At the end of its Transform event in New York City on Tuesday, Lenovo gave reporters a glimpse of a laptop with a foldable screen.
Instead of a hinge to close the laptop, Lenovo’s concept design suggests that future laptops will have bendable screens that are flexible enough to close the laptop. So far, the benefits of a bendable screen aren’t immediately obvious, but it does look good and futuristic. It could mean bigger screens in a smaller overall design.
Lenovo didn’t go into any details about the “advanced materials” it referenced to in its diagram, but we can guess some of these materials. For one, the only screen technology so far that can bend – and still function – is OLED technology. OLED display technology is available today, and has been used is a few bendable products, like the LG G Flex smartphones.
The concept’s diagram shows that we’ll be able to use voice commands and a stylus to navigate around the laptop of the future. It’s interesting to note, however, that Lenovo still includes the keyboard and mouse in its future concept. It looks like the decades-old technology is, and will be, the best way to use computers in the foreseeable future. Perhaps Lenovo isn’t optimistic about the current voice-control technologies like Apple’s Siri or Google’s Assistant.
Lenovo likened the laptop to a “concept car,” which unfortunately means we shouldn’t expect a laptop with a bendable screen any time soon, if at all, as most concept cars rarely make their way to the road.