Valentina Palladino

Valentina Palladino

Valentina Palladino

Valentina Palladino

Lenovo

Lenovo

Lenovo

Lenovo is adding more choices to its beloved and iconic ThinkPad lineup this year: the new T495, T495s, and X395 laptops are all powered by AMD's Ryzen 7 Pro processors with integrated Vega graphics. With the same design and MIL-spec level of durability, these new ThinkPads will give customers the option to go with AMD without sacrificing what they love about the premium ThinkPad lineup.

The ThinkPad T495 and T495s models are 14-inch laptops while the X395 measures in at 13 inches. They will look similar to the T490 and T490s Intel-based laptops announced last month because Lenovo essentially took the same frames and stuck AMD APUs inside. That means they all have MIL-spec tested designs and features like far-field mics for VoIP conferences, Lenovo's camera privacy shutter, and optional PrivacyGuide screen filter.

The 14-inch displays on the T495 and T459s and the 13-inch display on the X395 will be FHD 1920×1080 panels with touch and non-touch options. They will also have AMD's FreeSync technology for improved refresh rates and pixel quality.

The biggest differences between these laptops and Intel-powered ThinkPads are performance and ports. According to Lenovo, the second-gen AMD Ryzen 7 Pro processors combined with integrated Vega graphics should provide an 18-percent improvement in performance over previous generations, as well as a better multimedia experience.

Lenovo claims improvements in battery life as well, but those will only be over previous generations—in fact, representatives told Ars that the AMD-powered machines will likely last 45 minutes to one hour less than their Intel-powered counterparts. That's not a huge decrease in battery life, but it's worth taking into account before choosing which CPU you want in one of these premium ThinkPads. The AMD models also do not have Thunderbolt 3 ports as the Intel models do, but they do have USB-A ports and an HDMI 2.0 port.

Lenovo's new ThinkPads with AMD Ryzen processors and Vega graphics will be available soon: the T495 will be available in late May starting at $939, while the T495s will be available in early June starting at $1,089. The ThinkPad X395 will also be available in June starting at $1,089.

Listing image by Valentina Palladino