Lenovo teases solar-powered and folding screen concept laptops
Annual Barcelona tech fest brings demo devices that aren't commercially available... will they ever see light of day?
MWC Lenovo has used the MWC event in Barcelona to demo some unusual concept devices including a laptop with a folding screen and another that can be powered by the sun.
The world's largest PC maker unveiled a bevy of additions to its PC portfolio at the show, including new business-focused ThinkPads, along with Yoga and IdeaPad products, plus several proof of concept computers that it currently has no plans to make commercially available.
Perhaps the most interesting or bizarre of these exercises in design is the ThinkBook AI PC Concept, codenamed "Flip", which sports a foldable display, in the style of some recent models of smartphone. In this case, the outward folding OLED display converts the "compact 13in laptop" to one with an 18.1in screen in a portrait format.
This vertically expanded workspace is designed for "optimizing productivity, multitasking, and AI-driven collaboration," Lenovo claims. It can still be used in a Clamshell Mode for traditional laptop tasks, so we're told, with Vertical Mode said to be useful for looking at documents. There is also a Tablet Mode.
In specs, this Flip concept device has an Intel Core Ultra 7 processor, 32GB LPDDR5X memory, and PCIe SSD storage, plus Thunderbolt 4 ports and a fingerprint reader, with Lenovo claiming it is a glimpse into the future of "versatile, AI-powered hybrid work environments."
The Yoga Solar PC Concept puts solar panels into the screen lid, which allows it to draw energy from sunlight, provided you don't live anywhere like the UK where it is cloudy or raining most of the time. However, Lenovo claims that even in low light conditions, the panel can still generate power to sustain battery charge when the PC is idle.
Lenovo says the solar panels are able to absorb and convert enough direct sunlight in 20 minutes to power up to an hour of video playback. It uses "Back Contact Cell" technology, which puts the mounting brackets and gridlines at the rear of those solar cells, maximizing the absorption area and converting over 24 percent of the light to electricity.
Dubbed the world's first ultraslim solar-powered PC, the Yoga Solar PC Concept is 15mm thick and weighs 1.22 kg.
Lenovo also demoed a set of expansion proof-of-concept options for laptops it calls the Magic Bay ecosystem. One of these is simply a 13.3-inch secondary screen that can be attached to the ThinkBook 16p laptop to turn it into a multi-screen workstation.
Another, the Magic Bay 2nd Display, is a screen too, but in this case a compact 8-inch screen serving as a "dedicated AI dashboard," while the "codename Tiko Pro" concept is also a dedicated AI-powered display with a real-time widget interface and Lenovo AI Now integration. The latter is said to be "designed for professionals who multitask and manage multiple workflows," but looks like a mini display bar perched precariously on top of the laptop's screen.
A hardy perennial at technology shows is the 3D display, and it is Lenovo's turn to parade this doomed concept in the shape of the ThinkBook 3D Laptop which is intended to bring "immersive 3D computing to business and creative professionals through a glasses-free hybrid display."
This screen will allow users to switch between 2D and 3D modes, according to the PC biz, and sports a 3.2K resolution image (3,200×2,000 pixels) aimed at designers, engineers, and media professionals.
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To complement the 3D screen there is the Lenovo AI Ring proof-of-concept, intended to rule them all allow users to rotate objects, zoom, and interact with 3D environments via hand movements.
Just to re-iterate, all those products just mentioned are a proof-of-concept, and so there are no details on availability for them as yet.
In addition, Lenovo detailed a host of other systems that will actually be available over the coming months. These include more models in its familiar ThinkPad portfolio, with the T14s 2-in-1 described as the first convertible laptop in the T series. Convertible means that it has an almost 360 degree hinge that allows the screen to fold back around the system, allowing it to be used as a tablet.
This model has a 14-inch screen and runs Intel Core Ultra 7 processors with Up to 64GB LPDDR5x memory and up to 1TB PCIe SSD storage. It has Wi-Fi 7, weighs 1.40 kg and is scheduled to be available from June 2025, with an expected starting price of €1,649 ($1,731).
We asked Lenovo if the concept devices are likely to come to market, and if so when. The company's rollable ThinkBook Plus Gen 6, for example, was just a futuristic prototype in 2022 but from April this year, will actually be in production, the Chinese maker announced last month.
As for the others? "We currently don't have any availability/sale price details." ®