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HP EliteBook 840 G6 vs. Lenovo ThinkPad T490
Specs comparison
| Feature | HP EliteBook 840 Gen 6 | Lenovo ThinkPad T490 |
|---|---|---|
| Processor | Intel Core i7-8665U (1.90 GHz Base - 4.60 GHz Turbo) | Intel Core i5-8365U (1.60 GHz Base - 4.10 GHz Turbo) |
| Graphics | Intel UHD Graphics 620 | Intel UHD Graphics 620 |
| Display | 14.0-inch FHD IPS (1920 x 1080), 16:9 ratio | 14.0-inch FHD IPS (1920 x 1080), Anti-glare |
| Memory (RAM) | Up to 64GB DDR4-2400/2666 MHz (Dual Channel) | Up to 40GB DDR4-2400 MHz (8GB soldered + 32GB SO-DIMM) |
| Storage | 256GB PCIe Gen 3/4 NVMe SSD (Expandable) | 256GB NVMe SSD (Expandable) |
| Weight | 1.5 kg | 1.550 kg |
| Keyboard & Touchpad | Backlit with smooth glass touchpad; decent tactile feedback | Spill-resistant, backlit, long key travel, glass touchpad, and TrackPoint nub |
| Audio | Bang & Olufsen front-firing speakers | Standard dual microphones |
| Key Ports & Connectivity | Thunderbolt, 2x USB Type-A 3.1, HDMI, RJ-45 Ethernet, Smart Card reader | Thunderbolt 3, USB 3.1 Type-C, 2x USB 3.0 Type-A, HDMI, RJ-45 Ethernet, MicroSD reader |
Buying a brand-new, high-end business laptop in 2026 can make your wallet weep for some time. If you are a student or a corporate professional, finding a laptop on a budget, you want a machine that just works, day in and day out, without giving you a headache. Enter the refurbished corporate market. Today, we are pitting two of the most reliable, rock-solid business laptops against each other: the HP EliteBook 840 G6 and the Lenovo ThinkPad T490
Design and Build Quality
When you first pull out the HP EliteBook in the office, it turns heads. It’s made up of a sturdy, all-aluminum chassis that feels premium to the touch. It has a clean, elegant design that hides fingerprints from sweaty palms, and there is zero visible flex when you hold it. On the flip side, the ThinkPad T490, like every other ThinkPad, sticks to its heritage with iconic black styling and a chassis built to withstand the daily commute from office to home. The ThinkPad is slightly thicker and heavier than the HP, but it compensates with its rugged chassis. If you only need a laptop for office use, go with HP. Otherwise, if you frequently travel for work, you will likely lean toward Lenovo.
- HP EliteBook Rating: 9/10
- Lenovo ThinkPad Rating: 8.5/10
Display
- Both laptops feature a 14-inch Full HD IPS display (1920×1080) with excellent viewing angles. So, staring at spreadsheets or video conferencing for hours doesn’t strain your eyes.
- However, the HP EliteBook 840 Gen 6 leaps ahead if you care about color accuracy.it hits roughly 100% of the sRGB color gamut as per HP, ensuring that colors appear vibrant and deep rather than washed out. The Lenovo ThinkPad T490 opts for a highly practical, solid anti-glare panel.it provide incredibly fine details and good colors without draining your battery, to top it off a scale further, the HP packs front-firing Bang & Olufsen Speaker that create an exceptional audio output, whereas the ThinkPad’s audio is merely standard.
- HP EliteBook Rating: 9/10
- Lenovo ThinkPad Rating: 8/10Â
Performance and Upgradability
- The HP EliteBook 840 G6 we reviewed comes with a higher Intel Core i7-8665U processor, giving it a fast single-core score of 1450 and a multi-core score of 3555 in Geekbench. The Lenovo ThinkPad T490 runs an Intel Core i5-8365U, scoring a more modest 1270 single-core and 2433 multi-core. Both will easily run 20+ browser tabs while you work on large Excel sheets.
- Neither of these machines is built for modern 3D gaming or heavy video editing, as confirmed by integrated intel UHD 620 GPU. However, for everyday office productivity, coding and heavy multitasking, they are highly capable daily drivers.
- Where things get interesting is internal performance. The HP boasts its storage speeds, with NVMe SSD hitting 3252 MB/s read and 1762 MB/s write speeds. The ThinkPad boots up just as fast with a 3031 MB/s read speed, but its write speed drops drastically to 345 MB/s—a slowdown you will notice if transferring massive files. However, the laptops completely win on long-term flexibility, allowing you to expand the RAM and giving it a longer potential shelf life.
