Lenovo’s foldable PC will be available later this year for $2,499

Back in May, Lenovo teased the ThinkPad X1 Fold—the world’s first PC with a foldable display. 

At CES 2020, the company announced it will be available mid year. And it could be yours for a whopping $2,499. 

I got to check out the laptop before the show floor opened up, and it seems like something I’d actually want to use on a daily basis.

The laptop has a 13.3-inch 2K pOLED display (made by LG Display) with 2048 x 1536 resolution. It’s designed to spread out as you close it, so that it never truly creases. At the demo, the crease wasn’t all that visible. But it remains to be seen what happens when you open and close this thing every day.

The display also features a stainless steel foil underneath, to protect from scratch resistance, and a special coating on top. But it’s still soft enough to fold and unfold with ease.

You can also use it in a variety of ways. Completely unfolded, the X1 Fold acts like a standard tablet, to watch films or browse the web. Fold it in a little, and you can use split-screen mode to see different content at once. 

Additional features include a five-megapixel IR camera at the top of the display, an Active pen to navigate the laptop or take notes, and Dolby stereo speakers.

When it’s fully folded in half, you can use the bottom of the laptop as the keyboard while the top acts as your monitor. On the back, there’s a stand built into the case. 

It also comes equipped with a physical mini keyboard that you can place at the bottom instead. If you want the full desktop experience, you can also unfold it, place the keyboard in front of the display, throw in a mouse, and you’ve got yourself a nice little setup. 

Lenovo offers a stand specifically built for the for the laptop as well. But it’ll cost you an additional $23.99.

When fully folded up, like a book, the crease leaves enough room that you can slide the keyboard inside so that it’s sandwiched between both displays. That way, it also charges when it’s not in use.

The ThinkPad X1 Fold will ship with Windows 10 Pro. Lenovo won’t give away any details in terms of its processor but it’s possible it could be an Intel Lakefield chipset. It also comes with an Intel UHD Gen 11 Graphics card. As for storage, the laptop starts at 8GB and goes all the way up to 1TB.

When the laptop was first unveiled, Lenovo kept it vague in terms of battery life by claiming that it can last “all-day.” But it’s been confirmed the X1 Fold will come with a 50-watt battery, which can last up to 11 hours on one charge, and support for Rapid Charging. 

While I didn’t spend that much time with it, I actually thought it was really cool. Of course, foldable displays are still evolving but I’d say this is a pretty good start when it comes to incorporating the concept into laptops. 

But what attracts me to the X1 Fold is the fact that it’s not only super compact, but also versatile. No one wants to carry around their laptop, tablet, and phone all the time on their daily commute.  

Hopefully, I’ll have the chance to test this baby out once it’s available.