Lenovo’s rollable laptop and smartphone are a compelling, unfinished pitch for the future

The final time I used to be at Cell World Congress in Barcelona in 2019, foldables have been the brand new hotness on the town. Samsung had introduced — however not launched — its first Galaxy Fold, and Huawei confirmed off a foldable of its personal on the present — the Mate X. 4 years and one pandemic later, and Lenovo is again on the identical present to make a pitch for a subtly completely different type of future, one the place laptop computer and smartphone screens alike can progressively increase to supply extra display real-estate, somewhat than needing to be utterly unfolded like books.

I used to be handled to a first-hand take a look at each units, which have been first teased by the corporate final October. There’s a rollable laptop computer, and a rollable smartphone which Lenovo is presently branding as a Motorola system (Lenovo acquired the cellphone model nearly a decade in the past in 2014). However Lenovo is emphasizing that each are early proof of idea units, and representatives wouldn’t reply any of my questions on after they may be launched to the general public, or how a lot they could price after they do. I didn’t even get an opportunity to carry the units for myself.

However each of them provide an fascinating glimpse at how remodeling screens may affect the way forward for telephones and laptops alike, and spotlight the sorts of performance that may be potential as soon as you allow behind the concept of a display as an immovable flat object.

Earlier than we get into the idea laptop computer’s signature characteristic, it’s value stating simply how unassuming the system appears to be like earlier than its display unrolls. Lenovo had the system sitting alongside its different laptops in a convention suite, and never a single one of many dozen-or-so journalists in attendance clocked that it was something apart from a typical ThinkPad. In its unextended kind, it’s received a daily wanting 12.7-inch show with a 4:3 facet ratio.

That every one modifications with a flip of a small change on the appropriate of the chassis, at which level you may hear some motors whirring and the display extends upwards. That change causes a few motors within the laptop computer to spring into motion, pulling the display out from beneath the laptop computer’s keyboard to hoist it up kind of vertically in entrance of you. It’s an admittedly gradual course of on this idea system (from our footage it appears to take slightly over ten seconds to totally prolong) however finally you’re left with an nearly sq. 15.3-inch show with an 8:9 facet ratio. 

The system brings to thoughts LG’s fancy (and eye-wateringly costly) rollable TV that’s designed to roll away while you’re not utilizing it. Solely in Lenovo’s case the display is rolling down into the laptop computer’s keyboard somewhat than a small field, and it can also’t roll away solely. As soon as totally prolonged, Lenovo’s laptop computer display has a small crease the place its display initially bent beneath the keyboard. However once more — it’s a prototype.

When it comes to decision the show is 2024 x 1604 when it’s in small mode, and 2024 x 2368 when totally prolonged. So, in idea no less than, fairly usable with out having to totally prolong the show. The display is equipped by Sharp, which can also be the corporate Lenovo’s labored with on its ThinkPad X1 foldable laptops. Show competitor Samsung Show has additionally introduced its engaged on rollable laptop computer shows with Intel, however its prototype didn’t seem to have a keyboard connected.

When totally unrolled, Lenovo’s rollable laptop computer has a weirdly tall show with an 8:9 facet ratio, which the corporate factors out is like having two 16:9 shows on prime of each other. It’s not dissimilar to the dual-screen Yoga Ebook 9i we tried out at CES and which is because of launch in June. It’s a form-factor that may very well be helpful to anybody who struggles to work on a single small laptop computer show and has thought of shopping for an exterior show (or, certainly, iPad) to work as a transportable second monitor.

Lenovo thinks such a tall show may very well be useful for each workplace staff and artistic professionals alike, providing all the pieces from extra traces of code, to extra cells in a spreadsheet, or — for me personally — having the ability to write on the underside half of the show whereas protecting notes and sources seen within the prime half. Loads of folks like to make use of vertical screens with their desktop PCs, and Home windows has no downside stacking home windows above and under each other.

