Sometime in 2020, Lenovo will release what it calls “the world’s first foldable PC in ThinkPad X1 Family”.

The device was previewed at Lenovo’s recent Accelerate event, and it is apparently “…not a phone, tablet, or familiar hybrid; this is a full-fledged laptop with a foldable screen”.

Foldable Gadgets Gaining Momentum

Foldable gadgets are gaining momentum what with the imminent release of Samsung’s Galaxy Fold smartphone and LG’s announcement that it has created TV panels that are about as thin and flexible as a thick piece of cardboard, but this marks the first time any major PC manufacturer has brought out anything resembling a folding laptop, so it’s pretty impressive.

See for yourself:

Pretty cool, right?

Lenovo went on to say that the foldable ThinkPad X1 will let people do these sorts of things with it:

  • Wake up, fold it into a book, and start the day scanning your social media feeds in bed.
  • Walk to your kitchen, unfold it, and stand it up for hands-free viewing of your top news sites. 
  • Hit your commute on the bus or train and morph it into a clamshell to catch up on emails.
  • Get into the office, dock it into your multi-monitor setup and get to work.
  • Go into meetings, take notes with its pen, and write on a full screen tablet.
  • After lunch, set up the stand and use its mechanical keyboard to type out a few work emails.
  • Come home at night, open it up and stream your favorite shows.
  • Relax in bed, fold it in half and enjoy your latest read before going to sleep.

The official press release about the X1 says that the device “…combines laptop productivity with smartphone portability”, and that it will “…fold into your lifestyle like never before”.

Intriguing

It’s an intriguing idea, for sure, but whether or not foldables will become the Next Big Thing remains to be seen.

Although Lenovo didn’t say what sort of hardware it anticipates their foldable ThinkPad X1 will pack, with the release date is only in 2020, there’s plenty of time for them to finalise those details.

Should we hear more about these intriguing devices, we’ll be sure to let you know.

[Source: Lenovo]

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