Lenovo ThinkPad T490 Review

[@TheEndofZombieShakespeare]

Everyone needs to stop with this obsession with laptop thinness, it's causing useful features to be lost for save a few millimeters.

[@juliansnowdon2244]

thx. I second that for 100% . The laptop anorexia is way beyond any reasonability. I would immediatelly buy a X240 frame notebook with up to date hardware, with full sized ports and without that soldered bullshit. But I won't buy any of the ...90 series from Lenovo.

[@spacebread501]

As a non -Thinkpad guy I actually like it.

[@juliansnowdon2244]

@@spacebread501 Yeah. Thx for clarification on this one. Lenovo seems to design their new lines for the "non Thinkpad guys" and is simultaniously pissing off their core clients. There are or let's better put there were some USPs that made me decide for Thinkpads. But Lenovo is slowly but steady sacrificing all of them to make their products attractive for "non thinkpad guys". Well Lenovo, if this is the road you wanna go down. Good Bye.

[@rhc287]

Ethernet jack

[@Soupie62]

If this is 17.9 mm then 20 mm should be the "sweet spot". Use the extra space to improve cooling, then increase CPU/GPU power. Oh, and sell an external power cell with matching dimensions.

[@lizardemperorkorbac4281]

So now Lenovo has 3 almost identical models. At this point they should either discontinue the S-version or make the regular T-series a bit bulkier but with more ports and features.

[@Montisaquadeis]

Like they use to be?

[@keyboard_g]

The X1 Extreme and the P1 literally are identical.

[@hryank33]

Kinda like what macbook has become.

[@stephenhall3515]

Agreed. I'm amazed that they dare to give this a 'T' number when it is really a middle range Mac competitor still at a silly price. As others have said, Lenovo is just duplicating models with different numbers. If they made something like a T400 to modern specs, plenty of ports, optical drive and the old-style keyboards they would have a mighty winner. Soldered RAM and limiting battery options is suicide.

[@eduardoavila646]

And less soldered stuff..

[@NiGhtPiSH]

Soldered RAM on a T-series? That's a sad state of affairs.

[@nousername191]

and to add salt to the wound, it's not even like a T490s. What's the point of the T490 then?

[@laocongge]

Not for Pewdiepie tho

[@aleks3954]

i think it's better to forget IBM and their gorgeous laptops for IT professional. it's just a history. it is marketing now, not engineering

[@warren_r]

There is still an SODIMM slot on the T490. The change here is that 8GB is soldered on. So the real problem is that the max memory on this thing is now 40GB like the T480s, instead of 64GB like the T480.

[@at29c040a]

Warren, just curious, what could laptop use those 40 gigs of ram for?

[@carn109]

Unfortunately it seems like lenovo butchered this one. Removing features is *not* the way to go.

[@stevethea5250]

bring back T420 ! and leave it there forever

[@SaifurRahman92]

The only reason I am happy about T490 is that I may get T480 at a lower price.

[@suave-alpaca8412]

the Monk Im getting T470 at even lower price lol

[@IamDoogy]

Yep. And hope they don’t obsolete the battery in the T480 before Lenovo comes to their senses and quits trying to be Apple.

[@TheRIZKYRAMA]

@@suave-alpaca8412 but T470 is still a dual-core though

[@zes7215]

no such thing as lower px or not, doesn't matter, cepux, happyx nmw

[@ilovehonglong]

Trust me. You dun want to. My company bought me the T480 for my work, and i personally own a T490 witb MX250. Ventilation and weight of T480 are huge issues.

[@AlecShernAPS]

Lenovo neuters the Thinkpad like yet again...we don't need all the Thinkpad models to turn into an X1 Carbon. We have the X1 Carbon for that.

[@lcarn500]

they cut the balls of this Thinkpad to make it look like a Barbie doll

[@mrzisme]

Carbon doesn't cut the mustard for anyone who needs more than 16gb ram and a gpu, it's too gimped for developers.

[@tadejsadar7033]

Yes, and they have x1 extreme but why not T530-like model with new tech inside? Newest 5x00 models are a mess with extended keyboard. I just cant type on that shit coming from x1 gen5 or t530...

[@MortonSeinfeld]

Why prioritise thinness and lightness in a T Series Thinkpad when that's literally the whole purpose of the X Series? The absolute state of current Thinkpads.

[@Nanorisk]

Because T-series thinkpads are MS office machines, as they have always been. What are you expecting from them.

[@eduardoavila646]

Lenovo doesnt know what to do with the thinkpad lineup and probably wants to merge lenevos generic ultrabooks with the thinkpad lineup in a neae future

[@IamDoogy]

Exactly. I thought the T series was for people who want a business machine. Yes, why have the X1 Carbon if ALL of your laptops are going to be ultrabooks?

[@HenrikRClausen]

Thanks, this review settles what will replace my L530: A T480. The lacking bridge battery is one reason, soldered WiFi another. The T480 lets me install one NVMe drive and one SATA. I care more about battery life and the battery being a good, physical handle than about being a few grams ligther. If the weight ever becomes a problem, I'll start visiting the local fitness centre...

[@wildbill23c]

I have the T480, it does everything I need to do and its just the base model, nothing additional was ordered with it. Surfs the internet and does office tasks just fine. After I received it I installed a 240GB SSD which is of course smaller than the 500GB HDD that came in it but the SSD makes it even faster and storage space on the machine isn't exactly a huge factor for me.

[@mrzisme]

Compared to the T480, the T490 has superior CPU, superior GPU, top facing dolby speakers , superior panel, color and nitts, a shutter over the camera, and for extra gravy on top, it weighs less. People have gone full retard about the battery bridge, but they're completely forgetting, you can just buy the 14,000 mah charging unit for $75, have tons of extra battery life on the go, and for your phone, and get 2 more USB slots on top of what it already has, so now you got shitloads of extra battery anyway. Why would you buy a T480 when this trumps it in almost every possible way? There's no reason to buy a T480 unless you were willing to have everything else be worse, but 48gb of ram just wasn't enough, so you're gonna sacrifice everything else. That probably represents almost 0% of the population.

