- We’ve glimpsed possible photos of Lenovo’s new rollable laptop
- The alleged ThinkBook Plus will be shown at CES 2025
- The laptop looks similar to a previous concept seen at MWC 2023
Lenovo apparently has a laptop in the works for CES 2025 with a unique twist: the device has a screen that unrolls to create a much taller portrait-style display.
This Lenovo innovation was prototyped by the company last year, and now appears to have come to fruition (add a healthy dose of skepticism at this point, as there’s no official word from Lenovo on the matter).
Well-known leaker Evan Blass shared photos of the laptop on
Lenovo is supposedly set to show off the ThinkBook at CES 2025, and it appears to be similar to a previous prototype device that was demonstrated at MWC 2023, as The Verge reports (watch the video below).
Basically, you press a button on the side of the laptop’s chassis and the screen rolls up, out of the base, onto some kind of sliding rail mechanism (and rolls back down when you’re done using the expanded screen).
Look
It’s just roll n’ roll (but I like it, don’t I?)
If this laptop is real, fair play to Lenovo in being the first laptop supplier to innovate in producing a real laptop that will be on shelves (presumably in 2025) with a rollable screen. Assuming these images are legit, of course, although Blass is one of the most reliable rumor mongers out there.
The rollable screen is not a new concept and we have seen some prototypes of devices in this regard. Plus, Samsung’s first rollable phone could debut next year, so 2025 could be the year rollable devices really start rolling out.
The idea of this possible rollable ThinkBook Plus is that you can use the laptop normally, but when you need more screen space, you can have it. That extra tall screen could be very useful for browsing long documents or treating them as two screens on top of each other, with one app on top of the other.
You could, for example, write an article in a document at the bottom half of the screen and look at a web page that explains something relevant to the topic you’re writing about in a browser at the top. Or play a game in a window (Windows 11 can do this correctly, without lag) while watching a tutorial on YouTube simultaneously. It will also be great for RPGs (by which I mean RPGs, sorry).
The potential problem, for me, is that the mechanics of such a roll-up screen add many possible dangers to the mix. Normally a laptop has a hinged screen and that’s it. Here, there is obviously a much more complex setup of moving parts and therefore more things that can go wrong (probably many more).
The other concern is wear and tear on the screen as it is constantly being unrolled and then rolled up, over and over again. These physical design aspects and potential weak points that lead to increased chances of something going wrong concern me, especially in the first generation of a piece of hardware.
Still, without innovation we wouldn’t get anywhere, so I should probably shut up and keep my doubts to a minimum. Perhaps a solid warranty from Lenovo could also help allay some fears. I’m certainly intrigued by the possibility of this device and hope to see it fully demonstrated at CES very soon, and then perhaps compete for a spot in our roundup of the best laptops later next year.
