Today’s ThinkPad T480s is the third variation we’ve reviewed since our initial encounter back in February. We’ve previously evaluated configurations featuring everything from the WQHD display to the NVIDIA GeForce MX150 Max-Q graphics, both of which we determined to be valuable options for those who stand to benefit from them. Today, we dispense with the complications and dial it back to basics: a Core i5-8250U CPU, integrated Intel UHD Graphics 620, and a matte FHD display. Although this exact configuration doesn’t appear to be available currently, a close CTO option direct from Lenovo sells for around $1,600—which is anywhere from $400-$600 less than the previous two systems we tested.

Despite minor niggles (such as the poor speakers, high surface temperatures, weak webcam, and the questionable value of the i7 upgrade), we came away from both of our previous reviews with overwhelmingly positive conclusions. Can today’s configuration uphold the overall excellence of the previous candidates—and could it possibly resolve any of these other items?

Today’s review is an update to the previous two, since the fundamentals—case, connections, input devices, etc.—have not changed. As a result, we’ll be skipping those sections and jumping straight into what’s new. For much more detail on any of those items, please refer to our initial T480s full review.