Lenovo Unveils Innovative Laptop Concepts: Smart Motion Stand and VertiFlex Display

This stand can automatically lift, tilt, and turn your laptop toward you

Lenovo's Smart Motion Concept laptop stand, announced at IFA 2025, automatically raises and lowers itself and turns and tilts to position your laptop at an ergonomic eye level. It's a lot like an amped-up Apple Center Stage webcam, but the whole laptop adapts to you and your posture. That's basically what it felt like when it was demoed for me at a recent preview event, where it tracked me side to side and up and down around a table. In another demo, it did a "dance" where it ran through its full range of motion to some cheesy music. (More Elaine than any TikTok-level choreography.) The stand's other features include built-in cooling fans and a USB hub. The USB connection allows Lenovo's software to use the webcam to keep the user in frame. In addition to face tracking, the stand is controllable with a remote or through hand gestures while wearing Lenovo's AI Ring -- another concept it showed back at MWC. The Smart Motion stand was born from Lenovo's Auto Twist concept, a laptop that turned its screen to face you. Lenovo envisions that, should a product with this tech ever launch, part of its role could be to meet accessibility needs in a variety of laptops. Photography by Antonio G. Di Benedetto / The Verge

Lenovo shows off ThinkBook VertiFlex laptop and Smart Motion dock concepts at IFA - rotating displays and AI-powered docks that follow your every move

Lenovo knows how to impress. Its IFA concepts can rotate or follow you around. Lenovo is not a company that likes to play it safe when it comes to its products. It consistently pushes the boundaries of what form factors are possible with its products, as seen in the eye-catching ThinkPad Plus G6, which features a rollable screen. As Lucas Rossi, Executive Vice President of Lenovo and President of the Intelligent Devices Group, told us in a roundtable discussion at IFA, "I think we have the credit for the company that takes more risks. Meaning, we try, we experiment, and there are... projects that never see the light. But many times, the experiments that fail seed for the experiment that makes it happen." Lenovo showed off its first foldable laptop concept in 2017. At the time, the ideas and technology behind that foldable project couldn't immediately be incorporated into a production product. However, the intellectual property would eventually find its way into the Moto Razr smartphone, "which is now selling in the millions," according to Rossi. With that in mind, it's possible that we'll see the fruits of Lenovo's labor with the ThinkBook VertiFlex Concept and Smart Motion Concept in future products. With a few exceptions, the aspect ratio of a laptop's display is fixed. In modern laptops, you'll find laptop displays that usually have a 16:9, 16:10, or 3:2 aspect ratio in a landscape orientation. However, the ThinkBook VertiFlex, which leaked last week as "Project Pivo," features a 14-inch display that can rotate without you needing to stow the keyboard (like a 2-in-1 convertible). Instead, the lid contains a pivot point that allows the screen to rotate from its standard landscape orientation to portrait mode. And there are no motors involved. You just grab the corner of the screen and pull it up until it pivots into vertical mode. Lenovo says that this capability for an on-demand portrait mode allows the display to become more ergonomic, letting you see more text on the screen when editing documents or displaying code. The portrait mode also comes in handy when mirroring your smartphone to your laptop using Lenovo's Smart Connect software. Then, when you want to watch a movie or play a game, you just pivot the screen back into its default landscape orientation. The switch (in software) from landscape to portrait is instantaneous, and the ThinkBook VertiFlex is still in ultrabook territory, weighing just 3.06 pounds with a thickness of just 0.7 inches. That's not as thin or light as the best ultraportable laptops, but it's not too far off. Computer docks are usually pretty dull. Typically, they're in a long rectangular or stubby book-shaped form factor and sit on your desk to connect your various peripherals, laptops, and storage devices. The Smart Motion Concept still has that standard dock functionality, with the usual assortment of USB, video, and Ethernet ports, but it also serves as a stand for your laptop. But Lenovo adds a dash of AI to its Smart Motion Concept by using your laptop's built-in webcam and a motorized gimbal system to track your head movements and alter the position of your laptop, in conjunction with the stand, to keep it at the peak of ergonomic efficiency using a motorized gimbal system. The dock can even take input from your laptop's microphones to track where your voice is coming from when you're speaking. It's eerie to see the Smart Motion Concept working in person as it turns and adjusts its height as you move from side to side or up and down. In practice, it works similarly to last year's Lenovo Auto Twist AI PC concept. But building this functionality into a dock makes more sense, since you won't have to toss out all those expensive motors and the motion tracking when it's time to upgrade to a new laptop. There's no guarantee that either the ThinkBook VertiFlex Concept or the Smart Motion Concept will make it to production. However, compared to some of the more outlandish concepts we've seen in the past, both concepts should have relatively little resistance in the on the potential path to production and a product you can actually buy.

