Lenovo Thinkpad T480 Laptop
USD
Pros
- Awesome keyboard
- Perfect battery
- User accessible
- Customizations available
- Durable and perfect design
Cons
- Storage is not worthy
- CPU experience is below average
- Not always available
- Dull screen
- Audible case cracks
In This Article
Verdict
First of all, the Lenovo Thinkpad T480 laptop is robust in design but light enough to carry it anywhere with much of ease and convenience.
The design is smart, strong and durable. With a high-performing processor, huge storage house and powerful RAM, the laptop offers the best performance that you can enjoy at this price point.
Lenovo Thinkpad T480 & Variant Laptops Price
Introduction
Thinkpad 480 from Lenovo comes with a pack of powerful features that will take your creativity and productivity to the next level.
Aesthetically designed and solidly built, this Lenovo laptop is an eye-candy in true sense.
The device is extremely hard and it underwent a series of stringent tests for strength and durability.
It can easily withstand extreme environmental conditions as well as heavy physical use.
Elegant and durable design apart, Thinkpad T480 is extremely functional.
Empowered by innovative Thinkpad technology, it allows the users to swap the battery with a fully charged one without having to switching the machine off.
It has the right type and number of ports. The machine comes with a worldwide warranty that allows the buyers to repair the system in 160 countries across the globe.
Buy for: Awesome keyboard and battery
Beware of: Storage and screen
Best uses for: Web development, college students, construction site management, veterinary students and other purposes.
The alternatives:
Specs:
- Brand: Lenovo
- Hard Drive: 256 SSD
- Hard Drive Type: Flash Memory Solid State e
- RAM: 8 GB
- RAM Type: DDR4
- Processor: Intel Core i5 processor
- Processor Speed: 1.6 GHz
- Graphics: Intel UHD Graphics 620
- Battery: 1 Lithium ion batteries
- Screen Size: 14 inches
- Processor Brand: Intel
- Product Dimensions: 13.2 x 0.8 x 9.2 inches
- Weight: 3.63 lbs
- Operating System: Windows 10
Reliability
Lenovo needs no wordy and worldly decoration for an introduction. It has carved a niche for itself and the credit goes to its innovating ideas and their precise execution.
It is a worldwide name with skyrocketing fame. The Thinkpad T480 laptop is an extension of its famous Thinkpad series.
Lenovo has always pushed the bar of the users’ expectations and it is not different this time as well.
The system is a mingling bowl of good form and great functions. It sports an inspiring look and solid design. In fact, it raises your eyebrows and expectations as well.
Coming to performance, it surpasses your expectations. Supported by extremely powerful 8th generation Intel Core i5 processor, 8 GB of DDR4 RAM and 256 GB of HDD, it raises the bar of what a laptop in the same price range should deliver.
It delivers with supreme ease and speed. Though primarily built for the business personnel, it offers outstanding performance whatever purpose it is used for.
With high resolution and display quality, it is a perfect system to enjoy entertainment shows and even gaming at your home.
Performance – Processing Power
The system draws its lifeline from an 8th generation Intel Core i5 processor.
The high-end processor, powerful RAM and heavy storage make a great combination and on strength of that excellent combo, the device functions like a desktop PC while offering absolute freedom of carrying it with convenient ease.
The machine is capable of executing every task thrown at it. It is designed to do multitasking. Open a dozen of tabs and arrange a video conference; still you will never experience any lag in its performance.
Benchmarks
CPU
1. In CPU Benchmarks, we can get the perfect results of the Passmark score. On this benchmarking site, we can see that the Intel Core i5-8250U’s ‘Average CPU Mark’ is 5931.
The single thread rating of this chip is 1928. The overall rank of this processor is 1103. After considering 6365 samples this website has concluded that the margin of error in the Intel Core i5-8250U is low.
This is a good processor, but there are more powerful and updated options available in the market. As a result, it is unable to take any significant post in the ‘CPU Mark Relative to Top 10 Common Laptop CPUs’ category.
If we compare the single-thread performance of the Intel Core i5-8250 and the AMD Ryzen 5 3500U, we can see that this AMD processor is better than the Intel processor, as it is able to achieve a higher single-thread performance score (1979).
The margin is not very high, but it is enough to consider the AMD chip as a better option than the Intel processor. So we can say ASUS X512DA VivoBook Thin which has the AMD Ryzen 5 3500U, can perform better than the Lenovo ThinkPad T480 Laptop.
2. The Intel Core i5-8250U has received an Average Benchmark score of 62.1% at UserBenchmark. It is ranked 511 out of 1357 processors according to this benchmarking site.
