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> screen quality > battery life > speakers > trackpad All things you can replace with the T480. Which I've done, and can just recommend. There's much better
by kuschku 4y ago
> screen quality
> battery life
> speakers
> trackpad
All things you can replace with the T480. Which I've done, and can just recommend. There's much better options than the ones shipped by default, including trackpads rivalling the M1, a screen that beats the M1, and a battery that has 20h+ capacity and can be swapped with a second one to double the capacity in seconds.
- ihateolives 4y ago> a battery that has 20h+ capacity and can be swapped with a second one to double the capacity in seconds. And which basically doubles the size and weight of the laptop.
- freedomben 4y agoYep, it ain't pretty, it's just possible. If you're a function over form kind of person, the ability to work for several days in a camp site or road trip without plugging it in is a terrific accomplishment and well worth the extra bulk. If you're the latter (form over function) then in the case of batteries, the cure is worse than the disease.
- gonzo41 4y agoDoes that actually matter? Seriously, it's less that some of the text books I used to lug around at school.
- dnh44 4y agoI thought the same until I developed shoulder and back pain from carrying around too much stuff all the time. Be thankful that it still doesn't matter for you.
- qball 4y agoOf course not. While not strictly a ThinkPad, IBM used to make some very loud "communication devices" that Americans famously toted around the European continent in the 1940s; the largest batteries available for them still didn't push its weight over 6 pounds. They seemed to manage that just fine. You can carry a computer across the office. That aside, the extended battery on the T480 is still bad- it raises the bottom of the laptop and prevents the laptop from sitting flat. This was avoided on the older models by designing the hinges and lid properly such that the 100Wh battery would simply stick out the back but they don't make them like that any more.
- E39M5S62 4y agoWhy is raising the laptop bad? I have a few ThinkPads of that era - having the back raised is quite nice. The battery also provides a convenient carrying lip/handle.
- messe 4y ago> a screen that beats the M1 By what metrics?
- kuschku 4y agoBy whatever metrics you want, you can choose which panel to install.
- astrange 4y agoYou can beat a 224ppi P3 display with working auto brightness and auto whitepoint (truetone)?
- kuschku 4y agoAuto brightness and auto whitetone aren't features of the panel, but of the OS. Apple just mosattributes that, as always. And yes, 200+ ppi P3 displays are easily available, Apple just buys their panels from the same suppliers that are available to you.
- astrange 4y agoThey are features of other hardware associated with the panel like light sensors. And no, just because a contract manufacturer makes the panels doesn't mean they also designed them.
- 12345hn6789 4y agoIs it even possible to buy a panel with higher ppi than the mac pros? Genuinely asking here. I guess if you value 240hz you could run with that.
- kuschku 4y agoApple usually buys their panels from LG, most of the time you can get better price/performance if you buy the same panel directly or in other assemblies.
- michaelt 4y agoRight, but "If you upgrade the screen, batteries, trackpad, speakers, RAM and SSD and then it's a pretty good laptop" isn't exactly a ringing endorsement. A 38-horsepower 1980s Mini 1000 is a fast car, if you install the engine and drivetrain from a Toyota Celica GT-Four.
- victorp13 4y agoDid you... just quote my favourite car of all times, the GT-Four?!
- jojobas 4y agoThe best things in life can't be bought ready and require thought and even sacrifice.
- dijit 4y agoIkea furniture requires you to build it. The best beds on the planet are pre-assembled. Not saying the exact thing you're saying isn't true (IE; the best things in life are actually not things but relationships and experiences); but it is categorically untrue that "the best products require you to build them".
- jojobas 4y agoMessing with a few screws and latches is not exactly "building". "The best bed" depends on who's asking, and it would have to be built for you. Similarly, you could hire someone to build a laptop for you if you categorically object. Rather than a bed, a better analogy is a home - even the best ready plan can be improved for a particular family. Apple just doesn't allow that.
- dijit 4y agoAt what point is it building then? Assembling could be considered the right term I would suppose, but equally I wouldn't say that the author "assembled" his laptop, since it involves disassembly.
