Lenovo ThinkPad T480 Vs T480s – Which is best for you?

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So you are planning to buy a laptop from Lenovo but you are stuck up which one to buy.

Don’t worry I will help you.

Today in this article I am going to show you a quick comparison between Lenovo ThinkPad T480 vs T480s. 

• Best Laptops under $700
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After reading this comparison article you will be able to decide which one to buy. 

Specification Comparison

Thinkpad T480	Vs	Thinkpad T480s
512 GB SSD	Storage	512 GB SSD
Intel Core i7 (8th Gen) Processor	Processor	Intel Core i5 (8th Gen) Processor
14″ (35.56 cm) display, 1920 x 1080 px	Display	14″ (35.56 cm) display, 1920 x 1080 px
8 GB DDR4 RAM	Ram	16 GB DDR4 RAM
Stereo Speakers	Speakers	Stereo Speakers
Yes	Webcam	Yes
1.8 GHz	Clockspeed	1.6 GHz
Intel UHD 620	Graphic Processor	NVIDIA GeForce MX150
LED	Display Type	LED
Standard Notebook Keyboard	Keyboard	Standard Notebook Keyboard
1.6 Kg	Weight	1.3 Kg
802.11 a/b/g/n/ac	Wireless Lan	802.11 a/b/g/n/ac
4.1	Bluetooth	4.1
Li-Po	Battery	Li-Po

Here is a quick comparison of marks out of 5-T480 vs T480s.

Overview	T480	T480s
Design (5)	4	4
Build Quality (5)	4	4
Upgradeability (5)	5	3
Display quality (5)	3	3
Thermals (5)	3	4
Overall Performance (5)	4	4
Battery Life (5)	5	4
Total (35)	28	26

Let’s talk about the Pros and Cons of Lenovo ThinkPad T480. 

Lenovo ThinkPad T480 – Pros and Cons

Pros

• Awesome Performance
• Slim design & Lightweight
• Long-lasting Battery Life
• Components are Upgradable 

Cons

• Quick Charge is not available 
• The display is dim a bit

Lenovo ThinkPad T480s – Pros & Cons

Pros

• Awesome Performance
• Slim design & Lightweight
• Good Battery Life 
• Fast Charge is available

Cons

• The display is dim a bit
• One RAM Slot is patched

What are the differences in Lenovo ThinkPad T480 vs T480s  

Configurations

The Lenovo ThinkPad 480 is an awesome machine and it has models that come with upto 8th Gen Intel Core i7 Processor with upto 32GB RAM and WQHD display. 

According to your budget, either you can pick its basic variant that is an Intel Core i5 processor with 8GB RAM, full High Definition and 256GB SSD and 500GB HDD storage. Or you can pick the variant that comes with higher configuration.

As far as Lenovo ThinkPad 580s is concerned it has almost similar configurations. 

The basic difference in this laptop is that you can upgrade the RAM to 24GB. Apart from this, it has Intel Core i5 and i7 variants. However, no model comes with HDD storage.

Design & Build Quality

The Lenovo T480 and T480s have almost similar build quality and same design.

Both the machines are made from the plastic apart from the bottom that is made of magnesium alloy. 

The chassis of the machines meet the requirements of MIL-SPEC that tests for durability and reliability. The device also meets the Lenovo durability test that comprises of jolt and falls. 

These laptops have also passed these tests on flex and warn on an adequate force.

Lenovo ThinkPad T480 Review 

Moreover, the Lenovo T480 is a bit thicker and weightier than Lenovo T480s. The weight of Lenovo T480 is around 1.63 Kg (3.6lbs) and it is around 0.78 inches thick. 

As far as the Lenovo T480 is concerned, it weighs around 1.3Kg (2.49 lbs) and it is less thick than T480 which is around 0.7 inches.  

Speaking about the connectivity options of ports, both the laptops have the same number of ports which includes a Thunderbolt 3 port. For charging both the machines support USB-C.

Talking about the overall differences of the machines I have not found any difference in design and build quality of Lenovo T480 and T480s. 

There seem to be only two differences, one is weight and another is thickness. And the Lenovo ThinkPad T480 is thicker and much heavier than the Lenovo ThinkPad T480s.

Upgradeability

So now let’s talk about the differences in the upgradability of these laptops. 

When it comes to upgrading it is very easy in T480. Once you remove the screws from the back, you will be able to access all the internal components. 