[@HenrikRClausen]

I got my T480, at a very good price. Swapped in a screamingly fast NVMe drive, a 1Tb SATA SSD drive, an AX20P WiFi 6 card, and have the jumbo battery, still under 2 kilograms. The screen may not be the brightest, but the colors and clarity are great. And it has a camera shutter, too :} While I appreciate that not everyone may have the muscle to deal with a laptop weighing in at almost 2 kilograms, I do. It feels rock solid and will be my main PC for many years.

[@linuxdragon57]

@@mrzisme What makes the T480 so good is its upgradeability. It's battery is awesome. As a current owner of the T480, I wouldn't swap it for this shite of a laptop. Also since it has Intel CPUs is it really ever an upgrade? The screen, I will give you that...but I can just as easily swap my screen for a better one from the Lenovo parts store or even elsewhere (which I fully intend on doing). Let's not compare it to its predecessor now, but rather let's compare it to every other ffing laptop. What does it offer over them? Literally nothing. The screen on the Dell XPS 13 is better. A Dell Precision workstation will give you the ports (including RJ45) and the better display (same one as XPS 15). The CPU is like every other U series ultrabook CPU provided that it has decent cooling and isn't lighter than this thing. I know I am comparing it to Dell a lot, but TBH I know their offerings second best because I was deciding between a T480, X1 Carbon, Dell XPS 15, and Precision Laptop last year. The T480 won me over because, you guessed it, the battery and the upgradeability. Even Acer, Asus, Samsung, and Microsoft have better options than the T490. It offers literally nothing to set it apart anymore. Maybe's Lenovo's sales will reflect this. Good grief it is a horrible laptop. (Also ThinkPad T480 can only support up to 32Gb of RAM).

[@ericjauregui3089]

@@mrzisme Thank You for saying this!!!!!!

[@madtoffelpremium8324]

It's sad to see the Thinkpads sacrificing upgradebility, ports and battery life just to make them one milimeter thinner and a few grams lighter. The Thinkpad line has lost it's character, these new Thinpads are just ordinary laptops like all the others. Gone are the days when the name Thinkpad stood for THE ultimate workhorse laptop that valued funktion over form and astetics. The T480 will be remembered as the last real modern Thinkpad!

[@c.1055]

Yeah... Getting a T480 pretty soon in that case. It also sucks because I was thinking about buying Lenovo stocks...

[@hryank33]

Or they should at least have a s version that is slim and a bulkier laptop with more upgradability.

[@tgdhsuk3589]

the T "s" model should be the silly unupgradeable one also we need to have dual storage already for the t series, the t480 doesnt even have that

[@Nanorisk]

Ultimate MS office machine, maybe. ultimate workhorse? Debatable.

[@IamDoogy]

Yes, it's beauty was in its workhorse, functionality.

[@thornepb78]

Soldered RAM??? No battery port??? Looks like I'm just going to hold on to my trusty T470 a little longer. Great review, though.

[@at29c040a]

You can upgrade to regular t480, it has two ram slots, sata port, bridge battery and optional discrete gpu

[@afh7689]

This has a free RAM slot PLUS one 8GB RAM chip soldered on. So you can get 40 GB of RAM by adding a 32GB RAM chip into the open slot.

[@ShadowsThe1]

It's back to 90's. Thinkpads had soldered RAM and free ram slot. The problem is if soldered on ram goes bad. You need to replace whole board.

[@TheJunky228]

referring to your T470 as "rusty" almost makes me wonder if my T440s is getting long in the tooth...almost lol edit: lmao I must've been tired when i wrote that. could have sworn that 't' wasn't there originally

[@ganadaramabasajachakatapaha]

more seems like jobspad

[@jwbowen]

Serviceable RAM and a bridge battery are why I stuck to the T4x0 line. If you want slim and light, there's the T4x0s line and the X1 Carbon. I want a serviceable workhorse, even if it's not "sexy."

[@Andres-a-moore]

I just ordered a refurbished one online, 16GB ram and 256SSD for $300-ish dollars. I was shook when I found out what the NEW price is. Easy to upgrade too

[@IdanelYT]

How has it worked for you so far?

[@5aad666]

how's the performance bro? please help me out also tell me what's the new price

[@johnsmithers284]

You overpaid man. No one wants these so they should be under 200

[@MrThomasRico]

The T490 makes me want to buy myself a spare T480 just in case my current T480 breaks... how the heck could Lenovo be so stupid that they killed the extended battery option?? The main feature that sets them apart from the competition!!??

[@ithinkabout4369]

How does the extended battery option set them apart, when every generic USB C Power Bank for laptops provides the same capabilities?

[@nesttea2239]

@@ithinkabout4369 The bridge battery allows you to bring multiple fully charged batteries with you and to hot swap them on the fly. Potentially 100+ hours of battery with only a few extra batteries in your bag.

[@MrThomasRico]

@@ithinkabout4369 A powerbank is just an ugly afterthought... a separate device that needs charging and not as easy to carry as a single package. Also the extended battery on previous Thinkpads was a great handle that made it much easier to carry the laptop.

[@ithinkabout4369]

@@MrThomasRico But it provides the same essential function to extend the battery life. It is true that the extended battery is more nicely integrated, but it also results in a thicker, bigger and heavier device. I don't think having it as a handle is enough of a justification to keep this feature when it is essentially obsolete otherwise.

[@ithinkabout4369]

@@nesttea2239 The same thing can be done with external USB C power banks.

[@inarp]

damn, Im out when I heard about the bridge battery being gone. Keeping my T480 for now.

