Think ThinkPad, and you’re likely to visualize a minimalist, black, and slightly boxy laptop that has sustained its revered reputation over time. Since the 90s, when IBM launched the first ThinkPad tablet computer, to the 2005 acquisition by Lenovo, and beyond, ThinkPads have acquired quite a cult following.
The Lenovo ThinkPad T580 is the newest in a line of esteemed cousins, claiming to “maximize every minute”. So, does it glowingly take the family name forward or does it fizzle out in comparison? Let’s find out.
Table of Contents
The Vital Statistics
The Lenovo ThinkPad T580 is powered by an 8th generation Intel Core i7-8650U processor and runs up with Windows 10 Pro (64-bit). It functions at the speed of DDR4 memory (up to 32 GB). Storage-wise, the T580 is more than competent: 500GB HDD and an additional up to 1 TB with a PCIe solid-state drive.
The T580’s screen size is 15.6-inch while its dimensions are 365.8 mm x 252.8 mm x 19.95-20.2 mm. For these dimensions, it is wonderfully lightweight — starting at a mere 1.97 kg. This makes it the golden mean between a desktop PC and a laptop you can comfortably move around with.
You’re as Productive as Your Laptop
Lenovo laptops promise stellar productivity — an imperative need in a business setup, which is their core target audience. Does it deliver on this promise? Resoundingly so! The T580 surpasses most of its contemporaries vis-à-vis performance, speed and multi-tasking.
BONUS: If you’re considering this baby for your workplace needs, you must check out Microsoft AutoPilot. This cloud-based solution enables you to preconfigure all your T580s, thereby saving precious administrative and logistics (and coffee-break) time.
Battery: How Long Does The Juice Last?
This is perhaps the single best feature of the T580: it has a 27-hour battery life — yes, indeed! If you own a T470, you must have experienced over 16 hours of battery backup, but this one outdoes its predecessor to go to the top of the class.
Here’s the elixir that’s making this possible: the Power Bridge technology. With a T580, you can swap a drained battery with a fully charged one while keeping your laptop running. It works like a charm.
Display and Accessibility
When it comes to display, one may be tempted to run the ThinkPad series down — after all, it ain’t no gaming or multimedia laptop, right? Interestingly, the T580, with its 15-in display, and graphics 
The T580 excels in providing its users with accessibility options too — whether for work presentations (optional touchscreen, backlit keyboard), communication (a 720p HD camera with a closeable cover) or downtime and entertainment (a USB-C side docking connector).
In fact, the accessibility extends beyond your fingers: the T580 employs Windows Hello and the built-in infrared camera to let you access your data with a smile! Another inventive addition to the T580 is the Glance technology by Mirametrix, which merges face- and eye recognition. Imagine, you can live your favorite sci-fi movie (admittedly, an oldie) and make things happen on the screen with your eyes. It is a nifty trick, and in this age of power-communication, quite a useful one to up your audience’s engagement levels.
What about making things easier for those of us who are port addicts (read: watching movies and working from a million USB devices in the wee hours of the night)? We found the T580’s several ports carefully designed to cater to this growing populace. The Intel Thunderbolt 3 port is especially remarkable; it is quick as lightning. There’s also a full-sized RJ45 Ethernet connector to keep you attuned to the cyberspace.
Safety First
If you store a lot of sensitive data on your laptop — who doesn’t, eh — safety isn’t a “feature”; it’s an all-or-nothing prerequisite. Interestingly, Lenovo has understood this primal human need, especially with professionals, brilliantly. The T580 is designed with built-in security features like a match-on-chip touch fingerprint reader that render it a class apart from its peers.
We especially loved this laptop’s capabilities for FIDO or Fast Identity Online authentication. Forget your woes about all those “remembered” passwords being stolen by a malware — human or programmatic. The T580 is FIDO-equipped, which wraps your personal information in three secure layers and stores it locally instead of on a cloud server. To authenticate, you need to complete a highly personal action, say, providing a fingerprint. Talk about paranoia meeting a smart solution.
Reliability: What If My Laptop Breaks Down?
Well, practise work-life balance and get some digital detox.
If that sounds too lofty, you can rest assured that your T580 comes with adequate troubleshooting support. It offers a one-year worldwide warranty valid in 160 countries. You can also avail of Lenovo Premier Support for any hardware or software glitches you encounter while using your ThinkPad. Truth be told, ThinkPads have a tried-and-tested reputation of hassle-free operation, so that trip to the support guys is unlikely to be one you’ll make any time soon.
- Keep reading: Lenovo ThinkPad L580 Business Laptop Review
Bang For My Buck?
The Lenovo ThinkPad T580 is priced upwards of $871 in the US market though you’re likely to get cheaper deals depending on your location and order volumes. If you aren’t a ThinkPad loyalist, this might seem expensive — in fact, considerably costlier — than many counterparts. However, ThinkPads have successfully lived up to their promise of quality build, long years of glitch-free operation, and excellent troubleshooting support across the globe.
Plus, the T580 brings a lot to the table: ease of mind (security), reliability (long battery life) and productivity that exceed industry expectations. We’d call that a highly lucrative and sensible investment.
| Specs of Lenovo ThinkPad T580 |
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| Processor | Intel Core i7-8650U (up to 4.2 GHz) |
| Graphics | NVIDIA GeForce MX150 2GB |
| RAM | Up to 32GB DDR4 |
| Storage | 500GB HDD and up to 1TB PCIe SSD |
| Display | 15.6” FHD or UHD |
