As we all know, Lenovo has officially launched the Lenovo ThinkPad E480 and the Lenovo ThinkPad E580. The E480 features a 14.0-inch display and is powered by Intel’s eighth-generation Core processor. Now, we will start take apart the silver ThinkPad E480 to see its internal structure.
First of all, remove the keyboard.
Remove two screws and turn the keyboard over.
Then, take out the keyboard.
It is the internal structure without the keyboard.
Remove the screws from the back cover. Next, separate the back cover from the laptop fuselage.
The blue sponge mat is designed to cushion shock on the HDD. The silicone layer is prepared for the SSD.
The laptop has dual memory slots and up to 32GB of DDR4.
Remove the battery. The ThinkPad E480 only sports a battery with a capacity of 45Wh.
Hard Disk
The E480 has a Seagate 500GB 7200 rpm HDD coupled with Toshiba’s M.2 PCIe SSD.
The laptop comes with an 8GB Samsung DDR4-2400. The capacity of 8GB DDR4 is big enough for the user to handle office work. However, you can add another RAM to the spare RAM slot, and it supports up to 32GB of RAM.
The fan is thin, and it has a good appearance.
Does the E580 have a metal reinforcement under the keyboard and touchpad? Are hinges strong and durable? Does the left IO port have metal support like the E480?
Because the E580 uses a keyboard with a bezel, there is no need to use metal reinforcement. The palm rest is underneath the keyboard, and the keyboard is secured directly to the palm rest. I’ve seen a picture of the inside of the E580, and its left port isn’t secured with a metal sheet.
It looks like E480 is more durable than E580. I hope to see the E580 teardown.
Hi! Kylie,
Thanks for your ThinkPad E480 teardown.
I have one question for you regarding the E480 wireless card: The photo shown is from a Lite-On RTL8821CE 1×1 AC (FRU PN: 01AX764). However, the Lenovo support site indicates that this ThinkPad E480, s/n: PF0YBYKW, has an FCN 8822BE 2×2 AC wireless card (FRU PN: 01AX712). Could you comment?
This is not surprising, even if the same laptop model, depending on the hardware specifications, it will be equipped with different models of the wireless network card. Of course, the network card can be upgraded. If your laptop is equipped with a single-band card, you can replace it with a dual-band card.
The reason for my previous question is that it is strange that someone receives a dual-band wireless card and replaces it with a single-band Lite-On RTL8821CE 1×1 AC (FRU PN: 01AX764) (as shown in the photo).
Thanks a lot for sharing this.
Is it correct to assume all E480 will have the HDD slot for future expansion? I am planning to buy one, but the customer care representative was not sure if I can add an HDD (non-SSD) later.
As I understand it, yes, I can add an HDD to the E480 later, but I just want to make sure and double-check.
Please remove your back cover to check it first. The point is whether you have the HDD caddy.
Hi, David,
I haven’t purchased it yet, but I am planning to buy one. That’s why I am double-checking before the purchase. The one I am planning to buy has a 256GB SSD(256GB Solid State Drive, PCIe OPAL2.0), which indicates to me that the HDD should have a dummy HD/Caddy in it.
What makes sense to me is that one laptop will have a uniform structural design.
Thanks!
I watched a review on the E480, which I just bought. The HDD needs to be 7mm thick like the SSD.
I recently bought a Lenovo ThinkPad e480, but it is running slowly. I want to install an M.2 SSD, but I am not sure of the compatibility. I wanted to buy a Samsung 970 Pro Plus M.2 SSD.
Lenovo must have changed the M.2 SSD used on my board because I have the 1-notch type, not the 2-notch type. I know there’s a more technical name; I’m just saying.
I bought my E480 in 2020. Recently, this laptop showed me a warning “Critical Battery” when I turned on the laptop after the battery had drained. Usually, if the battery is drained, it still has 5% left when turned on, but this time it is completely 0. I was thinking of replacing the battery, but I am afraid that if the new battery is counterfeit, it will affect the laptop in the long run. Is there any advice to check whether the battery is original or counterfeit? Thank you in advance
If the battery can still be charged, there is no need to replace it. If you are worried about buying a counterfeit battery, you can buy one from Lenovo’s official website.