I bought the T480 and love it. I use it for story and screenwriting. I've also played around with Ubuntu, and Fedora Linux on this machine, and it ran them flawlessly. I love the anti-glare display as well. I also like the simple basic upgradability that is seldom seen these days in other laptops. It doesn't hurt that the keyboard is water resistant. I've had mine for 11 months and no complaints. If I had to nitpick, I wish that once the backlite keyboard is on, I did not have to turn it on again every time it went into sleep mode. I would recommend this laptop to anyone who needs a reliable, upgradable laptop to get things done.
Hi Steve, do you still use this laptop? Is your atittude towards this machine changed or no? I want to buy this laptop soon, so it will be so helpful if you share some experience after 2 years of using. Many thanks!
@@j.p.9522 I had to replace my company T470's motherboard twice, usb-c port would stop working. Thunderbolt gave me constant problems with the dock. Horrible piece of shit. Business my ass :)
You've literally sold me on this model, bought one today, deciding video - as it is the best video out there. Thanks! Looks like the last fully customizable Thinkpad laptop.
Just an FYI if you are considering this: the WWAN m.2 port will accept a 2242 pci-e NVMe SSD. NGFF will not work. Hard to find, and the biggest so far is only 240GB, but it possible. Keep in mind, it has to be pci-e and 40mm.
I have been watching your videos since last summer because I was trying to learn about my think pad t440s and I have enjoyed your videos and I find that your reviews have helped me to make some smart decisions on my purchases. Thank you for the help
Thank you for this great review. I was torn between few different TP models. But your videos sold me on T480. You've really helped me take right decision.
I picked up one of these earlier this year refurbished with 24GB RAM, 512GB SSD, a FHD IPS display and a back-lit keyboard for only $600. To top it off it came with 18 months remaining on a 3 year warranty. All I did with it is install a 256GB 2242 SSD into the LTE slot just because I had one lying around. Great machine. It only has the i5-8350U CPU but really, it's spec'd way beyond what I need! It's also nice that it meets the Windows 11 requirements straight up .. not that I'm going there yet with this machine. I need it to work reliably. I'll let Windows 11 ripen a bit before I take the T480 there.
Hi, I am looking for an used T480 with 16GB RAM, GPU MX150, 256 M2 SSD for 600 euros, is it worth buying? I've been using my trusty T61 for over a decade, and I am hoping this T480 could last for a next decade? What about cooling is it good quality? Thanks in advance, cheers!
@@gorangorkoza6666 It does not sound like a terrible price, especially if it is in great condition. The cooling would depend on the CPU, but mine with the i5-8250U has never had an issue. Last a decade? Maybe if you take good care of it and upgrade it as required.
@@Zeroneii3 We are talking about a T480. It does not have separate coolers for the CPU and GPU. They are linked together via a heat pipe. Since the MX150 chip is the same across all CPU options for those models, then the cooling is dependent on the CPU which, for the US market can be i5 or i7 and at various speeds. In all cases, MX150 or not, the effectiveness of the cooling is ultimately dependent on the CPU choice.
Just received my T480 this afternoon so its been sitting on my desk the past 4 hours downloading windows updates. I just got the basic model, I don't need anything fancy. Mine is showing 11 hours of battery life with both standard batteries. Liking it so far but haven't been able to really do much on it due to the updates LOL.
Hi Lisa, and Happy New Years. Well after watching a ton of your video reviews, I've made a decision. I ordered a T480 with I5-825ou processor, Windows 64, FHD IPS Display, UHD Graphics 620, *GB RAM, Backlit keyboard, Fingerprint Reader, 256 SSD, with the 6 cell Battery, for $940.00. Also because of the 2-3 week delivery, I ordered from EBAY, a x250 with the same Specs except the Fingerprint Reader and it came with a Docking Station, for $360.00. So far I'm extremely Happy with my X250, and can't wait for the T480 to get here. the T480 is for Home Base, and X250 is my travel work horse. I'm hoping to start Blogging this year. I also picked up 2 additional 72 WH batteries, and a P52S for my Sophomore in college and 3 X240's for my High School Senior, and my Twin Juniors. The X240's have the new mouse pads, but my Boys are not gonna notice the difference. Thanks for all the help, not a bad Christmas for my Knuckleheads.
Thanks, I think your review is one of the best I've seen in regards to detailing the internals and things that are upgrade-able etc. Good to know that it can't hold an SSD and HDD at the same time because I would have considered trying to install a spare HDD into one we've just purchased (with 256gb SSD).
@@lyndonnawanaojr.2728 there is an M.2 slot that can take either a 2242 NVMe SSD, or LTE card. In addition, as mentioned, the 2.5” hard drive bay can take an adapter that allows you to put in a full length 2280 M.2 NVMe SSD. IIRC the shorter M.2 slot is PCIe 3x2 and the full length M.2 slot runs at PCIe 3x4 speed.
I still can’t get past the fact that the Microsoft Surface and the Dell XPS have no HDMI port. That is an absolute travesty. Lenovo remains the GOAT laptop. Heck, even my $500 IdeaPad has a fricking HDMI port. Definitely gonna eventually buy a ThinkPad
This and the T480s do have two USB C ports, one is part of that docking port with the other part being dedicated to Ethernet. The one that's also for docking is also the thunderbolt 3 port.
Hello Lisa, understand that the ssd speed test shown in the video is based on the configuration without Nvidia MX150. I came across articles that say that the ssd performance in T480 will be capped to 2 PCIe lanes instead of 4 lanes, in units with Nvidia MX150. Does it mean that the ssd max speed would then be halved ? Do you have any info on that ? Thanks :)
So in april 2024 I founf this laptop for $220 refurbished. Is it a better option than a new laptop from bestbuy or Walmart for $200 with a Celeron or a $250 laptop with an i3?
