ThinkBook Plus Gen 6 – Lenovo’s rollable laptop
44 comments
·August 4, 20250xEF
whizzter
Gave it a simulation-run and I think I really like this layout!
Working I usually prefer to have 2 normal + laptop screen when docked instead of a single extra-wide ones some at the office use when docking their laptops.
Part of it is that much software today is designed for 16:9 or 16:10 layouts and work less well in 4:3 squared form fashions (why splitting an external wide-screen is often less optimal than 2 "normal" 16:9 externals).
Now, for on the road use I've bought an external 16:9 screen but sitting next to the laptop the head-turn to the left/right is a tad too large to be fully comfortable (When docked I sit a tad further away so the 2+1 screens give a smaller angle).
Finally, coming back to this one, if as the article mentions you get 2x 16:9 layouts stacked on top of each other it'll be pretty neat for coding/debugging/testing. Top part for browser or other target environment and lower part for debugger/code editor without needing to lug anything apart from my computer with a reasonable head-turning.
Just physically tried the layout when writing this with my external USB-screen and it's probably as comfortable as goes without external keyboard+external screens, probably even an improvement over just regular laptop screen since you can look more straight ahead on the top part than with a normal laptop on a table!
ryukoposting
My desk setup has a single 27-inch monitor with my work laptop on a stand next to it [1]. That's really all the desk space I can allocate to screens.
I don't want a laptop larger than about 13.5" because it wouldn't fit nicely in my backpack anymore. So, the only way for me to add screen real estate is to expand vertically.
That said, the bendy screen tech is far away from having a place in my life. I value durability very highly in my technology.
[1]: these pictures should help you visualize it: https://postimg.cc/gallery/6pz9Gz1
zorked
I thought foldable phones were dumb until I saw a bunch of phones and tablets in person at a Huawei shop. They are super-neat actually and I now see how they make sense.
The rollable laptop seems to be something in the same vein? It is much smaller than a laptop with that screen size.
xnzakg
Like the Cosmo Communicator?
0xEF
Did not know about this, thanks for pointing it out. It is not precisely what I had in mind, but appealing none the less.
The phone I had in mind is akin to Motorola's RAZR Ultra. As opposed to opening like a book the way Samsung's latest does, unfolding the "top" half provides a smaller-than-average smartphone screen, leaving room for a Blackberry-style keyboard below.
I'm in that niche market where I do not need a large screen on my phone since I am mostly reading text as opposed to watching media. It's not likely I'll ever get precisely what I want due to practicality of both manufacturing and what the general market demands are. I've come to terms with it, but if someone ever drops such a device, I will get in line for it.
daveed
I mean, I wouldn't buy this one, but I see the use case. A lot of reading (code, webpages) is done vertically, it's helpful to have more vertical real estate in a typical form factor.
I'm not sure about robustness, would have to wait and see tests.
FirmwareBurner
>I cannot possibly imagine what I'd do with a "rollable" laptop
Reach the cookie banner without having to scroll down
0xEF
Could you imagine living in a world where webdevs actually knew how to accommodate different viewports? Peace on Earth, guaranteed.
ryukoposting
Some of the benefits the author lists make a lot of sense. The elevated sightline helps with posture, and improves the webcam angle. I use my laptop as a secondary display when working from home, and the idea of getting more real estate from the same 14-inch footprint is appealing.
I think it's telling that they aren't rolling this out in a ThinkPad-branded device. The bendy screen tech isn't really there yet. The screen surface is still wiggly, and reliability still isn't what it should be.
nosioptar
A Lenovo without a trackpoint us less useful than tits on a bull.
Retr0id
A laptop with a regular screen that can raise up would be interesting, since that'd put it in a more comfortable viewing position.
WillAdams
I rather wish that they had rolled with their transparent screen concept:
https://www.windowscentral.com/hardware/laptops/lenovos-tran...
it would have been _amazing_ for usage as a manual/teaching aid in a shop setting.
rahimnathwani
The screenshots on the Lenovo site all show the single 16.7" screen being used as two screens, one above the other.
If you're not going to use it as a single screen, it's not that much better than carrying around a USB-C portable monitor, unless you switch locations several times each day.
njuber
Cool but I just want mouse buttons. Why did we stop doing mouse buttons? Clickpads are horrible and I'm worried that we are forgetting what we've lost.
burkaman
There are still a few left. For example, https://www.hp.com/us-en/workstations/zbook-fury.html and https://www.fujitsu.com/ph/products/computing/pc/ap/notebook....
RajT88
I hate touchpads as a whole.
When did we stop doing laptop trackballs? (I know, I know, the last laptop with a trackball is able to legally drink by now)
crimsontech
Finally, someone is trying to tackle the huge taskbar problem in Windows 11!
I like this idea, I wouldn't buy one but I always want more vertical space on a laptop screen.
ako
I don't think i have a problem that can be fixed by this solution. When on the go, i want my laptop to be small and portable, when seated at a desk i want my display to be as big as possible, e.g, 32inch 4k, or 2 x 27inch.
defraudbah
not surprised, lenovo has tons of models like L13, X13, N13, how on earth as a regular human am I supposed to make sense of it? Now I have a rollable screen, what does it even mean..
there are so many things I don't understand, same with foldable phones. I am also super happy companies like framework exist, give me a few choices, I don't need much, I want to forget times of tetrising my PC when I was a kid.
boomskats
> how on earth as a regular human am I supposed to make sense of it?
By wanting to, and then choosing to?
> Now I have a rollable screen, what does it even mean..
Did you.. click on the link?
There are plenty of brands with a more limited product range and simpler market positioning, as you just pointed out. If those are a good fit for you and you like them, that's great. There's a reason macbooks and chromebooks are so popular.
I honestly don't get why someone would feel compelled to publicly complain about the very existence of products that they don't want or need or understand.
dzonga
lenovo do need to work on their speaker game - on thinkpads speakers are weak. I'm not sure of parts cost but given thinkpad's target segment even an extra $50 won't hurt for macbook level quality speakers
mouse_
It's not about parts cost, it's about r&d cost. Apple invests so much money into the quality of those internal speakers.
I openly admit that I probably lack the vision others have about these devices with flexible screens, so I find this type of display functionality useless and prone to failure. I'm not the target audience, I guess.
I cannot possibly imagine what I'd do with a "rollable" laptop, but I do see one tiny benefit to foldable phones; reduced pocket consumption. Having a smaller device or a device that gets smaller is just two different ways to solve my main beef with modern phablets.
Personally, I wish someone would just make a clamshell smart phone where I open it up to a single screen on one half and a physical keyboard on another, but that's a different discussion.
That all said, I'm curious to hear from the people who want this device. What's drawing you to it? What problem does this type of display on a laptop solve for you? What are your concerns about its robustness or longevity, if any?