3. On Geekbench 5, the single-core and multi-core scores of the Intel Core i5-8250U are 711 and 1971 respectively. This processor is better than Intel Pentium Gold 4417U and is inferior to Intel Core i7-8550U.
4. 3DMark is another popular benchmarking tool. 3DMark rank of the Intel Core i5-8250U is 198. And 2652 is the ‘3DMark Time Spy Physics Score’ of this processor.
GPU
1. The ‘Average Benchmark’ score for Intel HD Graphics 620 on UserBenchmark is 4.6%, which has placed it in 391st position out of 681 results.
2. According to videocardbenchmark.net, Intel HD Graphics 620 has an average G3D score of 923. Considering the scores of other integrated GPUs, we can say it is well above the industry average.
This integrated graphics card ranks 903rd out of all integrated graphics cards in its class. Compared to an external GPU, an integrated GPU is not going to offer you a very powerful performance.
In terms of gaming, you can’t get satisfactory performance from it. On this website, this GPU is placed at the bottom of the performance lists.
3. The Intel HD Graphics 620 ranked 194 on 3DMark. It is 337 on the 3DMark Time Spy Graphics Test.
System benchmark
According to PCGameBenchmark, the Lenovo ThinkPad T480 can run 154 casual games out of 1K options. It doesn’t match the recommended system requirements for GTA V. It is also the same for Apex Legends and Fortnite.
Design & Build – A Smart Entry
The Thinkpad T480 has a unique look. The look fascinates even the most finical persons. The device features a super smart design.
It looks gorgeous but not gaudy. Lenovo has not changed the look and instead, stuck to the standard raven-black chassis finely complemented by a soft-touch lid.
In fact, it is difficult to distinguish between a T470 and a T480. With the high-capacity battery, the laptop weighs only 3.98 pounds.
Therefore, it is not the lightest or slimmest type business laptop around. However, the slim look does not win always.
The Lenovo Thinkpad T470 is equipped with a wider range of outstanding features and that makes it a device to go with.
It never falls apart. The T480 has undergone Lenovo’s bump tests and MIL-SPEC tests. The later put it through extreme humidity, dust, vibrations and temperatures.
Laptop Display
With pixels set at a high range (1920×1028), the system offers clear images, a good amount of detailing and solid viewing angles.
However, we did not notice anything special in brightness and colors.
The T480 features a 14-inch viewing area. Therefore, you can see the larger images of your favorite heroes and characters on the screen.
The screen has an anti-reflection matte surface. The LED-lit display technology offers a satisfying everyday as well as entertainment experience for the users and viewers.
Graphics Power
During our testing for its graphic power and capabilities, the system proved good enough for daily computing tasks, creative works, viewing movies and even playing games (though low-end).
The device is not designed for entertainment or gaming, still the kind of output and performance it delivers is satisfying.
With the Lenovo Thinkpad T480, you can kill many birds with a single stone.
Storage Parts
Without good storage and primary memory power, a computer system fails to deliver. Check out lenovo thinkpad t480 user manual.
It requires enough of primary memory for quick boot and smooth flow of performance.
On the other hand, the business laptops with massive storage capacity allow the users to save a larger number of files, images, videos, songs and many more without having to experience any sluggishness in show.
The T470 system comes with 8GB of DDR4 memory and 256GB of SSD. It needs no further explanation, why the system never runs slow even after being loaded with graphic files and videos.
Battery Life
The Thinkpad T480 is way ahead of its compatriots if we are talking about battery life. On this ground, it is a king in the ring.
Its 72-watt battery supports the laptop for 17 hours and 19 minutes. This is an epic battery life.
The result comes from the Mag Battery Test involving web surfing over Wi-Fi at a stretch.
The Thinkpad T480 comes with a three-cell battery by default. If you are using the default feature, endurance will plunge to a below-average level of 8 hours and 7 minutes.
If you decide to buy the T480 model, you should spend on the system packed with 72-watt hour battery.
The Thinkpad is designed around Lenovo’s Power Bridge battery system. It enables the users to carry extra batteries with them and swap the batteries without having to shutting down the system.
Other Specifications
If you are buying Thinkpad 480, no further investment for dongles is needed. It offers everything that the users are most likely to look for.
It is fitted with a full-size Ethernet port, two USB 3.0 connectors, an SD card reader and HDMI out.
T480 features a USB Type-C port used for charging. The system also has a separate Thunderbolt 3 connection to plug into the high-speed peripherals including an external graphic card.
Using Type-C for charging allows the buyers to use an entire network of third-party docks and chargers.
