I have an IdeaPad S540 API. It's a Ryzen 3500U. It has 2 M.2 slots so you can had a second SSD if needed. I upgraded it to 32 GB and boy how this beast flies. And it's really cheap.
Under Pop_OS with minor tweaks the battery lasts about 5 hours, which is pretty good for a Linux laptop.
Think of turning of Wifi energy saving: Wifi speed went from 50Mbps to more than 300.
I've got basically the same machine as you as well (ThinkPad E495, 3700U, upgraded M.2 SSD, upgraded 32 GB ram) and while it's great, the 4000 series is a game changer. I really wish I could have waited but my old laptop had other plans.
Under Pop_OS with minor tweaks the battery lasts about 5 hours, which is pretty good for a Linux laptop.
Think of turning of Wifi energy saving: Wifi speed went from 50Mbps to more than 300.