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

Like any good ThinkPad (or, more broadly, any successful business machine), it's the fundamentals which are the bedrock of the T480s' success. Still present in today's configuration, of course, are all the basics we applauded during our last two reviews: rock-solid CFRP Hybrid/magnesium...

strong; well-constructed case; terrific CPU performance at Turbo clock rates; even under sustained load; stable GPU performance; also at highest Turbo frequencies; class-leading keyboard and good touchpad; good port selection and organization; reasonable temperatures; relatively low system noise...

dull colors from FHD display due to lack of saturation and suboptimal factory calibration; relatively weak display brightness compared with WQHD screen; rubber feet lack grip on hard surfaces; clickpad integrated buttons are less precise than the separate physical buttons of competitors; poor...

Bottom-line: A do-it-all laptop configurable for any task, from $1200-$2000. It has Plenty of ports, including HDMI, RJ45, TB3 and weighs only 2.86 Lbs, with a MIL-STD-810G certification.

Plenty of ports; including HDMI; RJ45; TB3; Very fast battery charging; Lightweight 14" laptop (~2.86 Lbs; Certified MIL-STD-810G durability; Discrete GeForce MX 150 GPU option

There are more beautiful alternatives (WxHxD; 1080p display quality could be better; Sound quality is average

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

Lenovo refreshed its lineup of ThinkPads at CES this year , as it always does. At this point, I've reviewed a wide variety of the lineup, and as you'd expect, there are similarities across the brand.

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