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We have to give Lenovo their kudos this year. The computer maker, which for so long was only associated with stuffy business laptops that employers forced on your father, knocked it out of the park with designing laptops and hardware that at least tries something different from the competition. Sometimes, the concepts are a little wacky – looking at you, transparent laptop– but sometimes, they feel that they could be useful in theory.
Take Lenovo’s ThinkBook Plus laptop, which has been making waves this week through leaks. The sixth-generation ThinkBook Plus is expected to have an extendable display that adds an extra 10 inches to the ample default display. I’m just guessing; leaks do not offer exact display dimensions. It seems that it will be more than a concept laptop; it will be a machine that comes to fruition. I wouldn’t be surprised if we saw it pop up next month at CES.
Looking at the renders, I can’t figure out how it works. The extra screen real estate extends from the sides of the ThinkBook Plus laptop cover, but it seems like the cover would be more fragile the taller it is. How does the laptop stay balanced on its bottom if the top is heavier?
The rendered photos show a top and bottom screen with two different apps running simultaneously. The top could be used for video conferencing or giving a presentation to a remote workforce, while the bottom is for taking notes or reading notes while dictating slides. I’m curious how the operating system handles the two display partitions. Does it automatically recognize the rolling-out display as the secondary? Will it need proprietary software drivers from Lenovo to work in the first place?
The laptop leak is somewhat reminiscent of the other one ThinkBook Plus that Lenovo tried two years ago when it expanded the screen and added a secondary interactive display on the keyboard to encourage you to, I don’t know, multitask. This product line aims to introduce added value to the business center computer.
The ThinkBook Plus has prioritized a hybrid form factor for work for the last generations. The company also tried dual-boot Android and Windows on the same device, although it did not receive favorable reviews.
The annual CES trade show is just around the corner. It’s typically when Lenovo releases something wild and exciting. This year, Lenovo has been three for three in interesting releases. Perhaps this laptop will set the scene for the company in 2025.
