Lenovo ThinkPad T490 Review (Is it better than the T480?)

[@Alex-wd3xq]

i have the t490 i7 with a 400 nits panel and ram maxed at 48gb, its a beast, not many things you cant do with this laptop, bright display with beautiful colors, feels like it will last for decades, keyboard is a pleasure to type on

[@joseantoniofierrorobles6088]

I just bought a T490 and using it right now. Still in 2024 This Laptop feels great and responsive and i am super happy with it.

[@SagarBade889]

I want to buy Lenova Thinkpad T490S is it better to buy it.

[@joseantoniofierrorobles6088]

@@SagarBade889 Honestly i think you lose too much. Being the S version you can't upgrade it in any way.

[@KTPurdy]

When the T490 launched I hurried to purchase a T480 before they ran out. Yes, now that the T490 abandoned it's legendary hot swapp-able battery and upgradable RAM, it's less of a Thinkpad

[@Dovecomputers]

Totally agree. Good news is that T480's are available used for discounted prices.

[@KaedeAnimation]

As if the chiclet keyboard wasn’t less of a Thinkpad enough. I bought a Fujitsu Celsius laptop after T490 came out

[@InsideTheGeeks]

They should keep the T series upgradable and leave the lightness to the X line. It is really hard to find upgradeable laptops nowdays, thats why I went with the T480!

[@ananasie1211]

Have you not noticed that there is a setting that exchanges func and Ctrl key

[@Dovecomputers]

You life saver! LOL

[@ExWEIMan]

You must be a new ThinkPad user. It has been an BIOS setting since the W510. Look in the Keyboard/Mouse settings and choose Fn and Ctrl Key swap.

[@bojanstanisic85]

Install Lenovo Vintage software, you ll find it there...

[@pd5156]

Like since forever lol :D. But this is really funny. They are trying to copy apple and overall trend for thin laptops and huge tracpads, but for some reason they keep that FN/CTRL key which I have to swap in Bios/software everytime... I will never understand Lenovo logic.

[@_bhavin192]

Far more better than some of the Dell laptops. They don't even allow it to be swapped :-/ PS: I like the the default layout i.e. Fn at end

[@cotojesakra]

The third USB-C at 2:31 (next to the tb3 one) is nt a USB-C at all, it's a proprietary port that's used with mechanical side docking stations.

[@williamyang4412]

It also a mini ethernet port

[@IamDoogy]

X1 is thin and light. Stop trying to downsize the T series.

[@MrEhabYounes]

What's sad is that there is even the Ts line (like the T490s) which is supposed to be the thin or compact variant

[@IamDoogy]

Ehab Younes Good point. Even within the T line there’s a thinned down version. Hadn’t thought of it. Very poor market research or they don’t care what their customers want. They want to be Apple, I think.

[@MsRomanFed]

absolutely agree. I can't see the second battery in this laptop :(

[@pd5156]

Ppl in lenovo are brainded imho. They could develop perfect laptop and they keep doing this. I mean 1 step forward, 2 steps back... And Im not writing about the keyboard - which i really like, even more than the old one.

[@IamDoogy]

@@pd5156 I know. I can't understand why they're intent on copying Apple instead of being Lenovo and keeping the T series a straight up BUSINESS MACHINE. Let the marketing people play with the X line or the consumer range of laptops. We need a practical, serviceable machine that IT can work on. Soldered in RAM? Built in battery? At LEAST, be able to SWAP BATTERIES, for gawd sake.

[@suwaidi]

Please avoid using unnecessary music and dont make them mask your own voice all in a sudden. Look at Mobile Tech Review videos, Lisa is appreciated for her very informative content and lack of using unnecessary music.

[@Dovecomputers]

Appreciate your comments.

[@Milan-iy3pd]

@@Dovecomputers tbh - the music was just too loud ... and maybe not matching enough

[@kartikkesarwani1320]

You can swap the Fn key with Ctrl from the keyboard manager. You're welcome.

[@malditangbaog]

thanks man

[@RaivoLaanemets]

On T480s you could swap it also in BIOS, probably in T490s, too.

[@antoespiga]

It fills a non-existant niche. It's worse, all around, than the t490s, harder to open, non user-removable battery and partially soldered ram. It's just thinner and lighter. If I want thinnest and lightest I don't get a T series, but everyone keeps moving in the direction apple set a few years back. Not to mention the heat disipation constraints of thin designs. Edit: 6 hours of battery life is terrible. I'm getting around 12h with an 80% charge in my T480. Really, get a T480, it's just better.

[@tgdhsuk3589]

exactly, even better ger a used almost brand new t480 for half the price and upgrade over time, just make sure to get a 1080p display and 256gb 8gb as minimum they go for £400-500

[@sohn7767]

Antonio and if that isn‘t enough, swap the battery and bam; get another half day

[@curiousgeorge6921]

Why is t490s better?

[@antoespiga]

@@curiousgeorge6921 It's been a long time since I did my research. But the T490s had better materials, is a bit lighter and, if I'm not mistaken the battery lasted quite a bit longer. Up until the T480 generation, the "s" series was thinner and lighter and somewhat "premium", but the non-s had better upgradeability: non soldered RAM, SATA and NVMe options, user-removeable battery and such. Now the T490 doesn't have any advantage whatsoever over the s, but has worse materials, worse screen options and less efficient cooling.