Lenovo's radical PC concepts imagine laptop screens that adapt to you

Concepts? Maybe. But with Lenovo, you might just be getting a glimpse of the future. Lenovo has previously shown off a prototype display that can intelligently align itself for optimal ergonomics. Now, it's doing something similar with a laptop stand, too. At the IFA 2025 show in Berlin, Lenovo is showing off what it's calling the Smart Motion Concept, a smart multidirectional laptop stand that can track your face and optimize itself so that presumably its alignment will place little stress on your eyes and neck. The company is also showing off what it calls a "VertiFlex" concept, which would allow a laptop's landscape screen to rotate into a portrait mode, and a "Magic Bay Tiko" smart screen. Lenovo typically exposes some of what its engineers have been working on at various trade shows, hearkening back to the days when IBM -- which sold its laptop business to Lenovo -- would open the doors of its iconic Almaden Research Lab in the foothills of San Jose. There, IBM would show off some of its research, seeding the industry with new ideas while soliciting feedback. At CES 2025 as well as the MWC 2025 show, Lenovo demonstrated the AI Display, which placed an NPU inside of a display both to add AI capabilities to older PCs, as well as to allow the monitor to automatically swivel, tilt, and elevate. The idea was that in a shared communal workplace, where workers might cycle in and out with laptops connected to docking stations, the AI Display could automatically configure itself to a new worker. Before the work-from-home movement took over, however, communal workspaces were also jammed together with laptop stands, with their displays doubling as external monitors. The Smart Motion Concept basically does the same thing as the AI Monitor, aligning the laptop both to minimize eyestrain as well as to position it and its camera for video calls. Analyst Olivier Blanchard of the Futurum Group captured a video of the Smart Motion Concept in action, as it turned and followed him. Lenovo also uses an AI ring to enable gesture controls of the entire setup, the company said. It's all very reminiscent of webcams like the OBSBOT Tiny 4K, which has a small gimbal and tracking software to allow the webcam to twist and turn and track your face as you move about the room. Tweaking the display is also the theme of Lenovo's other concepts. The ThinkBook VertiFlex Concept (top image) imagines a traditional clamshell laptop whose 14-inch screen can be vertically rotated into portrait mode. The 3.06-pound laptop is designed to switch into portrait mode for use with reviewing documents or writing code. While in portrait mode, Lenovo said that it intends that a smartphone could connect to the laptop by lying with its back facing the portion of the display -- though whether for charging or just ergonomics is unclear. Lenovo also showed off what it calls a "NaturaSynth" display, with blue light being throttled down to under 1 percent to reduce eye strain and fatigue. The blue-light controls are managed in hardware, Lenovo said. Finally, Lenovo also showed off (but didn't announce) the Magic Bay Tiko concept, which is essentially another small display which can be attached to the back of your laptop. Lenovo is positioning the small rectangular display (about the size of an old car-mounted CD deck) as both a teleprompter and a second screen for speaker notes without your eyes drifting too far away from a webcam during a meeting. Keep in mind while these are technically concepts, Lenovo also brings some of these to reality. The latest example? The ThinkBook Plus Rollable, a superb laptop with an extensible rollable screen that began life as a concept but which Lenovo eventually brought to market. Ironically, the Rollable essentially beats VertiFlex to market by "unrolling" into a portrait mode. Either way, it's great to see companies trying new things -- and talking about them publicly.

Lenovo just unveiled a concept that combines a laptop stand with a USB dock

The best laptop stands can be super useful if you're sitting hunched over a laptop all day. That said, they're often little more than simple stands that remain in place. But what if there was a laptop stand that could do more? Lenovo is attempting to answer that question with an innovative concept device. During IFA 2025, the company unveiled the Lenovo Smart Motion Concept, which goes beyond simply elevating your laptop. I also got to briefly check it out during a pre-IFA event held in New York City. I'm a big fan of laptop stands, and use one both at home and at the office. Needless to say, this concept is something that's right up my alley. This multi-directional laptop stand concept utilizes three motors to move up, down, and side to side. The system integrates with a laptop's camera, microphone and speakers to deliver auto-facial tracking, voice control and optimal ergonomics. An AI ring is also included to enable gesture control of the PC stand's rotation. Having the laptop follow your face can be useful for virtual classes or presentations where you want to show something to whoever you're engaging with while remaining in frame. It can track where you're going and adjust accordingly. However, based on what I saw, the stand seems to rotate between 120 to 180 degrees, so it definitely has a limit. A rotating laptop stand would be cool on its own, but this concept also features a slew of ports on its side for good measure. Port selection isn't finalized, but the device I saw had an HDMI port, an Ethernet port, two USB-A ports and a pair of DisplayPorts. The concept's stand isn't that wide or thick, and won't take up much space on your desk. Like the "Lenovo ThinkBook VertiFlex Concept" I also saw, there's no guarantee that the Lenovo Smart Motion Concept will ever see the light of day. That said, it would be interesting to check out a finalized model and test it in the real world. Regardless, I applaud Lenovo for always thinking outside the proverbial box. This concept certainly exemplifies that spirit.

