Although the ThinkPad T490 is the direct successor of the Lenovo ThinkPad T480 by name, judging from its design, the T490 has almost more similarities to the ThinkPad T480s. In its first redesign of the standard T-series since the T470 came out in 2017, Lenovo has again slimmed down the case and also adjusted its shape. With its slightly wedged shape, the ThinkPad T490 now appears less boxy than its predecessors. Not only does the T490 look more similar to the ThinkPad T480s than the T480 in this regard, but Lenovo has also slightly slimmed down the display bezels, increasing the screen-to-body ratio from 69% to 72.3%, which is almost the same as in the ThinkPad T480s.

While visually the black ThinkPad T490 resembles more the ThinkPad T480s than its predecessor, in terms of the construction and materials it is clearly more similar to the ThinkPad T480. The case is made almost completely from fiberglass-reinforced plastic, which is additionally reinforced by a magnesium frame in the base unit. The exterior of the case is completely covered in a smooth rubberized layer, including the area of the palm rest (which had not been covered in the T480 yet). So overall, you could consider the Lenovo ThinkPad T490 as a mix of the ThinkPad T480 and T480s designs.

In terms of its quality, the Lenovo ThinkPad T490 fulfills our high expectations to the largest extent. The smooth, rubbery surface feels very high-quality, even though it is not very easy to clean. The palm rest offers no give anywhere, and thanks to its magnesium frame, the base of the case can only be warped minimally when using both hands. However, it does not quite achieve the stiffness of the metal base unit of the ThinkPad T480s, and you can also feel that the case is made of plastic. While the display lid is significantly less stiff and warp-resistant than the base, it resists pressure on the back of the lid fairly well. Considering the materials used and the slimness of the case, Lenovo has done a good job overall in the construction of the ThinkPad T490. It almost looks like this is how far you could go in terms of the slimness and we can hardly imagine an even slimmer case using these materials.

The two small drop-down hinges with their steel covers hold the display lid well, since it hardly wobbles even in shaky environments. As typical for ThinkPads, the maximum opening angle is 180 degrees. The display of our test unit could be opened using a single hand.