[@stevethea5250]

Phew. Now the only difference is UHD which is not really practical for most people anyways. 1080p is more than adequate on a tiny 14' screen and battery will always be worse for 4k options. I'll take the T14 with a 4800U thanks.

[@Alsenweg42]

Few days ago i change from 8 GB to 16 GB on my T480. I love this machine !

[@edgargabriel6640]

Hello Lisa, last year, following your T480 review, I've got my i5 version of it.. Still happy with it. After I got the T490 specs, I ordered another T480. This time stuffed with everything (LTE, MX150, ...) for pretty cheap on Lenovo website. I'm glad I did. I don't see a reason for the 490 designs right now. 480s are much more flexible. For "thin and light" I've an HP Spectre 13-360 "gem cut" aside of my Ts. Again, after I checked your review :D I'll wait fot i10 Ts to see...

[@prebenjaeger]

Just thought I was gonna regret getting a T480 lately. Surely was not. Enjoying my 72hr battery, this thing last for ever. Coupled with an eGPU

[@adrianandersson2275]

What egpu do You use?

[@sheemakhan459]

Can you connect external graphics card with t480????....im planning to buy one..but the ones with internal graphic card mx..is heavy...if external could be used with this ..it would solve my problem

[@prebenjaeger]

@@sheemakhan459 yes you can. It has tb3

[@donquixoterosinante7899]

the only good thing on this new model is its updated to 8th gen intel. EVERYTHING is Bad, you should consider calling it 'Macthinkpad'. damn you lenovo

[@mrzisme]

Compared to the T480, the T490 has superior CPU, superior GPU, top facing dolby speakers , superior panel, color and nitts, a shutter over the camera, and for extra gravy on top, it weighs less. People have gone full retard about the battery bridge, but they're completely forgetting, you can just buy the 14,000 mah charging unit for $75, have tons of extra battery life on the go, and for your phone, and get 2 more USB slots on top of what it already has, so now you got shitloads of extra battery anyway. Why would you buy a T480 when this trumps it in almost every possible way? There's no reason to buy a T480 unless you were willing to have everything else be worse, but 48gb of ram just wasn't enough, so you're gonna sacrifice everything else. That probably represents almost 0% of the population.

[@davispatbrown]

@@mrzisme I'm not sure if you're mistaken or if I am. Although the t480 and t490 have slightly different optional dgpus, the mx150 and 250 respectively, the 250 offers only marginal performance increase over the 150. Both laptops have the option of the camera shutter. While the t490 has marginally better CPU options, the additional price of CPU does not justify the marginal performance boost. They both can rock painfully similar 8th gen Intel i5s and i7s. For a work laptop, as the t model has previously functioned, superior panel quality isn't a primary concern (and both the 480 and 490 have access to WQHD panels). The t490 may weigh a little less but the compactness of the new machine makes its thermals (and subsequent performance) worse. People dont like the removal of the external battery because Lenovo is taking away options. Instead of having the luxury of a swappable battery and an external power bank, we can now only have an external bank. People dont like the soldered ram for the same reason. Repairability is handicapped when we cant replace ram ourselves. Instead of being able to swap out only a bad ram stick, you have to replace so much more. Very few want or need 40+ gbs of ram, that's not the issue, repairability is. There's little reason to buy the t490 when the t480 is hundreds of dollars cheaper and offers more of what the thinkpad is known for. Although the t490 has marginally better specs, it is an objectively worse thinkpad. Nuff said

[@mrzisme]

Davis Brown so you confirm every element of the 490 is better in every way. You’re downplaying the enormous different in panel qualify, and didn’t even mention the nice top facing speakers: did I mention the power bank weighs half what an extra battery weighs, and it doubles your usb slots, and it’s half the price of a replacement battery? Do you know why they solder 1 chip of ram (the other is free)? Because soldered ram pulls less voltage and creates less heat for its entire life, which also means it lasts longer. I’ve got 10+ year old laptops with soldered ram and never had to swap a motherboard for a bad ram stick.

[@davispatbrown]

@mrzisme I'm genuinely interested in your claims, so I'm trying to understand them. I googled the official Lenovo 14,000 mah power bank. I also found a 72 Wh external battery compatible with the T480. At 5v the 14,000 mah battery is equivalent to 70 Wh, 2 Wh less than the removable battery but that's a marginal difference. But then I looked at the weights and the external 14,000 mah battery is 2.6 oz. heavier. And the 14,000 mah battery was $100 on Amazon while the hot swappable external battery was $64. I didnt mention the nicer speakers on the t490 because laptop speakers are generally shit, and I have a wireless speaker and headphones. My whole argument about the superiority of the t490 was that the marginal performance boost was not worth the money. The t490 has better specs, yes you're right, but at what cost? Not sure how panel quality compares 1080p on one machine vs 1080p on the other, but I'll look into it (or you can tell me). I didnt consider your point about soldered ram but I still stand by my point of upgradability and repairability. If the ram broke, I would want to have the option to replace it, and only it. I also want the option to change the ram myself. With the t480 I could order the machine with 4gb of ram and then upgrade to 16 or 32 myself at a cheaper price than Lenovo would. It is not the case for the t490. Although I'm interested by your anecdotal evidence of long lived laptops, laptops other than the t490, that have lasted for years, the paradigm surrounding repairability has shifted in that time. Lenovo is trying to become something different, and there needs to be push back. Idk, I think we need different things out of a machine

[@mrzisme]

Davis Brown the upgraded panel for the 490 is beyond 1080p, it’s 2k resolution with 100% adobe color spectrum and 100% rgb rating, it actually maxes both, with 500 nitts of brightness, the color reproduction and brilliance is at a lever approved by graphics professionals. It looks incredible, you have to see it in person. It’s obviously beyond everything else in a lineup next to normal panels. Also on Lenovo’s page, the battery bank is $70 and the high capacity battery for the 480 is $125 and weighs more.

[@keyboard_g]

Single ram slot is heart breaking for a machine in 2019.

