Our benchmark scores reveal that our review unit’s Core i5-8250U is about as fast as similarly equipped devices. Compared with the recently released E480 with a dedicated GPU, today’s review model did much better. The Lenovo ThinkPad E480 (starts at $599.99; $974.99 as tested) is Lenovo's budget 14-inch laptop for small and medium-size businesses and the education market. The Core i5-8250U has four processing cores, with support for eight processing threads, and it operates between a stock frequency of 1.6GHz and a top turbo of 3.4GHz. The port selection covers the basics, but I wish it had Thunderbolt 3 support or at least a second USB Type-C port. That said, you ought to get a couple more hours from the Apple MacBook Pro, Dell Latitude 3490, or Lenovo ThinkPad T480s, each of which features a higher-capacity battery. Still, compared to the Core i5-7200U-based ThinkPad E470 performance has been drastically improved. You do get one USB Type-C port, but it doubles as the power connector, so you can't use it unless you are running on battery power. I put that claim to the test and found that Lenovo underpromised and overdelivered; a completely dead battery shot to 86 percent in an hour. Note: The manufacturer may use components from different suppliers including display panels, drives or memory sticks with similar specifications. Temperatures during our stress test remained inconspicuous once again: 76 °C (~169 °F) at the CPU, and no more than 60 °C (~140 °F) at the GPU. That's the good news. The test system I have in hand features a 256GB PCI Express NVMe solid-state drive (SSD), which represents a big speed upgrade from the standard 500GB 7,200rpm hard drive on the ThinkPad E480 base model. The ThinkPad E480 can be configured to have a CPU as high-end as the Intel Core i7, and RAM up to 32GB. Our review unit was equipped with a panel made by Innolux, and we determined its maximum average brightness at 262 nits. The ThinkPad E480 comes in traditional ThinkPad matte black, but the test system I received came outfitted in a silver chassis. As usual for a ThinkPad notebook, the E480 aims at delivering a high-quality experience to the business user. The $974.99 ThinkPad E480 tester configuration here features the eighth-generation Intel Core i5-8250U, 8GB of RAM, and on-CPU graphics acceleration, dubbed Intel UHD Graphics 620. Cinebench R10 Rendering Multiple CPUs 32Bit, Cinebench R10 Rendering Multiple CPUs 64Bit, Cinebench R10 Rendering Single CPUs 64Bit, Power Supply (max.) However, we can’t say that we are very pleased with the materials used. Lenovo's 14-inch ThinkPad E480 packs some extra weight and can run noisy, but it delivers a durable metal chassis and competitive performance for a … We would not classify these short incidents as disruptive, and given the brand-new hardware our best guess is that the E480 is suffering from driver issues that can possibly be fixed with future driver updates. Lenovo ThinkPad E480-20KN is a Windows 10 Professional laptop with a 14.00-inch display that has a resolution of 1920x1080 pixels. Lenovo includes a one-year warranty with mail-in hardware support for the ThinkPad E480. The Lenovo ThinkPad E480 (starts at $599.99; $974.99 as tested) is Lenovo's budget 14-inch laptop for small and medium-size businesses and the education market. Lenovo Yoga Slim 7i has launched in India as the company’s latest thin and light laptop. At nearly 4 pounds, it's a hefty laptop for a 14-incher; spend more, and you can get a 14-inch model that weighs closer to 3 pounds, or possibly even less. Having more pixels to push leads to lower scores. The Lenovo ThinkPad E480 is an affordable office notebook with powerful hardware. He was an editor for PC Magazine back when it was a print publication, and spent many years with CNET, where he led its coverage of laptop and desktop computers. The ThinkPad E480 is the visual end of this development. The SSD could also be a possible culprit here - its performance is not fitting for an NVMe SSD. That it trailed the Dell Latitude 3490 can be explained in part by the Latitude 3490's lower-resolution display, which creates an advantage for that Latitude machine on this test. This newsletter may contain advertising, deals, or affiliate links. The aluminum lid is a slightly darker and more attractive shade than the plastic body.At 4.7 pounds and 14.5 x 9.9 x 0.8 inches, the ThinkPad E580 isn't particularly thin and light, but I was able to carr… While idling, it consumed no more than 3.5-6.1 W, and just 30 W under average load. Given that the GPU is not upgradeable, this decision has to be made upfront. First, as you'd expect, you'll get faster data access from an SSD than from a traditional spinning hard drive. The E480 is powered by eighth-generation Core i5-8250U processor and adopts arrow bezel design. The CPU was never throttled due to thermal restrictions, and neither was the GPU. Inside, it features ample memory and a snappy SSD, along with a quad-core, Hyper-Threading-enabled processor from Intel's latest lineup, if you match our test model. Display quality is decent by and large, and the high-contrast IPS panel with wide viewing angles featured a decent representation of color. As such, they are on a par with last year’s model. Matthew Elliott, a technology writer for more than a decade, is a PC tester, Mac user, and iPhone photographer. Even a second RAM module could not have improved upon them significantly. Lenovo ThinkPad E480 - 14" - Core i7 8550U - 8 GB RAM - 500 GB HDD - US overview