Lenovo is all about rollable concepts for Mobile World Congress 2023 with not only arollable phone making an appearance, but, wait for it, a rollable laptop too. Yes really.
The rollable laptop concept is still in very early stages, but the prototype device we got a demo of on the eve ofMWCis definitely an insight into what laptops could look like in the future. Can you see yourself using one of these?
Design and display
The Lenovo rollable laptop looks much like atraditional laptopon first look. It has a subtle two-tone finish on the flat lid and there’s ThinkBook branding clearly present at the top. It’s not theslimmest laptopyou’ll ever see - just like the rollable concept phone isn’t theslimmest phone- but there is a solid reason for that.
On the left edge, there are two USB-C ports, while the right edge has another USB-C port, audio jack and power button, along with a switch button that expands the display from a 12.7-inch display to a 15.3-inch display.
The display rolls out vertically using twin motors and there are springs attached to the display to keep it tight as it goes up and down. The idea behind the rollable laptop concept is to drive more productivity and you can definitely see how it would benefit certain use cases.
As the screen expands vertically rather than horizontally, it perhaps makes more sense for those working on a document or coding, rather than for watching movies or YouTube, but as the software adapts and more fits onto the display, it’s clear to see how it could be beneficial. As with the rollable phone concept though, software will play a key role here in making the most of the hardware.
Aside from the super cool rollable display, there’s a standard keyboard and trackpad on board this device, while the power port sits in the bottom corner on the right edge. When expanded, the screen definitely looks top heavy - a little like it’s about to topple backwards if it was knocked, and while this didn’t happen at any point during our demo, in a real world scenario, it’s mot yet clear how it might survive.
For now, the Lenovo rollable laptop concept is just that, a concept. There are therefore very few details surrounding what hardware we could expect under the hood of such a device should it ever hit the actual shelves.
We would of course expect to see some decent specs under the hood as there’s very little point in having a rollable display if the laptop itself can’t meet the demands put upon it, but we suspect it will be quite some time before this concept becomes a reality.
It’s very much a working model we were told and there are still a few elements of the design that will need to be addressed, such as the time it takes for the screen to roll up and down.
It’s currently around 10 seconds wait time each way, which is a little long in terms of practicality. The number of times we have had to close our laptop lid quickly to rush off - 10 seconds would feel like a lifetime. This is the idea of a concept though - for companies to see how an idea can come to life and then work out how it can be improved to make it viable.
First impressions
The Lenovo rollable laptop doesn’t have a name yet, but the concept is most definitely there and when asked whether this was something the company would consider launching, we were told that it wouldn’t spend time on something it didn’t see in the future.
There are definitely some kinks to be ironed out yet - the speed at which the screen rolls up and down of starters - as well as some level of protection should someone want to just snap their laptop lid shut and what implications that has, but we love the idea overall. It’s cool, there’s no denying that.
As to when - or indeed if - we will see the Lenovo rollable laptop as a consumer product remains a mystery for now, but it’s fun to look at what could be in the future, right?