[@tonyprovideo]

I got the t480 recently rather than t490. Why? Because I prefer the air output to be on the left side to the right of t490. I have no faith on thinner chassis due to my belief that the current chassis and chip design isn't cut out for efficient heat dissipation. Lastly, I prefer to have a slot for battery.

[@tvthecat]

Enjoy it while it lasts. T480 was the last traditional ThinkPad. After it becomes obsolete, there is not going to be another great ThinkPad for probably a long time.

[@tek2313]

Why did they remove the external battery? Are they copying X1? So stupid

[@bobbyv3]

Nice review. Might want to tune down the music, though. Could barely hear you over the background music at some points.

[@mnicp01]

Nice review... I was hoping to see performance benchmarks against the 2 as well, as it is a comparison... but thank you for putting it together... overall nice...

[@64kdawg]

HORRIBLE. Who tf cares about thinness and lightness? T Series were known as robust upgradeable battery swappable machines. If you can't handle a few extra grams that's sad.

[@TheRIZKYRAMA]

did you notice that there is an out of place music suddenly appears near the end of the review

[@eddieoconnor4466]

Just something I've noticed for a while now......I have worked with developers, engineers, content creators, musicians, and writers....and while there were one or two?......a large majority of them don't even NOTICE the sound of the fans!! I mean you take the average programmer?...and they're WEARING HEADPHONES ALMOST 95% OF THE TIME....and most other of the careers I've mentioned?...are either interacting with people on such a routine basis, that they too don't notice the fan noise,...the only ones who have mentioned the noise to me?...were the musicians, they might notice the fan in a dead-quiet studio, but most other folks don't. And while it might be an annoyance?....I would SO much rather HEARING a fan kick in when something gets too hot, than to hear NOTHING...and have my MoBo or some other component melt due to overheating. So folks?.....STOP complaining about, mentioning, or trying to put down the FANS in a laptop!....you'll find its easier to ignore it than to constantly point it out. Also?.....not to nit pick?...but it seems whomever recorded the audio for this vid, started the "Ending Theme Music" a bit too early?...as I couldn't hear/understand some things because of the "Circus-y" soundtrack playin'!....

[@ayalavalva]

No anti-glare on the 1440p screen of the T490. I don't like to see myself in my laptop screen like in a mirror : (

[@curiousgeorge6921]

They're anti glare

[@edgargabriel6640]

just bought another T480-i7 / MX150 after specs were revealed- Much more flexibility. T keyboards lead the pack. For "thin and light" I've got an HP Spectre 13 x360 2019 model...

[@tgdhsuk3589]

thin and light should stay with t480s/ xi carbon also how is the throttle limiting core clocks?

[@edgargabriel6640]

@@tgdhsuk3589 pretty much as expected. R15 650 in Multi core / 170 single core About 3300 in 3d fire strike etc. Interesting: my T480 i5 isn't much behind for CPU multi core tasks. For instance geek bench multi both close to 16000 mark

[@tgdhsuk3589]

​@@edgargabriel6640 i meant how is the thermal throttling with gpu and cpu used at the same time, there is an issue with a hard 70C cap on the gpu i believe, and that causes 100mhz on the cpu right?

[@edgargabriel6640]

@@tgdhsuk3589 @Legendary Vegeta any measurement suggestions? for example 3Dmark is about 3300 in Fire Strike, 95° C, can't see any throtteling ...

[@blazbohinc4964]

Manufacturers have to learn that until Qualcom releases their 7W TDP chip (which beats the intel's 4 core 8 thread i5 U series 15W TDP), that 50Whr battery isn't enough. It just plain isn't! At least 65Whr for U series and above 90Whr for H/HQ/HK series 6 cores and 8 cores. I don't understand why everyone is satisfied with a battery life of less than 6 hours. Why do I have the laptop then, If I have to charge it all the time

[@maledetto1221]

get the 480, with the biggest battery of 81Whr on a U series I was able to run it over 14h using linux while watching netflix and browsing

[@HenrikRClausen]

This 'review' reads like advertising :( Based on what I have read, I decided to get a T480 while still possible. The T490 really isn't a successor to that one, it's just a cheaper (but not cheap!) T490s.

[@lorcro2000]

The primary letdown of the T490 is that it has no removable battery, something which I really dislike. But unfortunately that's the way things seem to be heading. But at least it's still easy to open so you can replace the battery when it ages out, unlike on a modern tablet or phone.

[@mrzisme]

Henrik Ræder Clausen you don’t need to lug around extra batteries anymore. For $75, you can get their 14,000mah charging bay which will recharge your laptop and a couple phones at the same time, and give you 2 extra USB ports. It’s smaller and easier to carry than an extra battery and an extra battery costs $125. The t490 is the new sheriff in town, it beats the 480 on everything. Better cpu, better gpu, far better panel, 500 nitts, 100% color, top facing Dolby speakers and as a bonus the whole thing is lighter.

[@curiousgeorge6921]

@@mrzisme so true man...

[@zodywoolsey]

honestly, I'll never sacrifice my precious secondary battery. The T480 allows you to not only remove the battery, but hot swap batteries without the machine powering down.