[@SUPERCLUBVIDEO]

I’m not looking for a new laptop but I still watch all of your reviews - I really enjoy the work you’re doing. 😌

[@iamhungry2411]

Monan par cjll yep me too haha been watching for years now. Just honest reviews.

[@smrqdt]

I’m so glad I bought an T480 last year… Bridge battery and maximum 64 GB memory were my reasons for buying that and not the T480s. They already ruined the X-Series for me (as I want upgradeability), which I could live with, because the T-Series got lighter (my T480 with an addition replacement battery weigths probably less than the X230t I used before). If they now stop offering upgradeable/customizable (and repairable) T-Series ThinkPads the next replacement in some years will be hard. External USB-C battery packs will probably not really solve the problem, I could buy 2-3 external T480-battery packs until I paid one of these (most cheaper USB-C batteries do not offer 45 W charging, which is at least necessary to charge while the ThinkPad is on). Also: One thing they could do better is port placement. The T480 hat two USB-C ports on the left and two USB-A ports on the right, now they moved one A-port (and HDMI) to the left. Really useful would be, if there was one A and at least one C-Port on each side, especially because of USB-C charging. 1-2 more USB ports would not hurt too. (I guess there are pcb design decisions behind port placement, e.g. the charging electronics might be next to both ports. Still impractical for users.)

[@smrqdt]

@@kuramarosetta8193 Yes, also in PSREF. But my thinkpad dealer (Campuspoint.de) offers an 64 GB upgrade, so I asked them if it is possible, and they confirmed me they tested it. 32 GB DDR4 SODIMMs are only available since end of 2018, so after CPU and Thinkpad were released, my guess is this is the reason why PSREF and Intel ARC are wrong in this point.

[@wdstevenson]

Anyone else looking for review comments on the "14.0" FHD (1920 x 1080, 400 nits), IPS, Low-power" screen option?

[@ShadowsThe1]

What is the point of this machine? Lenovo continues chasing new customers and keeps giving middle finger to old customers. This starts to be as unrepairable as Apple stuff, and copying all bad things from Apple machines too. Glossy screen is horrible anywhere where there is natural light. Battery capacity is limited to internal battery. I have not minded high capacity batteries at all if i use whole 12h work day laptop without charching. Im wondering what is this laptops point? Lenovo has moved T-series to X-series space without anything really replacing to T-series (Mayby little bit of P-series?). Sad thing that Thinkpads have been going to wrong direction for years now. I have T470 on use now and I hate it so much versus T430 and T420.

[@Frencho9]

I wonder who can we turn to if we want the equivalent of a Toyota Hilux/Landcruiser for daily driver work laptops (that can withstand abuse, dust, liquid spills and hot climates and battery last all day)... Hp Elitebooks and Dell Latitudess are just as bad, frail, unrepairable, unreliable and unpractical as new Thinkpads... Or do we have to get 5k USD military grade, bulletproof laptops to get some serious work done now, not everyone is a pussy coffee shop hipster tethered to an outlet and just browsing to show off his laptop in a public space!

[@ShadowsThe1]

@Skylark But it is not really Thinkpad anymore. Only by name. Only see two good things. Ethernet jack and track point. If you don't use track point, what is the killer feature you want to get this over other laptops? Luckly there is options. Chinese's are designing and selling new modern motherboards to old thinkpads.

[@carn109]

Frencho9 Panasonic's Let's note, is a close contender, the catch is it's japanese and may be a bit difficult to obtain...

[@abcdefg9613]

@moo Ram upgrades are very common on thinkpads since they are (in theory) workhorses with a long lifespan. For a thinkpad user using gns3 ram is everything, and having soldered ram from the factory is bad because Lenovo, just like other oems, charge you an arm and a leg for ram upgrades when cto.

[@ShadowsThe1]

I did see one T490 life today and seems like glossy screen is option.

[@BobOfAllTrades]

I’d daily that laptop! Wow those read speeds too!

[@PipoZePoulp]

No removable battery means no handle to hold the laptop.

[@pinkshortsmanwithban]

Wow, I can't even imagine having to carry the laptop without a handle, that's just MADNESS

[@ArtisticallyEligible]

@@pinkshortsmanwithban yeah, that's a deal breaker for me

[@ChrisD__]

@@ArtisticallyEligible Are you Thinkpad fans seriously that picky? XD You don't need a handle on your Thinkpad!

[@psychotech3927]

Lisa reviewing a Thinkpad?... SOLD! too bad it's not a very good Thinkpad.

[@UnknownGunslinger]

I miss the expandability of old ThinkPads...

[@qaskay1868]

I’m a reseller of laptops and why customers bought T series ThinkPads is for Dual Hot Swap battery system, as no other Business brand can make such reliable system, I don’t understand to save few millimetres they ditch the whole hot swap system, they could have kept the Hot Swap in the T490 and have the T490s with single battery for people who need a thin light system and talking of thin the X1 is already available for that customer aswell.

[@huntnyc]

Thanks Lisa. Is the audio improved from last gen?

[@rochester212]

Just bought a T420 with 9 cell+ docking station for 40 dollars. I get the real thinkpad keyboard and room for an extra hdd. Along with my newer, worn down T430 i see little to no reason to downgrading to a newer machine.

[@taavit2816]

Downgrading to newer machine.. lol

[@clydedigital]

The battery change isn't an issue when you consider it can fast charge using USB C and most of us have power packs to plug in. And that will probably work out a cheaper way to do it, not to mention much less hassle. The higher spec version is an awesome option with the intel 7 and 16 GB of RAM. The keyboard is one of the best I've ever used on a laptop too, backlit and spacious. Those higher spec models are under-priced at around £1100.

[@Perkeletricksterservantofrher]

thats not the point the point is that you can unlimited battery life just swapping in another battery not charging it from some shite low power battery bank.

