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Lenovo ThinkPad T480 [Review]
Specifications –
- 8th Generation Intel Core i5-8350U
- UHD 620 graphics
- 32GB max / 2400MHz DDR4 (Dual-channel capable)
- 256GB NVMe SSD (expandable)
- 14.0″ (355mm) FHD (1920×1080)
- Intel Wireless-AC 9560 2×2 w/ Bluetooth 5 (integrated on chip)
- Standard 720p webcam and dual microphones
- Weight – 1.7 kg
The Lenovo ThinkPad T480 is a classic, top-shelf business laptop designed to be a reliable work machine for professionals. While it is slightly thicker and heavier than its slimmer siblings (like the X390 or the X1 Carbon), it trades that extra bulk for better expandability, a wealth of ports, and a highly durable chassis.
Lenovo ThinkPad T480 Design & Build Quality
The Lenovo ThinkPad T480 maintains the classic, utilitarian, matte-black aesthetic that ThinkPad loyalists expect. While it might look traditional compared to shiny aluminum ultra books, its build quality is exceptional. Lenovo used engineering plastics infused with glass fibers, resulting in a chassis that is incredibly stiff, rugged, and resistant to chassis flex. Furthermore, it is noticeably trimmer and about 200 gm lighter than its predecessor (the T470), making it a highly sturdy but portable travel companion.
Lenovo ThinkPad T480 review: Display
The standard non-touch 14-inch 1920 x 1080 (FHD) IPS panel, offering a bright panel with incredibly fine detail without draining the battery as quickly as a higher resolution screen would. It is great for productivity but falls short for creative work. The Matte Finish successfully blocks out glare and reflections. Being an IPS Panel, the viewing angles are solid, and pictures look sharp for editing. The colors on the screen can look slightly washed out or bland compared to premium modern displays.
Performance & System Benchmark
To give you a real-world idea of what this laptop can handle, we put it through a few popular benchmark tests. Powered by the Intel Core i5-8350U processor and Intel UHD Graphics 620.
Storage Speeds (CrystalDiskMark)
This benchmark confirms the laptop uses a fast NVMe SSD, which is a major upgrade over older mechanical hard drives or standard SATA SSDs. While its Maximum write speeds are average for this type of drive, its excellent read speeds and strong ability to handle tiny background files ensure the system will feel incredibly snappy and responsive for daily office work and web browsing. Â
Key Takeaways:
- Fast Large Transfers: Peak sequential read speeds hit 1551.63 MB/s, meaning large files (like videos or large folders) will transfer and load very quickly.
- Average Write Speeds: Peak write speeds sit at 532.60 MB/s, which is perfectly balanced for saving documents and standard use, though slower than today’s premium drives.
Processor & Multitasking Performance
Cinebench R23: the CPU recorded a Single-Core score of 780 pts and a multi-core score of 2053 pts. This shows that while its single-core capability handles light workloads easily, the four physical cores struggle to compete with newer generation architectures during intense, sustained multi-threaded jobs like heavy rendering.
Geekbench: the system achieved a Single-Core score of 1229 and a multi-core score of 2742, confirming snappy responsiveness for standard application usage and processing tasks.
PCMark 10: In overall office productivity workflows, the laptop earned a total score of 3358. It handles day-to-day work beautifully, scoring 6395 in Essentials (video conferencing, and app start-up) and 5850 in Productivity (spreadsheets and writing). Upon testing these scores, we can easily confirm that this laptop can open more than 15 browser tabs without lagging However, its score drops to 2748 in Digital Content Creation, showing its limits with heavier creative tasks like rendering images or video editing. As highlighted, the performance places it below a typical 2023 office laptop, beating out 15% of all tested systems.
CPU details
The laptop is equipped with an Intel Core i5-8350U processor, a 14-nanometer, codenamed “Kaby Lake-R” chip featuring 4 physical cores and 8 threads. Designed for high battery efficiency in laptops, it operates with a low Thermal Design Power (TDP) of just 15.0 W. The official base specification is 1.70 GHz,but the processor can throttle down to a minimum clock speed of roughly 400 MHz to conserve power during idle states, and turbo boost up to a maximum clock speed of 3.6 GHz when heavy performance is required.
Battery Back-up
The T480 is famous for its “Power Bridge” battery system, featuring one internal 24Wh battery and one external, hot-swappable battery (available in 24Wh, 48Wh, or 72Wh sizes). This means you can swap a dead external battery for a fresh one without turning off the laptop.
When purchasing a refurbished T480, you are buying used batteries. Lithium-ion cells degrade over time, so expect the batteries in a refurbished unit to hold only limited capacity of original charge.
Connectivity
Lenovo has provided decent port connectivity for their Ultrabook series:
On the left side, power socket (USB C), Docking port (Thunderbolt 3) , fan vent for heat anticipation
On the right side, headphone jack, USB 3.0 Type-A, HDMI-out, USB 3.0 , Ethernet, SD card reader
Lenovo ThinkPad T480 review: Keyboard and touchpad
Lenovo’s reputation for making the best laptop keyboards remains intact here. The spill-resistant, backlit keyboard offers an incredibly tactile, precise, and comfortable typing experience with long key travel. Navigation is handled by a smooth, highly responsive touchpad with three buttons on top of it, as well as the iconic red TrackPoint nub nested in the center of the keyboard.
Bottom Line
The Lenovo ThinkPad T480 is the ultimate comparison for anyone who values productivity over style. It has a good enough display for productivity and watching videos, it delivers exactly where it counts: a keyboard that is typical to previous ThinkPads users, a rugged design built to last, and official Windows 11 support that keeps it entirely modern. Plus, with its unique hot-swappable battery system (Power Bridge) you can easily upgrade yourself, it’s a rare breed of laptop that puts control back in your hands instead of forcing you to buy a whole new machine. If you just need a reliable, budget-friendly machine that simply gets things done without any fuss, the T480 is incredibly hard to beat.
You can find Refurbished Lenovo ThinkPad T480 at cheapest price in the link below: https://eazypc.in/product/lenovo-thinkpad-t480-intel-core-i5-8th-gen-refurbished-laptop/
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Q. Is the Lenovo ThinkPad T480 still a good laptop to buy?
Yes. Models with 8th-generation Intel processors remain excellent, budget-friendly choices for coding, office work, and heavy web browsing.
Q. Does the Lenovo ThinkPad T480 support Windows 11?
Yes, but only if it is configured with an 8th-generation Intel processor (such as the Core i5-8250U or i5-8350U).
Q. How much RAM can you put in a ThinkPad T480?
It supports up to 32GB of DDR4 RAM. Unlike most modern laptops, it features two easily accessible, un-soldered memory slots.
Q. What is the Thunderbolt issue and how do I fix it?
A known firmware bug can permanently damage the USB-C charging ports over time. Prevent this by immediately installing the latest Thunderbolt firmware from Lenovo’s official support website.
Q. Can you play games on the ThinkPad T480?
Not well. It relies on basic integrated graphics meant for business tasks. It can handle lightweight or older games, but it will struggle with modern 3D titles.
Q. How long does a refurbished battery last?
Used batteries typically only last 3 to 5 hours. However, thanks to the swappable battery system, you can buy a brand-new 72Wh external battery to get 8 to 12 hours of use.
Q. Can I upgrade the storage?
Yes. You can upgrade the main NVMe SSD, and even install a second, smaller 2242 M.2 SSD in the laptop’s empty cellular (WWAN) slot.