[@lbenegas]

I have a T480S, and it is an amazing piece of machine. Regarding the FUNCTION key, you can use the Lenovo software to swap it with the control key.

[@Dovecomputers]

T480S is a great piece of kit! There will always be two sides to the Fn key saga 🤣😁

[@alexeymaksimets1698]

As an ex-x220 user who had to re-paste the CPU I cant definitely appreciate this 11:13 after upgrading to t440p

[@porungashenron9469]

Now this is a Cool college laptop. Not from its looks but the performance. And thats all Ineed. As long as theres thunderbolt, we can game brothers

[@thats-no-moon]

You can swap Fn and Ctrl in the 'BIOS' during startup. I kept my t480 though, run it at max spec mx150, i7, 64GiB RAM and 2TiB+512GiB SSDs -- will be good for another decade or two haha. Good stuff. :-)

[@theunknownman8909]

How’s the thunderbolt/usb c port holding up?

[@thats-no-moon]

@@theunknownman8909 It's fine, never had any issues in any of my ThinkPads.. you have to upgrade the Thunderbolt firmware to >= v20 though because there was a problem with this where it would render it unusable.. That being said in general I don't like USB-C plugs very much, they always seem to be too loose and wobbly.

[@MrMarxon]

Why did you slide over fingerprint sensor?

[@YoavRheims]

Soldered RAM and only one storage are a pity. I'm sticking to my solid E480!

[@Dovecomputers]

True! The T480 size was perfect. Soldered RAM is the wrong way to go.

[@AM-cs8yi]

@@Dovecomputers my t490 only has 8gb ram soldered, i was able to add another 32gb for a total as 40gb of ram, not many things this can not do, also has an i7 processor its a beast

[@curiousgeorge6921]

Bought the t490s it's fantastic but i'l disappointed in not being able to add more ram..mine only has 8 ..but the price was too Good so i took it

[@nullzero821]

why is lenovo still using poor quality screens in 2019? they should be using bright, color accurate 1080p screens as standard

[@Dovecomputers]

Totally agree!

[@AdamQueen]

That's not the USB-C right of the tb3 port. It's an ethernet interface for ThinkPad dongle. Yes, that's an ethernet interface for ThinkPad only adapter, the adapter contains no chips, but only converting the interface form factor. Not sure why Lenovo puts that interface for a laptop which already has a RJ45, maybe just to be compatible with side docks.

[@ninanico7194]

It has tb3 and mini ethernet interface both，don‘t worry about that. And the reason for having two network interfaces is that the mini interface is part of the Lenovo dedicated docking interface.

[@MnemonicCarrier]

I'm a die-hard Linux user, and a die-hard ThinkPad fan. At the moment, I have the following ThinkPads: X250, X260, T460, T460s, T470, T480. The T480 is a company issue laptop, so it's not really mine. I usually buy ThinkPads that are a couple of generations old because they usually run Linux flawlessly. I'm very tempted by the T490 (with the dGPU), but don't like what they've done in regards to removing the user-hot-swappable secondary battery.

[@level-zero999]

I am a Linux guy too. I got the T450s and the X250. Can you tell me which one is best to buy next for Linux?

[@MnemonicCarrier]

@@level-zero999 It really depends on what you intend to do with it. Will you need it to run compilers and IDEs? Will you need to do any kind of machine learning/deep learning? Are you intending to play Steam games using the Proton compatibility layer? Do you simply need a machine to browse the web, check emails, watch KZbin videos? Are you intending to do some light (or heavy) video editing? Personally, I have found the T470p to be a pretty good "all rounder". It has a dGPU (albeit not a very powerful one), and a "H" series CPU (so 4 physical cores, and 4 logical cores). To be honest, I haven't been overly impressed with the T480, but perhaps that's because mine doesn't have a dGPU. The fans are quite noisy and kick in quite often, the CPU is throttled, and the battery life is nothing to write home about.

[@level-zero999]

@@MnemonicCarrier ​Hi! Thanks for the reply :). First of all I am a freelance copywriter/business consultant so I work from home. I love the keyboard on Thinkpads, best in the world :D. Any I most write docs, have many tabs open to while multi-tasking and sometimes I do light gaming. TomB Raider 2013, CSGo , etc. I kinda like the weight of the T480 and I hate that the T470p is so heavy and has a trackpad to the left... I wonder which one to buy next... It's so hard. I also do not mind older models. So I am open to that if they are good. I run linux only.

[@MnemonicCarrier]

@@level-zero999 You would probably like the T460s. I have one, it's light, the keyboard is awesome, and the IPS FHD display is a pleasure to look at. Not sure about the "light gaming" side of things though. I have played Quake Live on this thing, and it worked okay after I turned down a few settings. I have a desktop computer (also running Linux) I use for gaming, and for tinkering with some machine learning/deep learning. I've never used a T470s, but I would assume it would be better than the T460s. I'm currently keeping my eyes peeled for a secondhand T470s. The other thing I'm thinking about doing is going down the eGPU path. Havne read a lot of positive things about eGPUs. BTW - the T470p does not have a numeric pad, so the touchpad is centered.

