The ThinkPad T490 is a radical redesign of the central ThinkPad series, the T series. Lenovo emphasizes a much improved mobility with a more compact, thinner and lighter case. This begs the question whether Lenovo had to make any compromises in order to make these improvements. This time around, at least Lenovo does not skimp on the screen.
https://www.notebookcheck.net/Lenovo-ThinkPad-T490-i7-MX250-Low-Power-FHD-Laptop-Review.421150.0.html
I'm interested in ordering one low-power 400nit fhd panel that's present on T490(s) to upgrade my T480.
Would you please check if either of these two panels you guys found on T490(s), AUO B140HAN05.7 and BOE NE140FHM-N61, is compatible with T480, to be specific a T480 with fhd panel of which eDP connector is also a 30-pin?
They traded their entire legacy for displays.
Yet HP still wins on displays, and speakers.
You claim that the laptop is very thin, but there's not a single photo from the side - not even at ports selection. All photos are at 45 degrees, and the laptop foes not really look thin on them.
I mean it's fine if Lenovo pays you for biased reviews, but then mark them as "sponsored content". Seems unfair to other laptops with objective articles.
@Not_anton,
you can look at any of the reviews I have done (https://www.notebookcheck.net/Editors.212978.0.html?&tx_nbc2journalist_pi1%5Bmode%5D=show&tx_nbc2journalist_pi1%5Buid%5D=205) and you will find that all of them have their pictures taken at a 45 degree angle. It is just a necessity of my photo setup.
Also, we don't claim that this laptop is extraordinarily thin, just that it is a lot thinner than older versions of the T400 series. It is equally thin as competitors. We have a size comparison tool, so anyone can see how thin the device actually is.
@ random T480
"...AUO B140HAN05.7 and BOE NE140FHM-N61, is compatible with T480, to be specific a T480 with fhd panel of which eDP connector is also a 30-pin?"
Yes, go on. All Thinkpads with IPS display have the same eDP standard connector (actually almost all laptops with IPS screens use the same standard eDP connector). I had done this without a problem to my Thinkpad. There is a problem only if you have a TN type (not IPS) screen that uses a different connector.
Those LatencyMon numbers are really worrisome. Hope they're not actually representative of the T490. My T480 stays in the green for hours on end even with WLAN enabled
I would be interested to know if the i5 version of the T490 can do 700 points on sustained load in Cinebench, which is what the i5 version of the T480s can do. (and tested with the MX250 to see the effects of the cooling system)
The response times of the low powered IPS screen is really not good for me, so I'd probably choose the WQHD. Is it the same model LP140QH2-SPB1 as on the T480s and X1 Carbon? I need the same color accuracy.
Other than that, not having the full sized SD card is a pain, but manageable, and the extra 100g weight over the T480s is ok. Then I might go with the T490 instead of the T480s (as long as the i5 cpu can perform as well).
The maintenance issue with the difficult case removal is a one time thing, so it's manageable, after I install a new M.2 SSD stick, a 512gb sdd to the WWAN slot, and a RAM stick.
Since the motherboard has 8GB soldered on, is it better to use a same sized 8GB stick in the open slot, or is a 16 GB stick in dual channel asymmetric just as good in performance?
Oh, i just noticed on the lenovo website for the T490 that the MX250 is only available with the i7 CPU, which is not good for me. I want to have the MX250 with the i5 CPU for better CPU performance, (since the i5 is faster than the i7 on sustained load due to throttling). I guess I'll think about the T480s again with the i5 and MX150.
Is the cooling system for the T490 for the i5 without MX250 really worse than the cooling system for the i7 with MX250, as the article describes?
@gggggg,
yes, the iGPU versions have a weaker cooling system with a single heatpipe. The dGPU version has a dual-heatpipe design.
I see what you did there Lenovo.
- T480 dumped
- T480s renamed to T490
- X1(ish) renamed to T490s
Farewell Thinkpad T, it's been good while it lasted.
Great review.
I ordered a T490 with the i5 chip and the low power display, before your review came out. Still waiting for it to be delivered. Do you think this configuration will have longer battery life than the review unit?
In your review of the T490s you detail the steps to under-volt the processor - but you didn't do that in this review. Is it correct to assume the steps to under-volt the T490s will work on the i5 version of the T490?
