Design and Build

The Lenovo ThinkPad T495, a 14-inch laptop, has a magnesium alloy and plastic casing that is 17.9mm thick and weighs 1.46kg. Coming in Black, it is also equipped with a backlit keyboard and TrackPoint. Its MIL-STD-810G strength is the guarantee of the durability. The users of the computer heard lots of good things about it that it is very well built, and that it is thicker than a ThinkPad X1 Carbon. But it is not negative feedback, according to them.

• Magnesium alloy/plastic chassis, 17.9mm thick
• Backlit keyboard, TrackPoint
• MIL-STD-810G durability
• No touchscreen option
• No 2-in-1 design

ThinkPad T495 Display

The T495 harbors a 14-inch FHD IPS screen (1920x1080, 60Hz) with 250 nits of brightness and ~157 PPI. It covers 45% of the NTSC color gamut as well. The display is very suitable for the tasks but isn't as bright as the 400-nit display of the ThinkPad X1 Carbon. The customers like the computer's matte screen but have reported that the colors are not so realistic.

• FHD IPS (1920x1080, 60Hz)
• 250 nits brightness
• 45% NTSC
• Anti-glare coating
• No touchscreen

Performance and Software

Being fed by a 4-core AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 3500U (3.7 GHz) with Radeon Vega 8 Graphics, the T495 can be operated with a 8GB or 16GB DDR4 RAM and it goes with Windows 10 Pro (which can be upgraded to Windows 11). However, the users who tend to run several processes at the same time find it slower than the ThinkPad T14 Gen 1 in CPU capacity. It is indeed a magnificent machine but the users suggest that it has a limited graphics power.

• AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 3500U, 4-core
• Radeon Vega 8 Graphics
• 8GB/16GB DDR4 RAM
• Windows 10 Pro (upgradable to Windows 11)
• No Linux pre-installed

The Ryzen 5 PRO ensures reliable performance for business tasks, but it’s less powerful than ThinkPad L13 Gen 2’s Intel i5-1135G7.

Storage and Ports

The T495 includes 256GB or 512GB PCIe SSD storage, two USB-A, two USB-C, HDMI, RJ45 Ethernet, and a 3.5mm audio jack. It supports docking stations. Users appreciate port variety but note no Thunderbolt support unlike ThinkPad X13 Gen 1.

• 256GB/512GB PCIe SSD
• 2 USB-A, 2 USB-C, HDMI, RJ45, 3.5mm audio
• Docking support
• No Thunderbolt
• No SD card slot

Battery and Charging

The T495 offers a 50Wh battery with up to 14 hours of battery life (light use). It supports 65W USB-C charging (0–80% in ~1 hour). Real-world use yields 9–11 hours. Users value battery life but note slower charging than ThinkPad T14 Gen 1.

• 50Wh battery
• Up to 14h (light use)
• 65W USB-C charging
• 9–11h real-world
• No wireless charging

Connectivity

The T495 supports Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac), Bluetooth 5.0, and optional LTE. It includes a 720p webcam and dual speakers. Connectivity is reliable but lacks Wi-Fi 6, unlike ThinkPad L13 Gen 2. Users praise LTE option but note basic webcam quality.

• Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac), Bluetooth 5.0
• Optional LTE
• 720p webcam
• Dual speakers
• No Wi-Fi 6

Pricing and Availability

The laptop launched with a price tag of $999 (Ryzen 5 PRO, 8GB, 256GB) and it was available to purchase from Lenovo and various retailers in May 2019. The configuration with 16GB RAM and 512GB SSD, on the other hand, was priced at $1,199. Not being sold directly new anymore in 2021, the T495 is available with different kind of warranty through pieces that were sold in the past and that are now repaired so they can be used again. The users, who are pleased with the material quality, say that it is less futuristic than ThinkPad T14 Gen 1.