Lenovo ThinkPad 14" T490s vs Apple MacBook Air 13.6" M4
Lenovo ThinkPad 14" T490s, Core i7-8665U, 8GB, 512GB SSD, Black
Lenovo
40 Overall Score
vs
Apple MacBook Air 13.6" M4 2025, 24GB, 1TB SSD, Sky Blue
Apple
89 Overall Score
What Buyers Say
Lenovo ThinkPad 14" T490s, Core i7-8665U, 8GB, 512GB SSD, Black
No customer feedback yet
Apple MacBook Air 13.6" M4 2025, 24GB, 1TB SSD, Sky Blue
88 out of 100 high confidence 36 reviews
The MacBook Air M4 is widely praised for its speed, lightweight design, and excellent battery life, making it a strong upgrade from older models. Users highlight its performance in photo and video editing, quiet operation, and improved keyboard. Some concerns include limited storage options and the high cost of Apple's SSD upgrades, but most find the overall value compelling.
Pros
- Fast performance for photo and video editing
- Lightweight and highly portable design
- Excellent battery life
- Quiet operation with no fan noise
- Improved keyboard feel
Cons
- Limited internal storage options
- High cost of Apple SSD upgrades
- Only two USB-C/Thunderbolt ports
- Sky Blue color barely distinguishable from silver
- macOS can be user-unfriendly with non-transparent controls
Performance 12
Portability 8
Battery life 5
Storage 4
Keyboard 4
Display quality 4
Scores
Compact
Student
Business
Entertainment
Developer
Creator
Ai Llm
Gaming
Specifications
| Lenovo ThinkPad 14" T490s | Apple MacBook Air 13.6" M4 | |
|---|---|---|
| Processor | ||
| CPU* | Intel Core i7 8665U | Apple M4 ★ |
| CPU Multi-Core Score | ||
| Cores | 4 | 10★ |
| Frequency | 1.9 GHz★ | — |
| L3 Cache | 8 MB★ | — |
| Graphics | ||
| GPU* | Intel UHD Graphics | Apple (10-Core)★ |
| GPU Benchmark Score | ||
| Type | integrated | integrated |
| VRAM Type | Shared | Unified |
| Memory & Storage | ||
| RAM | 8 GB | 24 GB★ |
| RAM Generation | — | LPDDR5★ |
| Storage 1 | 512 GB | 1 TB★ |
| Storage 1 Type | NVMe SSD | NVMe SSD |
| Display | ||
| Size | 14" | 13.6" |
| Resolution | 1920 px | 2560 px★ |
| Panel | IPS | IPS |
| Refresh Rate | — | 60 Hz★ |
| Brightness | — | 500 nits★ |
| Connectivity | ||
| USB-C Ports | — | 2★ |
| USB Ports | — | 0★ |
| Thunderbolt | — | Thunderbolt 4 |
| Wi-Fi | — | Wi-Fi 6E★ |
| Bluetooth | — | Bluetooth 5.3★ |
| Ethernet | — | No |
| Physical | ||
| Weight | — | 1.24 kg★ |
| Battery | — | 54 Wh★ |
| OS | Windows 10 Pro | macOS |
Pros & Cons
Lenovo ThinkPad 14" T490s, Core i7-8665U, 8GB, 512GB SSD, Black
- Strong reliability (82nd percentile)82nd %ile
- Strong portability (66th percentile)
- Below average port selection (10th percentile)10th %ile
- Below average ram (13th percentile)13th %ile
- Below average cpu (23rd percentile)
- Below average gpu (28th percentile)
Apple MacBook Air 13.6" M4 2025, 24GB, 1TB SSD, Sky Blue
- Strong social proof (99th percentile)99th %ile
- Strong reliability (98th percentile)98th %ile
- Strong portability (91st percentile)91st %ile
- Strong user sentiment (91st percentile)91st %ile
- Below average affordability (28th percentile)
Verdict
Winner: Apple MacBook Air 13.6" M4
Scores 89 overall, wins 8 of 8 usage categories and 17 of 27 specs.