Lenovo ThinkPad T480

Mainstream 14-inch business ThinkPad with 8th Gen Intel Core U-series processors (plus some 7th Gen i5 models), two DDR4 SO-DIMM slots, a 2.5-inch or M.2 drive bay and a dual-battery design with a swappable rear battery. A very common corporate fleet laptop, sold 2018-2020.

Memory

Slots: Two DDR4 SO-DIMM sockets, dual-channel capable; no soldered memory
Max: 32 GB
Speed: DDR4-2400; the system clocks down for processors with a lower memory controller speed (DDR4-2133 on 7th Gen i5-7200U / i5-7300U)
Shipped: 4 GB, 8 GB or 16 GB single SO-DIMM, or 2 × 4 GB, 2 × 8 GB, 2 × 16 GB (PSREF models)
Service: Memory modules are optional-service CRUs, under a film in the base (HMM)

Storage

Main bay: One 2.5" 7 mm SATA bay or one M.2 2280 slot (exclusive); the M.2 SSD fits with an adapter in the drive bay
2.5" drives: SATA 6 Gb/s HDD (Active Protection System) or SATA SSD, 7 mm high
M.2 2280: PCIe NVMe, PCIe 3.0 x4, Opal2 SSDs offered
Second drive: 128 GB M.2 PCIe NVMe SSD in the WWAN slot as second storage, PCIe 3.0 x2, mutually exclusive with WWAN
Optane: 16 GB Intel Optane memory, PCIe NVMe, PCIe 3.0 x2 (mutually exclusive with WWAN)
Offered: 500 GB 7200 rpm / 1 TB 5400 rpm HDD; 128 / 180 / 256 GB 2.5" SSD; 256 GB / 512 GB / 1 TB M.2 2280 NVMe; 128 GB M.2 2242 NVMe + 1 TB HDD
Card reader: 4-in-1 (MMC, SD, SDHC, SDXC)
Optical: None

Graphics

Integrated: Intel UHD Graphics 620 (8th Gen) or Intel HD Graphics 620 (7th Gen)
Discrete: NVIDIA GeForce MX150 2 GB GDDR5 (selected models; i7 only in EMEA)
External displays: Up to three independent displays; USB-C up to 4096×2304 at 60 Hz, HDMI up to 4096×2160 at 30 Hz

Expansion

Drive bay: One 2.5" 7 mm / M.2 2280 (with adapter) storage position
M.2 WWAN: M.2 slot for a WWAN card, a 128 GB M.2 SSD or Intel Optane memory (one of them); non-WWAN models are not WWAN upgradable
M.2 WLAN: Intel Wireless-AC 8265 M.2 card (optional-service CRU)
Memory: Two SO-DIMM sockets

Networking

WLAN: Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 8265, 802.11ac 2x2 + Bluetooth 4.1 (card supports 4.2, limited to 4.1 by Windows)
WWAN (optional): Fibocom L830-EB (Intel XMM 7262) 4G LTE (EMEA only) or Fibocom L850-GL (Intel XMM 7360) 4G LTE-A, M.2; or WWAN upgradable
SIM: Nano-SIM slot inside the battery compartment; optional Verizon LTE SIM (US)
Ethernet: Gigabit, Intel I219-LM (vPro) or I219-V (non-vPro), RJ-45
NFC: Optional

Power

Adapters: 45 W or 65 W USB-C
Input: 100-240 V AC, 50-60 Hz
Heat output: 45 W (154 Btu/hr) or 65 W (222 Btu/hr), depending on model

Ports

USB-C: 1 × USB 3.1 Type-C Gen 1 (Power Delivery, DisplayPort) and 1 × USB 3.1 Type-C Gen 2 / Thunderbolt 3 (Power Delivery, DisplayPort)
USB-A: 2 × USB 3.1 Gen 1 (one Always On)
Video: HDMI 1.4b
Other: RJ-45 Ethernet, 4-in-1 media reader, headphone / mic combo jack, side docking connector, security keyhole
Optional: Smart card reader, nano-SIM slot (WWAN models)
Docking: Side docking connector for the ThinkPad Basic, Pro and Ultra Docking Stations; USB-C / Thunderbolt 3 docks
Adapters: Lenovo HDMI to VGA Monitor Adapter, Lenovo USB-C to DisplayPort Adapter (optional)

Display

HD TN 220 nits: 1366×768, anti-glare, 400:1
FHD IPS 250 nits: 1920×1080, anti-glare, 700:1, 170° viewing angle; optional on-cell 10-point touch (FHD only)
WQHD IPS 300 nits: 2560×1440, anti-glare, 700:1, 72% gamut, 170° viewing angle

Battery

Type: Integrated 24 Wh Li-ion (optional) + external swappable 24 Wh, 48 Wh or 72 Wh Li-ion at the rear
Shipped: Almost all PSREF models: integrated 24 Wh + swappable 24 Wh; a few with 48 or 72 Wh swappable only
Rated life (MobileMark 2014): Integrated graphics: 7.2 h (24 Wh), 14.4 h (24+24 Wh), 21.8 h (24+48 Wh), 29.0 h (24+72 Wh); discrete: 6.6 / 13.6 / 19.8 / 26.4 h

Physical

Dimensions (W×D×H): 336.6 × 232.5 × 19.95 mm (13.25 × 9.15 × 0.79 in)
Weight: 1.58 kg (integrated graphics, magnesium lid, 24 Wh or 24+24 Wh) to 1.87 kg (discrete, PPS lid, 48 / 72 Wh or 24+48 / 72 Wh)
Case: Black; display cover magnesium hybrid or PPS, glass-fibre reinforced plastic bottom
Keyboard: 6-row spill-resistant, optional LED backlight, TrackPoint + buttonless Mylar multi-touch touchpad
Camera: HD 720p with ThinkShutter, or IR + HD 720p (fixed focus)
Audio: Realtek ALC3287, 2 × 2 W stereo speakers, Dolby Audio Premium, dual array microphone
Security: Discrete TPM 2.0 (TCG certified; may be disabled in some regions), optional match-on-chip touch fingerprint reader, optional smart card reader, security keyhole
Durability: MIL-STD-810G tested
Environment: Operating 5 to 35 °C, up to 3048 m
Machine types: 20L5, 20L6

Management

vPro: Intel vPro on i5-7300U, i5-8350U and i7-8650U models; others non-vPro
BIOS: Power-on, supervisor and hard disk passwords
Announced: PSREF model announce dates 2018-01-15 to 2020-02-22
Status: Withdrawn (PSREF); end of support 2025-03-06 (two Brazil models 2024-05-03)
Warranty: 1-year or 3-year depot or limited onsite, several battery-coverage variants
Certifications: EPEAT Gold (US), ENERGY STAR 6.1, RoHS

Operating systems

Preloads: Windows 10 Pro 64, Windows 10 Home 64, or no OS

Processors

Intel Core i5-7200U
Intel Core i5-7300U
Intel Core i3-8130U
Intel Core i5-8250U
Intel Core i5-8350U
Intel Core i7-8550U
Intel Core i7-8650U