Lenovo is jumping on board the foldable market with a foldable laptop prototype in its ThinkPad X1 family. Lenovo says it’s been developing this prototype for the past three years, and it will launch in 2020.
Foldable simply means a product can be folded like a sheet of paper, and that requires special screen technology to work. Reducing a device’s physical size while expanding the display is the goal.
Lenovo’s first foldable laptop is just a prototype, but the benefits are similar. Imagine a laptop with a 13.3-inch screen that you can fold into the size of a compact Moleskine notebook. That’s precisely how the ThinkPad X1 foldable prototype works. When it’s folded up, it’s just 9.6 inches and looks like a paper notebook. A pen even attaches to the outside.
The exterior also feels like a leather-bound book, much like the HP Spectre Folio. The edge has a bit of glass peeking through, but that disappears from view as the device is unfolded.
There are a few ways to use this foldable laptop. You can unfold it completely and use the built-in kickstand on the rear to keep the screen standing up, then connect a Bluetooth keyboard to the device to use it like a traditional laptop. We know a Bluetooth keyboard will come with the final product, but it’s unclear if there will be a way to store it conveniently.
The second method doesn’t require an external keyboard at all. Just fold the screen halfway, and place it down on a table. You’ll be able to use the bottom half as a virtual keyboard for typing. A rigid torque hinge helps the laptop keep its form so that it can continue to be used in this mode. It’s also why the battery is in the right side of the screen (bottom half in this mode), so that the laptop won’t be top heavy and can be weighed down.
You can also hold the device like a table, of course, and since it’s a touchscreen, you’ll be able to use it as you would any iPad. The attached stylus can be used for super-accurate touch input or for virtual ink.
This laptop is built for travelers who need to work on the go. Replace your cumbersome laptop for this, and you’ll save space in your backpack. It may just replace your tablet, too.
The OLED screen is attractive, with punchy colors. In fact, it’s not glass protecting it, but polymer. The screen is made by LG display, and it has a 2K screen resolution with a 4:3 aspect ratio.
The Lenovo Foldable Thinkpad X1 is a Windows-based device, and Lenovo is working with Microsoft to make sure the software experience is optimized for this foldable format. Additionally, there will be a Bluetooth keyboard included, as well as a stylus from Wacom. It has stereo speakers, an infrared camera, and two USB-C ports. Lenovo also said it will offer an “all-day battery,” as well as powered by an Intel processor.
