Lenovo IdeaPad S540-14API
AMD Radeon RX Vega 10, AMD Ryzen 7 3700U
3968 Points +5%
Lenovo ThinkPad T495s-20QKS01E00
AMD Radeon RX Vega 10, AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 3700U
3781 Points
Lenovo ThinkPad T480s-20L8S02E00
NVIDIA GeForce MX150, Intel Core i7-8550U
3551 Points -6%
Lenovo ThinkPad T495-20NKS01Y00
AMD Radeon RX Vega 8 (Ryzen 2000/3000), AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 3500U
3535 Points -7%
Average AMD Radeon RX Vega 10
  (2688 - 4165, n=17)
3483 Points -8%
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon 2019-20QE000VGE
Intel UHD Graphics 620, Intel Core i7-8665U
1983 Points -48%
Lenovo ThinkPad T490s-20NYS02A00
Intel UHD Graphics 620, Intel Core i5-8265U
1839 Points -51%
3DMark
1920x1080 Fire Strike Graphics
Average of class Office
  (712 - 8815, n=117, last 2 years)
4072 Points +71%
Lenovo ThinkPad T490-20N3S02L00
NVIDIA GeForce MX250, Intel Core i7-8565U
3863 Points +62%
Lenovo ThinkPad T480s-20L8S02E00
NVIDIA GeForce MX150, Intel Core i7-8550U
2807 Points +18%
Lenovo IdeaPad S540-14API
AMD Radeon RX Vega 10, AMD Ryzen 7 3700U
2568 Points +8%
Lenovo ThinkPad T495s-20QKS01E00
AMD Radeon RX Vega 10, AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 3700U
2385 Points
Lenovo ThinkPad T495-20NKS01Y00
AMD Radeon RX Vega 8 (Ryzen 2000/3000), AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 3500U
2344 Points -2%
Average AMD Radeon RX Vega 10
  (1567 - 2999, n=17)
2224 Points -7%
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon 2019-20QE000VGE
Intel UHD Graphics 620, Intel Core i7-8665U
1357 Points -43%
Lenovo ThinkPad T490s-20NYS02A00
Intel UHD Graphics 620, Intel Core i5-8265U
1336 Points -44%
2560x1440 Time Spy Graphics
Average of class Office
  (242 - 3186, n=113, last 2 years)
1323 Points +80%
Lenovo ThinkPad T490-20N3S02L00
NVIDIA GeForce MX250, Intel Core i7-8565U
1134 Points +54%
Lenovo ThinkPad T495s-20QKS01E00
AMD Radeon RX Vega 10, AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 3700U
737 Points
Average AMD Radeon RX Vega 10
  (578 - 852, n=7)
724 Points -2%
Lenovo ThinkPad T495-20NKS01Y00
AMD Radeon RX Vega 8 (Ryzen 2000/3000), AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 3500U
693 Points -6%
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon 2019-20QE000VGE
Intel UHD Graphics 620, Intel Core i7-8665U
431 Points -42%
3DMark 11 Performance
3883 points
3DMark Cloud Gate Standard Score
6532 points
3DMark Fire Strike Score
2187 points
3DMark Time Spy Score
827 points
Help
low med. high ultra
BioShock Infinite (2013) 106.4 22
Dota 2 Reborn (2015) 73 63 36.5 33
X-Plane 11.11 (2018) 28.4 22 19.7

Emissions – The Lenovo T495s has an annoying fan

Noise Emissions

In general, the ThinkPad T495s is a very quiet office notebook and the measurements hardly differ from the Intel-based ThinkPad T490s. However, there is a problem with the fan producing a very high-frequency noise that is unfortunately very annoying. We found the same behavior in two different test units, but not in the T490s. Apparently, Lenovo uses a different fan here. In practice, this is very annoying and also unnecessary, in our opinion. By selecting a slower performance profile, you can slow the fan down even under load, but then you also have to live with less performance. In less demanding tasks, this should be no problem, but for the power user that would not be sufficient (with the T495s or T490s not being the best choice in that case anyway, due to the weak cooling system). There are no other electronic noises.

