In this video, I easily upgraded and installed memory, storage, and a smart card reader; but many people have also replaced the screen, keyboard, batteries, etc. Sadly, this is less feasible on modern laptops due to most components being soldered on. The Lenovo T480 is one of the last of its kind. Due to the age, there is no requirement to buy the latest gen SSDs, RAM, etc. It remains a solid Windows 11 supported home/office laptop, if you understand and accept the limitations.

Parts and Cost

$209.99 Lenovo T480 w/ i78550U, 8 GB RAM, Win 10, Fingerprint Reader, Backlit Keyboard, Batteries
139.99 Teamgroup Zeus DDR4 SODIMM 64 GB RAM 3200 MHz (PC425600)
62.39 Kingspec 512 GB M.2 NVMe SSD 2242 PCIe Gen 3.0 x 2
61.99 Teamgroup MP33 Pro 1 TB M.2 NVMe SSD 2280 PCIe Gen 3.0 x 4
24.99 Smart Card Reader 04X5393, 04X5475, 00HW553
14.99 NVMe SSD caddy w/ adapter NSA933

00:00 Intro
01:16 Buying Used T480 Laptops
04:13 Unboxing, Disassembly, and Hardware Overview
06:28 Internal Battery Removal and Memory Upgrade
06:57 SSD Storage Install
08:07 Smart Card Reader Install and Laptop Reassembly
09:27 USBC Thunderbolt and Other Issues
10:13 Final Thoughts