Journalists love tech prototype. These thrilling experiments break up the monotony of protecting the identical incremental refreshes day-in and day-out.In addition they include a draw back: As consideration grabbing as they’re, there’s no assure that they’ll ever truly come to market.
That’s why protecting them could be a bit difficult, as it may be tough to determine how a lot consideration to provide a product customers would possibly by no means truly see. Fortunately, Lenovo truly made good on considered one of its earlier guarantees at CES this 12 months, exhibiting off a rollable laptop computer that’s set to launch someday in 2025. Now, the corporate has three extra ideas it is exhibiting off for Cellular World Congress, all of them arguably as cool.
A foldable spin on that CES’ rollable display
Credit score: Michelle Ehrhardt
First, there’s the ThinkBook Flip AI PC, which you’ll consider as a extra reasonably priced tackle that rolling laptop computer from CES. Relatively than having among the display hidden contained in the laptop computer and unfurling like a scroll, this laptop computer’s display folds over the top-half of the machine, stretching throughout each the edges of the lid. Utilizing your palms, you may unfold it to get an particularly tall vertical show, or, alternately, mirror the entrance of your display to the bottom for displays. Or, you might use the laptop computer in a kind of pill mode whereas it’s closed. It’s just like current units just like the Yoga Guide 9i, certain, however in contrast to on these, the display is steady and the keyboard is constructed into the machine.
Credit score: Michelle Ehrhardt
There are upsides and disadvantages to this method. As a result of there’s no want to deal with a rolling mechanism, the Flip AI PC is definitely in a position to get just a little taller than a rollable laptop computer, however on the similar time, it’s additionally a bit extra high heavy, so you may’t use the absolutely prolonged display at a steep angle with out additional help.
Snap-on laptop computer screens
Credit score: Michelle Ehrhardt
Additionally within the realm of prolonged laptop computer shows are the Magic Bay Twin Show and 2nd Show laptop computer equipment. Technically, this isn’t the primary time Lenovo’s proven off ideas for Magic Bay, current expertise that enables sure equipment to snap onto pogo pins on the again of some ThinkBook laptops. These have even included secondary shows earlier than, however this 12 months’s concepts positively are a bit extra concerned.
Beginning smaller, the Magic Bay 2nd Show is an 8-inch vertical display that enhances a laptop computer with a (non-touch) tablet-like companion. It’s just like the 10-inch horizontal panel that sits above your laptop computer display that Lenovo confirmed off ultimately 12 months’s CES, and coincidentally remembers my husband’s personal desktop setup. As useful because it appears—it’s even on a hinge for a customizable angle— it’s nonetheless overshadowed by Lenovo’s different Magic Bay show idea.
Credit score: Michelle Ehrhardt
The Magic Bay Twin Show turns your laptop computer right into a three-monitor workstation, with extra 13.3-inch screens on both facet of your machine, full with a 120Hz refresh charge throughout each. At 2.6 kilos, it is reasonably heavy, so it comes with a built-in kickstand. This isn’t the primary time I’ve seen an concept like this, however once I noticed this in particular person, I used to be impressed by how rather more intuitive the connection course of appears in comparison with present third-party options.
A solar-powered laptop computer
Credit score: Michelle Ehrhardt
Outdoors of the realm of screens, there’s additionally an experimental solar-powered laptop computer that may cost off daylight, referred to as the Yoga Photo voltaic PC. It really works by a photo voltaic cell constructed into the again of the laptop computer’s lid, which Lenovo says has “an over 24% photo voltaic power conversion charge” and may cost up sufficient to play one hour of video inside about 20 minutes of direct daylight. I didn’t get to see it in motion, seeing as I used to be in a darkish room whereas Lenovo was exhibiting it off, however I can say the photo voltaic expertise doesn’t seem to be it’s impacting the shape issue an excessive amount of. It was loads skinny trying to my bare eye, and the corporate says it’s 0.6-inches skinny and a couple of.69 kilos. If that’s nonetheless too large for you, Lenovo did additionally showcase the Photo voltaic Energy Package for Yoga idea, which is an ordinary battery financial institution that connects to a removable USB-C photo voltaic panel (I didn’t see this one in particular person).
Credit score: Lenovo
Evolutions on earlier ideas
Credit score: Lenovo
Whereas I received to see (most of) the above ideas in particular person, the corporate additionally has just a few iterative modifications on earlier concepts, and confirmed that it’s prototyping out its personal model of competing units. These embody a glasses-less 3D ThinkBook, just like units that Asus and Acer have already got in the marketplace, in addition to an AI-powered robotic companion named Tiko that might connect to laptops by way of Magic Bay.
For extra performance, there’s additionally a Tiko Professional within the works, a small horizontal Magic Bay show that mixes the benefits of the 2nd Show with AI-powered widgets. Once more, we’ve seen variations of those both from rivals or at earlier Lenovo idea bulletins, however they’re nonetheless price maintaining a tally of.
A bit extra thrilling is the Hybrid Dimensional 24-Inch Curved Monitor, which may supposedly show 3D visuals whereas concurrently exhibiting 2D belongings with none loss in decision, though this must be seen with your individual eye to actually be judged, and I’ve but to get hands-on time with it.
Bringing AI to non-AI PCs
Credit score: Lenovo
Lastly, there are instruments to convey AI to non-AI PCs. Lenovo says it’s experimenting with two devoted neural processing items, or NPUs, that may connect with current PCs both by a USB stick or a monitor. Working like an exterior graphics card, the Lenovo AI Stick incorporates a 32TOPS NPU that may plug into a pc with out an NPU over Thunderbolt to permit it to run LLMs and AI graphics instruments domestically. It will possibly work off simply the laptop computer’s personal energy, however Lenovo says it’s also possible to plug it right into a wall on the similar time for elevated efficiency.
In the meantime, the AI Show with NPU Inside does a lot the identical factor, however reasonably than together with the NPU in a hub-like construction, builds it proper into your monitor. This comes with the additional benefit of permitting the display to bodily rotate, elevate and tilt to comply with your actions, however like most screens, it’s a lot bulkier and does have to be plugged right into a wall always. Lenovo additionally says it’s engaged on an “AI Ring” that would supply gesture-based management whereas in spatial computing apps, though the corporate didn’t go into a lot element past that.
And that’s it on Lenovo’s MWC ideas. It’s a fairly big selection. Once more, none of those are assured to come back to market, however that does imply they get to be a bit wackier than the standard product announcement. Personally, I’d like to get my palms on the Magic Bay Twin Show, and I may see the AI Stick being helpful to builders. Within the meantime, the corporate additionally introduced various chip upgrades for its current ThinkPad, ThinkBook, IdeaPad, and Yoga laptops that may begin hitting the market with the brand new Yoga 7 2-in-1 and IdeaPad Slim 3x this month.