Noise Level

Idle
28.9 / 28.9 / 28.9 dB(A)
Load
31.5 / 33.8 dB(A)
  red to green bar
 
 
30 dB
silent
40 dB(A)
audible
50 dB(A)
loud
 
min: dark, med: mid, max: light   Audix TM1, Arta (15 cm distance)   environment noise: 28.9 dB(A)
Lenovo ThinkPad T495s-20QKS01E00
Vega 10, R7 PRO 3700U, Samsung PM981a MZVLB1T0HBLR
Lenovo ThinkPad T495-20NKS01Y00
Vega 8, R5 PRO 3500U, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB512HAJQ
Lenovo ThinkPad T490s-20NYS02A00
UHD Graphics 620, i5-8265U, Intel SSD Pro 7600p SSDPEKKF512G8L
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon 2019-20QE000VGE
UHD Graphics 620, i7-8665U, WDC PC SN720 SDAQNTW-512G
Lenovo ThinkPad T490-20N3S02L00
GeForce MX250, i7-8565U, Toshiba XG5 KXG50ZNV512G
Noise
3%
-3%
2%
-5%
off / environment *
28.9
28.4
2%
29.4
-2%
28.4
2%
29.4
-2%
Idle Minimum *
28.9
28.4
2%
29.4
-2%
28.4
2%
29.4
-2%
Idle Average *
28.9
28.4
2%
29.4
-2%
28.4
2%
29.4
-2%
Idle Maximum *
28.9
29.4
-2%
30.9
-7%
28.6
1%
29.4
-2%
Load Average *
31.5
29.9
5%
33.3
-6%
31.5
-0%
34.7
-10%
Load Maximum *
33.8
31.4
7%
33.3
1%
33.1
2%
37.2
-10%
Witcher 3 ultra *
34.7

* ... smaller is better

Temperature

Stress test
Stress test

Neither during idle operation, nor under load are there any problems with the surface temperatures. While at about 44 °C (111 °F) under load, you might get warm fingers sometimes, these values are not critical. However, you can see here that the cooling became significantly weaker compared to the old ThinkPad T480s

During the stress test with Prime95 and FurMark, the CPU and GPU have to share the 18 watts of input power. Therefore, the processor only runs at 4x 1.4 - 1.5 GHz and the graphics card at ~240 MHz and a core temperature of almost 78 °C (172 °F).

Max. Load
 38.7 °C
102 F
43.3 °C
110 F
42.7 °C
109 F
 
 37.6 °C
100 F
44.4 °C
112 F
42.6 °C
109 F
 
 27.1 °C
81 F
29 °C
84 F
30.4 °C
87 F
 
Maximum: 44.4 °C = 112 F
Average: 37.3 °C = 99 F
42.9 °C
109 F
44 °C
111 F
38.2 °C
101 F
38.7 °C
102 F
42.7 °C
109 F
36 °C
97 F
29.3 °C
85 F
30.3 °C
87 F
28.8 °C
84 F
Maximum: 44 °C = 111 F
Average: 36.8 °C = 98 F
Power Supply (max.)  35.8 °C = 96 F | Room Temperature 21.2 °C = 70 F | Voltcraft IR-900
(±) The average temperature for the upper side under maximal load is 37.3 °C / 99 F, compared to the average of 29.5 °C / 85 F for the devices in the class Office.
(±) The maximum temperature on the upper side is 44.4 °C / 112 F, compared to the average of 34.2 °C / 94 F, ranging from 21.2 to 62.5 °C for the class Office.
(±) The bottom heats up to a maximum of 44 °C / 111 F, compared to the average of 36.7 °C / 98 F
(+) In idle usage, the average temperature for the upper side is 25.7 °C / 78 F, compared to the device average of 29.5 °C / 85 F.
(+) The palmrests and touchpad are cooler than skin temperature with a maximum of 30.4 °C / 86.7 F and are therefore cool to the touch.
(-) The average temperature of the palmrest area of similar devices was 27.7 °C / 81.9 F (-2.7 °C / -4.8 F).
Surface temperatures during the stress test (top)
Surface temperatures during the stress test (top)
Surface temperatures during the stress test (bottom)
Surface temperatures during the stress test (bottom)

Speakers

dB(A) 0102030405060708090Deep BassMiddle BassHigh BassLower RangeMidsHigher MidsLower HighsMid HighsUpper HighsSuper Highs2028282531.5273127.826.44025.425.25024.722.96323.123.38022.623.310023.226.712525.531.31602134.62002141.425021.247.531520.750.940020.255.750019.458.263019.356.780018.163.110001865.4125017.257.7160016.558.6200016.258.2250015.656.9315015.660.4400015.549.1500015.152630015.152.980001555.41000014.946.81250014.745.51600014.641.3SPL28.970.6N1.226.5median 17.2median 52.9Delta2.97.230.629.726.129.33129.331.425.330.625.722.227.722.424.122.324.421.62421.328.922.636.921.840.221.542.121.347.52053.519.858.418.758.318.258.117.763.51761.116.660.116.158.315.957.815.760.615.555.915.557.215.551.715.453.515.147.414.938.329.470.91.226.3median 17.7median 53.52.59.3hearing rangehide median Pink NoiseLenovo ThinkPad T495s-20QKS01E00Lenovo ThinkPad T490-20N3S02L00
Frequency diagram (checkboxes can be checked and unchecked to compare devices)
Lenovo ThinkPad T495s-20QKS01E00 audio analysis

