Lenovo Unveils Innovative ThinkBook Plus Gen 6 Rollable AI PC at CES 2025

Is it just me or does Lenovo's rollable laptop design look a little ridiculous?

It's that time of year again, when tech companies across the globe show off their visions of the future at CES. We've seen all sorts of weird and wonderful gadgets at the tech conference already this year, many of which we didn't know we needed (and many of which we're still not sure we do). But one product that seems to have got tech writers' collective hearts all aflutter is Lenovo's new 'rollable screen' laptop. The idea of the rollable screen isn't entirely new - we've seen concepts for mobile phones that make use of the expanding screen tech. But Lenovo's catchily named ThinkBook Plus Gen 6 Rollable AI PC could be the first to actually hit the market. Many have been impressed with the rolling action - but is the fundamental design of the notebook computer suited to a super-tall display? According to Lenovo, the ThinkBook Plus Gen 6 Rollable AI PC "combines the portability of a traditional laptop with the expanded workspace of a larger device", creating a vertical screen at the touch of a button. "By vertically expanding from a compact 14-inch display to a generous 16.7 inches by simple press of a dedicated key or through hand gestures to the camera, users gain nearly 50% additional screen space in a portable form factor, making it ideal for business users who need flexibility and efficiency on the go." Videos of the rolling action are certainly impressive. While the motor seems a little loud, the upwards extending motion only takes a few seconds. And there are a few use cases where a vertical display makes sense, such as coding, working on portrait documents, and, er, watching Reels? But while it's admirable that brands are looking to innovate in what's arguably becoming an increasingly stagnant world of tech product design, when looking at the fully extended laptop, I can't help but wonder if this was a problem that didn't need to be solved. The whole thing looks almost amusingly deformed and top-heavy, and one presumes the laws of science have forced Lenovo to keep the bottom half of the laptop weighty to avoid it toppling over. And it seems the tech brings some limitations. According to Forbes, a Lenovo spokesperson claims it's "hugely challenging to add a touchscreen layer to the rollable screen". And then there's the price - at $3,499, it seems innovation comes at a cost. Time will tell whether rollable vertical displays will take off, but for my money, it feels like a confusing confluence of form factors. For a vertical display, right now I'd be happy sticking with my phone or tablet. But then again, with even Apple considering ways to merge the MacBook and iPad, perhaps we'd better start getting used to more hybrid designs.

Hands on with Lenovo's 'rollable' display laptop at CES 2025: You'll roll your eyes at its price

Lenovo has been on a roll. The Beijing-based tech company consistently debuts some of the most exciting and innovative laptops at CES every year, from the 2020 ThinkBook Plus with an "E Ink" display on its lid to 2023's dual-screened Yoga Book 9i and twistable ThinkBook Plus. Last year, it brought us a ThinkBook with snap-on attachments. At the 2025 tech trade show, Lenovo aims to continue its hot streak with the formal launch of the ThinkBook Plus Gen 6 Rollable, an all-new business laptop that's billed as "the world's first rollable display AI PC." It was introduced two years ago as a concept, and it's finally hitting the market within the next few months. Mashable checked out the ThinkBook Plus Gen 6 in a hands-on demo Tuesday, and unfortunately I'm going to be that person: Its OLED display doesn't actually roll up like a scroll or a burrito, as its name implies. But setting aside that nitpick, it's a neat, well-made new option for creatives and multitasking professionals with padded pockets. First off: Why this? A Lenovo rep told us that the company is interested in exploring different ways to use OLED displays, which are thin and flexible. ("It's kind of like a sticker," they said.) You might recall 2020's ThinkPad X1 Fold with a bendable OLED display. A mechanism within the hinge of the ThinkBook Plus Gen 6 slides a hidden extension of its display out from inside the base, where it's sandwiched between its keyboard and motherboard. The display coasts out along tracks on either side of the screen, which translate to some chunky bezels. A sing-songy chime plays as the display grows -- maybe to muffle the noise of that mechanism, which sounds like a quiet pencil sharpener when it's working. The fully expanded display offers almost 50 percent more screen real estate than before, or enough room for two or three stacked windows. Users can unleash and retract the display by pressing a dedicated key, or by holding their palm up near the top of the screen, like they're swearing on a bible. After the webcam takes a moment to register the hand's presence, a subsequent upwards or downwards gesture will cause the display to get bigger or smaller. (I preferred the button-pressing method in our testing -- it's faster and less finicky.) The mechanism will stop the display-sliding process if the laptop's screen is too far forward. When fully extended, the display is super rigid, not at all top-heavy, and impressively free of any noticeable creases. The lid side of the display section that's sheathed has a ridged texture. Lenovo made a couple changes to the ThinkBook Plus Gen 6 in taking it from prototype to mass production. Its screen is tad bigger than the first iteration's, for one thing: It's now 14 inches at rest and 16.7 inches in full, up from 12.7 inches and 15.3 inches, respectively. A Lenovo rep told us the new larger size is more ideal for productivity and watching vertical videos. The position of the display in the market-ready ThinkBook Plus Gen 6 has also been optimized for stability, Lenovo said -- they didn't want it to crack or bubble easily -- and the mechanisms that slide it out are more structurally sound. It's supposedly better at staying cool, too, and its finalized chassis should prevent any liquids from reaching the housed display in case anything gets spilled on its keyboard. Looking beyond its party trick, the ThinkBook Plus Gen 6 is a pretty standard next-gen Copilot+ PC spec-wise. It can be configured with up to an Intel Core Ultra 7 Series 2 processor, 32GB of RAM, and 1TB of SSD storage, and it's got Intel Arc graphics. It webcam has a resolution of 5MP, and there's a privacy shutter on the top edge of its lid. Its keyboard is clicky and satisfying to use. It's 0.78 inches thick and weighs 3.73 pounds. It comes in Luna Grey. It hasn't been rated for battery life yet. Is it worth it for that expanding display alone? (Let's stop calling it rollable.) Maybe if you don't want to carry around a separate monitor -- and you're not a fan of existing dual-display form factors. The price of the ThinkBook Plus Gen 6 will probably be the biggest determining factor for most people: It will start at $3,499 when it hits the market sometime in Q1 2025.