[@DigitalNegative]

As far as I'm concerned, the P5X, especially the P52 or P51 is the best true ThinkPad left in Lenovo's current line-up.

[@mrzisme]

The P52 is great as long as your willing to spend $3000+ and end up with a brick of a laptop that you hesitate to actually take out in public.

[@uni-byte]

@@mrzisme Ahh, your one of those wimps with muscle deficit that everyone is building computers for these days! How do you actually lift a bag of groceries or pour a bottle of wine or do you have servants to do that sort of thing for you? Maybe you should get one of those awesome HP Streams or a MacBook air and then toss it in the garbage along with all your data when it breaks down. That's the ticket.👍

[@victorzumaya4383]

I never forget the T430 the Master piece's Lenovo. Bios Patchs, full hardware upgrade and mod. Beautiful, strong and very powerfull

[@davidarchangels6500]

What about the T440p

[@leob_v2]

Yet another round of dumbing down and removing professional features for sake of being 1.5mm or 100gr ligther...I don't get it, their core customers are professionals - they do have Yoga etc for regular consumers, and X1C is also there... is it possible that Lenovo actually thinks this would be considered an improvement by their professional customers? Removing an additional battery, soldering RAM, not increasing TDP any more...

[@ithinkabout4369]

Core customers are not professionals. Core customers are businesses and they don't care about things like upgradeability or extendable batteries anymore.

[@leob_v2]

@@ithinkabout4369 While it's a good point that it's often the business that decides on which laptop to buy vs the individual for whom it's being bought, I don't think the businesses don't care about upgradeability or ability to easily replace batteries after a while - at least the serious ones. Otherwise those features would never have been developed in the first place. The conclusion is that Lenovo, unfortunately like most others, just started preferring to charge the same amount for something that costs less to build and support. And while it obviously makes sense on the first look for them as a business, they're losing their differentiating factors to a large extent and we as end-consumers lose what was a better product than the rest when it comes to professional use.

[@SweBeach2023]

Why should a business worry about upgrades when a proper purchase will last most users 5 years of daily use? The slower progress we see in the technological realm the less need for upgradeability. When I built my first computer the price of RAM dropped by 75 percent in a year. from 100$/8MB to 100$/32MB. Now it's more like 10 percent reduction in price in a year. So a computer can be fully loaded from the start, "buy later" won't save much money if any. If looking at software Windows 7 was comfortable with 2 GB but prefered 4 GB. Windows 10 is comfortable with 4GB but prefers 8 GB. Windows 7 was released in 2009, or ten years ago. And while the memory requirements has increased it's a rather modest increase considering we're talking a full decade.

[@JohnsArchipelago]

Honestly releasing a laptop in 2019 with less than a 1080p screen on a 14 incher is embarassing, even for cheap office one

[@lorcro2000]

Yeah and these aren't really *cheap* cheap office laptops either. And not only less than 1080, but also really low light levels. What a waste of otherwise decent hardware, I hope few people go for that option.

[@MegaXtc11]

Manufacturers should focus on selling laptops with good full HD displays rather than focusing on making them less upgradeable and thin

[@lorcro2000]

@@MegaXtc11 Well, there are good displays to be had, you just get to pay more. Quite a bit more in some cases.

[@DigitalYojimbo]

When you buy in bulk 1080p panels are only $20.... Lenovo is going into the shitter. No good options left.

[@tremordrake1749]

@@MegaXtc11 exactly!

[@shellcasing1040]

This seems like a regression compared to last year's model. Sad.

[@mrzisme]

Compared to the T480, the T490 has superior CPU, superior GPU, top facing dolby speakers , superior panel, color and nitts, a shutter over the camera, and for extra gravy on top, it weighs less. People have gone full retard about the battery bridge, but they're completely forgetting, you can just buy the 14,000 mah charging unit for $75, have tons of extra battery life on the go, and for your phone, and get 2 more USB slots on top of what it already has, so now you got shitloads of extra battery anyway. Why would you buy a T480 when this trumps it in almost every possible way? There's no reason to buy a T480 unless you were willing to have everything else be worse, but 48gb of ram just wasn't enough, so you're gonna sacrifice everything else. That probably represents almost 0% of the population.

[@0dyss3us51]

@@mrzisme indeed

[@DigitalYojimbo]

No, 72wh battery, no thanks.

[@giovannifurfaro9647]

DigitalYojimbo don’t forget the 72wh battery is the main one, PLUS the smaller one inside. This feels like they’re effectively halving the battery life. On a T- Series. To save a few mm? ON A T-SERIES??? Sigh.

[@DigitalYojimbo]

@@giovannifurfaro9647 at least the last gen gave you the choice with the non s version.

[@remomein05]

Can last upto 8hrs

[@richardgilmore5607]

I am a little late to the game, but due to your review and the suggestion that getting the 2k model with the 500 nts display is the best bet, I just purchased the T490 on Lenovo yearly pre black Friday sale with a price protection for the rest of the year. Good price at 1417 CDN. (I think that 1050 USD)... Thanks Lisa for the great review.. I trust you a lot in these reviews. I waited a long time after this specific review before I could get one at a price that meets my needs without breaking the bank.

[@hoppysport2872]

As always, an absolutely superb, rich and detailed review. You're the tops! I'm still using my 2012 T430s with Intel 5 chip, 16 gb of RAM and a 256 gb SSD. I also have a 256 gb SSD in the Ultra Bay. And yes, sometimes I swap it out for the DVD Drive. This Thinkpad is still going strong. Yes, the trackpad is awful, but I never use it because the legacy Trackpoint is so, so good! I'm not a gamer, CAD, or heavy Video Editing guy, so the speed is very decent. If I needed a new notebook, I wouldn't hesitate to get the T490s or an X1 Carbon.