[@level-zero999]

@@MnemonicCarrier Okay great, I do not like the T460s, too much bad over heating reviews. I prefer to go up to the T470s or T480 or T470p you know. By the way I was looking forward a device with extended battery. I will look into the T470s or T470p

[@AndyTurfer]

It still has an RJ45 - awesome! And Thunderbolt!!! I can't wait to get one of these and then slap Linux on it :)

[@AndyTurfer]

No user-replaceable battery :( Looks like I won't be getting one of these bad boys after all :( :( :(

[@-rhys]

@@AndyTurfer With USB-C charging, a generic USB-C PD battery is your alternate second battery, rather than a proprietary Lenovo one. There are definitely some advantages to that, so it's not a bad decision on Lenovo's part. Having said that, the T480 is still a very appealing alternative, and it's nice to be able to consider going either route whilst that model is still available.

[@creatingwithcode1630]

I just bought one today 2024 to drop a linux on. Great piece of hardware for 250 bucks. Just like new.

[@Mico605]

That function Key position is such a deal breaker for someone who does programming or a lot of typing, like myself...

[@OwzaB]

There's even a simpler way, using Thinkpad Keyboard manager instead of BIOS.

[@jennielindsay4246]

Thank you for the video I learnt a lot, very good 4 stars

[@Dovecomputers]

Glad it helped

[@henryatkinson1479]

No hot swappable battery is an instant dealbreaker. Lenovo has fucked up thinkpads.

[@Mandragara]

I disagree. USB-C powerbanks are versatile and universal, as opposed to a proprietary battery pack. I think it's a sensible move, just a shame it didn't result in more battery capacity.

[@henryatkinson1479]

@@Mandragara Find me a 90+ watt hour USB-C battery bank for 30 US dollars then. Its not a viable alternative. Thinkpad batteries were cheap, reliable power. No USB-C bank will match it, not for a while at least.

[@aaronseet2738]

Yeap, that soldered 8GB RAM is such an ultra repellent. There was no option from the web site to pick a version with 16GB soldered. How is one supposed to max to 48GB? Does anybody manufacture a 40GB module? The most ridiculous thing was, the site chat support staff told me that in order to max 48GB, I'd need to buy an 8GB model first, _then bring it to the service centre for them to solder in a 16GB chip_ - how much work is that for everybody involved? Made no sense. Expectedly when I gave a local service centre a call, they confirm there's no such troublesome procedure; there should be a 16GB model, but that doesn't exists. Ultimately I went with the opinion of other ThinkPad owners - the only good thing the T490 accomplished is making the T480 cheaper, which is what I ordered in the end.

[@rae6261]

check again, there is, u can get 16gb onboard

[@aaronseet2738]

@@rae6261 16GB option was not available at time/region of purchase. I've long since ordered a T480 and haven't looked back with regret.

[@cazatalentospereira]

@@aaronseet2738T490 posee una pantalla más potente HDR, hardware superior, diseño más delgado, mas liviana, Bluetooth 5.0, GeForce MX 250, procesador Intel Core i7-8565U; la única debilidad es la duración de su batería pero en uso o condiciones extremas

[@Jez1963UK]

6:20s "Battery life is around 6-7 hours, under load expect 2-3 hours" - what does that mean exactly ? Does it mean that if I use my laptop for mixed 'normal' usage, ie emails, word, excel, some internet browsing etc etc I can expect 6-7 hours, whilst if I'm editing video, expect 2-3 hours ? Or, does it mean, that if I don't do much / hardly anything I could expect 6-7 hours, whilst if I'm performing 'normal' usage I can expect 2-3 hours ? I've just sold my laptop (a Pavilion HP) because it was unsuitable for work, I was using it for normal usage and I was getting around 3-4 hours. I'm thinking the T480 is the better option for me. I don't mind that it'll be a bit thicker / heavier, and I'm not looking for 64Gb of ram on a laptop - if I did, I'd say that I'm using the wrong type of machine for my requirements and a PC Workstation would be a better route for those types of scenarios.

[@tinhnguyen5699]

I love the square characteristic of T series, what the hell are you doing Lenovo ? Stop down size the T series to the X1 !

[@jordbeets]

great vid but for the love of god.. lose the annoying music!

[@christoph27]

yes, please!

[@badral-balushi5911]

Great review, but for some of us who are lenovo enthusiast we are used to the function key on its current lenovo place, so no change please

[@p00x39]

With the removal of the bridge battery system, they have turned this line into a pile of garbage. I used to defend the changes Lenovo made, especially the new style keyboard, but this is inexcusable. Same with only one memory slot. Say goodbye to dual channel. The worst part is that I'm still going to stick with ThinkPads because I need the trackpoint. My hatred for touchpads outweighs the downsides, still.

[@videouploadsoyoucansee7293]

Does the heat exaust being on the right side bother you assuming you are a right handed mouse user?

[@Dovecomputers]

No you can't feel the heat using an external mouse.

[@MrMmDonuts]

The review at notebookcheck mentioned some slight coil whine. Did you notice any coil whine on this laptop?

[@Dovecomputers]

Read about that too. No I have to say I was hearing out for that and didn't hear it on the review model I had for several weeks.

[@the_experimental_website1953]

I think there is an option in BIOS where you can swap the 'Ctrl' and 'Fn' Key.

[@jorgemun]

You can also change it in the Lenovo Vantage application. So dont need to mess with Bios : )

[@1337henker]

The fan is constantly running when the unit is in the Ultradock, Lenovo should fix that asap.

