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Tech · Lenovo · 2018

Lenovo ThinkPad T480

Two batteries, two memory slots, and a keyboard people still seek out, on an aging 8th-gen chip.

Off-lease ThinkPads: which generation is still worth it — #4

Overall

7.8

out of 10

Axis scores

Strongest on Value (8.9), weakest on Performance (6.8), a 2.1-point spread. The 7.8 overall is the plain average of all 5 Tech axes, with no weighting.

Lenovo ThinkPad T480 — axis scores out of 10Horizontal bar chart of editorial scores out of 10 across 5 axes. Bars run from a shared zero baseline; longer is better. Lenovo ThinkPad T480: Performance 6.8, Value 8.9, Durability 8.4, Ease of use 7.9, Design 6.8.PerformanceLenovo ThinkPad T480 — Performance 6.8 out of 106.8ValueLenovo ThinkPad T480 — Value 8.9 out of 108.9DurabilityLenovo ThinkPad T480 — Durability 8.4 out of 108.4Ease of useLenovo ThinkPad T480 — Ease of use 7.9 out of 107.9DesignLenovo ThinkPad T480 — Design 6.8 out of 106.8Editorial score out of 10 — higher is better
  • Performance — How well it does the core job
  • Value — What the same money buys elsewhere
  • Durability — Failure and fade reports past the one-year mark
  • Ease of use — Setup, daily operation, cleaning, maintenance
  • Design — Build quality and how it sits in a room

Specs

Processor
8th-gen Intel Core i5 or i7 (quad-core U-series)
Memory
Two SO-DIMM slots
Display
14-inch, 1366×768 or 1920×1080
Battery
Internal 24Wh plus removable rear battery (24Wh or 72Wh)
Storage
M.2 NVMe slot
Ports
Thunderbolt 3, USB-C, 2× USB-A, HDMI, Ethernet

As published by the manufacturer. We didn't measure these ourselves.

Is it for you

Buy it if

  • You want a laptop you can fix, upgrade, and swap batteries on yourself
  • The work is writing, browsing, and terminals rather than heavy compute
  • You want a large removable battery for long days away from outlets

Skip it if

  • The listing has the 1366×768 screen and you are not willing to replace it
  • You want a machine that feels current alongside a 2021 Ryzen laptop

The T480 is the last T-series ThinkPad with Lenovo’s Power Bridge design: a small internal battery plus a removable one in the back, so you can swap the rear battery without shutting down. With the 72Wh rear pack it runs longer than any machine on this page.

Everything inside is reachable with a screwdriver. Two standard memory slots, a standard M.2 SSD, and a keyboard that pops out make it the most repairable laptop here. Its 8th-gen Intel chips are supported by Windows 11, unlike the 7th-gen T470 that looks almost identical on eBay.

Two things to check: the screen and the Thunderbolt firmware. Many off-lease units carry the 1366×768 panel, which looks coarse at 14 inches; a 1080p replacement is a common owner swap. Lenovo shipped a Thunderbolt controller firmware fix in 2019 after reports of the port failing, so confirm the unit is on current firmware or that the USB-C charging port works.

Last updated . The scoring method is on how we rank.