and full product specs on CNET. In comparison: 51 % of all tested devices do not use PWM to dim the display. In the storage department is where this review unit fell … Our review unit’s battery life was surprisingly long and almost on a par with last year’s ThinkPad E470. Its contrast ratio of 1379:1 was exceptionally high for its price point, and despite a subpar brightness distribution of just 83% we did not notice any shadowing. And despite using an efficient eighth-generation Intel Core i5 processor, it tends to engage the system's cooling fan during demanding graphics tasks. Further information and additional benchmarks for the Intel UHD Graphics 620 can be found here. The laptop was 1.1 inches thick and weighed 3.3 lbs. It is powered by a Core i5 processor and it comes with 8GB of RAM. Due to the fact that the SoC can consume up to 25 W for a short period of time this is expected behavior. The ThinkPad E580 is available in both standard Lenovo black and a stunning dark-silver color. The system's stereo speakers are built for work and not play, which is to say their sound is adequate for video conferencing but not music playback. We found PWM flickering at a very high and thus harmless 25000 Hz. Subsequently, my 12-year military service began, during which I learned a lot and kept my knowledge constantly up to date with the latest technology. Viewing angles were typical for an IPS panel: decent from all angles. Every time I unbox a ThinkPad, I’m filled with a sense of thrill and curiosity. The 720p webcam above the display produces a crisp image with accurate colors, but it lacks items you can get as you move higher up the ThinkPad price scale and pecking order. Color space coverage of sRGB (61.9%) and AdobeRGB (39.5%) were decent enough for office workloads yet completely unsuitable for any type of photo or video editing. It lacks Thunderbolt 3 support for speedy data transfers, an external GPU connection, or daisy-chainable video-out. Up to that point, everything on the sheet looked good. To start, the added plastics on the display hinge and frame lead to a small amount of display flex. Overall, with the Core i5, the system feels snappy during usual Windows tasks, from running office apps to browsing while juggling a dozen open tabs. Our expert industry analysis and practical solutions help you make better buying decisions and get more from technology. It offers military-grade durability, a comfortable keyboard, and the latest Intel processors for less than $1,000. Likewise, our test system lacked a fingerprint reader, but you can add one for $25 on Lenovo's site with certain configurations of the E480. The ThinkPad T480 has a design aesthetic that's functional but not sexy, with the standard raven-black Lenovo chassis that's adorned by a soft-touch lid. The rounded corners and edges give way to a more angular, rectangular design with clear … It is possible that the self-encryption is to blame, but this should also be fixable with a future driver update. It excites me because I know I’m opening a box of quiet innovation and constant improvements. Fortunately, the E480 without a dedicated RX 550 GPU did not suffer from this. Given its primary focus on office and productivity tasks, the ThinkPad E480’s gaming capabilities are, well, effectively non-existent. If required, the E480 can also be purchased with a dedicated AMD Radeon RX 550 GPU. All budget machines are studies in sacrifice, forcing you to decide which facets you are willing to compromise and which you are not. And its battery life is more than adequate. However, other plastics will be easier to detect. The ThinkPad E480 turned out to be fairly energy efficient. There should be no flickering or PWM above this brightness setting. Lenovo ThinkPad E480: Detailed Review. Despite its somewhat low maximum average display brightness of just 262 nits the ThinkPad E480 was usable outdoors thanks to its matte panel. The display of third-party trademarks and trade names on this site does not necessarily indicate any affiliation or the endorsement of PCMag. We were able to improve upon those through calibration, and as always the resulting ICC profile can be found for download in the box up top. All other devices in our test group offered performance on a very similar level. If you need more storage capacity, Lenovo offers a 512GB SSD upgrade (a $200 upcharge over the 256GB SSD, at this writing), and for the budget-minded, Lenovo also offers a 128GB SSD option, which knocked down the overall price by $100 versus the 256GB SSD. At first glance, the Lenovo ThinkPad E480 strikes the eye with a rather appealing design. Lenovo ThinkPad E480 Review The Lenovo ThinkPad E480 does not simply continue wearing the E game plan distinguishing proof with fulfillment yet furthermore returns to its hidden establishments by demonstrating some standard ThinkPad qualities. Given its similarity to the other recently reviewed model we would like to refer you to this Lenovo ThinkPad E480 review for details on the new case. On the storage front, though, I had no complaints. The fan was completely off most of the time when the device was idle, which means that the notebook was completely silent. Looking at the dual-core Apple MacBook Pro's Handbrake and Cinebench scores, you can see what additional processing cores do for intensive graphics work in programs that can tap them. With a maximum of 42.8 °C (~109 °F) under load, surface temperatures were inconspicuous overall. You are getting a budget workhorse in the E480, not