[@hyblidblackbox8847]

Thanks detail review... but touch screen is useless.... too much fingerprint....

[@TheEricsheng]

I would still prefer the FN to be place at the corner of the keyboard. The FN key has been place at the corner of the keyboard for decades. It just become one of the icon of ThinkPad. Just my personal opinion haha. By the way, great video

[@jorgemun]

You can also change it in the Lenovo Vantage application or in the messy BIOS.

[@Check_This_Out188]

When under load hot air is blowing to right side of the laptop? so if you use your mouse with right hand you will get sweaty ?

[@Mark.Watson]

Yes. I guess they figure nobody will use an external mouse unless it's docked.

[@ghazman6141]

I don't think the T480 is that great anymore. I've already sent 3 back for motherboard replacement, as they have stopped displaying on dual monitors without a hard reset. I hope the T490 doesn't have this issue. It seems to manifest itself after the machine gets about 9 months old.

[@IamDoogy]

Ghaz Man We’ll see but that seems like a quality control issue which, as such, is as likely to occur in the T490 as the T480.

[@ghazman6141]

@@IamDoogy You can call it QC, and anything for that matter, but I've sent back 8 for motherboard replacement. Still, it is a good machine, I'll be sorry to see it go EOL from what I'm reading about the T490.

[@IamDoogy]

Ghaz Man Yeah, from what I’m reading, they’re intent on becoming Apple, for some reason. With the soldered-in RAM and “permanent” battery in the T490, the T480 is the end of the line for me. I wonder if they’ve talked at all to the customers of their T range of ThinkPads.

[@ghazman6141]

@@IamDoogy Mimicking iTards just makes you a lemming, IMO, so I don't know they are being followers. I can't justify buying P51's for Accountants and Salesmen though, and I'd hate to abandon Lenovo. Having Done HP & Dell, I never want to go back to that nightmare. Maybe they'll come out with a "corporate aware series" since they want to ruin the T series.

[@IamDoogy]

@@ghazman6141 I've looked at work stations too but it is overkill for what I need them for. Yes, I hope they come to their senses.

[@BayuSanjaya]

exhaust fan in the right side is a bi NO-NO for any laptop, especially for right handed mouse user. it will burn your wrist.

[@johnl9119]

I am in the market for a new laptop over the next few months. I recently bought a Lenovo X1 but the colors were washed out (had a resolution of 1920 x 1080 anti-glare). Additionally track pad was very small and made scrolling difficult along with thinner keyboard that made typing less comfortable. I was looking at the specs for both they seem pretty equivalent if I go with 16GB ram and 500gb ssHD and i7 processor. It appears that main difference is that the t490s has less ports, is thinner, and weighs less. Otherwise performance is comparable. However can anyone comment if colors are washed out or to circumvent this, would I need to upgrade to the higher grade display 2560x1440? My only gripe is that it is glossy. Anyway to circumvent this or should I be looking at a different machine?

[@Dovecomputers]

Did you go for the 14.0" FHD (1920x1080), IPS, 400nits, Anti-Glare Gen 7 model or the LED one? The IPS panel should be fine and the brightness is great on it. On the T490s there is one IPS FHD panel that is 250nits brightness, the more expensive model has 400nits which if your budget can stretch to is the better display option to go for.

[@johnl9119]

@@Dovecomputers Thank you for taking the time to respond. The X1 that I had was the LED backlit one and I hated it. I don't want to make the mistake of buying a laptop with a display that has washed out colors. As I currently have a t440s and the screen was better than the X1 screen. Additionally with me being a medical student, I am around florescent lights constantly and the antiglare screen would be a help. Looking online, the t490s and p43s have a higher grade display of 2560x1440 but it has glare. Is there a glare deflector screen? I also looked at the Macbook Air and Pro. I hate the new Pro keyboard as it is difficult to type. I am a fan of the Air but hate the fact that it lacks ports. Weight is not an issue as my current t440s weights more than all the laptops that I listed and I do just fine with its portability. I also considered the t490. But it appears that there is no perfect laptop on the market these days. Ultimately, I want a laptop with good battery which both p43s and t490s have but I need them have a good screen as I am on my laptop a lot and the LED screen hurt my eyes. Any suggestions?

[@Talwyn_Wize]

I'm glad they added the clips in addition to the screws - and maybe less screws too? I'm IT-support at a school, and we've bought the 470 and 480 for about 60 people the previous two years, and they really suffered from screws that kept falling out, and one student was even unfortunate enough to try and close the lid after the screw below the screen fell out, and cracked the screen as it was no longer mounted properly. Lenovo fortunately helped fix it. Every other month I still visit each class, tightening their screws, and none remain so. :(

[@videouploadsoyoucansee7293]

How can a screw fall out unless the threads are stripped or opening cracked?

[@JH-no8sy]

Sounds like user error. My T480 never had that issue. I’m also IT support and haven’t run into that issues with others I worked on.

[@tjagoma]

Leave the FN key where it is. That is Signature Thinkpad feature.

[@Eulices360]

Is it worth buying this computer or a macbook pro?

[@Zeroneii3]

t480 used i7

[@richanderson1275]

Thanks!

[@cranknlesdesires]

I don't want them to swap the fn and ctrl key, it's nicer for touch typing.

[@Dovecomputers]

Totally agree!