CLP 17,520 49%OFF | KingSpec m2 SSD 120GB 240GB nvme ssd m2 pcie m2 SSD 128GB 256GB 512G Disco Duro m2 2242 pcie nvme para ordenador portátil de escritorio a.aliexpress.com/_mrCGoa7 I just bought this one from Aliexpress, I haven't tested it jet cause it is still coming, but in the publication said that it is for this model. I'll comment back when I test it.
Same I'm IT as well and when the 16:9 laptop craze hit the markets in late 2009 early 2010s, I thought we would progressed towards 1080 and 1440p ips business grade laptops by 2015. Sadly 1366x768 15.6" TN still exists and I don't think it will go away for the next 10 years.
@@kyungsushi7018 I'm using it in 2024 and it's completely fine in Windows 11. I get 213 points in Speedometer 2.1 with Firefox in Windows 11 on my T480 with Intel Core i7-8550U and 32GB RAM (2x16GB DDR4-2400 SO-DIMM sticks with 2x8R layout, as 2x8R RAM is the fastest at a given frequency). I've been using it when delivering food in a thermal bag. There have been several times when the laptop got extremely wet due to condensation (my bad), and once there was some coke spilled over and the USB-C and Thunderbolt ports were soaked with it, all while the laptop was on. I turned it off, sprayed isopropyl alcohol on the ports when I got home, took the laptop apart and sprayed some more IPA and used a toothbrush to scrub any leftover cola, and it works perfectly without issues. And I also used it when it was freezing outside, the TrackPoint is a life-saver when you're using the laptop with gloves on. It's very robust, and is probably the last ThinkPad to be as robust as the old models such as the T420 and T430, because all other ThinkPads like the T480s and T490 are just bad macbooks compared to T480, due to their soldered RAM, small internal battery, and bad cooling. I expect it to serve me for a long time. I don't want to upgrade from it because it's already very upgradable, and I'll have to wait for at least 3 years until the first cheap T14 Gen5 laptops (which aren't even out yet) hit the used market. I've installed a 72Wh battery, replaced the bland stock screen with a great IGZO low-power panel, and my model also came with an Nvidia MX150. I got my T480 in November 2023 for $330 (prices have come down in my city since). You can also upgrade all T480 models with up to 64GB RAM, because they actually all support that. And I've also undervolted my T480 by downgrading the BIOS to ver. 1.26 and I got -100mV on Core and Cache and -115mV on Intel GPU and iGPU Unslice.
At Lenovo web site. there's a configuration option for a _second_ SSD. Where does that fit? Within that same traditional hard disk case? Looked like an exclusive-or case. EDIT: so I learnt the second SSD is meant to go to that M.2 2242 slot if no LTE modem is configured. Still a couple of unknowns, (1) if I ordered a traditional hard disk, then later buy my own (M.2 2280) SSD, would that bay case have the necessary PCIe/NVMe connector cable? (2) 11:07 you didn't pull the plastic cover fully, but I supposed the M.2 2242 port is _always there_ ? I see some lines there but they're not gold/yellow, so not sure if the port is outright missing if there wasn't a second SSD ordered?
You can get either, and after a less than 3 month old SSD failed in one of my laptops a couple weeks ago I'll stick with spinning drives, I've got several of them that are over 12 years old and still working...newer isn't always better and in this case more expensive isn't more reliable. Unfortunately when you spend that kind of money on an SSD to have it fail in a matter of months it leaves a terrible fear of all the data you potentially may lose within a few weeks not to mention the hours of updates you now have to go through again after a drive replacement...glad I had a backup and glad it wasn't anything crucial that I needed because the laptop was useless for another 2 days doing bloated windows 10 updates.
I had a new Western Digital 2.5" HDD completely fail without warning (also data recovery wasn't possible) in under a week which says a lot about the reliability of laptop HDD's. Certainly a incentive to go with a 2.5" SSD instead as they are significantly more reliable.
Thank you for this review! I was almost purchasing a used T480 until I discovered after seeing your video that it is not possible to have an NVME and SATA drive at the same time. Lenovo's technical specs fooled me because they mention both SATA and NVME but ommit that they are mutually exclusive. I love Lenovo but think I will have to buy an HP Elitebook G4 or G5 instead.
I so agree the upgrade freedom makes all the difference finally !!! So fed up with Apple and I think even Dell is doing the same. I do love it as a nice VM machine drop in centos or fedora for work and I'm done will keep this one in mind. Would have loved more cores like a new AMD CPU
Only had my i7 8650 with mx150 for a week or so now and it has hit 98 degrees celcius multiple times, this always goes over 90 celcius every time I use it. Lenovo acted as if this was unheard of yet many others are having the same issue.
Could you show the report/screenshot of hwinfo 64, where you saw that the thunderbolt port was x4? Since in my research among others I found that there were 2 pci slots (which were not ssd or ethernet) "free". Of which one was x2 and the other was x4 (on the model without gpu). On the models with gpu this x4 slot is used for the gpu connection, which leaves the x2 slot for the thunderbolt 3 controller. Could you clarify this for me?
Hi Lisa, can you please do a review of ThinkPad T580? It's a little more different than 480 and 480s, and I wonder if we can have both SSD and HDD together in T580. Thank you.
Can you please do a review on the new Yoga 730 which comes with a GTX 1050? I'll be in college in a few months and need a laptop with a good keyboard and a dedicated GPU or which supports an EGPU. Which would you personally recommend? Thanks!