Regardless of how polished the system appeared in our demo, Lenovo is clearly nowhere close to able to launch its rollable idea as a consumer-ready system. I requested about sturdiness, and Lenovo would solely say that it’s aiming to get to twenty,000 to 30,000 rolls, the identical ballpark as its foldable ThinkPad X1 (I admit this doesn’t sound like a lot in comparison with the lots of of hundreds of folds that foldable smartphones are typically rated for, however I suppose you unfold and fold a laptop computer much less usually all through a working day). The corporate was not forthcoming about what number of rolls the prototype can presently survive. 

I additionally had questions on weight and battery life. Lenovo wouldn’t inform me how a lot the laptop computer weighs, and I wasn’t allowed to choose it up myself (belief me, I requested). Ideally you’d need this factor to be each lighter than carrying round a laptop computer plus a transportable monitor, in addition to being extra compact, however we’ll have to attend and see on the previous level. And apparently the rollable laptop computer’s unrolling mechanism attracts a few watts of energy whereas in movement, which doesn’t sound perfect at a time when many laptops’ batteries can nonetheless wrestle to make it by a day’s use. 

That stated, Lenovo is without doubt one of the few laptop computer producers to have truly launched a foldable laptop computer, which supplies me some confidence that its rollable idea may in the future develop into a actuality. Its unique ThinkPad X1 Fold got here out in 2020, and a second-generation mannequin was introduced final 12 months — although it’s but to make it to market after having missed its November ship date.

Lenovo’s different rollable system it’s demoing at MWC is a Motorola smartphone. We’ve seen quite a few corporations together with Samsung Show, Oppo, TCL, and even LG (RIP) exhibit rollable idea units in varied levels of improvement over time, however we’re but to see the expertise break by in a shopper system.

Like a foldable, the concept is {that a} rollable smartphone may be small while you want it to be transportable, and large while you want extra display to get the job at hand achieved. Lenovo’s cellphone — which it’s calling the Motorola rollable smartphone idea — is all about taking a small sq. of a show and making it longer. It’s nearly like a foldable flip cellphone, however with no secondary cowl show as a result of it’s the identical display the complete time.

When all neatly rolled up, Lenovo’s Motorola rollable affords a 5-inch show with a 15:9 facet ratio. Then, with a small double faucet of a aspect button, the display unfurls to offer you a remarkably tall 6.5-inch show with a 22:9 facet ratio. 

Lenovo will get a whole lot of mileage out of this simple-seeming design. There’s the plain use instances, like having the ability to watch a video at its native facet ratio with no black bars, or getting a bigger display while you need to write an electronic mail. Lenovo’s thought is that the cellphone will routinely regulate its display to raised go well with completely different apps, and it hopes the ultimate model will let customers customise how large they need the display to be for every use case.

There are additionally some much less apparent parts of the system. As a result of the rollable display is rolling across the backside of the cellphone somewhat than disappearing inside its chassis, you’re left with a small secondary show on its again when it’s rolled up. Software program options for this embody utilizing it as a viewfinder while you’re taking selfies with the cellphone’s rear cameras. Lenovo has even included a characteristic the place the rear show performs cute eye-catching animations to get a baby to have a look at the cellphone while you need to take a photograph of them. That stated, if the duvet show on foldable flip telephones from the likes of Samsung and Oppo are something to go by, discovering genuinely helpful issues for diminutive screens like this to do is usually a problem. 

One other cool contact is that the show can cover the selfie digital camera and earpiece, and rolls right down to reveal them while you make a cellphone name or go to take a selfie. 

Like with the laptop computer, the Motorola rollable smartphone idea is a proof of idea, and there have been a whole lot of questions Lenovo didn’t have solutions to, like what number of rolls the display can survive. There’s no wording on worth, and never even a touch on when this system may launch. I wasn’t given the chance to carry or use the system for myself. 

However once more, given Lenovo’s monitor report with foldable telephones (bear in mind the Razr?), I believe there’s a non-zero likelihood of this tech showing in a Motorola-branded cellphone some day. 

In 2019, it appeared like foldable telephones have been about to develop into the subsequent large factor on this planet of smartphones. However 4 years later, it appears like we’re nonetheless ready for this future to develop into a mainstream actuality. Lenovo can be the primary to confess that its rollable idea units are removed from prepared for prime time, however they provide a compelling argument for an alternate, rollable future.

Pictures by Jon Porter / The Verge