# Lenovo ThinkPad T480s

Hacker Approved page: https://hackerapproved.com/p/thinkpad-t480s/

14 people recommended Lenovo ThinkPad T480s in Hacker News comments and 6 criticized it, November 2025 to October 2026. It was recommended in 8 of 12 months, in 11 threads. It meets the Hacker Approved badge rule.

**Verdict:** People recommend it for its repairable parts, long working life and strong Linux support, with a sturdy build that lasts years. Critics mainly dislike the keyboard.

Summary written by Claude from 17 comments.

## Why people recommend it

- Repairable with replaceable parts (3 comments in the sample): "those clips were made out of metal and held in with screws, meaning they were themselves replaceable" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49346792)) "My ThinkPad (T480s) is turning 8 this year, and only got its first battery replacement last month." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46665954)) "it is a remarkable device, which can be repaired just like the framework" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49347419))
- Long-lasting and well cared for (3 comments in the sample): "I take pretty good care of my machine, so it's still in superb physical shape." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46379310)) "Several years older Thinkpad T480s gave me way longer usage" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46118498)) "the laptops were pretty solid" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46666745))
- Works well with Linux (2 comments in the sample): "they also support Coreboot and Libreboot so you no longer have to rely on Lenovo for firmware updates" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45815040)) "absolutely perfect with Linux (Mint" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46477081))

## What people warn about

- Keyboard layout frustrates some users (2 comments in the sample): "It is almost completely unusable due to how to clicky buttons are placed." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48181762)) "i havea. t480s and do not like its keyboard" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49391529))

## Other laptops people recommend

- [Apple MacBook Pro](https://hackerapproved.com/p/macbook-pro/): 593 recommend, 243 mixed, 586 criticize
- [Apple MacBook Neo](https://hackerapproved.com/p/macbook-neo/): 488 recommend, 173 mixed, 295 criticize
- [MacBook Air](https://hackerapproved.com/p/macbook-air/): 475 recommend, 122 mixed, 163 criticize
- [Apple MacBook](https://hackerapproved.com/p/apple-macbook/): 358 recommend, 110 mixed, 324 criticize

## The badge

A product earns the Hacker Approved badge when at least 10 people recommend it, recommenders outnumber critics at least 2 to 1 (mixed feelings count toward neither side), it was recommended in at least 4 of the 12 months and in at least 5 different threads, and no single thread supplies more than half of the people who recommend it. Health and money products are never badged.

## Cite as

Hacker Approved, "Lenovo ThinkPad T480s", https://hackerapproved.com/p/thinkpad-t480s/ (14 recommend, 0 mixed, 6 criticize; Hacker News comments, November 2025 to October 2026).

Counts updated 2 Nov 2026, with data through October 31, 2026.