(-) | not very loud speakers (70.6 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(±) | reduced bass - on average 14.2% lower than median
(±) | linearity of bass is average (12.8% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(±) | higher mids - on average 6.3% higher than median
(±) | linearity of mids is average (9.2% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(+) | balanced highs - only 3.6% away from median
(±) | linearity of highs is average (12.4% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(±) | linearity of overall sound is average (25% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 72% of all tested devices in this class were better, 8% similar, 20% worse
» The best had a delta of 7%, average was 22%, worst was 53%
Compared to all devices tested
» 72% of all tested devices were better, 6% similar, 22% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 25%, worst was 134%

Lenovo ThinkPad T490-20N3S02L00 audio analysis

(-) | not very loud speakers (70.9 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(-) | nearly no bass - on average 20.8% lower than median
(±) | linearity of bass is average (8.7% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(±) | higher mids - on average 5.5% higher than median
(±) | linearity of mids is average (8.8% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(+) | balanced highs - only 3.4% away from median
(±) | linearity of highs is average (7.3% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(±) | linearity of overall sound is average (28.9% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 88% of all tested devices in this class were better, 2% similar, 9% worse
» The best had a delta of 7%, average was 22%, worst was 53%
Compared to all devices tested
» 84% of all tested devices were better, 3% similar, 13% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 25%, worst was 134%

Power Management – AMD and Intel with a similar endurance

Power Consumption

Although the Intel systems still have a slight advantage during the idle measurements, the difference is becoming smaller and smaller. The keyboard illumination increases the consumption by about 0.6 watts at the first brightness step and about 1.5 watts at the second. There are also no problems under load, since we only briefly measure 55 watts during the stress test, and at the end of the stress test, the consumption levels out at 32 watts (corresponding to the power consumption of the processor). The included 65-watt power supply is completely sufficient and is able to charge the battery without any trouble even during operation.

Power Consumption
Off / Standbydarklight 0.26 / 0.67 Watt
Idledarkmidlight 4.7 / 7.28 / 9.48 Watt
Load midlight 35.3 / 55.5 Watt
 color bar
Key: min: dark, med: mid, max: light        Metrahit Energy
Currently we use the Metrahit Energy, a professional single phase power quality and energy measurement digital multimeter, for our measurements. Find out more about it here. All of our test methods can be found here.
Lenovo ThinkPad T495s-20QKS01E00
R7 PRO 3700U, Vega 10, Samsung PM981a MZVLB1T0HBLR, IPS, 1920x1080, 14.00
Lenovo ThinkPad T490s-20NYS02A00
i5-8265U, UHD Graphics 620, Intel SSD Pro 7600p SSDPEKKF512G8L, IPS, 1920x1080, 14.00
Lenovo ThinkPad T495-20NKS01Y00
R5 PRO 3500U, Vega 8, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB512HAJQ, IPS, 1920x1080, 14.00
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon 2019-20QE000VGE
i7-8665U, UHD Graphics 620, WDC PC SN720 SDAQNTW-512G, IPS, 2560x1440, 14.00
Lenovo ThinkPad T480s-20L8S02E00
i5-8550U, GeForce MX150, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB512HAJQ, IPS LED, 2560x1440, 14.00
Power Consumption
11%
-1%
3%
-15%
Idle Minimum *
4.7
2.62
44%
5.1
-9%
3
36%
3.4
28%
Idle Average *
7.28
5.16
29%
7.7
-6%
6.3
13%
7.5
-3%
Idle Maximum *
9.48
8.7
8%
10.7
-13%
8.9
6%
10.8
-14%
Load Average *
35.3
40
-13%
35.8
-1%
40.8
-16%
55.4
-57%
Load Maximum *
55.5
64
-15%
43.2
22%
67.5
-22%
70.3
-27%
Witcher 3 ultra *
34

* ... smaller is better

Battery Life

Charging process
Charging process

The battery life in combination with the 57-Wh battery is very good, and overall, the AMD ThinkPad does not need to hide behind the Intel models. In the WLAN test with an adjusted brightness of 150 cd/m², the T495s even has an advantage of almost one hour and lasts for a very good 11:15 hours. If we run the test at the full display brightness, this value is reduced to 7:45 hours. Only in the video test, the ThinkPad T490s lasts slightly longer. 

