Lenovo equips the ThinkPad T480s with a new chassis and closes the gap towards its own ThinkPad X1 Carbon. Intel's latest quad-core processors are obviously included as well. We already checked one of the first systems with the high-resolution WQHD IPS panel.

As is always the case with ThinkPads, I can easily recommend the T480s for someone that wants a powerful and portable laptop. I'm just not sure of a use case where I wouldn't recommend a different ThinkPad first.

The Lenovo ThinkPad T480s is a business laptop pitched to be "designed for mobile power" while being IT-friendly, secure and very lightweight (~2.9 lbs). This caught our attention, and we wanted to see how far we could push it, and if it would deliver.

If you really want a ThinkPad, skip the T480s and pick up the X1 Carbon instead.

Robust build quality; Decent battery life; Excellent connectivity; Good touchpad and keyboard

Subpar display; Thicker and heavier than alternatives; Expensive

This article is about one of the better ultraportable laptops available in stores in Mid 2018, the Lenovo ThinkPad T480s.

The laptop is sufficient for small business work. I have a lot of documents open at the same time and it performs well. The size is great. I don't care for the laptop keyboard layout as the Fn key is where the Ctrl key is on my keyboard.

The only feature-level drawback we can't quite forgive the ThinkPad T480s The somewhat dim FHD display in this test unit. A larger quibble has nothing to do with the system proper, but with Lenovo ' s pricing scheme.

Durable carbon-fiber chassis; Stellar keyboard; Quiet operation; Useful selection of ports, including Thunderbolt

Dim display; X1 Carbon is thinner, lighter, and only slightly pricier

Lenovo's ThinkPad T-series laptops are designed to deliver the performance and durability required by demanding business users. They are not the most portable devices in the ThinkPad lineup, but with 14-inch and 15-inch screens they offer plenty of screen space for working.

All-day battery life; Solid build; ThinkShutter for webcam security; LTE and touch-screen options

Moderate storage and screen resolution on entry-level models