Lenovo’s Roll-Out Display Laptop Is So Pleasingly Weird

We have to give Lenovo its kudos this year. The computer maker, which for so long was only associated with stuffy business laptops that employers forced onto your dad, has been knocking it out of the park with concept laptops and hardware that at least attempts something different than the competition. Sometimes, the concepts are a little outlandish—looking at you, see-through laptop—but sometimes, they feel like they could be helpful in theory.

Take Lenovo’s ThinkBook Plus laptop, which has been circling the airwaves this week through leaks. The sixth-generation ThinkBook Plus is expected to have an extendable display that adds an extra 10 inches to the plentiful default display. I’m just guessing; the leaks don’t offer exact display sizes. It sounds like 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 this works. The extra screen real estate extends from the sides of the ThinkBook Plus’s laptop cover, but it seems like the cover would be flimsier the taller it gets. How does the laptop stay balanced on its bottom if the top part is heavier?

The rendered photos show a top and bottom screen with two different apps showcased simultaneously. The top could be used for video conferencing or presenting a slideshow to a remote workforce, while the bottom is for note-taking or note-reading as you’re dictating the slides. I am curious how the operating system handles the two display partitions. Does it automatically recognize the rolling-out display as the secondary one? Will it require proprietary software drivers from Lenovo to work in the first place?

The laptop leak is a tad reminiscent of another ThinkBook Plus that Lenovo attempted two years ago when it extended out the screen and added a secondary interactive display on the keyboard to encourage you to, I don’t know, multitask. This product lineup aims to introduce a hearty value-add to the business-centric computer.

The ThinkBook Plus has prioritized a hybrid form factor for work for the past few generations. The company even tried dual-booting Android and Windows on the same device, although it did not receive favorable reviews.

The annual CES tradeshow is just around the corner. It’s typically when Lenovo releases something wild and exciting. This year, Lenovo has been three for three on interesting releases. Perhaps this laptop will set the stage for the company in 2025.