a boardroom status symbol like the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon ($989.00 at Amazon) . The matte black finish on the lid accompanied by a small textured ThinkPad logo in the bottom right corner gives the device a stylish look. The terrible? DeltaE values for gray scale and colors, on the other hand, are in dire need of improvement as the values determined were significantly too high. The graphics output warrior is Intel’s integrated UHD Graphics 620. All things considered, the ThinkPad E480 was pleasantly quiet. From my experience with the devices and research, the chassis are plastic, reinforced with aluminum. Its vivid display completes the look – one that is sure to impress clients and put a memorable face on your business. Lenovo ThinkPad T480 review performance. Subscribing to a newsletter indicates your consent to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Sebastian Bade, 2018-03- 6 (Update: 2019-04-30). Lasts long enough to have its own career The E480 was built to last and tested for durability. It offers military-grade durability, a comfortable keyboard, and the latest Intel processors for less than $1,000. That trial measures general computing performance by simulating web browsing, video conferencing, and other basic tasks. Bitwarden Send Offers a Secure Way to Share Sensitive Information, Charging Your Phone Overnight: Battery Myths Debunked, Adobe Photoshop for M1 Macs Is Quick, But Not Always 1.5x Faster, How to Free Up Space on Your iPhone or iPad, How to Save Money on Your Cell Phone Bill, How to Find Free Tools to Optimize Your Small Business, How to Get Started With Project Management, Essential Connections, But No Thunderbolt 3, Read Apple MacBook Pro 13-Inch (2017) Review, Read Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon (2018) Review, How to Fix a Jumpy or Inaccurate Touchpad, What to Do When Your Computer Won't Start, Microsoft Adds Dynamic Content to the Windows 10 Taskbar. With a maximum of 71.6 °C (~161 °F), the ThinkPad E480 with dedicated GPU single-handedly managed to break the record. (Certain base models of the E480 offer this panel; you'll want to double-check what you are getting.) This new model is positively an occupation well done. Without a doubt overall system performance is at a very high level, but the E480 is not quite as fast as its competitors. We were particularly impressed by the high-contrast IPS panel - a panel like this is fairly uncommon in the E480’s price bracket. Any score above 3,000 on this test indicates excellent performance, so the result of 3,249 makes the cut. The European base model selling for 599 Euros (~$743) is a decent office device equipped with an Intel Core i5-8250U. You get neither the IR functionality nor a privacy feature with the budget ThinkPad E480's webcam. If PWM was detected, an average of 9662 (minimum: 5 - maximum: 142900) Hz was measured. The ThinkPad E480 uses a three-cell, 45-watt-hour battery and ran for more than 11 hours on our battery rundown test. The E480 is offered with a choice of two different displays: a cheaper HD panel (1366x768) based on TN technology and an IPS FHD panel (1920x1080), which should always be your first choice. Its display is adequately sharp if you opt for the 1080p-resolution model, and it is similar in quality to the screens on pricier models. In addition, the E480 supports a second 2.5-inch storage device. The keyboard is spill-resistant but does not offer backlighting. And when it does, it makes itself known. There's been no change in looks for the past couple of years, so you probably couldn't tell the T480 apart from a T470 or a T460.At 13.25 x 9.15 x 0.78 inches and 3.58 pounds (3.98 pounds with the high-capacity battery), the T480 isn't the slimmest or lightest 14-inch business lapto… Although, a little bit… That's enough juice for the entire workday, plus working on the train or bus during your commute to and from work. Suffice it to say that it did not meet our expectations. Lenovo's ThinkPad L480 has the great keyboard and quality build of this classic business brand, but its lower price includes compromises in display quality and performance. As a daily driver, the ThinkPad range has managed to plug some vital gaps, unlike some of the new laptops. In this category, our review unit bested every single one of its competitors. It is powered by a Core i7 processor and it comes with 16GB of RAM. The model I received for review came with an Intel Core i5-8250U CPU, 8GB RAM, and an integrated Intel UHD Graphics 620 GPU. This review unit is pretty basic, with an 8th Gen Core i5-8250U CPU, 256GB PCIe SSD, 8GB of RAM, and no … Having escaped New York for scenic New Hampshire, Matthew freelances for a number of outlets, including CNET, IGN, and TechTarget. Compared to its predecessor, the ThinkPad E470, Lenovo has managed to improve upon almost every single aspect of the display. Despite the panel’s matte surface colors were not washed-out. The ThinkPad E480 tips the scales at nearly 4 pounds, making it a ho-hum choice for road warriors. Both the E480 and E580 feel substantial when held. Lenovo's recently launched ThinkPad E480 business laptop - great specs, awesome price. Overall, the keyboard is comfortable, with that satisfyingly springy ThinkPad feel. With the E480's rapid-charging feature in play, Lenovo claims a 60-minute charge will get you back to 80 percent battery life. It offers military-review sturdiness, an agreeable console, and the most recent Intel processors for under $1,000.