[@segameserver]

the only one mem slot lol

[@Jamdat33]

did he just swipe on the fingerprint reader?

[@shubhidimri]

why they changed the keyboard design and made shift key smaller

[@ExWEIMan]

Ten years ago my wife and I bought an HP with the smaller shift key. I kept missing the LHS shift key and constantly made mistakes cursing each time I did so, I vowed I would never buy a computer with a small shift key. I have been unhappy since Lenovo changed to the Chiclet style keyboard and have tolerated using them-I guess this is the final straw.

[@williams5976]

cuz that is an EU keyboard, US keyboards are the ones with large shift key

[@shubhidimri]

@@williams5976 All EU keyboards are like this?

[@williams5976]

@@shubhidimri Yes, EU keyboards are the ones with small Shift keys and large Return keys. All laptop sold in the EU should come with EU keyboards by default. I'm not sure if Lenovo offers an option for keyboard versions since I'm living in the States where all laptops come with standard US keyboards. But you can doublecheck the Lenovo website, if they let you configure the keyboard layout, that will be the best.

[@shubhidimri]

@@williams5976 then its fine if layout is changed for EU keyboards

[@akshayshetye8718]

So whats the difference between T490 vs E490 basically looks and features same. But price is way less in E490 I'm too confused to make a purchase decision pls help.

[@Dovecomputers]

The ThinkPad E14 as the E490 is now called, is a great 'value for money' version of the T490. There's more security features in the T490, lighter than the E14, docking station connector, better display options, better upgrade options, 3 year warranty to name a few. Really depends on your budget, usage and requirements.

[@smspc8489]

How to upgrade display adopter that is basic in T490s??

[@atomicorang]

Has Intel ME been disabled? I guess the non vPro version if nit will have to do.

[@jonsunderland7708]

I strongly recommend getting the t480 or T14 over the T490.

[@solosecondhandstore5087]

how about T480s ?

[@jonsunderland7708]

unless it's a really good deal. I still wouldn't recommend that. the only thing you're gaining from the t480s is slightly thinner laptop. And you're losing the bridge battery system a deeper travel keyboard which feels great in your hands. So my answer doesn't change if you're going to go for something ultra thin anyways, get the newer T14 or the carbon. Otherwise stick with the t480. It's a 4 core processor and the bridge battery system. I can't overstate how all around great that laptop is.

[@solosecondhandstore5087]

@@jonsunderland7708 Thanks for your recommendation. Currently I have an E470 and I want to upgrade to a T model. I want the new laptop to be lighter than the E470 which is around 1.8 kg, but is easy to upgrade. T480s is light enough at 1.31 kg (according to Lenovo's website) and it has an upgradable RAM and SSD slot, but yeah, T480 is better in that aspect even though it is slightly heavier at 1.58 kg.

[@ivorgripes8440]

@@jonsunderland7708 SSD nvme is throttled To 2 lanes PCI 3.0 with the T480 as it has to go through an adaptor. At least the T480s can fully utilize fast SSD. It is also one of the last "s" versions with an RJ45 socket. And yes soldered ram socks.

[@jonsunderland7708]

Sure. There are little generational improvements. M.2 are a little faster and skip the whole adapter as it's bussed straight into the main board that's all good. But here I'm specifically recommend ing the T480 and or the T14 over the T490. Even so I would still recommend them over the t490s.

[@ManjunadhLolla]

Please tell how to activate the Privacy Guard?

[@leanghak8198]

What difference between T series and X1 Cabon?

[@Dovecomputers]

Not much in it. X1 Carbon is slightly lighter and thinner. The display panel options tend to be superior on the X1 Carbon too.

[@AM-cs8yi]

if you can live with the non swapable battery this is better then 480, the 400 nits low powered display is great much more brighter can watch movies comfortably finally on it

[@TheEricsheng]

Please DON’T swap the fn and ctrl keys.

[@graxxon]

Lenovo T490 is a nightmare. Worst design decisions everywhere. e.g. placing a phone near the touchpad and the computer lid magnetic sensor turns off the screen. The surface material is collecting dust and visible fingerprints everywhere. Software issue with Excel 2016, crashing when Excel lost focus. 2 USB-A one for mouse and headset and no more USB-A port left. I recalled every T490 and demolished all of them.

[@Mankodong]

Whats the weight?

[@michh2836]

ThinkPad 😍👌👍 Nice

[@ShailenSobhee]

@6:25 why put a music that's louder than your voice?

[@freediverhd]

wow, never knew the laptop had a third USB-C !

[@sianglee5403]

Terrible thermal throttling issue on these t490 and t590 with mx250 vga. No way these laptops can perform consistently for a even a minute at peak performance. Most of the time throttling down to 1/4 to 1/10 of actual speed!! Too slim design resulted the heat sink and fan system are under design capacity.. fans keeps running all the time and speed lock down at unacceptable levels... pointless to get one of these labtops.

[@1337henker]

True.

[@Ovifarz]

Non-removable battery ? 👎👎🏽👎🏻👎🏿 T480 is better.