Hey there Lisa! I’ve decided to go for the Thinkpad T480 mainly for productivity and navigation use, some movies maybe, 0 gaming.... But I was still wondering which screen I should get, the 1080p non touch one or the WQHD one? I’m worried about its impact on battery life... Love your videos :))
hi, the same here:) i have t420: ssd and 12gb ram really helped. Battery life is weak, but that might be oold battery. Also: a bit heavy, touchpad/trackpoint are dead, the hinge is also dead (meaning that even these military-grade laptops die easily) But the performance, honestly, is still great.
T420 here. 2nd ssd in place of DVD bay and an msata OS drive. Hi def video editing. Good to go. Would be nice to have a lighter machine, but I highly doubt I could get away with the robust backpack habits I have with the T420
I'll pick one up in 10 or 15 years when they're $50 or so on Ebay or Letgo. :) I'm currently using a B50-45 (would like to upgrade the RAM but it's a bit expensive at this point) and an old but kickass T61. I'm not sure even The Hulk could break that thing.
The IBM/Lenovo Thinkpad T-Series laptops are great, I've had several over the past few years that I have updated and resold, they're great machines especially for those on the go where they may get bumped around a bit. I just sold my T430 about a week ago it was another ebay purchase that I did and upgraded the RAM and installed an SSD and sent it back out into the world, it was in excellent condition, whoever had it probably just sat it on a desk at home or in the office and that's where it sat, you couldn't tell it had been used, even the track pad was in excellent condition with no wear marks. I have a Dell E6420 XFR fully rugged laptop that if people whine about weight I'll hand that to them to carry LOL, that thing weighs 12 pounds...my old Dell Inspiron 8200 with both batteries installed weighs about 12 pounds as well HAHA!!! This new T480 is a lightweight compared to even the T440p and my T430. I'm wondering if I'll miss not having a DVD-RW drive though.
6 more years to go I briefly used one in my high school days 5 years ago for about a month and I remember really liking it I decided to buy one as a birthday gift to myself for today yesterday eBay t480 $300
great stuff! i've had this computer for a few months now, running Linux (Ubuntu 18.04), no problems at all running Linux on this machine. one thing i'd like to mention though is that, after a while the keyboard can hurt your fingers.... when you push down a key, there isn't much "spring" left, but it's "rock hard" at the bottom..... so i'll probs be plugging in keyboard for when i can :/ otherwise, highly recommend..... it's a great laptop.
What? First time I've ever heard anything bad about a ThinkPad-keyboard. Each and every one I used was (/is) incredibly good, both the old and the new design. Best keyboards available on laptops by far. Maybe you got a lemon?
This is probably my favourite TP at the moment - that upgradeability with 32GB ram and the quad core procs, and the wqhd is plenty good enough. And not too heavy. I'd probably cart a 480 around far more than this 2yo P50 - still excellent performance and going strong, just wrong side of 5lb.
Hmm it looks like when you buy SATA equiped model it is not possible to upgrade it to SSD and visa versa? At least without buying additional components. Am i right?
IMPORTANT: The Thunderbolt 3.0 port only has 2 pcie lanes and you can use a 2.5" hdd/ssd with another m.2 nvme!!!(not sata) 2242 ssd instead of the WWAN module. Otherwise great review, thanks. Sources: www.reddit.com/r/thinkpad/comments/823nwl/does_the_thinkpad_t480_or_t580_have_x4_lane_tb3/ forums.lenovo.com/t5/ThinkPad-T400-T500-and-newer-T/Thinkpad-T480-M2-2242-SSD/m-p/4005486#M123483
Can I plug this into an external monitor and achieve 100% Adobe RGB, or is that not how it works? I want to be able to get at least *close* for print work (CMYK).
This is THE ThinkPad model to buy!.....I'm STOKED that I can have up to 32GB of RAM!?.....(whereas there are people out there who will pay an arm and a leg for a MACBOOK with 16GB of RAM!?...LoL!) Plus....I'd be abler to say.....install a 2TB NVmE ssd?....yeah....I might have to switch out the display?...but I'm willing to do that for the amount of POWER and storage I'd be able to get with this thing! This is definitely on my 2020 Christmas Wish List!
Hi Lisa Thank you for your excellent reviews. What do you think of the display 14.0" WQHD (2560x1440), IPS, Anti-Glare, 300nits. I don't want a reflective display and I work in mostly in an office. Many thanks
hi, thanks for the review, i will going on a documentary field work in the next few months, i will be primarily writing and basic video editing, will this be able to handle 4 k under these conflagration? and is this the right choice ? considering i need something sturdy, and good battery life>
I read some customer reviews where people complained that the internal battery is the first to discharge instead of the removable one. Is that the case?
Lisa, I've had one heck of a time trying to find measurements or even visuals of the T480 with each of the 3 battery options. Any advice? Lenovo's spec sheet doesn't even provide the difference in dimensions! My question is pretty simple, will a large battery make the t480 too bulky for my backpack. The lack of information has delayed my order :P
If the extra capacity battery is too bulky for your backpack you need a new backpack, these laptops are far from being thick even with the extra capacity battery which only adds probably a 1/2 inch to the bottom of the casing, if that don't fit your backpack buy a new backpack, most backpacks will handle a 14" to 15" laptop with ease and occasionally you'll find one that will hold a 17" laptop but I don't think I'd pack a 17" laptop around that much LOL.
