Lenovo ThinkPad 14" T490 Black
The quad-core i7-8550U and 16GB of RAM provide capable multitasking for office workloads, while the 1TB SSD offers ample storage in a 3.2-pound chassis. Its durable, MIL-STD tested build and best-in-class keyboard are complemented by a versatile port selection including Thunderbolt 3 and Ethernet. This refurbished machine is best for students or business users who need a reliable, budget-friendly workhorse for document editing and web-based research.
CPU Intel Core i7 8550U
RAM 16 GB
Storage 1 TB
Screen 14" 1920x1080
GPU Intel UHD Graphics 620
OS Windows 11 Pro
Weight 1.8 kg
46 Overall Score
Price CA$640
Snapshot
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Strong port selection (81st percentile) 81st
- Strong reliability (80th percentile) 80th
- Strong portability (71st percentile) 71st
- Strong storage (68th percentile) 68th
Cons
- Below average cpu (8th percentile)
- Below average social proof (19th percentile)
- Below average gpu (33rd percentile)
What owners think
How owner sentiment changed over time
ExclusiveBased on when customers actually wrote their reviews - so you can see whether early praise held up.
Owner sentiment has held steady over time
Based on 2 dated customer reviews, grouped by calendar quarter. Period analysis is in English.
The proof
Performance
Specifications
Full Specifications
Processor
| CPU | Intel Core i7 8550U |
| Cores | 4 |
| Frequency | 1.8 GHz |
| L3 Cache | 8 MB |
Graphics
| GPU | Intel UHD Graphics 620 |
| Type | Integrated |
| VRAM Type | Shared |
Memory & Storage
| RAM | 16 GB |
| RAM Generation | DDR4 |
| Storage | 1 TB |
| Storage Type | SSD |
Display
| Size | 14" |
| Resolution | 1920x1080 (Full HD) |
| Panel | IPS |
Connectivity
| USB-C Ports | 2 |
| USB Ports | 3 |
| Thunderbolt | 1 x Thunderbolt |
| HDMI | 1 x HDMI |
| Wi-Fi | Wi-Fi 4 and earlier generation |
| Bluetooth | Yes |
| Ethernet | 1 x RJ-45 (1Gbps) |
Physical
| Weight | 1.8 kg / 3.9 lbs |
| OS | Windows 11 Pro |
vs Competition
| Spec | Lenovo ThinkPad 14" T490 | Apple MacBook Pro M5 | Samsung Galaxy Book5 Pro NP940XHA-KG3US | MSI Prestige PRE13EVOA2088 | ASUS Zenbook UX3405CA-U9321TB | Microsoft Surface Laptop 7th Edition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CPU | Intel Core i7 8550U | Apple M5 | Intel Core Ultra 7 256V | Intel Core Ultra 7 258V | Intel Core Ultra 9 285H | Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite X1E-84-100 |
| RAM (GB) | 16 | 16 | 32 | 32 | 32 | 32 |
| Storage (GB) | 1024 | 1024 | 1024 | 1000 | 1000 | 1024 |
| Screen | 14" 1920x1080 | 14.2" 3024x1964 | 14" 2880x1800 | 13.3" 2880x1800 | 14" 1920x1200 | 15" 2496x1664 |
| GPU | Intel UHD Graphics 620 | Apple (10-Core) | Intel Arc Graphics | Intel Arc Graphics | Intel Arc Graphics | Qualcomm Adreno |
| OS | Windows 11 Pro | macOS | Windows 11 Home | Windows 11 Home | Windows 11 Home | Windows 11 Home |
| Weight (kg) | 1.8 | 1.5 | 1.2 | 1 | 1.3 | 1.7 |
| Battery (Wh) | - | 72 | 15 | - | 75 | 66 |
| Compare | Compare | Compare | Compare | Compare |
| Product | CPU | GPU | RAM | Ports | Screen | Portability | Storage | Reliability | Social Proof |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lenovo ThinkPad 14" T490 | 8 | 32.8 | 37.4 | 80.6 | 41.5 | 70.7 | 67.5 | 80.4 | 18.9 |
| Apple MacBook Pro M5 Compare | 80.7 | 71.2 | 51.9 | 87.5 | 99.2 | 71.9 | 80.4 | 97.2 | 98.9 |
| Samsung Galaxy Book5 Pro NP940XHA-KG3US Compare | 66.8 | 63.2 | 80.9 | 63.6 | 95.7 | 87.1 | 80.4 | 80.4 | 97.2 |
| MSI Prestige PRE13EVOA2088 Compare | 63.6 | 63.2 | 80.9 | 80.6 | 91.2 | 96.1 | 72.4 | 59.6 | 85.9 |
| ASUS Zenbook UX3405CA-U9321TB Compare | 88.5 | 66 | 90.8 | 63.6 | 81.1 | 86.4 | 62 | 59.6 | 98.2 |
| Microsoft Surface Laptop 7th Edition Compare | 98.8 | 24.1 | 80.9 | 63.6 | 89 | 57.1 | 80.4 | 80.4 | 94.8 |
Price
Value & Pricing
From CA$640
Newegg.ca 1 offer From CA$640
We started tracking prices for this product on May 9, 2026. The chart appears once we have more data.
Usage Scores
A full written review is coming soon. The specs, scores, prices and charts above are always up to date.
Other Configurations30
ThinkPad 14" T490Intel Core i5 8365U16GB512GBCA$410ThinkPad 14" T490Intel N-Series N20016GB512GBCA$435ThinkPad 14" T490Intel Core i5 8250U8GB512GBCA$451ThinkPad 14" T490Intel Core i5 8250U8GB1TBCA$493ThinkPad 14" T490Intel Core i7 8665U16GB512GBCA$529ThinkPad 14" T490Intel Core i7 8550U8GB512GBCA$551ThinkPad 14" T490Intel Core i7 8550U16GB256GBCA$556ThinkPad 14" T490Intel Core i7 8550U8GB1TBCA$593ThinkPad 14" T490Intel Core i7 8550U32GB512GBCA$693
Show all 30 configurations
ThinkPad 14" T490i5-8365U16GB256GBCA$283ThinkPad 14" T490Intel Core i7-8655U16GB256GBCA$290ThinkPad 14" T490Intel Core i5 8365U16GB256GBCA$300ThinkPad 14" T490Intel Core i5 8365U16GB512GBCA$350ThinkPad 14" T490i7-8665U16GB256GBCA$360ThinkPad 14" T490Intel Core i5 8250U8GB256GBCA$399ThinkPad 14" T490Intel Core i5 8265U16GB256GBCA$405ThinkPad 14" T490Intel Core i5 8250U16GB256GBThinkPad 14" T490Intel Core i7 8650U16GB256GBThinkPad 14" T490Intel Core i7 8550U16GB512GBThinkPad 14" T490Intel Core i7 8650U16GB512GBThinkPad 14" T490Intel Core i7 8550U32GB1TBThinkPad 14" T490AMD Ryzen 7 27008GB256GBThinkPad 14" T490Intel Core i5 8250U8GB128GBThinkPad 14" T490Intel Core i7 8565U16GB256GBThinkPad 14" T490AMD Ryzen 7 27008GB256GBThinkPad 14" T490Intel Core i7 8565U8GB1TBThinkPad 14" T490Intel Core i7 8565U16GB512GBThinkPad 14" T490Intel Core i5 8250U16GB512GBThinkPad 14" T490i7-8565U40GB8TBThinkPad 14" T490Intel Core i7 8550U8GB256GB