- HP EliteBook Rating: 8.5/10Â
- Lenovo ThinkPad Rating: 8/10Â
Keyboard & Touchpad
- If your job involves writing, coding, or heavy data entry, this section might be your dealbreaker. Lenovo’s reputation for making the best laptop keyboards remains completely intact with the T490. Its spill-resistant, backlit keyboard offers an incredibly tactile, precise, and comfortable typing experience with long key travel. You also get the smooth touchpad paired with the iconic red TrackPoint nub nested right in the center.
- The HP EliteBook’s keyboard is alright, but it’s not that great. The keys have decent travel feedback, but if you are coming from Lenovo and expecting a true TrackPoint experience, you will be disappointed. The HP pointing stick feels a bit messy for serious productivity. Also, because the HP chassis tends to get warm under heavy workloads, typing can become slightly uncomfortable during long sessions. Both feature highly responsive, smooth glass touchpads, but the ThinkPad takes the crown for typing.
- HP EliteBook Rating: 7.5/10
- Lenovo ThinkPad Rating: 9.5/10Â
Connectivity
- When you’re working on the go, the last thing you want to deal with is a Bunch of external dongles. Fortunately, both manufacturers have worked incredibly well to provide excellent port selection for business professionals.
- The HP EliteBook 840 Gen 6 gives you an optional smart card reader and a USB Type-A 3.1 port with charging support on the left. On the right, it houses a charging plug, a Thunderbolt port, a dedicated docking connector, RJ-45 Ethernet, HDMI, an audio jack, and another USB Type-A port.
- The Lenovo ThinkPad T490 goes toe-to-toe with a USB 3.1 Type-C port, Thunderbolt 3, mini-Ethernet, two USB 3.0 Type-A ports, HDMI, an audio jack, an RJ45 Ethernet port, an optional smart card reader, and a dedicated MicroSD card reader. It’s an absolute tie here, though the ThinkPad gets a tiny bit ahead, if you frequently use MicroSD cards from your camera or phone.
- HP EliteBook Rating: 9/10
- Lenovo ThinkPad Rating: 9/10Â
Battery Life
Because these are refurbished corporate machines, battery life is the great equalizer. Batteries naturally degrade over time from their original factory capacities. Whether you choose HP EliteBook or the Lenovo ThinkPad, you should go in with realistic expectations. For everyday web surfing and document editing, both units will yield roughly 2 to 3 hours of battery life on a single charge. The HP does feature a slight quality-of-life benefit: it supports 65W fast charging, which allows you to regain 50% of your power in just 30 minutes when you’re jumping between meetings or classes.
- HP EliteBook Rating: 8/10Â
- Lenovo ThinkPad Rating: 8/10Â
Final Verdict
If we calculate the average across all six categories, we get an incredibly close finish that proves just how well-matched these two machines are:
- HP EliteBook 840 Gen 6: 8.5 / 10
- Lenovo ThinkPad T490: 8.6 / 10
- The Lenovo ThinkPad T490 takes the lead solely due to its unbeatable typing experience. However, your final choice comes down entirely to your personal day-to-day workflow.Â
- If you want a laptop for office work, an incredibly vibrant display for media consumption, high processing speeds with the Core i7 for data crunching in Excel, and top-tier Bang & Olufsen audio for video calls, the HP EliteBook 840 G6 is an exceptional choice.
- On the other hand, if you are a writer, programmer, or student who types for hours on end, and needs a rugged machine with a classic ThinkPad keyboard, the ThinkPad T490 remains a practical choice.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
A: While both handle coding smoothly, the Lenovo ThinkPad T490 is the preferred choice for most developers due to its tactile keyboard. However, the HP EliteBook 840 Gen 6 offers faster SSD write speeds for saving large data files.Â
A: Because they are refurbished corporate machines, expect roughly 2 to 3 hours of battery life for standard web browsing and basic office tasks. Â
A: No. Both laptops run on integrated Intel UHD Graphics 620, making them strictly CPU-bound business tools. They are perfect for running dozens of browser tabs and heavy spreadsheets only.
A: The HP EliteBook 840 Gen 6 wins hands down for entertainment. It features a 100% sRGB color-accurate display and premium, front-firing Bang & Olufsen speakers. The Lenvo ThinkPad T490 uses a more basic anti-glare panel and standard speakers meant purely for office use.Â
A: Absolutely. Buying either of these refurbished – class machines offer incredible value. They provide high-end aluminum of reinforced chassis designs, top-tier reliability, and a massive selection of ports that easily outperforms modern budget entry-level laptops.
