If your Lenovo ThinkPad T480 dies quickly, only lasts an hour or two on battery, or shuts down suddenly at 20–30%,
it’s natural to ask: “Is it worth replacing the T480 battery, or should I just buy a new laptop?”
For most users, the honest answer is: Yes, it is absolutely worth replacing the T480 battery –
as long as the laptop itself still meets your performance needs and doesn’t have major hardware damage.
A fresh battery (or pair of batteries) is usually a small fraction of the cost of a new business-class ThinkPad,
but can make the T480 feel usable on the go again for several more years.
View all Lenovo ThinkPad T480 batteries
1. Why the T480 is still worth keeping
The ThinkPad T480 is one of Lenovo’s most popular business laptops for a reason. Even today it still offers:
- Solid performance with 8th-gen Intel Core CPUs (i5 / i7), enough for office work, browsing, coding, light VMs and meetings.
- Upgradeable RAM and SSD – you can easily fit 16–32GB RAM and a fast NVMe SSD.
- Great keyboard and build quality – classic ThinkPad typing experience and durable chassis.
- Full-size ports – USB-A, USB-C, Thunderbolt, HDMI, RJ-45, docking support.
- Dual-battery “Power Bridge” design – unique flexibility compared to many modern thin ultrabooks.
If your only real complaint is poor battery life, then buying a completely new laptop is usually overkill.
A battery refresh is far cheaper and keeps a very capable machine in service.
2. Understanding the T480’s dual-battery system
The T480 uses Lenovo’s Power Bridge system. That means it doesn’t just have one battery – it uses:
- 1 × internal 24Wh battery inside the laptop, and
- 1 × external removable rear battery (24Wh, 48Wh or 72Wh).
Internal battery (always 24Wh)
- 24Wh internal pack:
Lenovo 01AV421
External battery options
-
24Wh external (slim, “61”):
24Wh Lenovo 01AV423 / 61 -
48Wh external (61+):
48Wh Lenovo 01AV427 / 61+ -
72Wh external (extended 61):
72Wh Lenovo 61 extended
So when you talk about “replacing the T480 battery”, you’re really talking about:
- replacing the external battery only, or
- replacing both internal and external batteries for a full refresh.
3. When is it worth replacing the T480 battery?
It is usually worth replacing the batteries if:
- The laptop still runs fast enough for your daily work (CPU/RAM/SSD are not the bottleneck).
- You get poor battery life (1–2 hours or less) even on light tasks.
- The T480 is in generally good condition – screen, keyboard, hinges and ports are fine.
- You prefer its keyboard, ports and build to many modern thin ultrabooks.
In these cases, the cost of new batteries is much lower than a new ThinkPad or other business laptop,
but you gain:
- longer runtime on the go,
- more time away from the charger, and
- a second “life” for a machine you already know and like.
4. When might a new laptop make more sense?
Replacing the T480 battery may not be worth it if:
- The laptop has serious hardware issues: motherboard/GPU faults, random crashes, liquid damage, broken hinges or casing.
- Performance is no longer enough even on AC power – for example, if your workloads now require much faster CPUs or GPUs.
- The display is badly damaged and you would need to invest in a screen + batteries + other parts.
- You are planning to move to a completely different form factor (e.g. very light 13″ ultrabook or 2-in-1 with pen support).
If you are facing multiple expensive repairs at once, sometimes it is more logical to move your budget toward a new system.
But if the only real issue is battery life, replacing the T480 batteries is almost always the smarter option.
5. How much extra runtime can a new T480 battery give?
Approximate real-world runtimes for a healthy T480 (office work, Wi-Fi, moderate brightness) are:
| Battery setup | Total capacity | Light use* |
|---|---|---|
| 24Wh internal + 24Wh external | ≈ 48Wh | ~4–6 hours |
| 24Wh internal + 48Wh external | ≈ 72Wh | ~7–10 hours |
| 24Wh internal + 72Wh external | ≈ 96Wh | ~10–14 hours |
*Rough real-world estimates with healthy batteries. Heavy workloads (VMs, compiling, video editing) will reduce runtime.
If your worn batteries are only giving you 1–2 hours, you can easily gain 2–4× more runtime with a fresh internal + higher-capacity external pack.
6. Which T480 batteries should you replace – internal, external or both?
Option A: Replace only the external battery
Do this if:
- Battery 2 (external) shows much lower health than Battery 1 (internal) in Lenovo Vantage or the Windows battery report.
- You mainly need more runtime and your internal 24Wh still has decent capacity.
Recommended choices:
-
Slim and light:
24Wh Lenovo 01AV423 / 61 external battery -
Best balance:
48Wh Lenovo 01AV427 / 61+ external battery -
Maximum runtime:
72Wh Lenovo 61 extended external battery
Option B: Replace both internal and external batteries
Do this if:
- The T480 is several years old and both Battery 1 and Battery 2 show low full charge capacity.
- You want your T480 to feel “like new” again in terms of battery life.
- The laptop still meets your performance needs and you plan to keep it at least another 1–3 years.
In this case, a full refresh would look like:
-
Internal:
24Wh Lenovo 01AV421 internal battery - External: 24Wh, 48Wh or 72Wh depending on your runtime/weight preference
7. Cost vs value: battery replacement or new laptop?
A simple way to think about it:
| Replace T480 batteries | Buy a new laptop |
|---|---|
| Much lower cost (only batteries) | High cost (full new system) |
| Keep a platform you already know and like | New keyboard, ports, layout – some adjustment |
| Dual-battery Power Bridge (unique feature) | Many modern ultrabooks have only a single internal battery |
| Less e-waste and more sustainable | Old device may end up unused or recycled |
If the T480 is still fast enough for your work, battery replacement almost always wins in terms of value.
8. Conclusion: Is it worth replacing a Lenovo T480 battery?
In most real-world cases, yes – it is very much worth replacing the T480 battery.
You should strongly consider new batteries if:
- Your T480 still performs well on AC power.
- Battery life has dropped to a few hours or less.
- You like the keyboard, ports and reliability of the machine.
- You want to avoid the cost and hassle of migrating to a brand new laptop.
With a refreshed 24Wh internal battery and a suitable 24Wh / 48Wh / 72Wh external pack,
your ThinkPad T480 can easily deliver several more years of solid mobile productivity –
for a fraction of the price of a new business-class notebook.