[@anatolystepanovichdyatlov1747]

There is one thing it does better than the T480... the display options. • External Battery gone? Bad! Yes you can charge via powerbank, but there are people who dont want to carry a bazillion things ans cables around. • One soldered and one socketed RAM? WHY? What is the point? Lenovo should be honest and solder everything if they want to be so edgy. • Make it even thinner, WHY? Heck, make a 16:10 one with thin bezels, that makes it more compact and portable in reality. • Swap SD for microSD reader? Again... WHY? Who uses a micro SIM in anything besides a smartphone, which will just stay there in most cases? Thats just so gay, at this point people would just get an X1c, rightly so. I want a T Series, not a macbook.

[@seanrobinsonjr4363]

The "horrible" display on the T480 is the only thing that holds me back from getting in. Even the 1440p screen doesn't have the greatest color accuracy. I'm still considering between T480 and up + X1 Carbon 6th or 7th gen. If only the screen on the T480 was better

[@anatolystepanovichdyatlov1747]

@@seanrobinsonjr4363 The 1440p panel on the T480 is alright. Could be brighter though. If you need accurate colors under all light conditions the P Series is the one for you. The X1c has a nice panel for sure, but its ridiculously calibrated from the factory.

[@seanrobinsonjr4363]

@@anatolystepanovichdyatlov1747 P series is a bit too pricey, and I don't think they offer 14 inch screen which is what I want. I believe P series comes in 15 and 17 inch? Might be just 15.

[@FdPros]

the first time i've heard someone say d-o-t-a 2

[@aviatorsdream4686]

I giggled at the Fn Key thing. Not being harsh but Lenovo will probably never change it. It's been that way since 1992 and that's the way ThinkPad people like it. But there is a setting maybe in the bios to switch it.

[@Dovecomputers]

LOL, very true! Someone kindly told me you could change it in the BIOS. Thank goodness ;)

[@mapperboy]

Just called Lenovo US/Can (region) for order details on the T490 currently blasting out in my promo emails -there is NO touch screen option over here so is this strictly a UK model? And if so WTF -are you Brits the only user community that wants a touch screen PC. Also YES, you cannot customized these puppies at the time of order. 8 gig ram, measly 256 SSD on the models that have FHD (1920X1080) display. If you want to at least order same T490 with 16G ram and 512G SSD you have to LOSE the FHD display at make do with 1366 x 768. Lenovo marketing -get smart, these units are aimed at higher-end user community which wants the ability to order an upgrade configuration to RAM and SSD.

[@bentejames9747]

I Can’t hear you. Stop the Music ...

[@data6800]

speakers are still a joke

[@AndreasReinholdSchweiz]

Do you have one? Or is there any Video with Speakers testing? I would love to hear if it is just a bit better ;)

[@data6800]

@@AndreasReinholdSchweiz i do have one - to be precise... the second one - first one was broken. i converted from a macbook pro to the thinkpad - pure sound downgrade... i mean it sounds almost like listening to earbuds lying on the desk...

[@ZAR556]

T490 have better screen and lighter but less upgradable and fn key on ctrl spot T480 better upgradeable

[@BissmadoOuallaliux]

Hello

[@BissmadoOuallaliux]

I have a question for you

[@yuan.pingchen3056]

No wifi/bluetooth/harddisk read/write activity led indicator ? WTF, it's worse and worse every generation.

[@AndreasReinholdSchweiz]

It would be nice to hear the difference from the Speakers instead of just telling.

[@chany0033]

nine minutes talking and you dont show the backlight keyboard..

[@SamA-cy8eu]

In Short: The the T490 is better than the T480 if you like being a sucker!

[@kashifkhan7868]

Hello sir how to.. Lenevo X250 bios password remove guide me

[@sonic-du1hw]

I think t480&t480s is better in genreral

[@dodzdodz5358]

Nice laptop but BIOS settings is freaking me out. The virtualization is not working?

[@j.p.9522]

The T480 remains supreme.

[@nightowl1654]

Why?

[@j.p.9522]

NightOwl16 You can’t add a second hard drive to the T490. They took away the secondary battery and the ability to hot swap an external battery. Soldered RAM means that the T490 can never reach its maximum potential of 64GB; the t480 can.

[@alchemist1138]

No powerbrdge dual batteries or swapping, thinner chassis for inferior cooling. The Tx80 series are the last T series I'll be interested in until powerbridge returns... and external usb-c power bricks are not an adequate replacement for extended mobile work away from an outlet. If I wanted thin and light id buy and X series... They destroyed everything that made the T series unique and attractive in an effort to make it a second rate X series.

[@alchemist1138]

