Lenovo’s 2018 line of ThinkPad laptops look a lot like their predecessors, but all of the new models are available with 8th-gen Intel Core processors and a few new features including a “ThinkShutter” privacy cover for the webcam.
While some folks put tape over their camera to make sure it’s not recording when it isn’t supposed to, and at least one company has added a physical camera kill switch that severs the connection to the company, Lenovo has split the difference by providing a way to cover the camera when it’s not in use.
The ThinkShutter is available on the new ThinkPad X280 and X380 Yoga, and it’s also part of the company’s new 14 and 15 inch ThinkPad T-series laptops.
The Lenovo ThinkPad T480 is a 14 inch model with support for up to an 8th-gen Intel Core i7 processor with vPro, a choice of 1366 x 768 pixel, 1920 x 1080 pixel, or 2560 x 1440 pixel displays, and up to 1TB of hard drive or SSD storage.
It measures 13.3″ x 9.2″ x 0.8″ and weighs 3.5 pounds, supports up to 14.5 hours of battery life with the standard battery, but you can also opt for a second battery that extends that to up to 27 hours (take that estimate with a grain of salt). And the laptop comes with a USB Type-C charger, like the new ThinkPad X models.
The laptop features a Thunderbolt 3 port, a USB Type-C port, two USB 3.0 ports, a headset jack, SD card reader, HDMI port, and Ethernet jack.
The ThinkPad T480 should be available this month for $989 and up.
Lenovo also has a more compact (and more expensive) model called the ThinkPad T480s which measures 13″ x 8.9″ x 0.7″ and weighs 2.9 pounds.
This model gets up to 13.5 hours of battery life (with no extended battery option), features PCIe SSD storage, and up to 24GB of RAM and has the same ports as its larger sibling.
There’s also optional support for NVIDIA GeForce MX150 graphics.
Prices start at $1269.
The largest of the bunch is the new Lenovo ThinkPad T580, which has a 15 inch display, measures 14.4′ x 10″ x 0.8″ and weighs 4.3 pounds.
But with bigger size comes bigger battery life (up to 27 hours if you use the extended battery) and bigger performance (this models is available with optional NVIDIA GeForce MX150 graphics, up to 2TB of solid state storage, up to 32GB of RAM, and a choice of 1080p or 2560 x 1440 pixel displays.
All three models should be available starting this month.
via NotebookCheck
The The ThinkShutter it is not a new solution. It was also present in my first laptop HP, which I bought 13 years ago. I was a really good laptop with exchangable battery and mat screen.
Its a shame how they crippled the once good T class. The Thunderbolt port is in fact only a halfhearted implementation using 2 pci lanes. Hence no double 4K monitors possible. The same applies for the SSD implementation – Lenovo seems to favor the x1 line…it’s a pity…
It was a lie. January is over and Lenovo is still selling vintage T*70 with obsolete dual core CPUs. No wonder PCs sales are falling when OEM are not selling what buyers wants to buy.
“ThinkShutter” camera security from Lenovo, the company who got caught intentionally infecting its customers with “SuperFish”. How ironic.
I have always been a fan of Lenovo laptops since 2006 which was when IBM transitioned to Lenovo, my laptop still says IBM. NASA uses these laptops in the space station. I always been a fan of the T-Series which don’t get warm on your lap. I also love the newer T-series with the carbon fiber housings. Last year I got the T450s and I love the dual mouse setup plus the built-in Sierra Wireless T-Mobile internet card.
The only thing I was secretly hoping for on the T480 was an optional “classic-keyboard” like the 25th Anniversary edition they sold recently.
I’m a longtime T-series Thinkpad fan, but their Chiclet keyboards haven’t been as good as the classic keyboard that ended in the xx20 series.
I am so glad I waited because the T440 had the click mouse w/o the 3 buttons like the traditional models. Lenovo got a lot of complaints so they went back to the original style on the T450 and up.
With the recent meltdown bug I would think all new PC releases will take a hit until Intel (and maybe AMD?) provides a new, bug-free generation of CPU-s. I mean who would like to buy an officially flawed product that they plan to use for 3-5 years (business notebooks) when a fix can arrive within months?
Also I wonder what will Intel do with currently stocked CPU’s? Re-brand them as a lower category according to the performance-gap? Simply sell them cheaper?
This might just be a blessing in disguise, imagine you can buy a ‘flawed’ CPU cheaper, then change some settings and gain a 30% performance boost! If all you use that PC is for gaming, you might not be interested in security at all. I remember the AMD X2 and Phenom era there were rumors you could get X2 CPU’s that actually have 3 or 4 working cores, just disabled, and that you could re-enable them.