Lenovo has one other funky experiment it’s saying at Cell World Congress: the ThinkBook “codename Flip” AI PC Idea. It’s a productiveness / enterprise laptop computer with a versatile show, permitting it for use as a conventional 13.1-inch clamshell, a folded-up 12.9-inch pill, or a laptop computer with an extra-tall 18.1-inch vertical display screen.
The ThinkBook Flip makes use of the identical actual OLED panel because the $3,500 ThinkBook Plus Gen 6 that’s anticipated to reach someday in June — solely right here, it’s set as much as fold behind the primary portion of the display screen as a substitute of prolong out from beneath it. Which means there aren’t any motors, which may carry prices down, and not one of the show is left sitting unused contained in the chassis — therefore the Flip’s 0.4 inches of additional display screen actual property over the Gen 6.
When folded again, the Flip can be utilized like a traditional 13-inch clamshell laptop computer, albeit with almost half its display screen dealing with backward. You should use that rear-facing portion to reflect or prolong your show and current to another person with out the necessity for an exterior monitor or projector, or simply depart it clean. However the true star of the present is once you flip the display screen as much as get all 18.1 inches / 2000 x 2664 decision of wonderful OLED for your self. Along with having the ability to view lengthy paperwork and web sites, it places the webcam and high portion of the display screen at a satisfying and neck-relieving eye degree.
Exterior of its display screen, the Flip’s different distinctive function is its Sensible ForcePad trackpad. It affords three color-coded layers of LED-illuminated contact shortcuts and media controls you’ll be able to name up inside the pad itself. They will rework the trackpad right into a quantity pad, supply shortcuts to capabilities just like the Snipping Software or a mute button to your mic, or function an app launcher. Samuel Shang, principal researcher of Lenovo Analysis, advised me the corporate’s dream setup can be to switch the touchpad with a smartphone show, however that may be too pricey. The essential illuminated icons provided a good compromise.
Whereas the Flip continues to be within the idea part, Lenovo does have some estimated specs for what would go inside, which looks like a promising signal this laptop computer will truly come to market. It’ll use an Intel Extremely 7 processor, 32GB of LPDDR5X RAM, PCIe SSD storage, Thunderbolt 4 ports, and have a fingerprint reader.
The ThinkBook Flip I received to see in a quick demo forward of MWC was an early prototype that also felt fragile and just a little tough across the edges. It was removed from the ready-to-ship rollable ThinkBook Plus Gen 6 I noticed at CES, which I didn’t need to deal with so delicately. However my colleague Allison Johnson noticed one other prototype of the Flip in Barcelona at MWC that already appeared just a little additional alongside and fewer janky.
There’s at all times an opportunity that this idea by no means goes past the prototype part, however because it’s borrowing parts from the ThinkBook Plus Gen 6, the percentages could also be in its favor. The Flip might make sense as an alternate providing if its lack of motors means it may be provided at a cheaper price than its rollable cousin. I do know I personally at all times wish to see extra funky laptops, and it’d be cool to get a number of flavors of those tall boys.