Lenovo · 2019 · end of life
Lenovo ThinkPad T490s
Whiskey Lake
The slim 1.27 kg T490 with a 57 Wh battery and a brighter low-power panel option, around 250 dollars refurbished.
from $250 last seen 2026-05-22
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- Best for office and web work study programming basic everyday use
- Linux: out of box
Scorecard
Mean of six category scores, 0 to 10. Compiled from public sources. How we rate.
Strongest on keyboard, weakest on speed.
- Battery 7/10
- Display 6/10
- Build 8/10
- Keyboard 9/10
- Speed 4/10
- Value 7/10
Worth knowing
Stands out
- Linux runs out of the box
- Bright 400-nit screen, readable in sunlight
- Light at 1.27 kg
Watch for
- Discontinued, sold from remaining stock
- RAM is soldered, no upgrade later
Linux
Excellent · Best on ubuntu LTS. Confidence: high · How we score
Linux compatibility, per distro
- Ubuntu LTS Out of the box
- Wi-Fi : works
- Bluetooth : works
- Fingerprint : needs tweak
- Webcam : works
- Audio : works
- Suspend : works
Ubuntu certified on the T490s platform. Whiskey Lake on UHD 620 is one of the most boring, in the good way, Linux targets in this list.
Ubuntu certified: ThinkPad T490s →Show full report
RAM is entirely soldered, capped at 32 GB, so pick the size at purchase. The Synaptics fingerprint reader needs a fwupd push and recent libfprint for fprintd. Real S3 deep sleep is selectable in BIOS, a reason these stay popular used.
- Fedora Out of the box
- Wi-Fi : works
- Bluetooth : works
- Fingerprint : needs tweak
- Webcam : works
- Audio : works
- Suspend : works
Fedora boots clean. 27 kg with a 57 Wh battery and a brighter low-power 400 nit panel option, but it trades the regular T490 SO-DIMM slot for fully soldered RAM.
Notebookcheck: ThinkPad T490s review →Show full report
T490 SO-DIMM slot for fully soldered RAM. Notebookcheck measured over 10 hours of Wi-Fi browsing. Huge refurb volume from corporate fleets.
See the broader picture in the Linux compatibility hub, the full compatibility matrix, and the buying guides.
Specs
| CPU | Intel Core i5-8265U / i7-8565U (Whiskey Lake) |
|---|---|
| GPU | Intel UHD Graphics 620 (integrated) |
| RAM | 16 GB (soldered, not upgradeable) |
| Storage | 512 GB |
| Screen | 14" 1920x1080 @ 60Hz, 400 nitsbright enough for sunlight |
| Weight | 1.27 kgvery light to carry |
| Battery | 57 Wh, around 9 h real-world |
Common questions
- Does the Lenovo ThinkPad T490s (Whiskey Lake) work with Linux?
- Yes, on a clean install it works with no tweaking (verified on Ubuntu LTS, Fedora). Ubuntu certified on the T490s platform.
- What does the Lenovo ThinkPad T490s (Whiskey Lake) cost?
- Last seen around 250 USD (2026-05-22). It is discontinued, so prices vary with remaining stock.
- Is the Lenovo ThinkPad T490s (Whiskey Lake) good for office and web work?
- For office and web work we score it 7/10 on value and 4/10 on performance.
- How heavy is the Lenovo ThinkPad T490s (Whiskey Lake)?
- 1.27 kg (2.80 lb). That's light enough for daily commuting.
- What's the battery life like?
- A 57 Wh pack, around 9 hours real-world mixed use. We score battery 7/10.
- Can I upgrade the RAM or storage?
- RAM is soldered, so the 16 GB it ships with is the RAM it dies with. Storage starts at 512 GB on this configuration.
The Lenovo ThinkPad T490s (Whiskey Lake) is discontinued
The price below is the last we saw, kept for reference. See the current alternatives further down.
from $250 last seen 2026-05-22
Find remaining Lenovo stockAs an Amazon Associate (US, NL, DE, UK programs), qualifying purchases via this link may earn us a commission at no extra cost to you. Other markets not yet enrolled. How we make money. Verified 2026-05-22.
