I Tried Lenovo's Rotating Display Laptop, And It's As Wild As It Is Practical

2 days ago

Follow ZDNET: Add america arsenic a preferred source on Google.

ZDNET's cardinal takeaways

Lenovo debuted a caller impervious of conception laptop pinch a 14-inch rotating display.
It goes from a scenery to image predisposition by physically rotating nan screen.
There are immoderate creation elements, for illustration nan cloth backing, that raise concerns astir its longevity.

Earlier this twelvemonth astatine CES, we saw Lenovo's chaotic "rollable" laptop impervious of conception -- a machine pinch a surface that rolls retired from nether nan keyboard to make a 17-inch display. It seemed for illustration a pie-in-the-sky idea, but it was released to marketplace this summer. I precocious tried it out and recovered its vertical show amazingly useful. In fact, I benignant of loved it.

So erstwhile I saw Lenovo's adjacent impervious of conception laptop, I suspended my judgement that it would beryllium thing to ne'er make it to production. The caller ThinkBook VertiFlex is simply a 14-inch laptop pinch a akin concept, but alternatively of nan show unfurling retired from nether nan keyboard, it simply rotates, for illustration turning a tablet from scenery mode to portrait.

Also: I went hands-on pinch Lenovo's achromatic ThinkPad X9 astatine IFA, and it's nan coolest laptop yet

The show connected VertiFlex looks deceptively simple. There are nary gestures aliases distant controls present -- you simply physically rotate nan surface pinch your hands, and it pivots into position, seamlessly swapping betwixt scenery and image mode, pinch nan contented connected your surface automatically adjusting -- conscionable for illustration your smartphone.

Kyle Kucharski/ZDNET

The show is simply a abstracted constituent from nan laptop's chassis, allowing it to rotate while nan laptop's beingness framework remains stationary. In image mode, it rests against nan backmost of nan clamshell. Again, it looks very simple, but down nan scenes, nan mechanics of this characteristic are complex. During a demo, I sewage a peek astatine nan engineering astatine activity here, and it's much elaborate than you'd think.

One of nan champion things astir moving pinch nan rollable laptop was really convenient it was to activity connected a vertical display. The predisposition allows for a batch much room moving pinch matter files, reference websites, and if you're a programmer, it's optimal for coding. Even if you're conscionable moving successful Google Docs, having nan abstraction to spot full pages successful 1 glimpse feels great.

Also: Lenovo's caller Legion Go 2 could beryllium nan ergonomic handheld I've been waiting for

The conception down nan VertiFlex takes this but makes it conscionable a small much accessible. Instead of a huge, 17-inch show that plays euphony to alert everyone astir you, nan VertiFlex is acold much subtle.

Physically, location isn't overmuch to bespeak nan laptop's superpower unless you look cautiously astatine nan design. It's still a bladed and ray laptop, weighing 3 pounds and measuring .70 inches thick. Otherwise, it looks for illustration immoderate different ThinkBook.

If you person questions astir its design, you're not alone. For 1 thing, nan impervious of conception exemplary I sewage to trial retired utilized a achromatic cloth backing for nan texture betwixt nan surface and nan clamshell, and it's 1 of nan first creation elements to guidelines out. Fabric, connected a laptop? It's strange.

I ever deliberation astir longevity pinch laptops -- really it's going to look successful 2 years, not conscionable arsenic a marque caller exemplary -- and nan felt texture seems for illustration a problematic choice. However, making it each aluminum mightiness not beryllium nan play, either. This is simply a caller design, truthful Lenovo whitethorn still very good beryllium figuring retired what precisely to put there.

Also: I tried Lenovo's $3,000 rollable ThinkBook and can't spell backmost to regular-sized screens

It should beryllium noted that nan VertiFlex is simply a impervious of concept, and location isn't a value aliases merchandise day conscionable yet. However, if Lenovo tin bring nan rollable laptop to market, this should beryllium a much realistic feat. It's surely thing we could spot successful nan adjacent year, and nan value will apt beryllium little than nan $3,300 rollable. We'll beryllium keeping a adjacent oculus connected nan VertiFlex's progress.

Editorial standards