The smile-shaped and rightly spaced keys make it sure that you will not fail to enjoy a smooth and speedy typing experience.
The keys are stronger and deeper if compared with other business laptop models.
Even though good, the keyboard of the T480 laptop does not feel as great as T740 laptop if it comes to quick responses.
T480 borrows some features from its siblings in the Thinkpad series. For example, it features a buttonless touchpad and pointing stick just like its other Thinkpad predecessors. Both are excellent for ease of navigation.
Lenovo Thinkpad T480 comes with a worldwide warranty that allows you to go for help in any of the listed 160 countries of the world.
Variants
This little baby have three different variants of its own. It is typically offered by the makers of this brand when you can have options like:
| SL.NO | Model | RAM | Hard Disk |
| 1 | E480 | 8GB RAM | 256GB SSD |
| 2 | L480 | 8GB RAM | 256GB SSD |
| 3 | T480 | 8GB RAM | 256GB SSD |
What Do Other Experts and Users Think?
For the PC MAG experts, it is a love at first sight. According to them, good look is the first thing to draw their attention to any new launch.
Having said that, they never mean features and functions are less important. Honestly speaking, today’s buyers are more in favor of a complete package and the business personnel think it is designed to meet their needs. They are not exaggerating!
The users always prefer a decent and durable design. They are convinced that this Lenovo T480 laptop is capable of surviving heavy use for years.
The laptop offers an exciting battery life. The feature makes it a perfect piece to go with.
The buyers have also liked its enhanced security system that allows them to log in with their own smile. So simple yet so innovative and smart!
The business professionals have sensitive documents. They also have some crucial personal information that they don’t like to share with anyone.
The webcam-supported security features help them keep the important files under lock and keys without undergoing much of hassles.
The users are loving it for its performance as well. Backed by the high-end Intel Core processor, it packs in an array of the latest and smartest components to deliver excellent outputs at this price point.
On the whole you can check out the features which are no doubt worth mentioning. But there are some of the flaws which can be easily undermined.
In fact you can check out the price which is totally standard but the availability is considered as a drawback of this model.
So that comes to point that this model is good for the personal usage but in case of bulk business this wont be a good choice.
Especially in case graphical imposition you can check out the better options of Lenovo as it will not offer a better layout for your work.
Other than if you take the price standard then it is certainly offering the best solutions within the range.
Our Testing & Analysis Report
When we tested the processor the Lenovo ThinkPad T480 on the CPU Benchmarks, we found that it attained an average CPU Mark of 5931 with its single thread rating as 1928.
On UserBenchmark, the average score of it is 62.1% and on the Geekbench 5 test we found that its single-core and multi-core scores are 711 and 1971 respectively, along with its 3DMark score of 2652 in the 3DMark Time Spy Physics test.
To test the GPU, we found the average benchmark score of it on the UserBenchmark is 4.6%, and on the videocardbenchmark.net test, the average G3D score is 923. It also attained 337 points on the 3DMark Time Spy Graphics Test.
All these scores may not be top-class but are quite above the industry average and therefore the CPU and GPU put up quite satisfactory performance when it is restricted mainly to daily computing tasks.
They also support playing a few games, watching movies, and performing some creative works, all at low settings.
We found that the display of the review unit produced clean images with clear details. We could view the images quite clearly from a wider viewing angle.
However, when we put it to our colorimeter and Delta E 2000 color accuracy and variation tool, the color coverage and brightness did not seem to be exceptionally good.
The keyboard of the laptop is quite good and offers a good typing experience. On the 10FastFingers.com test, it could achieve around 100+ words per minute with about 4 to 6% error rate, which is quite good, though nothing extraordinary.
The touchpad is quite responsive to multiple finger gestures and offered adequate support while we typed a few documents on Word and worked on other files on Spreadsheet.
Questions & Answers:
Does the Lenovo ThinkPad T480 have a touch screen?
Yes, there is a 14-inch 10-point touchscreen FHD display in the Lenovo ThinkPad T480.
Can the Lenovo ThinkPad T480 be used for gaming?
You can use it to play some basic level, elementary games on it. But it is unable to process the trending AAA games; such as Call of Duty, Fortnite, Minecraft, PUBG, Apex Legends, and GTA V.
Does Lenovo ThinkPad T480 support 4K?
No, the device is not capable of smoothly handling 4K content. But you can enjoy FHD content on it, as there is a display of 1920 x 1080 Pixels.
When was the Lenovo ThinkPad T480 discontinued?
In February 2021, Lenovo officially discontinued the ThinkPad T480 model.