In the comparison with the ThinkPad T495, the T495s naturally benefits from the slightly larger battery. But overall, we can say that in terms of the battery life, the new AMD ThinkPads have no disadvantages compared to the Intel models anymore.

Battery Runtime
WiFi Websurfing
11h 15min
WiFi Websurfing max. Brightness
7h 45min
Big Buck Bunny H.264 1080p
12h 30min
Lenovo ThinkPad T495s-20QKS01E00
R7 PRO 3700U, Vega 10, 57 Wh
Lenovo ThinkPad T490s-20NYS02A00
i5-8265U, UHD Graphics 620, 57 Wh
Lenovo ThinkPad T495-20NKS01Y00
R5 PRO 3500U, Vega 8, 50 Wh
Lenovo ThinkPad T480s-20L8S02E00
i5-8550U, GeForce MX150, 57 Wh
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon 2019-20QES01L00
i7-8565U, UHD Graphics 620, 51 Wh
Average of class Office
 
Battery Runtime
1%
-13%
-24%
-13%
-11%
H.264
750
834
11%
708
-6%
550
-27%
688
-8%
691 ?(348 - 1112, n=40, last 2 years)
-8%
WiFi v1.3
675
607
-10%
544
-19%
530
-21%
562
-17%
589 ?(272 - 1137, n=107, last 2 years)
-13%

Pros

+ robust and high-quality case
+ very good 1080p display (matte, bright, almost complete sRGB coverage)
+ long battery life
+ excellent keyboard
+ very good system performance
+ faster iGPU than in the Intel model
+ WWAN-ready
+ 3-year warranty

Cons

- high-frequency fan
- no Thunderbolt 3
- limited maintenance options
- performance potential of the CPU/GPU not fully realized
- slow response times of the panel
- microSD reader in a very bad position

Verdict – The AMD ThinkPad offers a better price-performance ratio

Testing the Lenovo ThinkPad T495s. The two test units were provided by Lenovo Campus Point.
Testing the Lenovo ThinkPad T495s. The two test units were provided by Lenovo Campus Point.

With the ThinkPad T495s, Lenovo offers another very good office notebook after the ThinkPad T495. While due to the weak cooling system, you cannot take advantage of the full performance of the Ryzen 7 Pro processor, the same is the case for the T490s with the Intel processor as well. Both systems offer sufficient performance for most tasks in the office. The battery life is also particularly encouraging, since there are no disadvantages for the AMD ThinkPad anymore here. The case and keyboard are identical in both models anyway.

However, there is one great disadvantage, since the fan produces a very high-frequency noise that is very annoying compared to the fan of the T490s. Even though the fan is often deactivated during less demanding tasks, Lenovo could have avoided this problem easily. On the other hand, the lack of a Thunderbolt-3 connection should not represent a problem for many users.

With the ThinkPad T495s, Lenovo offers a very good and above all, more affordable alternative to the Intel-based ThinkPad T490s. If it had not been for the problem with the high-pitched fan noise, the T495s would have received our unconditional recommendation.

However, there is also the price, and in this regard, the AMD ThinkPad is clearly ahead. You can expect a price advantage of at least 300 Euros (~$330), and the Campus model we have here is a price-performance champion at 1299 Euros (~$1429) anyway.

Note: Due to the update v7 to our rating system, the rating of the ThinkPad T490s is reduced from 92% to 89%. The fact that the ThinkPad T495s places behind that at 88% is mainly due to the high-frequency fan.

Lenovo ThinkPad T495s-20QKS01E00 - 09/24/2019 v7
Andreas Osthoff

Chassis
89 / 98 → 91%
Keyboard
95%
Pointing Device
91%
Connectivity
73 / 80 → 91%
Weight
72 / 20-75 → 94%
Battery
89%
Display
89%
Games Performance
59 / 78 → 75%
Application Performance
83 / 95 → 87%
Temperature
90%
Noise
83%
Audio
58%
Camera
50 / 85 → 59%
Average
78%
88%
Office - Weighted Average

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> Expert Reviews and News on Laptops, Smartphones and Tech Innovations > Reviews > Lenovo ThinkPad T495s Review: The AMD business laptop is good, but the fan is annoying
Andreas Osthoff, 2019-09-25 (Update: 2019-09-25)