Description
Refurbished Lenovo ThinkPad T490s — Ultra-Slim Premium 14-Inch Business Laptop
The refurbished Lenovo ThinkPad T490s is the slim, lightweight sibling of the ThinkPad T490 — sharing the same powerful 8th Gen Intel Core i5-8265U processor and T-series premium build quality, but in a thinner, lighter chassis starting from just 1.27kg. With a 57Wh battery, Thunderbolt 3, a carbon fibre hybrid top cover and Lenovo’s renowned spill-resistant keyboard, the T490s is a top-tier business ultrabook at an outstanding refurbished price. Sold by Technology Core in certified refurbished condition, graded Good or Excellent (select your grade above), with a 14-month warranty and free next-day UK delivery.
Verified Key Specifications
- Processor: Intel Core i5-8265U, 8th Gen, quad-core, up to 3.9GHz
- Display: 14.0″
- Keyboard: English QWERTY
- RAM: 8GB DDR4 (soldered)
- Storage: 256GB SSD
- Graphics: Intel UHD Graphics
- Ports: 2x USB-A, 2x USB-C / Thunderbolt 3, HDMI, headphone jack, side docking connector
- Camera: 720p HD
- Wireless: Wi-Fi 5, Bluetooth 5.1
- Battery: 57Wh, Rapid Charge to 80% in approximately 1 hour via USB-C
- Build: Carbon fibre hybrid or aluminium top, magnesium bottom, MIL-STD-810G certified
- Weight: From 1.27kg
- Security: Discrete TPM 2.0, Kensington Security Slot, ThinkShutter camera cover
- Operating System: Windows 11
- Warranty: 14 months
All-Day Battery with Rapid Charge
The refurbished ThinkPad T490s pairs a 57Wh battery with Lenovo’s Rapid Charge technology, bringing the battery to 80% in approximately one hour via USB-C. This makes it well suited to full working days away from a desk, with a quick top-up available during short breaks between meetings. Combined with the efficient 8th Gen Intel Core i5-8265U processor, the T490s is built for professionals who spend more time away from a power outlet than at a desk, whether that’s travelling between client sites, working from co-working spaces, or simply moving between meeting rooms throughout the day.
Thunderbolt 3 — Maximum Connectivity in a Slim Package
Despite its slim profile, the T490s packs dual Thunderbolt 3 ports — each supporting 40Gbps data transfer, 4K DisplayPort output and USB Power Delivery. This enables single-cable docking, dual 4K external monitor setups and ultra-fast external storage. HDMI provides a direct monitor output and two USB-A ports cover standard peripheral needs such as a mouse, keyboard or USB drive. For buyers who dock at a desk daily, a single Thunderbolt 3 cable can carry video, data and power simultaneously, replacing a tangle of separate cables with one connection each morning.
T-Series Premium Build and Security
The T490s is built to Lenovo’s T-series standards with a carbon fibre hybrid or aluminium top cover and magnesium bottom chassis, certified to MIL-STD-810G military durability standards. The ThinkShutter physical webcam cover provides privacy protection at a glance, a discrete TPM 2.0 chip gives IT teams a hardware root of trust for encryption and credential storage, and a Kensington Security Slot allows the laptop to be physically secured with a compatible cable lock in shared offices or hot-desk environments.
Who Is This For?
The refurbished Lenovo ThinkPad T490s is ideal for professionals who want the thinnest, lightest T-series ThinkPad with strong battery life, frequent travellers who rely on Thunderbolt 3 docking, and business users who want premium T-series build quality and enterprise security at a refurbished price.
Not ideal for: gaming, video editing or other GPU-intensive work — the integrated Intel UHD Graphics is built for everyday productivity, not creative or graphics-heavy workloads. Buyers who want upgradeable RAM should look elsewhere, since the 8GB DDR4 is soldered to the motherboard on this model, and anyone who needs a built-in wired Ethernet port should note this model relies on the optional ThinkPad Ethernet Extension Adapter Gen 2, which is not included.
Typical Use Cases
This configuration suits business professionals and consultants who travel frequently and want minimal carry weight alongside genuine ThinkPad durability, hybrid workers who dock at a desk via Thunderbolt 3 and work mobile the rest of the time, and IT-managed environments that value discrete TPM 2.0 and physical webcam privacy as standard. The dual Thunderbolt 3 ports also suit buyers who regularly connect to two external monitors for spreadsheet-heavy or multi-window work.
Refurbished vs New at This Price Point
Lenovo has moved on to newer ThinkPad T-series generations, and the T490s is no longer sold new — there is no genuine current equivalent to compare directly. Why pay £££ for new? A current entry-level premium business ultrabook with Thunderbolt docking and comparable security features costs substantially more than this certified refurbished unit. Buying refurbished from Technology Core gets you genuine ThinkPad T-series build quality, tested and warrantied, at a fraction of any current equivalent’s price, without compromising on the discrete TPM 2.0 security or Thunderbolt 3 docking that made this generation a favourite among IT departments when it first launched.
Our 30-Point Quality Inspection, Warranty and Returns
Every laptop sold by Technology Core passes our 30-point inspection by in-house technicians. We test processor performance, RAM stability, SSD health, display quality, keyboard and trackpad function, battery capacity, all ports, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, webcam and overall system stability. Any component that does not meet our standards is repaired or replaced before sale. Every unit is backed by a 14-month warranty, and if anything isn’t right, our refund policy covers you.
What’s in the Box
- Refurbished Lenovo ThinkPad T490s
- Compatible USB-C 65W charger
Frequently Asked Questions
Can the RAM be upgraded? No — the 8GB DDR4 is soldered to the motherboard and cannot be upgraded.
Does it have a wired Ethernet port? Not built in — Ethernet requires the optional ThinkPad Ethernet Extension Adapter Gen 2, not included.
What is the difference between the T490 and T490s? The T490s is thinner and lighter. The T490 has upgradeable RAM via SO-DIMM slots.
Does it support dual external monitors? Yes — via both Thunderbolt 3 ports simultaneously, each supporting 4K DisplayPort output.
Does it come with Windows 11? Yes — all Technology Core refurbished laptops are supplied with a genuine licensed copy of Windows 11.
Does it have a physical webcam cover? Yes — the ThinkShutter slider physically blocks the camera lens for privacy when not in use.
Does it have a TPM chip? Yes — a discrete TPM 2.0 chip is built in for hardware-level security.
Is it suitable for gaming? No — the integrated Intel UHD Graphics is built for everyday productivity, not gaming or graphics-heavy software.
Does it support a docking station? Yes — either Thunderbolt 3 port supports a compatible dock for a single-cable desk setup with external displays, wired peripherals and charging.
Related Products and Helpful Guides
Looking for similar Lenovo business laptops? Browse the Lenovo ThinkPad T495s, the Lenovo ThinkPad X13 Gen 1, or the Lenovo ThinkPad E14.
You can also explore our full range of refurbished Lenovo ThinkPads.
For more guidance, read our Best Refurbished Lenovo ThinkPads guide, our Best Refurbished Laptops for Working From Home guide, or our guide on how to choose a refurbished laptop.
About Technology Core
Technology Core is one of the UK’s leading certified refurbished laptop retailers based in Leicester. We offer a 14-month warranty — one of the longest in the UK refurbished market. Every unit is inspected and tested by our in-house technicians before sale. Contact us with any questions before or after purchase.
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