Lenovo To One-Up Apple’s iPhone Flex With Foldable PC

Lenovo is working on a new kind of device that combines the portability of a tablet and a the performance of a full-fledged PC: a foldable PC.

Today, big tech companies are experimenting with foldable displays and are trying to win the public with their own offerings. Samsung’s first offering, the Galaxy Fold, showed how tricky this new technology could be. Motorola’s upcoming foldable RAZR smartphone showed people just how it can make old designs more appealing again.

One tech company has decided to take a big step by revealing its plans for something bigger than what other tech companies have announced. The Verge reported that the tech giant is working on a new foldable PC meant to change the way personal computing is done.

Lenovo’s foldable PC is going to be part of its premium Thinkpad X1 brand and is meant to be released in 2020. The tech giant hasn’t released details about the new device’s specs, but it appears that the foldable PC, although still a prototype at the moment, is powerful enough to do things normally done on a laptop or desktop PC.

Features

Here’s a quick look at the benefits the folding screen gives to the device:

First, it’s very portable: it measures like a regular hardcover book when folded. Although it can’t be expected to fit in a regular jeans or jacket pocket, it’s still smaller than a regular laptop.

Second, it has a big display. Lenovo’s new device has a screen that measures 13.3 inches when unfolded -- bigger than the displays used by tablets like Lenovo's own Yoga tablet.

Third, it’s very versatile. It has a kickstand which, along with Lenovo’s supplied keyboard, will allow it to be used like a regular desktop. Think iPad Pro or Surface Pro, each with its own keyboard accessory.

It can also be used like a laptop computer, with the lower half of the display used for input via a virtual keyboard. The lower half can also be used as a digital canvas for the supplied Wacom stylus.

Interestingly, it can also be used like a book, with both sides of the display viewed from an angle. The Verge says this allows the device to be held comfortably like a book.

Competition

Lenovo’s new foldable PC brings a fresh challenge to other tech companies eager to bring an offering to the table in the soonest possible time. Will offerings from other tech companies, like Samsung’s Galaxy Fold, Motorola’s revamped RAZR, and Apple’s rumored iPhone Flex be covered by the dust Lenovo’s folding PC is set to leave?