Lenovo ThinkPad 14" T490, Intel i5-8365U, 16GB, 256GB SSD, Black

★★★★☆ 4.3 (33)
CPU Intel Core i5 8365U
RAM 16 GB
Storage 256 GB
Screen 14" 1366x768
GPU Intel UHD Graphics 620
OS Windows 10 Pro
Weight 1.5 kg
Lenovo ThinkPad 14" T490, Intel i5-8365U, 16GB, 256GB SSD, Black laptop
43 Overall Score

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Snapshot

Pros & Cons

Pros

  • Strong affordability (98th percentile) 98th
  • Strong social proof (85th percentile) 85th
  • Strong reliability (82nd percentile) 82nd
  • Strong portability (76th percentile) 76th

Cons

  • Below average screen (7th percentile)
  • Below average storage (16th percentile)
  • Below average cpu (20th percentile)
  • Below average ram (26th percentile)

What owners think

How owner sentiment changed over time

Exclusive

Based on when customers actually wrote their reviews - so you can see whether early praise held up.

Owner sentiment has cooled since launch
1★2★3★4★5★Q4 '23: 5.0★ · 2 reviewsQ1 '24: 4.8★ · 4 reviewsQ2 '26: 3.7★ · 3 reviews (approx. date)Q3 '26: 1.0★ · 1 review (approx. date)2431Q4 '23Q1 '24Q2 '26Q3 '26
Avg ratingHappy (4-5★)Unhappy (1-2★)Bar height = number of reviewsEstimated date
  1. Q2 202667/1003.7★3 reviews

    Buyers in this period had mixed experiences: one praised the refurbished laptop's performance and seller communication, another was satisfied with price and quality, but a third reported unacceptable cosmetic defects despite 'Excellent Condition' grading.

    • Refurbished laptop met or exceeded expectations; ran diagnostics, found it impeccable, and praised seller communication and shipping.
    • Cosmetic defects on 'Excellent Condition' unit: lid bubbling, deep scratches, and heavy trackpad wear from previous use.
    • Good value for price; quality works well for the buyer.
  2. Q1 202490/1004.8★4 reviews

    Buyers praised the laptop's hardware, performance, and condition, with one noting Windows issues. Overall, they recommend it.

    • Hardware quality and performance praised; works well and looks new.
    • Recommendations given; buyers would recommend to others.
    • Windows problems mentioned; hardware fine but OS issues.

Based on 10 dated customer reviews, grouped by calendar quarter. Period analysis is in English.

The proof

Performance

Performance Percentiles

CPU 20.1
GPU 27.7
RAM 25.6
Ports 58.1
Screen 6.5
Portability 76.4
Storage 15.8
Reliability 81.8
Social Proof 84.8
Affordability 97.6

Specifications

Full Specifications

Processor

CPU Intel Core i5 8365U
Cores 4
Frequency 1.6 GHz
L3 Cache 6 MB

Graphics

GPU Intel UHD Graphics 620
Type Integrated
VRAM Type Shared

Memory & Storage

RAM 16 GB
RAM Generation DDR4
Storage 256 GB
Storage Type SSD

Display

Size 14"
Resolution 1366x768
Panel IPS

Connectivity

USB-C Ports 2
USB Ports 2
HDMI 1x HDMI
Wi-Fi Wi-Fi 5
Bluetooth Bluetooth 5.0
Ethernet ✓

Physical

Weight 1.5 kg / 3.2 lbs
OS Windows 10 Pro

vs Competition

Spec Lenovo ThinkPad 14" T490 Apple MacBook Pro M4 Max ASUS ROG Zephyrus GA403WW-G14.R95080 HP OMEN Transcend MSI Raider RAIDERGE6814247 Alienware Aurora LAC16251-9582BLU-PUS
CPU Intel Core i5 8365U Apple M4 Max AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 Intel Core Ultra 9 285H Intel Core i9 14900HX Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX
RAM (GB) 16 64 32 32 32 32
Storage (GB) 256 4096 2048 1024 2048 2048
Screen 14" 1366x768 14.2" 3024x1964 14" 2880x1800 14" 2880x1800 16" 3840x2160 16" 2560x1600
GPU Intel UHD Graphics 620 Apple (40-Core) NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070
OS Windows 10 Pro macOS Windows 11 Home Windows 11 Home Windows 11 Home Windows 11 Home
Weight (kg) 1.5 1.6 1.6 1.6 2.7 2.5
Battery (Wh) - 72 - 71 100 96
Compare Compare Compare Compare Compare
Product CPUGPURAMPortsScreenPortabilityStorageReliabilitySocial ProofAffordability
Lenovo ThinkPad 14" T490 20.127.725.658.16.576.415.881.884.897.6
Apple MacBook Pro M4 Max Compare 93.890.795.773.599.368.998.598.187.81.6
ASUS ROG Zephyrus GA403WW-G14.R95080 Compare 91.297.490.989.496.573.789.860.498.45.4
HP OMEN Transcend Compare 90.192.689.889.496.572.365.233.497.38.4
MSI Raider RAIDERGE6814247 Compare 93.294.586.498.6989.393.960.451.310.2
Alienware Aurora LAC16251-9582BLU-PUS Compare 97.292.686.483.390.712.689.8498.414.1

Usage Scores

Overall (42.6)AI/LLM (13.2)Gaming (10.2)Portability (59)Creator (15.1)Student (78.3)Business (54.1)Developer (38.9)Entertainment (33.6)
  • Overall42.6
  • AI/LLM13.2
  • Gaming10.2
  • Portability59
  • Creator15.1
  • Student78.3
  • Business54.1
  • Developer38.9
  • Entertainment33.6

A full written review is coming soon. The specs, scores, prices and charts above are always up to date.

Other Configurations1

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