[@wayoutnow]

Guys I’ve got the e490. Never had a Lenovo before. Quality is astonishing. Top is metal, keyboard is orgasmic, and I literally love it. Gonna write a review on reddit soon. I packed it with i7 8565u, 512ssd, 2tb HDD, 16gb of ram and rx 550x because I do gaming like Dota and CSS. A portable powerhouse. Everything for 1120€ (10% off on Lenovo website).

[@gonzalofoligna2025]

Lisa, you are my holy grail of laptops reviews for me. I've been following your work for years. Thank you and greetings from Uruguay!

[@PearComputingDevices]

I am convinced Lenovo is looking for more and more ways to alienate power users by taking tips from Apple.

[@valflyinf]

Too bad because the millennial professionals are now flooding the market and can now afford brand new Thinkpads but they won't because they were raised with Thinkpads that did not make compromises.

[@PearComputingDevices]

@@valflyinf Yeah, that's a good point. Intel has helped make this all possible. I find it funny up until the 8th gen of core CPUs, geeks really had no reason to upgrade. I still don't see it as worth it largely. The 2nd and 3rd gen higher end stuff gets by just fine easily just as fast as a 7th gen with better hardware around it to boot. Sure not likely to get a 4k screen, but in reality who really needs that? I think the ability to add memory and offer more robustness is highly more important if you actually value your investment. The older T420 and t430 are worlds better in quality and expandablity. Now the 8th and 9th gen offer more cores, but what good is a little more power if the construction sucks? Just like the macbook pros I bet the newer thinkpads throttle massively. Sure you can buy a 6 core cpu in a Macbook, but are you really getting your money's worth? Plus with that paper thin body, don't dare cram that too hard, it might bend like the paperbacks in the bookbag.

[@mrkendrickenoma9780]

You always have the best reviews on KZbin ❤❤❤

[@pixelPlex]

The battery life on the T490 isn't great (around 7-8 hours), and is significantly shorter than the T480/580 with the large capacity external battery (around 16-17 hours which is over double the battery life of the T490) which works reliably via the firmware. How reliable is the battery life on the T490 with a USB-C power bank? Remember that USB-C ports can easily become loose over time which makes the USB-C power bank solution for extended battery life dubious at best. Is the T490's firmware designed to manage battery life with a USB-C power bank? What will happen when the internal battery is low/completely flat on the T490 with a USB-C power bank (will the laptop still have power)?

[@linuxdragon57]

Not to mention that the battery bank will shorten the overall lifespan of the battery.

[@pixelPlex]

Soldering RAM and the WiFi card on the T490 is a very bad design decision by Lenovo which increases the likelihood that the mainboard (will cost more than the T480's mainboard) will need to be replaced for repairs, which will be expensive. What other parts have Lenovo soldered on the T490 that should be replaceable? Where is the major differentiation between the T and X series (both series are TOO similar)? Looks as though the thermal system on the T490 (appears to be plastic based) is worse than the T480 (copper based). Are there any thermal benchmarks comparing the T490 to a T480?

[@abhishektripathy]

@Lisa: Cool T-Shirt. You are probably one of the very few tech reviewers who review the laptops by opening it up and showing the parts which can be configured and which cannot. Keep up the Good work. I have owned a Thinkpad T420, T430, X240 and now on a T460. All of them were bought after watching your reviews. So really appreciate your work. eagerly waiting for your detailed review of Thinkpad P52 or if P53 gets released.

[@waynesong7632]

I have the E490, which is much cheaper, and it's quite similar to the T490. I think this one must be better. I love it.

[@daves1646]

Lisa, Thank you!! Awesome comprehensive reviews with the pros and cons I needed to hear to decide whether this was a good option for my use!! Keep the great reviews with all of the comparative info with it!! Greatly appreciated!!

[@mkultrasoldier]

>Soldered RAM >No bridge battery >No 2.5" Drive bay why the actual fuck would I ever buy this thing?

[@pierrefortier5864]

Great review! Can't wait for the T490s and the X390 (regular and yoga) reviews :-)

[@adam-nw5cn]

I have this. and it's been 1.5 years. still reliable.

[@thliang17]

waiting for T480s vs. T490s. Thank you Lisa.

[@sinnieleeonUtube]

---I'm thinking of getting the T490, BUT I'm wondering if you can change the internal battery when it goes bad or is it soldered down to the board ? (From my previous laptops, the battery is very much useless after about three years. It can only worth about one hour or less.) ---Also, do you get both the internal and external batteries with the laptop purchase or just one ? ---How durable are the hinges, they broke off from my previous laptop. --- Thank You.

[@AKIRA_IKARI]

great review as always ! I would love to see a review of the Dell Precision 5530 2-in-1 next. Or even better, a smackdown between the Dell and the Surface Book 2

[@stephenhavilland]

OOOH, the t-shirt! A state-of the art review, as usual. This model is very interesting.

[@TsaiWang]

Liked before watching. Is it possible to review the T590?

[@sparker1901]

First, Thanks lisa for your efforts and reviews through the years, AND your ROCK OUT LOUD T Shirts. now my thoughts ...this is an upgrade?? I aint sure, no bridge battery, soldered ram, no hard drive bay?? NON TOUCH?? an those bezels are thick as grandma's glasses …. t460s or 470 is best for me right now.. loved the vid. Thumbs WAY up

[@svettnabb]

The T-series always had the advantage of expandable battery and an additional SSD. I'd rather have a 9-cell battery than a thinner laptop with internal 3-cell. Not a fan of this new design. I have a T-480s and the slimmer size makes it run hotter and the fan speed is a lot more noticeable compared to the non A model.

[@timothyandrewnielsen]

No removal-able battery and soldered on RAM. OH boy Lenovo, you really want me to switch to Dell or HP don't you?

[@JR-uy2nd]

In Hp or Dell you don't have removable battery or any ram slot, at least this have a ram slot 40 gb of ram max is more than you need with this cpu.

[@haddadthemaestro2856]

Get a ThinkPad xx20 series, rather.