@@mrzisme I agree the new brighter and lower power screen is a definite improvement and I'd likely upgrade on that alone if they hadn't butchered the rest of the design making it unsuitable for my typical usage. The removable extended battery on the Tx80 series not only provides substantial battery life but raises the back of the laptop for a better typing angle and improved cooling... something you can never get on the Tx90 series. This is important for someone like me who types for a living. While the 8x65u series chips are an upgrade from the 8x50u chips in the previous generation thinkpads their implementation uses more conservative wattage limits as a result the Tx80 with an 8550u will often outperform a 8565u under peak loads such as cinebench 15 multithread. Also, the mx250 is a renamed mx150 its not really a major upgrade... the T490 does get about a 10% GPU performance increase over a similar T480 but this likely more to do with limiting wattage to the CPU so the GPU doesn't throttle as much. So the CPU/GPU upgrades are a nice to have but not anything worth upgrading for on their own. T series thinkpads often have a habit of heat throttling as well and the new ones are no exception. I've seen conflicting benchmarks with some getting as hot while others getting hotter than the previous generation. Again heat throttling is another issue for me as I often work in warmer off grid locations. I use the GPU for 3d renders and the CPU for compiling code so I put them both under extended load at time... so heat matters. The biggest losses in the Tx90 for me are usability... I spend extended time in the field away from an outlet or a desk... Having another usb-c power bay, battery brick or whatever you want to call it is klunky and not at all usable in these situations. With the Tx80 series if I hit a low battery while working... I just swap batteries and keep going... I don't have anything hanging off the side of the laptop I need to find a way to support. I can move while working when needed without this wire connected mess of computer and power to deal with. My usage is not everyones usage... for someone that just moves from desk A to desk B at different parts of the day... the latest thinkpads will work just fine. That said... so will dozens of other computers. Most of the things that made the T series unique among notebooks are gone now. They keyboard and dust/water resistance are about all that remain. "You have to be a retard... " - What are you 12?

[@mrzisme]

alchemist1138 you said you’d just swap a battery, do you realize the extra battery you were constantly carrying on standby is twice as large as the charging bay? Where was this extra battery located as you sprint from one location to the next? Wherever you concealed it, know that the charging bay can also fit there, in fact you can fit 2 of them there for each extra battery you previously carried. And get about 2 laptop charges from 1 box.

[@alchemist1138]

@@mrzisme I keep extra batteries in my notebook sleeve, which I typically leave in a vehicle or somewhere handy but don't carry it around with me... and yes many external usb-c battery banks could fit in there as well but your still missing the crucial difference between any external battery bank and an internal replaceable. When I swap batteries... I only needed to be where the battery was for a few seconds then I have just the laptop to carry around again... with any external battery bank... the moment I plug it in... I lose ease of portability as I have to carry the laptop and the external battery bank dangling by a wire anywhere I want to go. I could literally do that with just about any usb-c power delivery laptop on the market... the T series powerbridge was unique in its portability because you didn't have to carry around an extra power brick dangling by a wire to get extended battery life on the go. Having to do that is a step backward not forward. On the tech side... there are also issues of power loss with an external battery bank... your essentially charging your internal battery with your external battery... charging a battery from a battery always has inefficiencies so your wasting power vs swapping as the two batteries on power bridge systems are separate and do not charge each other, avoiding that issue. Minor but when your at an off grid location power is a finite resource.

[@mrzisme]

alchemist1138 the power loss is a moot point, you can charge the bank and they’ve tested it to hold its charge for a over a year, even sitting dormant. Your problem is actually solved 2 fold, you take the charge bay and put under the back of laptop to get the typing angle you want.

[@alchemist1138]

@@mrzisme Your likely losing 5-8% of the power bricks capacity due to it charging the internal battery... its not a huge thing but it is significant if you can't recharge the dang thing in the field. Using the brick to raise the back of the case is a good idea... but you still have to carry around the two-piece solution which is less convenient... especially if you don't know what your going to have to rest your laptop on. Its harder to 'lap' a multi-part solution... or balance it on a rack, its a pain to carry... its inconvenient. Everyones usage is different... I've carried two part solutions around before... that's why I started buying thinkpad T series computers in the first place... its a more convenient and easily portable solution... and it was just about the only laptop of its kind. Now Thinkpads, Dells, HPs, and everything else that's powered by a usb-c port today is just as inconvenient. The thinkpad has lost its advantage, its unique flexibility and convenience so it could become a second rate X series.

[@hientheboss1]

Why do these review always obsess with Touch screen

[@camtasia1000]

BECAUSE ITS TOUCH SCREEN

[@Anonymous-qp4zf]

Short answer: No.

[@jio0721]

I'm also considering this as upgrade to my SP3, mainly for software development and occasional photo editing while away. Just waiting for the 16gb soldered to be available. As this will be my first thinkpad, I also dislike about the position of the fn & ctrl keys. I know there is an option to switch these, but they could have made the buttons the same size so the physical buttons can also be switched.

[@tgdhsuk3589]

get a t480 please

[@CP-sl1xn]

I was about to buy Lenovo think pad..... Now I know it’s Chinese ..... I decided on some other brand , can’t buy a Chinese product by forgetting about the lost lives ..... I am not naming any other brand as people might think it’s an advertisement gimmick.... I hate China .... will try & boycott everything that China sells or assembles in China ... Only once the vaccine is made & some hope for the world to recover may , I may forgive China ..... communist virus .... It’s Chinese virus - - Corona that killed innocent lives .....

[@andrewlabat9963]

Why in gods name did you kick in that annoyingly loud foreground music, because it's to loud to be background..

[@tgdhsuk3589]

no its not

[@Viktor007]

Wtf Ctrl and fn are swapped, that's a SIN!!

[@thunder145]

I prefer the T480, removable battery and ram upgrade

[@AM-cs8yi]

display is not as good though

[@thunder145]

@@AM-cs8yi you can swap display with model low power consumption ( same as T490).

[@Milan-iy3pd]

MICRO??sd cardreader? who tf needs this??!

[@Dovecomputers]

Useful for GoPro's I suppose. Prefer a SD reader myself for transferring files from the DSLR.