Lenovo's new concepts include a rotating screen I want on all laptops

IFA Berlin This story is part of our coverage of IFA Berlin 2025 Updated less than 3 minutes ago We're here in Berlin for the annual IFA trade show, and, as in previous years, companies are showcasing their latest products. Alongside new phones and tablets like the Galaxy S25 FE, Tecno Pova Slim, and the Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra, there's also a range of new computing products. Among these are two new concept PCs from Lenovo, and as we've seen previously, these concepts can often quickly become commercial products that you can buy. Lenovo has unveiled two new concepts this year, and I hope that both become commercial products, as each could transform how you use your laptop. Recommended Videos One is designed to expand the capabilities of thousands of laptops, while the other is one of the most unique laptop designs, thanks to its rotating screen. Meet the new ThinkBook™ VertiFlex and Lenovo Smart Motion concepts, both of which could signal the future of computing. A laptop concept with a rotating display This is one of the coolest concepts I've seen in years, and it brings a common monitor feature to laptops for the first time. We all know someone who uses a desktop monitor in vertical orientation, and this is usually ideal for tasks where the length of the screen, not the width, is the better layout. The new Lenovo ThinkBook™ VertiFlex Concept features a gorgeous 14-inch display that you can easily rotate 90° to vertical orientation with a simple push on the screen's corner. This is only a concept, but it pivots smoothly thanks to two large mechanical solutions, and there's a soft felt finish between the display and the lid of the laptop. Once the screen is turned, there's enough space on either side of the display to place your phone. Using the Lenovo Smart Connect app, you can also transfer files and control your Android phone wirelessly. Additionally, if you have a Motorola phone like the Razr Ultra 2025, you can use Moto AI features directly from your laptop. There's one key benefit that becomes immediately apparent: the ability to use this in vertical mode while you're traveling. If you regularly review long documents, such as legal documents, or you work in industries that rely on viewing long streams of information -- finance or social media are both use cases that would work -- this could be an ideal solution for you. I've previously used Lenovo's Yoga Book 9i with its two OLED displays to cover an Apple Event -- like the one for the iPhone 17 launch next week -- and the tall form factor was ideal for multitasking. The 14-inch display on the Lenovo ThinkBook™ VertiFlex Concept is narrower than a regular laptop when in vertical mode, but the extra height of the display makes all the difference for multitasking on the go. A laptop stand with a big difference The second concept is the new Lenovo Smart Motion Concept, a new stand that can be used to expand the capabilities of your laptop, thanks to the extra ports. However, this is more than just a regular stand as it builds on Lenovo's previous concepts with some unique features, including gesture control, voice command support, and the ability to track you so you're always in the frame during video calls. There are many reasons why this may appeal. First, there's the potential to expand the capabilities of your laptop, as there's a host of additional ports, which is ideal if you have a thin notebook with limited IO. The connection options include two USB-C ports, two USB-A ports, two DisplayPorts, one HDMI port, and one LAN port. Imagine the MacBook Air with its two USB-C ports; although it has a MagSafe for charging, it lacks the additional ports to connect peripherals or other accessories. Instead of multiple docking stations or hubs, the Lenovo Smart Motion Concept makes it easy to add ports to your desktop. The Lenovo Smart Motion Concept is definitely not something you'll want to, or should plan to fly with. It's a sizable docking station, featuring a premium metal finish that will perfectly match most laptops, especially the best MacBooks. We've seen a similar concept before, but this year's model introduces two new features: the ability to adjust the height of the stand and the option to tilt the laptop downwards to face you. However, this year's concept lacks the voice control features of the AI Twist PC that was shown off a year ago, and shows how concepts can evolve to become actual commercial products. The height and tilt features allow the laptop to track you as you move around, ensuring that you don't have any frustrating under-chin, upwards-facing photos. If you're someone with limited mobility, or you find it difficult to move a laptop for the ideal video call position, this stand could transform how you use your computer. Two different concepts, and I want both Both of these concepts are fantastic as they each offer a unique solution to key problems that users face. While the Lenovo Smart Motion Concept won't be essential to many people, the Lenovo ThinkBook™ VertiFlex Concept can change how we think of laptops. In particular, it takes the vertical smartphone form factor and applies it to laptops, making it an ideal solution for doomscrolling on a bigger screen. Instead of your phone, this could be perfect for browsing social media, but less so if you want to watch a show or movie. However, this is where you can flip it to the horizontal orientation, and you have a normal laptop. Lenovo built a laptop concept that gives you the best of all worlds, and I want it right now. Given that previous Lenovo concepts have been quickly released to market, and the ThinkBook VertiFlex Concept feels extremely solid, I'm hopeful that this will launch sooner rather than later.