If we look back, Lenovo’s history is laden with several firsts and re-imagined computing devices. The Company has yet again come forward with another breakthrough by demoing the world’s first foldable PC. The laptop has been specifically optimized for individuals that don’t want the portability to compromise the functionality and reliability of their devices. The laptop is joining Lenovo’s premium ThinkPad X1 family and is dubbed as the ThinkPad X1 Foldable.
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Foldable was first presented as a prototype in May and was demoed at the on-going Lenovo Innovation Technology Conference.
Design and Display
As the name suggests, the laptop is completely foldable akin to the Samsung Galaxy Fold but much larger. Don’t confuse it with a phone, tablet or a similar hybrid. This is a full-fledged laptop with a foldable display.
The display is a 13.3-inch OLED panel with 2K resolution or two 9.6-inch displays when folded in half. The unique torque hinge allows it to be used in various modes including as a book, tablet with a stylus, or a laptop in clamshell mode. The PC also comes with support for external mechanical keyboards and mice. Hence, it can be used in a desktop mode as well.
The best part about the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 foldable is that it doesn’t have a visible crease in the center. According to Lenovo, the display has been in the development phase for the last three years and has been manufactured in collaboration with LG.
Milanka Muecke, director of global commercial communications and brand at Lenovo, said:
I have it right here and you can have it in your purse. It looks like a leather-bound notebook that you can carry with you all day long, but it is a full performance PC that fits in the palm of your hand.
Other Specifications
As far as other specifications of the device are concerned, since it is in its early stages of development, the company has not revealed much. We don’t know what processor or operating system it will run on but the company’s CEO hinted that it will have an ‘all-day battery’.
Apart from this, we know that the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Foldable will ship with an IR camera, two USB Type-C ports and stereo speakers.
Availability
The Company is expecting to ship the device by the second quarter of 2020, though the exact month is unclear. According to Gianfranco Lanci, Lenovo’s Chief Operating Officer:
It will start shipping probably Q2 next year. […] Hardware is ready, but we need to still fix certain things from a software point of view and that does not depend 100% on us.
Let’s see how things work out for Lenovo. Stay tuned for more updates.
I don’t think foldable screens are durable enough currently for this laptop to be commercially viable right now. As the technology progresses foldable screens will become more durable, affordable, and commonplace and then we’ll see widespread adoption of this technology but as it stands the tech is too fragile and expensive.