One of the most striking devices of the past CES was the ThinkPad X1 Fold. This is a very peculiar team from Lenovo that draws attention for a feature that jumps out at first glance: its folding screen. Another device with a folding screen? Yes, and it's the best of news.
I want a laptop with these characteristics
The so-called Post-PC era has evolved a lot, and with products like the Microsoft Surface the concept of portability and productivity have been completely transformed. But we still have to reach a new level, and that is just what I have witnessed when I got my hands on the ThinkPad X1 Fold.
As its name indicates and as you can see in the images that accompany the article, it is a product with a completely futuristic-looking folding screen. It is true that there are details to be polished, such as the finishes of the screen or the thickness of the device, and it is that, although the model was quite functional (it ran Windows 10 completely), it was still a prototype.
Aesthetically very striking
The folding felt firm and effective, but it is inevitable to think that it can be broken. The fragility of the screen remained latent, and this is possibly the main problem of the folding devices that are to come: they are fragile and require care. I have noticed this weakness when closing the device. Instinctively I tended to press my thumbs on the screen, because the hinge offers resistance when closing. It is something that they will have to work on, since it is not similar to a book. In a book, the weight of the spine itself causes it to close, however, in this type of device the internal hinge keeps the equipment straight and firm to be able to work with it, and when closing it we need to apply pressure in the center to close it . Press on the screen? A mistake.
The device as such felt quite firm, very well finished with very interesting details. Beneath the leather lining that surrounds the exterior of the equipment is a carbon fiber protection that ensures the safety of the screen against any external impact. When closed, the ThinkPad X1 Fold looks completely like a Moleskine planner. The leather lining has a very clever sliding mechanism that allows the spine of this false agenda to move when we open the device, keeping the surface perfectly straight without creating wrinkles.
All this is part of the hinge mechanism that makes the internal curvature of the screen perfect and does not produce any type of fold, at the same time that when opening the equipment, the screen becomes a flat panel with the almost absence of wrinkles (and it is that the imperfections exist once unfolded).
I love the format
But design and folding system aside, what's truly important about the ThinkPad X1 Fold is that it can completely transform the way we work. We can use it as a small 9,6-inch laptop, turn it into an entire electronic book with two 9,6-inch screens, or use it directly as a screen for 13,3 inches, in which case we will use a bluetooth keyboard.
The manufacturer offers a Bluetooth keyboard as an accessory, an extremely slim model that fits perfectly into the gap left by the screen when the device is folded (thus covering the ugly gap that is generated in this type of internal folding device). In this way we can take it with us at all times and thus use it when the equipment is working in 9,6 inches, or when it transforms into a 13-inch laptop. This metamorphosis is what I loved about the ThinkPad X1 Fold, since it allows us to enjoy a large screen in a device that literally fits in a small bag and weighs 999 grams.
When using the 13,3-inch screen mode, we will deploy a small foot hidden in the body, similar to a digital frame, so once again the solution is integrated, facilitating the user experience. As I say, quite a chameleonic convertible that feels completely futuristic thanks to the folding screen.
We are going to see it in stores this year… with a high price
What did you expect? A piece of the future in your hands is not going to cost less than 1.000 euros. What's more, they will be $2.500 exactly. Yes, it hurts in the soul, but the first generations of completely new devices based on innovative technology are never within everyone's reach, and this ThinkPad X1 Pro was no different. Of course, if we compare it with other devices of a similar nature and price such as the Galaxy Fold or the Huawei Mate X, perhaps we will find this ThinkPad X1 Fold even cheap, or at least not so expensive (due to the dimensions and what it could cost). offer as a work device).
What remains to improve?
At this point you will not be surprised if I tell you that folding screens work, but they need some improvements for the future. There are certain technical limitations that still make the product feel like a unit from several years ago. And I mean aesthetically. The thickness is high, and the finishes are neither fine nor elegant, and it is something that current technology does not allow us to improve for now.
But there is no doubt that this first generation of devices points us in the right direction, and may be key to the way we will work in the coming years.