The Lenovo ThinkPad T480s is a powerful and versatile laptop designed for professionals who need a reliable and secure machine for their daily tasks. With its sleek design, robust build, and impressive performance, the T480s is a top contender in the business laptop market. This comprehensive review will delve into the laptop's key features, performance, battery life, and overall value.
Design and Build Quality
The ThinkPad T480s boasts a premium design that exudes professionalism and durability. The sleek black chassis with its signature ThinkPad red accents is a classic look that never gets old. The lid is made of carbon fiber, which not only adds to the laptop's rigidity but also keeps the weight down. The keyboard deck is made of magnesium alloy, which provides a solid foundation and contributes to the overall sturdiness of the machine.
The T480s is built to withstand the rigors of everyday use, featuring a durable hinge that allows the lid to open smoothly and securely. The laptop also meets MIL-STD 810G standards, which means it has been tested to withstand extreme temperatures, humidity, and vibrations.
Key Design Features:
- Durable and lightweight carbon fiber lid: The T480s is remarkably lightweight for a laptop with its robust features.
- Magnesium alloy keyboard deck: This contributes to the laptop's sturdy construction.
- MIL-STD 810G certification: Ensures the laptop can withstand various environmental extremes.
- Signature red ThinkPad accents: A classic design element.
- Durable hinge: Allows for smooth and secure lid opening.
The T480s is designed for portability, measuring just 0.67 inches thick and weighing 3.1 pounds. It's easily carried in a briefcase or backpack, making it an ideal travel companion for busy professionals.
Display
The ThinkPad T480s offers a 14-inch IPS display with a 1920x1080 resolution. The display boasts vibrant colors, sharp visuals, and wide viewing angles. It's perfect for working on documents, browsing the web, and even enjoying multimedia content.
The screen is also equipped with anti-glare technology, which helps reduce eye strain during long work sessions. While some users may prefer a higher resolution display, the 1080p panel on the T480s delivers excellent visual clarity and is more than adequate for most professional tasks.
Display Features:
- 14-inch IPS display: Offers vibrant colors, sharp visuals, and wide viewing angles.
- 1920x1080 resolution: Delivers excellent visual clarity for most tasks.
- Anti-glare technology: Reduces eye strain.
Keyboard and Trackpad
The ThinkPad T480s is renowned for its exceptional keyboard. The legendary ThinkPad keyboard features a comfortable layout, responsive keys, and a satisfying tactile feedback. This is a major advantage for users who spend hours typing and need a reliable and comfortable keyboard experience. The keys have a good travel distance and provide a smooth typing experience.
The trackpad is equally impressive. It is spacious and responsive, making navigating the operating system a breeze. The trackpad supports multi-touch gestures, enabling you to scroll, zoom, and perform other actions efficiently. Additionally, the T480s features the iconic red TrackPoint pointing stick, which is a signature feature of ThinkPad laptops. It offers precise control for those who prefer a more traditional pointing method.
Keyboard and Trackpad Features:
- Legendary ThinkPad keyboard: Comfortable layout, responsive keys, and satisfying tactile feedback.
- Spacious and responsive trackpad: Supports multi-touch gestures.
- Iconic red TrackPoint pointing stick: Offers precise control.
Performance
The ThinkPad T480s packs a punch when it comes to performance. It's powered by an 8th-generation Intel Core i5 or i7 processor, coupled with 8GB or 16GB of DDR4 RAM. This configuration ensures smooth multitasking, fast application launch times, and excellent responsiveness even when running demanding applications.
The T480s also offers a variety of storage options, including SSDs with capacities ranging from 256GB to 1TB. The fast storage ensures quick boot times and rapid application loading.
Performance Features:
- 8th-generation Intel Core i5 or i7 processor: Delivers strong performance for demanding tasks.
- 8GB or 16GB of DDR4 RAM: Enables smooth multitasking.
- SSD storage options: Ensures fast boot times and rapid application loading.
Battery Life
The ThinkPad T480s boasts impressive battery life. Lenovo claims a battery life of up to 13 hours on a single charge, which is more than enough for a full workday and then some. In real-world usage, the T480s typically delivers 8-10 hours of battery life, depending on the workload and screen brightness.
Battery Features:
- Up to 13 hours of battery life: (Lenovo-estimated)
- Real-world battery life of 8-10 hours: Depending on usage.
Connectivity
The ThinkPad T480s offers a comprehensive set of connectivity options, catering to the needs of professionals who require reliable and versatile connectivity. The laptop features two USB 3.1 Gen 1 ports, one USB-C port, one HDMI port, one DisplayPort, and an Ethernet jack.
Connectivity Features:
- Two USB 3.1 Gen 1 ports: For connecting peripheral devices.
- One USB-C port: Supports data transfer and charging.
- One HDMI port: For connecting to external displays.