Typing from it... I got 24Wh + 72Wh batteries. After 1.5 years, it shows it will work 2h with 60% battery level. Not-not too much... I almost don't use battery, batteries on 80% level max, charging only between 70-80. So, almost no stress for batteries, but I guess, Windows 10 is not best thing for batteries.
Found best buy has these for 250. My lady needs something. I forgot the ThinkPad was a workhorse. For what she's doing with it I think the otherwise basic out-of-the-box setup will do nicely for her. I got a Legion 5 for myself - probably way more laptop than I actually need but why not.
I was looking at one, but I can't say how much they've changed in the past few years as my previous laptop was a T430 with the older style docking station that attached under the laptop, these new ones connect on the side using the USB C connectors on the left side of the laptop, no more docking port on the bottom of the machine like the older models. Are docking stations still popular, seems it must be as they're still offered.
Re-uploaded because our video editor forgot to include the battery section in the first video.
MobileTechReview Pls review the samsung notebook 7 spin 13.3 2018
MobileTechReview can you suggest a good gaming laptop under 2000 dollars with a cd drive,please reply
This vs thinkpad 25 year anniversary edition please!!!
MobileTechReview Can you please review HP spectre x360 8th gen 2018? Ty
"(HDD) This is what the IT dept buys you when they hate you"-hahahaha Lisa is the best =)
Just bought one of these completely refurbished on ebay for 280$. Still a great machine in 2024.
For me it heats up really fast.
Me to
Did the same one week ago. Don’t have any regrets 😊
I love this presenter, talks quickly enough to get the information out in a timely manner, but very understandable. Plus she has a great energy too!
Odorous Smegma Yes, Lisa.
I thought the same thing too.
I couldn’t agree more
Yeah she’s very knowledgeable.
And, for me, she seems to ALWAYS answer every question I have.
I bought the T480 and love it. I use it for story and screenwriting. I've also played around with Ubuntu, and Fedora Linux on this machine, and it ran them flawlessly. I love the anti-glare display as well. I also like the simple basic upgradability that is seldom seen these days in other laptops. It doesn't hurt that the keyboard is water resistant. I've had mine for 11 months and no complaints. If I had to nitpick, I wish that once the backlite keyboard is on, I did not have to turn it on again every time it went into sleep mode. I would recommend this laptop to anyone who needs a reliable, upgradable laptop to get things done.
Hi Steve, do you still use this laptop? Is your atittude towards this machine changed or no? I want to buy this laptop soon, so it will be so helpful if you share some experience after 2 years of using.
Many thanks!
@@diepaigel the upgradability is a problem. You can't mix hdd or ssd. A lot of laptops offer dual storages. Acer Swift
Just bought a used one! I can’t wait to use it!
@@diepaigelI’m interested in purchasing one too but seeing this video was made 5 years ago I’m wondering if it’s really a good choice
Hi Steve, how's it been after 3 years?
I decided this to be my first Thinkpad. I'm utterly amazed, I cannot believe how awesome it is. (:
The T series died after this. Just look at the T490, wedge design, removed removable battery, utterly atrocious.
T480 was the last gasp of the true Thinkpads.
@@j.p.9522 I had to replace my company T470's motherboard twice, usb-c port would stop working. Thunderbolt gave me constant problems with the dock. Horrible piece of shit. Business my ass :)
T460 was the latest real ThinkPad.
@@bahorized Didn't they release a patch to fix that?
Well good to know since this is the one I'm looking at
was looking into buying this as a daily drive and was so excited to see the GOAT of laptop reviews had reviewed it.
Please never stop making these videos Lisa. You've always been super helpful when I needed to research a phone, tablet, and laptop. :)
now this is the last real thinkpad we all grew to love and that's just sad
What
@@Chorweiler normie
You've literally sold me on this model, bought one today, deciding video - as it is the best video out there. Thanks! Looks like the last fully customizable Thinkpad laptop.
@Mike Mckay Yeah you're right, the roll cage is gone :(
@M D Yeah, I noticed there's a race to the bottom with laptops nowadays - or maybe with everything
I'm going to buy one second-hand because of this review, thanks!
me too , maybe t490
Now this ones worth the money, tough, expandable, simply high quality goodness. It's got the Chutzpah Lisa!
Agreed. Ticks all the boxes I can think of.
Wtf is a chutzpah ?
@@RK1FX Yiddish for audacity/power/boldness
@@XAUCADTrader never heard of it
@@RK1FX It's an Ashkenazi Jewish term that's made it into mainstream, kinda...
Just an FYI if you are considering this: the WWAN m.2 port will accept a 2242 pci-e NVMe SSD. NGFF will not work. Hard to find, and the biggest so far is only 240GB, but it possible. Keep in mind, it has to be pci-e and 40mm.
omg I had these in school, everytime the teacher whipped these out it was like christmas
I have been watching your videos since last summer because I was trying to learn about my think pad t440s and I have enjoyed your videos and I find that your reviews have helped me to make some smart decisions on my purchases. Thank you for the help
This is the one I got. I ordered a T480s.
Supplier’s mistake.
But a happy one.
I’m enjoying it.
Thank you for this great review. I was torn between few different TP models. But your videos sold me on T480. You've really helped me take right decision.
I picked up one of these earlier this year refurbished with 24GB RAM, 512GB SSD, a FHD IPS display and a back-lit keyboard for only $600. To top it off it came with 18 months remaining on a 3 year warranty. All I did with it is install a 256GB 2242 SSD into the LTE slot just because I had one lying around. Great machine. It only has the i5-8350U CPU but really, it's spec'd way beyond what I need! It's also nice that it meets the Windows 11 requirements straight up .. not that I'm going there yet with this machine. I need it to work reliably. I'll let Windows 11 ripen a bit before I take the T480 there.
