We’ve already seen the arrival of flexible phones like the Samsung Galaxy Fold and Huawei Mate X, and while the excitement around these gadgets may have been dulled somewhat by concerns about durability, that isn’t stopping Lenovo from taking bendy screen tech and applying it to something bigger.
That’s where this thing comes in, and I say “thing” because Lenovo’s new flexible prototype isn’t exactly a laptop in the traditional sense. In fact, Lenovo doesn’t even call its prototype a laptop, and instead uses foldable as a sort of catch-all designation.
On top of that, Lenovo hasn’t give its prototype an official name either. As evidenced by the ThinkPad logo on its lid, it will be part of the ThinkPad X1 family, but that’s about as far as Lenovo has gotten when it comes to giving it an actual title.
When it’s closed, Lenovo’s prototype looks a lot like a mix between a traditional clamshell and a detachable 2-in-1 like a Microsoft Surface. There’s a hinge in the middle that holds the two halves together, a kickstand in back, and even a little loop for stashing its Wacom-powered stylus. But then you open it up, and it’s a whole new world.
Instead of a screen up top and a keyboard down below, the inside of the prototype ThinkPad has 13.3-inches of screen, with a 4:3 2K resolution and vibrant OLED display tech. And unlike the Galaxy Fold, the display on Lenovo’s concept isn’t made by Samsung or whatever unnamed supplier Huawei uses, but LG, which is making its debut in the bendy screen game on Lenovo’s prototype.
In normal laptop mode, the Lenovo’s prototype features a 9.6-inch “half screen” that lets you use the bottom of the screen as a touch-based keyboard, secondary display, or whatever else you want.
But if you want to maximize the prototype’s screen real estate, you can also pair the device with its companion Bluetooth keyboard to get a more traditional laptop experience.
Lenovo’s prototype also has a built-in IR camera for use with things like Windows Hello facial recognition, along with two USB-C ports for data and charging, stereo speakers, and what Lenovo promises will be “all-day” battery life. More
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