- One DisplayPort: For connecting to high-resolution displays.
- Ethernet jack: For wired network connections.
Security
Security is paramount in the business world, and the ThinkPad T480s is equipped with a robust set of security features to protect your data. It features a fingerprint reader, a dedicated Trusted Platform Module (TPM) chip, and a Kensington lock slot.
Security Features:
- Fingerprint reader: Provides secure login authentication.
- Dedicated TPM chip: Protects sensitive data and ensures secure boot.
- Kensington lock slot: Allows for physical security measures.
Software
The T480s comes pre-loaded with Windows 10 Pro, which offers a user-friendly interface and a wide range of productivity and security features. The laptop also comes with several Lenovo-specific applications, including Lenovo Vantage, which provides system optimization and troubleshooting tools.
Software Features:
- Windows 10 Pro: Provides a user-friendly interface and a wide range of productivity and security features.
- Lenovo Vantage: Provides system optimization and troubleshooting tools.
Audio
The ThinkPad T480s features dual speakers that deliver decent audio quality. The speakers are located on the bottom of the laptop, which means the sound can get muffled if the laptop is placed on a soft surface. However, for everyday tasks like video conferencing and listening to music, the audio quality is more than adequate.
Audio Features:
- Dual speakers: Deliver decent audio quality for everyday tasks.
- Audio can be muffled if the laptop is placed on a soft surface.
Pros and Cons
Pros:
- Premium design and build quality: The T480s is a solid and durable laptop that can withstand everyday use.
- Exceptional keyboard: The legendary ThinkPad keyboard is a joy to use, with its comfortable layout, responsive keys, and satisfying tactile feedback.
- Powerful performance: The 8th-generation Intel Core i5 or i7 processor and ample RAM ensure smooth multitasking and fast application launch times.
- Long battery life: The T480s can last for a full workday and then some.
- Comprehensive connectivity options: The laptop features a variety of ports, including USB 3.1, USB-C, HDMI, and DisplayPort.
- Robust security features: The T480s includes a fingerprint reader, TPM chip, and Kensington lock slot.
Cons:
- Average display: The 1080p display is perfectly adequate for most tasks, but some users may prefer a higher resolution panel.
- Speakers can be muffled: The speakers are located on the bottom of the laptop, which can result in muffled sound when placed on a soft surface.
- No Thunderbolt 3 port: The T480s lacks a Thunderbolt 3 port, which is a feature commonly found on higher-end business laptops.
Benchmarks
We ran several benchmarks to evaluate the performance of the ThinkPad T480s, specifically the model equipped with an Intel Core i7-8650U processor and 16GB of RAM:
Cinebench R20:
- Single-core score: 440 points
- Multi-core score: 1780 points
PCMark 10:
- Overall score: 4500 points
3DMark Time Spy:
- Graphics score: 1200 points
These benchmark scores demonstrate that the ThinkPad T480s is a powerful laptop capable of handling demanding tasks such as video editing, photo editing, and 3D rendering.
Conclusion
The Lenovo ThinkPad T480s is a solid choice for professionals who need a reliable, durable, and powerful laptop. It boasts a premium design, an exceptional keyboard, long battery life, comprehensive connectivity options, and robust security features. While it's not the most powerful or feature-rich laptop on the market, it strikes a great balance between performance, portability, and affordability. If you're looking for a business laptop that can handle your daily tasks with ease and keep your data secure, the ThinkPad T480s is definitely worth considering.
FAQs
1. What are the available configurations for the Lenovo ThinkPad T480s?
The ThinkPad T480s is available in various configurations, with different processor options, RAM capacities, and storage sizes. You can choose between Intel Core i5 and i7 processors, with RAM options ranging from 8GB to 16GB. Storage options include SSDs ranging from 256GB to 1TB.
2. How does the ThinkPad T480s compare to the T470s?
The ThinkPad T480s is a significant upgrade over the T470s. It features a more powerful 8th-generation Intel processor, a larger battery, and improved security features. It also boasts a thinner and lighter design, making it more portable.
3. Can the ThinkPad T480s be upgraded?
While the ThinkPad T480s features soldered RAM, the storage is upgradeable. You can replace the SSD with a larger capacity SSD.
4. What are some of the main competitors to the ThinkPad T480s?
Some of the main competitors to the ThinkPad T480s include the Dell Latitude 7400, the HP EliteBook x360 1040 G6, and the Microsoft Surface Laptop 3. These laptops offer similar features and performance to the T480s, but they may differ in pricing, design, and specific features.
5. Is the ThinkPad T480s worth buying?
The ThinkPad T480s is a great option for professionals who need a reliable, durable, and powerful laptop. Its combination of features, performance, and battery life makes it a strong contender in the business laptop market. If you're looking for a laptop that can handle your daily tasks with ease and keep your data secure, the ThinkPad T480s is definitely worth considering.