Lenovo loves to innovate, and its laptop with a rollable display proves that it still has its mojo

This ThinkBook is the latest innovation in form factor from Lenovo If you want a laptop with a larger screen but don't want to sacrifice portability - and the GPD Duo, with its dual 13.3-inch OLED screens feels like overkill - the ThinkBook Plus Gen 6 Rollable from Lenovo could be exactly what you're looking for. Part of the PC maker's lineup of AI-powered business solutions being unveiled at CES 2025, the laptop, which was originally presented as a rather unlikely concept two years ago, features a vertically expanding rollable 14-inch OLED display capable of extending to a 16.7-inch panel with the press of a key or via hand gestures to the camera. The 120Hz OLED screen offers 400 nits of brightness and 100% DCI-P3 color accuracy, delivering sharp and vibrant visuals suitable for professional workloads. Weighing 3.73lbs (1.69kg) and measuring 19.9mm in thickness, the laptop balances a slim design with enhanced productivity features. It includes an edge-to-edge ThinkBook keyboard with a ForcePad and comes with dual Thunderbolt 4 ports and Intel Wi-Fi 7 (5 Gig) for fast data transfers and connectivity. Powered by up to an Intel Core Ultra 7 processor (Series 2) with Intel Arc Xe2 graphics, the Copilot+ PC supports up to 32GB of LPDDR5x memory running at 8533MT/s and offers up to 1TB of PCIe Gen4 SSD storage. The 66Whr battery, paired with a 65W USB Type-C GaN Nano adapter, offers reliable power for extended use. The Copilot+ PC comes with AI-powered tools like Lenovo AI Now and Cocreator from Paint, blending on-device intelligence with cloud capabilities. These tools provide features such as task suggestions, workflow optimization, and offline creative assistance for content generation and data analysis. The device also introduces the ThinkBook Workspace, designed to improve multitasking with split-screen capabilities and dedicated widgets for frequently used apps. Its unique vertical screen design encourages better posture, making it particularly useful for professionals working long hours. The ThinkBook Plus Gen 6 Rollable will be available in Q1 2025 with a starting price of $3,499.

Lenovo debuts laptop that can make itself grow

Lenovo's new AI-powered laptop debuts a new "rollable" screen. Credit: Lenovo Second monitors are a thing of the past: Introducing a new "rollable" laptop from Lenovo that hides a new way to extend your screen size with no additional products. Unveiled at this week's annual CES event in Las Vegas, Lenovo's ThinkBook™ Plus Gen 6 Rollable AI laptop, is, according to the company, a first of its kind personal device that can instantly increase the laptop's vertical display to make working, coding, and creating content easier and more efficient on-the-go. The device has a flexible OLED display powered by small motors in its hinge, which vertically unrolls a tucked away screen that transforms the 14-inch display into a significantly larger 16.7 inch screen. The rolling motion is powered by a key on the keyboard or even just a hand gesture, according to user preference. Once extended, the display can be used for vertical split-screening as if its a second monitor, or for simply boosting your screen's surface area. "Engineered for maximum versatility and reliability, the ThinkBook Plus Gen 6 Rollable combines the portability of a traditional laptop with the expanded workspace of a larger device," writes Lenovo. "With a unique vertical laptop screen experience, the ThinkBook Plus Gen 6 also encourages better posture, reducing strain for professionals working long hours." The design was first introduced as the Lenovo rollable laptop concept two years ago. The fully realized, consumer-ready version will go to market at an eyebrow-raising $3,499 sometime in early 2025.