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
47 Overall Score
Price $403
Snapshot
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Strong port selection (81st percentile) 81st
- Strong reliability (80th percentile) 80th
- Strong portability (72nd percentile) 72nd
- Strong storage (68th percentile) 68th
Cons
- Below average cpu (8th percentile)
- Below average social proof (19th 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 Air M4 | ASUS Zenbook Duo UX8406CA-PS99T | Microsoft Surface Laptop 7th Edition | HP OmniBook X Flip | Dell XPS 13 XPS9350-7715BLK-PUS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CPU | Intel Core i7 8550U | Apple M4 | Intel Core Ultra 9 285H | Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite X1E-84-100 | Intel Core Ultra 7 256V | Intel Core Ultra 7 256V |
| RAM (GB) | 16 | 24 | 32 | 32 | 16 | 16 |
| Storage (GB) | 1024 | 1024 | 1024 | 1024 | 1024 | 512 |
| Screen | 14" 1920x1080 | 13.6" 2560x1664 | 14" 2880x1800 | 15" 2496x1664 | 14" 1920x1200 | 13.4" 1920x1200 |
| GPU | Intel UHD Graphics 620 | Apple (10-Core) | Intel Arc Graphics | Qualcomm Adreno | Intel Arc 140V | Intel Arc Graphics |
| OS | Windows 11 Pro | macOS | Windows 11 Home | Windows 11 Home | Windows 11 Home | Windows 11 Home |
| Weight (kg) | 1.8 | 1.2 | 1.7 | 1.7 | 1.4 | 1.2 |
| Battery (Wh) | - | 54 | 75 | 66 | 65 | - |
| Compare | Compare | Compare | Compare | Compare |
| Product | CPU | GPU | RAM | Ports | Screen | Portability | Storage | Reliability | Social Proof |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lenovo ThinkPad 14" T490 | 7.9 | 35.1 | 37.7 | 80.9 | 42.1 | 71.5 | 67.9 | 80.4 | 18.7 |
| Apple MacBook Air M4 Compare | 73.4 | 70.7 | 66.2 | 58.5 | 86.8 | 91 | 80.5 | 97.4 | 98.7 |
| ASUS Zenbook Duo UX8406CA-PS99T Compare | 88.2 | 64.6 | 90.6 | 80.9 | 96.3 | 73.3 | 80.5 | 59.5 | 96.2 |
| Microsoft Surface Laptop 7th Edition Compare | 98.9 | 26.6 | 80.8 | 64.4 | 89.3 | 57.2 | 80.5 | 80.4 | 95 |
| HP OmniBook X Flip Compare | 66.8 | 64.6 | 67.5 | 80.9 | 74.8 | 82.2 | 80.5 | 32.6 | 98.2 |
| Dell XPS 13 XPS9350-7715BLK-PUS Compare | 66.8 | 64.6 | 99 | 100 | 79.5 | 62.6 | 94.3 | 32.6 | 95 |
Price
Value & Pricing
From $403
Newegg 1 offer From $403
We started tracking prices for this product on Jun 14, 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 Configurations36
ThinkPad 14" T490Intel Core i5 8250U16GB512GBBlack$315ThinkPad 14" T490Intel Core i7 8550U16GB256GBBlack$380ThinkPad 14" T490Intel Core i7 8550U32GB256GBBlack$387ThinkPad 14" T490Intel Core i7 8565U8GB128GB$389ThinkPad 14" T490Intel Core i7 8550U8GB256GBBlack$417ThinkPad 14" T490Intel N-Series N2008GB512GBGlossy Black$444ThinkPad 14" T490Intel Core i7 8565U16GB256GBBlack$449ThinkPad 14" T490Intel Core i7 8550U16GB512GBBlack$465ThinkPad 14" T490Intel Core i7 8565U16GB512GBBlack$491
Show all 36 configurations
ThinkPad 14" T490AMD Ryzen 7 27008GB256GBBlack$207ThinkPad 14" T490AMD Ryzen 7 27008GB256GB$220ThinkPad 14" T490Intel Core i5 8250U16GB256GBBlack$245ThinkPad 14" T490Intel Core i7 8650U16GB256GBBlack$270ThinkPad 14" T490Intel Core i7 8650U16GB512GB$285ThinkPad 14" T490Intel Core i5 8250U8GB128GBBlack$300ThinkPad 14" T490Intel Core i5 8250U8GB256GBBlack$300ThinkPad 14" T490Intel Core i7 8550U32GB1TBBlack$498ThinkPad 14" T490Intel Core i7 8550U32GB512GBBlack$550ThinkPad 14" T490Intel Core i7 8565U8GB1TBBlack$574ThinkPad 14" T490Intel Core i7 8565U24GB1TBBlack$651ThinkPad 14" T490Intel Core i7 8565U24GB2TBBlack$804ThinkPad 14" T490i7-8565U40GB8TBBlack$1,221ThinkPad 14" T490Intel N-Series N20016GB512GBBlack$1,398ThinkPad 14" T490Intel Core i5 8365U16GB256GBBlackThinkPad 14" T490i7-8665U16GB256GBThinkPad 14" T490Intel Core i7 8550U8GB512GBBlackThinkPad 14" T490Intel Core i5 8265U16GB256GBThinkPad 14" T490Intel Core i5 8250U8GB1TBBlackThinkPad 14" T490Intel Core i5 8365U16GB256GBThinkPad 14" T490Intel Core i5 8250U8GB512GBBlackThinkPad 14" T490Intel Core i5 8365U16GB512GBBlackThinkPad 14" T490i5-8365U16GB256GBBlackThinkPad 14" T490Intel Core i7 8665U16GB512GBThinkPad 14" T490Intel Core i5 8365U16GB512GBBlackThinkPad 14" T490Intel Core i7 8550U8GB1TBBlackThinkPad 14" T490i5-8365U8GB256GB