Hi, I am looking for an used T480 with 16GB RAM, GPU MX150, 256 M2 SSD for 600 euros, is it worth buying? I've been using my trusty T61 for over a decade, and I am hoping this T480 could last for a next decade? What about cooling is it good quality? Thanks in advance, cheers!
@@gorangorkoza6666 It does not sound like a terrible price, especially if it is in great condition. The cooling would depend on the CPU, but mine with the i5-8250U has never had an issue. Last a decade? Maybe if you take good care of it and upgrade it as required.
@@uni-byte the better cooler is on the mx150 models, it's not dependant on the cpu
@@Zeroneii3 We are talking about a T480. It does not have separate coolers for the CPU and GPU. They are linked together via a heat pipe. Since the MX150 chip is the same across all CPU options for those models, then the cooling is dependent on the CPU which, for the US market can be i5 or i7 and at various speeds. In all cases, MX150 or not, the effectiveness of the cooling is ultimately dependent on the CPU choice.
@@uni-byte I think there might have been a misunderstanding
I use this laptop for work and it is really good. The quality touch and feel of it is awesome. It's blazing fast too with the i7.
I picked this up for $618 on Cyber Monday, an excellent machine. Love it
The T-480 is great machine. 2 USB C, 2 USB A, SD reader, smart card reader, Thunderbolt, HDMI, full ethernet port...
This is my first laptop without a multimedia drive, we shall see how that goes LOL.
*Thanks MTR for this very thorough, clear & helpful review...I appreciate your time & effort producing/uploading it to help us all out :)*
I love your sing-songy way of talking. Great reviews and information as usual. Thanks!
Just received my T480 this afternoon so its been sitting on my desk the past 4 hours downloading windows updates. I just got the basic model, I don't need anything fancy. Mine is showing 11 hours of battery life with both standard batteries.
Liking it so far but haven't been able to really do much on it due to the updates LOL.
Hello, do you have any heat issue in your machine. ?
Dead Blast It runs very cool for me
Lisa dear lady, you are still the best reviewer on UA-cam. A big hug from this crazy Englishman.
You are the only one youtuber who reviews Thinkpads
Hi Lisa, and Happy New Years. Well after watching a ton of your video reviews, I've made a decision. I ordered a T480 with I5-825ou processor, Windows 64, FHD IPS Display, UHD Graphics 620, *GB RAM, Backlit keyboard, Fingerprint Reader, 256 SSD, with the 6 cell Battery, for $940.00. Also because of the 2-3 week delivery, I ordered from EBAY, a x250 with the same Specs except the Fingerprint Reader and it came with a Docking Station, for $360.00. So far I'm extremely Happy with my X250, and can't wait for the T480 to get here. the T480 is for Home Base, and X250 is my travel work horse. I'm hoping to start Blogging this year. I also picked up 2 additional 72 WH batteries, and a P52S for my Sophomore in college and 3 X240's for my High School Senior, and my Twin Juniors. The X240's have the new mouse pads, but my Boys are not gonna notice the difference. Thanks for all the help, not a bad Christmas for my Knuckleheads.
When I got my T460, I got it with the 500GB HDD, and bought a SATA SSD off Amazon. Much cheaper.
Thanks, I think your review is one of the best I've seen in regards to detailing the internals and things that are upgrade-able etc. Good to know that it can't hold an SSD and HDD at the same time because I would have considered trying to install a spare HDD into one we've just purchased (with 256gb SSD).
I think she made a mistake on that one. You can actually install another m.2 2242 PCEi NVMe on the slot which she said is for 4G LTE sim
11:05
@@johnv3851 do you need an adapter to install another M.2 on the 4g port?
@@lyndonnawanaojr.2728 there is an M.2 slot that can take either a 2242 NVMe SSD, or LTE card. In addition, as mentioned, the 2.5” hard drive bay can take an adapter that allows you to put in a full length 2280 M.2 NVMe SSD.
IIRC the shorter M.2 slot is PCIe 3x2 and the full length M.2 slot runs at PCIe 3x4 speed.
I still can’t get past the fact that the Microsoft Surface and the Dell XPS have no HDMI port. That is an absolute travesty. Lenovo remains the GOAT laptop. Heck, even my $500 IdeaPad has a fricking HDMI port. Definitely gonna eventually buy a ThinkPad
My t430s still great since 2012.
This and the T480s do have two USB C ports, one is part of that docking port with the other part being dedicated to Ethernet. The one that's also for docking is also the thunderbolt 3 port.
Hello Lisa, understand that the ssd speed test shown in the video is based on the configuration without Nvidia MX150. I came across articles that say that the ssd performance in T480 will be capped to 2 PCIe lanes instead of 4 lanes, in units with Nvidia MX150. Does it mean that the ssd max speed would then be halved ? Do you have any info on that ? Thanks :)
WOW THANK YOU QUEEN FOR THE RE-UPLOAD
Pretty darn good presentation and review. Impressed.
So in april 2024 I founf this laptop for $220 refurbished. Is it a better option than a new laptop from bestbuy or Walmart for $200 with a Celeron or a $250 laptop with an i3?
It depends, what do you want to do on it? More than likely it’ll be better than a new one from Walmart. But it depends on what you want to do with it
With all due respect. You can have HDD and SSD at the same time. The slot you said for 4G LTE is actually for a M.2 SSD 2242 NVme.
now, where would you find a M.2 ssd that small.
@@MegaTALHAA i have a colleague in China he bought it online for me. I believe it was on JD.Com.
