Lenovo has one other funky experiment it’s asserting at Mobile World Congress: the ThinkBook “codename Flip” AI PC Concept. 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 precise 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 principle portion of the display screen as an alternative of lengthen out from beneath it. That means there are not any motors, which might 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 can use that rear-facing portion to reflect or lengthen your show and current to another person with out the necessity for an exterior monitor or projector, or simply go away it clean. But the actual star of the present is while you flip the display screen as much as get all 18.1 inches / 2000 x 2664 decision of superb OLED for your self. In addition to with the ability to view lengthy paperwork and web sites, it places the webcam and high portion of the display screen at a lovely and neck-relieving eye stage.
Outside of its display screen, the Flip’s different distinctive function is its Smart 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 can remodel the trackpad right into a quantity pad, supply shortcuts to capabilities just like the Snipping Tool or a mute button in your mic, or function an app launcher. Samuel Shang, principal researcher of Lenovo Research, instructed me the corporate’s dream setup can be to interchange the touchpad with a smartphone show, however that might be too expensive. The fundamental illuminated icons provided a good compromise.
While the Flip continues to be within the idea section, Lenovo does have some estimated specs for what would go inside, which looks like a promising signal this laptop computer will really come to market. It’ll use an Intel Ultra 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 slightly 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 must deal with so delicately. But my colleague Allison Johnson noticed one other prototype of the Flip in Barcelona at MWC that already appeared slightly additional alongside and fewer janky.
There’s at all times an opportunity that this idea by no means goes past the prototype section, however because it’s borrowing elements from the ThinkBook Plus Gen 6, the percentages could also be in its favor. The Flip could 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 need to see extra funky laptops, and it’d be cool to get a number of flavors of those tall boys.