- shivanshchandra 4y agoThinkpads are traditionally scoring high points at repairability and durability. It almost become a must-go step for battery swaps right after getting an used Thinkpad model.
- ostenning 4y ago> a battery that has 20h+ capacity and can be swapped with a second one to double the capacity in seconds Any computer that can be charged with a usb-c connection doesn't need additional proprietary external batteries, you can just use a generic battery pack, which is why the T480 was the last TP with an external battery.
- kuschku 4y agoIf you want to a) have a huge external device connected all the time, b) destroy your battery with constant charge cycles so badly that you need to replace it every few months, and c) want to be unable to charge other devices from your laptop.
- ihateolives 4y ago> c) want to be unable to charge other devices from your laptop. You just charge them with battery pack.
- kuschku 4y agoThe whole point of a laptop is that I can use it on my lap, on public transit. That's not possible with your recommendation.
- selectodude 4y agoHaving a cable go from my laptop to a battery in my bag isn't the biggest issue, even on my lap, but maybe things are different for your use case. Granted, since my laptop lasts >12 hours, I never really worry about battery life too much anymore anyway.
- ihateolives 4y agoThe question I replied to was about charging other devices from laptop. You can charge your other devices in your bag with battery pack, not dangling from your laptop while you're charging them.
- dachryn 4y agocan you actually link to the ones you recommend then? Because I am quite interested then in figuring out the economics side of obtaining one
- kuschku 4y agoI’ve modded mine with 16 GB DDR-3 3200MHz RAM [2], a 2 TB NVMe SSD [3], a Wi-Fi 6AX card [4], the Innolux N140HCG-GQ2 1080p 100% sRGB 8-bit 400 nits panel [5] (based on the T14 display), and the Lenovo 61++ battery [6]. Depending on region and local pricing, all mods together should be around 300$. [2] https://www.amazon.de/dp/B08LQG2SDS/ https://www.amazon.de/dp/B08LQG2SDS/ [3] https://www.amazon.de/dp/B07MLJD32L/ https://www.amazon.de/dp/B07MLJD32L/ [4] https://www.amazon.de/dp/B097TQ7HBF/ https://www.amazon.de/dp/B097TQ7HBF/ [5] https://www.xelent-store.de/Innolux-N140HCG-GQ2-400cd-Low-Power-Display-72-NTSC-inkl-4-brackets https://www.xelent-store.de/Innolux-N140HCG-GQ2-400cd-Low-Po... [6] https://www.amazon.de/dp/B06WGMPFCD https://www.amazon.de/dp/B06WGMPFCD
- RileyJames 4y agoWhich battery is required for 20+ hour capacity? And which track pad are you referring to? The track pad has always been the hardest part about moving away from a MacBook. Love my XPS, but I HATE it’s track pad. Battery life is another reason, but swappable batteries would be amazing (not on XPS)
- arein3 4y agoSame, but I think he might refer to an external trackpad. I haven't ever encointered people upgrading their trackpads.
- jojobas 4y agoDoes anybody even use the trackpad on a thinkpad?
- RileyJames 4y agoIt can be done in this case. Tho I’m unclear if the X1E is ‘Macbook equivalent’. https://www.reddit.com/r/thinkpad/comments/j0mrh5/t480_with_x1e_glass_touchpad_so_much_better/ https://www.reddit.com/r/thinkpad/comments/j0mrh5/t480_with_... Hence the question. Love to know a trackpad (even external) that is of a similar feel and quality as the MacBooks.
- antihero 4y agoCan you link these things?
- eappleby 4y agoI’ve used T series Thinkpads for years (mostly to mimic the environment of most of my clients), there are definitely better computers out there if you plan to swap out most of the parts. https://frame.work/ https://frame.work/
- kuschku 4y agoTbh, if I could put the framework's AMD motherboard in my T470, that'd be amazing. I love the thinkpad keyboard, I enjoy the X1E glass touchpad, the T14 Gen2 screen is amazing, my battery life is 13h of work in IDEA, and I got all of it combined for less than 600$. But I really dislike the hardware of the framework :/
- specto 4y agoThere is no AMD yet