@@MegaTALHAA it does exist, it's 42mm.
CLP 17,520 49%OFF | KingSpec m2 SSD 120GB 240GB nvme ssd m2 pcie m2 SSD 128GB 256GB 512G Disco Duro m2 2242 pcie nvme para ordenador portátil de escritorio
a.aliexpress.com/_mrCGoa7 I just bought this one from Aliexpress, I haven't tested it jet cause it is still coming, but in the publication said that it is for this model. I'll comment back when I test it.
I'm in IT. I would hate to present to a user a 1366 x 768 screen in this day and age.
And it's TN.
some TN are actually nice btw
This is the lowest spec option, on the website you can customise and pay a little extra to get the 14.0" FHD (1920 x 1080), IPS,Anti-Glare,250 nit
Same I'm IT as well and when the 16:9 laptop craze hit the markets in late 2009 early 2010s, I thought we would progressed towards 1080 and 1440p ips business grade laptops by 2015. Sadly 1366x768 15.6" TN still exists and I don't think it will go away for the next 10 years.
NegativeEffect = iSheep
Thks as usual excellent pertinent reviews never boring :) Good job Lisa...
Finally. Been waiting couple of years for this laptop
Great review! I'm looking forward watching the smackdown!
3 months in, my T480 is a blast!
Bro how are you managing with such low display?
Just bought a used T480. Last Thinkpad I have is T420 and that thing was a tank. Hoping this will be too.
how is it
Any updates after a year?
@@kyungsushi7018 I'm using it in 2024 and it's completely fine in Windows 11. I get 213 points in Speedometer 2.1 with Firefox in Windows 11 on my T480 with Intel Core i7-8550U and 32GB RAM (2x16GB DDR4-2400 SO-DIMM sticks with 2x8R layout, as 2x8R RAM is the fastest at a given frequency).
I've been using it when delivering food in a thermal bag. There have been several times when the laptop got extremely wet due to condensation (my bad), and once there was some coke spilled over and the USB-C and Thunderbolt ports were soaked with it, all while the laptop was on. I turned it off, sprayed isopropyl alcohol on the ports when I got home, took the laptop apart and sprayed some more IPA and used a toothbrush to scrub any leftover cola, and it works perfectly without issues. And I also used it when it was freezing outside, the TrackPoint is a life-saver when you're using the laptop with gloves on.
It's very robust, and is probably the last ThinkPad to be as robust as the old models such as the T420 and T430, because all other ThinkPads like the T480s and T490 are just bad macbooks compared to T480, due to their soldered RAM, small internal battery, and bad cooling.
I expect it to serve me for a long time. I don't want to upgrade from it because it's already very upgradable, and I'll have to wait for at least 3 years until the first cheap T14 Gen5 laptops (which aren't even out yet) hit the used market. I've installed a 72Wh battery, replaced the bland stock screen with a great IGZO low-power panel, and my model also came with an Nvidia MX150. I got my T480 in November 2023 for $330 (prices have come down in my city since). You can also upgrade all T480 models with up to 64GB RAM, because they actually all support that. And I've also undervolted my T480 by downgrading the BIOS to ver. 1.26 and I got -100mV on Core and Cache and -115mV on Intel GPU and iGPU Unslice.
At Lenovo web site. there's a configuration option for a _second_ SSD. Where does that fit? Within that same traditional hard disk case? Looked like an exclusive-or case.
EDIT: so I learnt the second SSD is meant to go to that M.2 2242 slot if no LTE modem is configured.
Still a couple of unknowns,
(1) if I ordered a traditional hard disk, then later buy my own (M.2 2280) SSD, would that bay case have the necessary PCIe/NVMe connector cable?
(2) 11:07 you didn't pull the plastic cover fully, but I supposed the M.2 2242 port is _always there_ ? I see some lines there but they're not gold/yellow, so not sure if the port is outright missing if there wasn't a second SSD ordered?
Unlike the Macbook Pro this is a real pro machine, build like a tank and with proper support.
Thinkpad is built like a tank. My T400 still works fine. I put SSD and upgrade the RAM, still serves me well for work
This is the review I've been waiting for! Has anyone seen display metrics for the WQHD model?
Lisa: I'm not really going to make of fun of the old style harddrive.
Deep inside: buhahahaha 😂🤣
You can get either, and after a less than 3 month old SSD failed in one of my laptops a couple weeks ago I'll stick with spinning drives, I've got several of them that are over 12 years old and still working...newer isn't always better and in this case more expensive isn't more reliable. Unfortunately when you spend that kind of money on an SSD to have it fail in a matter of months it leaves a terrible fear of all the data you potentially may lose within a few weeks not to mention the hours of updates you now have to go through again after a drive replacement...glad I had a backup and glad it wasn't anything crucial that I needed because the laptop was useless for another 2 days doing bloated windows 10 updates.
@@wildbill23c therevisionist.org/reviews/ssd-vs-hdd-one-reliable/
I had a new Western Digital 2.5" HDD completely fail without warning (also data recovery wasn't possible) in under a week which says a lot about the reliability of laptop HDD's. Certainly a incentive to go with a 2.5" SSD instead as they are significantly more reliable.
@@wildbill23c cloud, man, cloud ;)
Hi Lisa,
Is there numeric keypad in T480?
Because I don't see it on the keyboard.
You've just answered your own question
@@havif1071 Thank you, buddy
You always make good reviews. Quick, clear and without trying to be funny like many other bullshit reviewers do. Thanks!