[@BotchedGod]

Just found this channel the other day, amazing reviews and overviews of products thanks Lisa!

[@foodieontour]

Glad to see the improvements. I still would prefer a Carbon X1 but the Txxx series gets closer and much more acceptable. At some point the 'S' series has no grounds anymore and it will be just Carbon and T series.

[@juliansnowdon2244]

And that is the problem. Guys like you who want fancy slim notebooks can already buy the X1 Carbon. But guys like me, who hate soldered stuff, who hate throtteling, who loved bridge battery, who want fullsized ports like RJ45 etc. and who dont care about 2 or 3mm thicker notebooks and some gramms in return for servicability are slowly forced out. I dont see the point in Lenovos product strategy. Meanwhile the Carbon X1, X390 and T490s are almost completly the same. I don't see a single improvment. I just see that T490 and X390 are loosing all their USPs. Thinkpad is dead.

[@Montisaquadeis]

The T series use to be much thicker and had an S suffix such as the T440s for a thinner model and that old S has become the standard over the years.

[@foodieontour]

@@Montisaquadeis I had various T 4xx series models from companies and two Carbon X1 for my own business. No IT department from clients - and I saw many - hands out S models to employees, not even in fields where your notebook is the only tool and the margins are high. 'S' series as standard is fiction or wishful thinking, not that I would not wish it for people. From that point of experience I am glad that the non-S T4xx gets thind lighter and also gets better screen option (although we all know what shit will be purchased).

[@foodieontour]

@@juliansnowdon2244 I had various models of both lines and bridge battery was no point for me anymore for the last ~5 years. Since then charging is so fast and especially since you can just plug in an external battery bank, life got much easier. Also to be fair, in the old days when planes and even high speed trains had either no AC plugs or they did not handle 60+ watt chargers are over. I can't remember last time when I was struggling for power while traveling or out of an office space. Sure it would be nice to just pop in more memory but that is the only thing you can hold against the Carbon... aside from the price certainly.

[@thunders768]

love you! waiting a long time for T490!!

[@notthedroidsyourelookingfo4026]

All the comments already say what I feel as well. This feels like a second T490s or X1, with upgradeability and removable battery both thrown out for a couple millimeters less thickness. No thanks.

[@diversionmary]

Lisa I assign T580 to my users. Will you do a T590 review? Also lack of touch screen means more battery. Same for FHD screen vs 4k. I usually spec the 300nit FHD non-touch to max battery.

[@user-pg9fv7su8q]

First time ThinkPad buyer here coming from a 2013 MacBook pro 15 inch, and this thing rocks I got it fully loaded with 48gb of ram and the MX250 graphics card! Definitely glad I left apple!

[@mckryall]

Well, I was worried that the t490 would make me regret not waiting before buying a t480, but wow it did not. No bridge battery? Soldered ram? What the hell? I wouldn't terribly miss the hard drive bay, but it's nice to have. I don't see why the fingerprint sensor is now next to the touchpad now, that puts it in a weird place for your palms. The biggest thing, though, is the loss of battery life. The biggest reason the t480 is great for me is that I have the internal 24wh and external 72wh battery as well as any extras I want to carry, as well as the mx150 and lower-power 15W i7. Because of this, I can get great runtime out of it with good enough performance to do anything but run extremely heavy games. My biggest question after this new model is, after my t480 is due for an upgrade, what will there be left for me to get? While the t480 is durable, I don't expect to be able to keep it around forever like my old x230 I use for field maintenance. I suppose the P series and X1 extreme or whatever will be there, but they don't have the same focus on battery life that a mobile device needs.

[@pixelPlex]

To add insult to injury the max RAM on the T490 is 48 GB, and not 64 GB which is very odd. Furthermore the T480/580 can take up to 64 GB (unofficially) which isn't mentioned in the platform spec sheet.

[@s07a08i89]

It happened thay I ordered exactly this model (realised when I saw the model no on the benchmark site). I understand the many complains about the new thinkpads and indeed they are justified, but this is a subjective thing ofc. I am a web developer and I will explain the reasons I ordered this laptop and not the T480/T480s, older models or even a Macbook Pro: - I do not care about the weight, but I do not want a brick either - I like the design, the materials, durability of thinkpads - I need a modern laptop with a good display (I'm gonna use external monitor as well, but I also consume a lot of media content while in bed). I know T480s for example also has a better display available but it's harder to find that one than this one of the T490 - I like the keyboard (this is just a soft point since all the thinkpads have the same or similar ones) - I want a professional-looking laptop and not a shiny one (soft point as well, is more like in contrast to other brands) - Battery is important but not that important since I do not use to carry the laptop in many places or while travelling - 8 gigs of soldered RAM + another slots which could be a max of 32 (40 total) is more than enough for me - I do not need dGPU since I'm not doing graphics intensive stuff and not playing games and the integrated graphics compensate a bit for the battery consumption of the display - I do not need the whole range of ports available but it's nice to have them nevertheless - I like the 3 years warranty that I receive instead of paying a lot for AppleCare+ for example

[@karlp8484]

It's great that you put up a spec sheet for a few seconds that's really useful for the details and people can pause it, like me, to read at leisure. Can you include screen size and weight too please?

[@7Write4This9Heart7]

Awesome job, Lisa! Love the shirt and the review, as always!

[@jon4715]

Want to see a T495 review w/ AMD 3700U

[@nicholasserrambana]

That t-shirt rocks

[@Deetroiter]

I can't get into this one. I have a T470 and I havn't upgraded to anything new because I feel this is one of the last true Thinkpads. Has SD reader, HDMI, Thunderbolt, USB 3, etc. The more laptops Lenovo releases, the more they keep removing ports, battery swapping, etc. Might look into a Huawei next time around

[@gusgone4527]

Another good review. Nobody reviews like Lisa. 10/10

[@beeblackblue]

very good review! especially on delta E test and a look on inside slots

[@tomaskonkol8894]

no Full SD card reader? just Micro SD hm no way.