Simple put, T490 is worse than T480, end of story. And if any T480 user needs a better screen, they can mod their machine. Thinkpad brand stands for great maintnance - but here there's a crap unopenable case. It stands for versatility - but here there's a builtin 50Wh crap battery instead of 3 options. It's a degradation machine.
Sooo, the T480 with MX150 was terrible. I only tried it once under Windows 10 with CS:GO and after about 1 minute I would have 30-40FPS with stutters (1080p low preset; good thing I only did bot practice).
Under Linux (specifically Ubuntu 18.10), if I want to game (tested with CS:GO and GPUTest+stress) I have to disable HT (not a problem with 4-cores) and underclock GPU by -200/-2000MHz (max drivers allow) to prevent thermal trip (and I cannot set this once and forget).
You see, EC trips when GPU reaches ~76C, but NVIDIA has unchangeable slowdown temp in 90+C range. So, without those changes, NVIDIA stays at 1600MHz until EC trips (about 10s) and drops CPU to 400-800MHz and GPU to 400MHz. With GPUTTest (linux furmark)+4-core stress-ng. And a reboot is needed to restore any performance (with CPU I found tools that change MSRRs, but nothing for GPU).
PS: In Win10, with furmark, it would start with 1400 and gradually get to 1100. But in Linux will keep GPU at 1600 unless tripped or underclocked.
Why is there such a drive to make the thinnest and lightest laptop? What about a workhorse laptop with long battery life and a keyboard with good key travel that I can bang on all day? Why does every company have to copy Apple?
As a Dell Latitude 7490 user, I am quite disappointed by the fact that you're comparing the i5-8350U of the 7490 to the 8th gen i7 processors of the T-series. I love T-series Lenovo laptops, but be fair and modify the review to include comparisons between identical processors!
I am deciding between T490 and T480s. The i5 version of T490 is same price with the i7 version of T480s (both with iGPU).
Considering that T480s have SD card slot and slightly lighter than T490, is it better to get T480s?
Will the performance or any other aspect that differs a lot?
Just small warning
I just bought the same model and I am really disappointed
CINEBECH
Mulit - 460 cb
Single - 146 cb
any advice what could possibly go wrong
just minor change:
I've added RAM module DDR 4 16 GB 2666MHz, SODIMM CL15 Kingston HyperX
I own the T490.
REGARDING OPENING OF THE CASE:
It is NOT hard to open, at all.
It is very easy if you have one of those small plastic phone opening tools with the little lip, or any little plastic piece to slide in between the crease and "pop" the case off. It's actually way easier to open than many other laptops. Seriously, disregard the complaints about that aspect, it's not a deal killer, at all.
Aside from that, the T490 isn't all that powerful as one might expect, and it is a little noisy, but it is super light. Screen response time is pretty slow and can be annoying (using WQHD).
poor translation: "PowerBridge was an interesting and comfortable feature"
That should be: PowerBridge was an interesting and convenient feature
This is my last Thinkpad and last Lenovo laptop. Design is terrible and it has nothing to do with IBM quality. After one year both usb-C ports stopped working and I had to replace them, of course out of the warranty. This is a laptop designed to work for one year, afterwards one has to learn how to replace components.
I have been using Thinkpads all my life but it is no longer Thinkpad. Thinkpads were durable and well-designed. This laptop does not have replacable battery, is poorly designed and its charging ports get broken no matter how delicately You treat them.
If You have it, buy magnetic adapters, otherwise You are going to deal like me with the replacement of both usb-c ports.
I am left with Dell but I have to be careful with their soldiered RAM memory chips.
All my Lenovo laptops worked for one year without problems, afterwards, I had to fix them starting with motherboard and ending with everything else.
Quote from: Joanna on February 11, 2024, 17:26:41After one year both usb-C ports stopped working and I had to replace them, of course out of the warranty. This is a laptop designed to work for one year, afterwards one has to learn how to replace components.
That's why you apply critical updates in time and not after it's too late (all OEMs were affected, not just Lenovo): https://support.lenovo.com/us/en/solutions/ht508988-critical-intel-thunderbolt-software-and-firmware-updates-thinkpad (https://support.lenovo.com/us/en/solutions/ht508988-critical-intel-thunderbolt-software-and-firmware-updates-thinkpad)
T490 is still a great machine today in 2024.