Thank you for this review! I was almost purchasing a used T480 until I discovered after seeing your video that it is not possible to have an NVME and SATA drive at the same time. Lenovo's technical specs fooled me because they mention both SATA and NVME but ommit that they are mutually exclusive. I love Lenovo but think I will have to buy an HP Elitebook G4 or G5 instead.
Is this laptob good for low gaming
The LTE socket will take an SSD and you can still put a HDD in the 2.5" drive bay.
Best laptop reviewer out there. Nothing but the facts and I enjoy that thank you.
I so agree the upgrade freedom makes all the difference finally !!! So fed up with Apple and I think even Dell is doing the same. I do love it as a nice VM machine drop in centos or fedora for work and I'm done will keep this one in mind. Would have loved more cores like a new AMD CPU
You're the best Lisa! Have a great weekend everyone!
This chanel only about Thinkpad's
And i love Thinkpad
And i love thi chanel!
))
Only had my i7 8650 with mx150 for a week or so now and it has hit 98 degrees celcius multiple times, this always goes over 90 celcius every time I use it. Lenovo acted as if this was unheard of yet many others are having the same issue.
Thank you for another excellent review.
Could you show the report/screenshot of hwinfo 64, where you saw that the thunderbolt port was x4? Since in my research among others I found that there were 2 pci slots (which were not ssd or ethernet) "free". Of which one was x2 and the other was x4 (on the model without gpu). On the models with gpu this x4 slot is used for the gpu connection, which leaves the x2 slot for the thunderbolt 3 controller. Could you clarify this for me?
Cas per same question! Is it 4 lanes thunderbolt?
Can i install an SSD on the WWAN port?
Toshiba Rc100 120gb 2242
Hi Lisa, can you please do a review of ThinkPad T580? It's a little more different than 480 and 480s, and I wonder if we can have both SSD and HDD together in T580. Thank you.
Why? It's the same computer just bigger.
@@lambertj.2892 Maybe if they do a user comparison as the 580 has the offset keyboard that may become annoying if used when traveling
My dream notebook!
Very helpful videos. Thank you so much
Excellent quality reviews. Thank you.
Almost ideal business machine. Quite cheap considering the spec and can be upgraded to the wahoo.
tech is more expensive where I live, is this worth it for 500 dollars used?
Can you please do a review on the new Yoga 730 which comes with a GTX 1050? I'll be in college in a few months and need a laptop with a good keyboard and a dedicated GPU or which supports an EGPU. Which would you personally recommend?
Thanks!
They are going for like $200-400 now in 2023
Hey there Lisa! I’ve decided to go for the Thinkpad T480 mainly for productivity and navigation use, some movies maybe, 0 gaming.... But I was still wondering which screen I should get, the 1080p non touch one or the WQHD one? I’m worried about its impact on battery life...
Love your videos :))
hows your 480 working out?
Nice but ill stick with my T520 from 2011 that is still going strong! Oh and an SSD did help it ;)
hi, the same here:) i have t420: ssd and 12gb ram really helped.
Battery life is weak, but that might be oold battery.
Also: a bit heavy, touchpad/trackpoint are dead, the hinge is also dead
(meaning that even these military-grade laptops die easily)
But the performance, honestly, is still great.
I am using my T520 as well, for streaming purpose at home only, and some light work with word editing.
nearly the same on my end. Not the powerhosue it once was..but she still has a spring in her step!
T420 here. 2nd ssd in place of DVD bay and an msata OS drive. Hi def video editing. Good to go. Would be nice to have a lighter machine, but I highly doubt I could get away with the robust backpack habits I have with the T420
solid machine.
This is 100 dollars now. Still an excellent computer.
I'll pick one up in 10 or 15 years when they're $50 or so on Ebay or Letgo. :) I'm currently using a B50-45 (would like to upgrade the RAM but it's a bit expensive at this point) and an old but kickass T61. I'm not sure even The Hulk could break that thing.
T61! You may have to see chiropractor lugging that thing around!
It's like Mjölnir. Only the most worthy can lift it. :D
The IBM/Lenovo Thinkpad T-Series laptops are great, I've had several over the past few years that I have updated and resold, they're great machines especially for those on the go where they may get bumped around a bit. I just sold my T430 about a week ago it was another ebay purchase that I did and upgraded the RAM and installed an SSD and sent it back out into the world, it was in excellent condition, whoever had it probably just sat it on a desk at home or in the office and that's where it sat, you couldn't tell it had been used, even the track pad was in excellent condition with no wear marks.
I have a Dell E6420 XFR fully rugged laptop that if people whine about weight I'll hand that to them to carry LOL, that thing weighs 12 pounds...my old Dell Inspiron 8200 with both batteries installed weighs about 12 pounds as well HAHA!!!
This new T480 is a lightweight compared to even the T440p and my T430. I'm wondering if I'll miss not having a DVD-RW drive though.
6 more years to go
I briefly used one in my high school days 5 years ago for about a month and I remember really liking it
I decided to buy one as a birthday gift to myself for today yesterday
eBay t480 $300
Hi Lisa great video! One question, what do you think I should go for? This or the xps13?
great stuff! i've had this computer for a few months now, running Linux (Ubuntu 18.04), no problems at all running Linux on this machine. one thing i'd like to mention though is that, after a while the keyboard can hurt your fingers.... when you push down a key, there isn't much "spring" left, but it's "rock hard" at the bottom..... so i'll probs be plugging in keyboard for when i can :/ otherwise, highly recommend..... it's a great laptop.
What? First time I've ever heard anything bad about a ThinkPad-keyboard. Each and every one I used was (/is) incredibly good, both the old and the new design. Best keyboards available on laptops by far. Maybe you got a lemon?