After that, you can easily upgrade the SSD, RAM and WLAN card of your laptop. 

One RAM slot of the machine is patched while the second one is not. The patched RAM is 8GB and the other one slot can be upgraded to 16GB. 

That means you can upgrade the RAM of your device upto 24GB in total. But you cannot replace the battery.  

When it comes to upgrading the Lenovo Thinkpad T480s, you have got better upgradeable options compared to the Lenovo T480. While upgrading it you have to be very careful when you will remove the bottom panel. 

Once you will do that you can easily proceed to do your upgrades. 

This machine contains two slots of RAM that are not patched and it can be upgraded up to 32GB

Display

Both machines come with Full High Definition displays with a resolution of 1920×1080 and WQHD with a resolution of 2560×1600. 

The touch screen option is also available. Both devices have great viewing angles with good sharpness. However, the machines are not vivid and the color quality is not that good. 

The variant with full HD is not bright and outdoor use will be a bit difficult. But if you pick the WQHD variant then it has better brightness and good color accuracy that will be good for outdoor use. 

The display of the machines looks good at the first instance. However, both displays don’t have sleek, slim and bezel. And the display of this laptop can be hinge upto 180 degrees.

The display options in the Lenovo T480 are quite boring including its a touch screen. 

However, the touchscreen display of the Lenovo T480s is sleek.  

Keyboard & Touchpad

Both the devices have the same Trackpoint, Touchpad and chiclet keyboard. The keywords are comfortable and have good substantial feedback. The keys on the board are well spaced and have adequate size. 

Furthermore, the keyboards are spill-resistant and backlit.  

Overall, the keyboard will give you a pleasant and awesome experience. This is one reason why Lenovo ThinkPads devices are highly admired.  

The touchpad of the devices is awesome which is covered with the soft-touch material that gives you a smooth touch experience.  And you can play with your dry fingers. 

Performance

The performance of these devices is quite equal. Unless one device is with the higher configurations than the other one.

Nonetheless, the intel core i5 and i7 variants are good enough to take care of your multitasking stuff. 

Lenovo ThinkPad T480s Review

Both laptops have a great cooling system to save your CPU from heating problems. 

Are you a game lover, if yes then these laptops aren’t for you. Because these are not good for gaming.

The machines do not have a dedicated GPU and you will not be able to play games. Some of the games you can’t even run but you can play casual games smoothly. 

So as far as overall performance is concerned both the devices are the same. 

Battery Life

The battery is also an important factor while choosing a laptop and this the reason the Lenovo ThinkPad T480 wins here. 

Why? 

Because in this device you can easily replace and swap its battery. It also contains an extern area where you can easily intern and remove the battery. 

You have got three options- one 24WHr, 48WHr and 72Whr. In addition to that, you already have an in-built 24WHr battery. 

Let me explain you with an example:

Let’s say you choose the 72WHr battery adding to the in-built 24WHr battery. The total battery you will get is 96Whr.

It means you will get awesome battery life. 

Now let me explain to you how much your battery will run.

• 24Whr + 2Whr will run for 7 to 8 hours.
• 24WHr + 48 WHr will run for 9 to 10 hours.
• And 24WHr + 72WHr will run for around 12 hours. 

So if the battery is one of the important aspects of your work then The Lenovo T480 will be a great choice for you. 

The Lenovo T480s also has long battery life. It wins over the combination of 24WHr+24WHr of Lenovo T480. The Lenovo T480s has a 57WHr battery that gives you 9 to 10 hours of power back even if you use it consistently.

It comes with a quick charge facility that can charge the battery upto 80% in one hour.

The Lenovo ThinkPad T480 with a swappable battery gives you long battery life. And if you can manage to get a few replaceable batteries then your device’s battery will run for a longer period. 

Lenovo ThinkPad T480 Vs T480s – Which is best for you?

The Lenovo T480 and T480s are pretty similar to some extent. 

However, both machines have a few differences. The Lenovo T480s is slim and a bit lighter than the Lenovo T480. And you can’t even upgrade a lot of stuff. 

On the other hand, Lenovo Thinkpad T480 has options to replace and swap the batteries that allow you to get long-lasting battery life. 

And with this device, you have got more and better options if you want to upgrade the internal components. 

Apart from that, both are quite similar.

If you like the information about Lenovo ThinkPad T480 Vs T480s then don’t forget to share it with your friends.

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