[@dan8t669]

yea, 2015 has been over for a while

[@TheDallascowboy365]

one step forward - great display, and two steps back - no powerbridge regressed to subpar internal battery. At the very least, could have placed an 80-90+ wh batt similar to gigabyte's aero. I'll remember this as the year I almost bought a thinkpad...

[@deepblue007]

No external battery, no SD card reader, one slot of the RAM is soldered on? Congrats Lenovo! Now you have completely ruined the T series. I will stick with my T480. Great video as always Lisa.

[@LeowKahMan]

Could you please review the E490 and E495?

[@GeorgeLCostnza]

I would probably thumbs up if you were a bit clearer in your speech. I get most people just speed up videos to watch faster, but that's when the speaker annunciates and gets everything out clearly.

[@althds7099]

Will there be a video on the upcoming T495?

[@tuomopoika]

This would actually be quite interesting since at least in Finland the AMD models are cheaper.

[@guillermoreyesaguilar4181]

Hi, do you recommend this Thinkpad in 2023? I would like to used this whit some design software from adobe and autocad? Thanks

[@NiharMulki]

Hey Lisa ..hope well and safe at ur end ....question - I get the LTE sim tray at the back only if I opt for the WWAN is it ? Also there is no LTE sim tray option in the X1 series right?

[@adventureriders4515]

Awesome review Lisa. When will u review the lenovo p43s ? Please soon ! As looking to buy that or this t490 :)

[@toxy3580]

So stupid to remove the battery why would they make the t490 and t490s identical?

[@Lucary1000]

Hi Lisa @MobileTechReview, love your videos! I'd like to see from you a comparison between 15 inch ThinkPad models, especially the E, L and T series, maybe when all 590s are out? Cheers!

[@aryammaheshwari7913]

Hi it’s a Great review... actually i want to know what are the two different ports alongside charging ports... also there is a sensor next to front camera which we can close.. what does the sensor is being used for

[@MrDumbdumbman]

Should I get the T490 with MX 250 graphics or x1 Extreme? I need portability for classes and a little GTA on the side too

[@davidkoh007]

x1 if you want a sexier laptop and look cooler in classes, t490 with mx250 if you want more power and a little GTA on the side. simple.

[@sianglee5403]

I got my T590 with MX250, its really regretful for such thinkpad. Both cpu and gpu throttling randomly and heavly at 56c. Cant play any simply 3d games. Imagine the cpu and gpu throttle to 300mhz... any old core 2 duo can simply outperform these T x90 series.

[@yuan.pingchen3056]

I just saw a T410 memory and SSD upgrade guide, it has two heatpipe on the CPU radiator, but it's only have one heatpipe in this video....

[@Leudast1]

Hi Lisa! I was wondering if the MX250 option would be okay for VERY light gaming. Looking to play games like Skyrim which would be the most demanding one.

[@jgj4430]

Just wanted to ask if you are going to review the Ryzen version of this Thinkpad that just got announced (Thinkpad T495 {there's an S model})

[@anatolystepanovichdyatlov1747]

I thought about getting myself a T490 over my T480, but the only reason would be the new 500nits HDR display. I could potentially buy the panel and fit it in my t480, but the panel is so expensive it overshadows the minor loss of money if id sell my T480 and buy T490. I am not disappointed they removed the harddrive bay, and even the bridge battery, i can totally understand the argument of using a powerbank. But why soldering in everything? Only to make it a bit thinner? Everybody will see that the footprint makes for a compact notebook. If you use a 4:3 or heck a 16:10 display (even apple, who release totally flawed devices, gets at least that right) the footprints drop by a considerable margin and has even a few other advantages. I find a Thinkpad X60/61 more compact than an X1 Carbon. Its twice as thick but has such a small footprint you can throw it in every bag you own. Why dont people make proper notebooks these days?

[@anra54]

Is the thinkshutter camera removed to?

[@nevilovermann797]

I've been trying to get to the bottom of the build quality of the different thinkpad models. Specifically comparing X1 carbon (and X1 yoga), T580 (T590) and P52. I have been reading so many differing experiences with the T-series (some reports of the screen getting scratched up by the keyboard, and the screen hinges not being level etc.) I've been using an MSI GP-series laptop and it is litterally falling apart, while still being a powerful and very enjoyable machine to use. I've had it now for 5 years, and if it wasn't for the terrible build quality I would easily have gotten another 5 years out of this machine. For my next laptop I'm looking for something with truly exceptional build quality. And preferably something that is expandable. Will the T580 or X1 /carbon or yoga) fit the bill or do I have to go up to P52 to get the robust Thinkpad that people are raving about (with water resistand keyboard etc.)

[@purkeypilot]

Fantastic overview and review!!! Thanks, Lisa! :)

[@tsnorquist]

Hey Lenovo, on the T500... Can you please bring back the following: quick change battery, access doors to the HDD slot and ram (make them modules, not soldered), make it a half inch thicker if that means getting a similar keyboard experience from 10 years ago, full size ports, and USB C charging /everybody

[@Montisaquadeis]

I personally still prefer a 256-512gb SSD and a 2tb+ HDD Combo for storage

[@Montisaquadeis]

It's what my sager is currently rocking 256gb m.2 ssd+2tb 2.5" hdd with an extra m.2 port and 2.5" bay open for even more storage down the line.

[@MrMmDonuts]

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

[@marekmackiewicz2854]

You mentioned being able to use a powerbank with it. Does it have to have any specific parameters or will any do?

[@David_Quinn_Photography]

I love Lenovo they have realistic cooling on their CPUs and ram upgradability to bad everyone is moving away from removable batteries on the outside that bump could help with airflow as well if you think about it.

[@lucassmith5634]

Looking forward to your review of the X390.