Why did you quit doing Thinkpad reviews on UA-cam? :(
Great review, especially the vPro cpu upgrade!
This is probably my favourite TP at the moment - that upgradeability with 32GB ram and the quad core procs, and the wqhd is plenty good enough. And not too heavy. I'd probably cart a 480 around far more than this 2yo P50 - still excellent performance and going strong, just wrong side of 5lb.
Hmm it looks like when you buy SATA equiped model it is not possible to upgrade it to SSD and visa versa? At least without buying additional components. Am i right?
IMPORTANT: The Thunderbolt 3.0 port only has 2 pcie lanes and you can use a 2.5" hdd/ssd with another m.2 nvme!!!(not sata) 2242 ssd instead of the WWAN module.
Otherwise great review, thanks.
Sources:
www.reddit.com/r/thinkpad/comments/823nwl/does_the_thinkpad_t480_or_t580_have_x4_lane_tb3/
forums.lenovo.com/t5/ThinkPad-T400-T500-and-newer-T/Thinkpad-T480-M2-2242-SSD/m-p/4005486#M123483
This or probook 650 g5? Both core i5, 8th generation. Which one is better?
Hello. Could you please tell me what kind of Thunderbolt 3 type Lenovo t480 has ?
Is it 2 or 4 lanes of PCI Express Gen 3 ?
Thank you in advance.
I can’t boot my laptop. I tried the emergency button removed the Ram, Hardware and internal battery but with no luck! Please help. Thanks
Can I plug this into an external monitor and achieve 100% Adobe RGB, or is that not how it works? I want to be able to get at least *close* for print work (CMYK).
@MobileTechReview Lenovo T480 and X1 Yoga 3rd gen doesnt have LTE in the customization section. Could you ask Lenovo what happen?
This is THE ThinkPad model to buy!.....I'm STOKED that I can have up to 32GB of RAM!?.....(whereas there are people out there who will pay an arm and a leg for a MACBOOK with 16GB of RAM!?...LoL!) Plus....I'd be abler to say.....install a 2TB NVmE ssd?....yeah....I might have to switch out the display?...but I'm willing to do that for the amount of POWER and storage I'd be able to get with this thing! This is definitely on my 2020 Christmas Wish List!
Hi Lisa Thank you for your excellent reviews. What do you think of the display 14.0" WQHD (2560x1440), IPS, Anti-Glare, 300nits. I don't want a reflective display and I work in mostly in an office. Many thanks
So which resolution was tested with this model?
HD or FullHD?
Very helpfull video's, thanks!
I want to add two external monitors to my Thinkpad T480 laptop for larger spreadsheets or multi-apps, only 1 hdmi port.
hi, thanks for the review, i will going on a documentary field work in the next few months, i will be primarily writing and basic video editing, will this be able to handle 4 k under these conflagration? and is this the right choice ? considering i need something sturdy, and good battery life>
DR. Raj Sekhar Aich buy it with the dedicated GPU, max out the ram, and upgrade to SSD.
What’s your work btw? Looks like youre dealing with sharks.
For work i'm currently using the T460 with i5-6200U, 12GB ram, 256gb NVMe SSD - Would it be worth upgrading to this laptop?
Hi, How can I connect multiple displays to this laptop. There is a lot of confusion out there on internet regarding this. Thanks in advance!
Theres a screw receptacle above the m2 ribbon cable port. The distance looks roughly the length of an m2 card. is that an m2 slot?
hey lisa, which laptop size you suggest to buy for home use mostly? sometimes portablitiy will be needed
14 inch is okay to work with all day?
my t480 doesnt want to turn on , it turns on for 2-3 seconds then shuts off not sure why do you know?? Thanks!
I read some customer reviews where people complained that the internal battery is the first to discharge instead of the removable one. Is that the case?
Just ordered a used i5 on Ebay for €750 can’t wait to arrive
Lisa, I've had one heck of a time trying to find measurements or even visuals of the T480 with each of the 3 battery options. Any advice? Lenovo's spec sheet doesn't even provide the difference in dimensions! My question is pretty simple, will a large battery make the t480 too bulky for my backpack. The lack of information has delayed my order :P
If the extra capacity battery is too bulky for your backpack you need a new backpack, these laptops are far from being thick even with the extra capacity battery which only adds probably a 1/2 inch to the bottom of the casing, if that don't fit your backpack buy a new backpack, most backpacks will handle a 14" to 15" laptop with ease and occasionally you'll find one that will hold a 17" laptop but I don't think I'd pack a 17" laptop around that much LOL.
Do you think upgrading to the 1440p version you would suffer significant battery life reduction?
Typing from it... I got 24Wh + 72Wh batteries. After 1.5 years, it shows it will work 2h with 60% battery level.
Not-not too much...
I almost don't use battery, batteries on 80% level max, charging only between 70-80.
So, almost no stress for batteries, but I guess, Windows 10 is not best thing for batteries.
Found best buy has these for 250. My lady needs something. I forgot the ThinkPad was a workhorse. For what she's doing with it I think the otherwise basic out-of-the-box setup will do nicely for her. I got a Legion 5 for myself - probably way more laptop than I actually need but why not.
What about the new docking stations for the 280/480/580´s? Can you review them? Or didn´t they change that much?
I was looking at one, but I can't say how much they've changed in the past few years as my previous laptop was a T430 with the older style docking station that attached under the laptop, these new ones connect on the side using the USB C connectors on the left side of the laptop, no more docking port on the bottom of the machine like the older models.
Are docking stations still popular, seems it must be as they're still offered.