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Lenovo hasnt even released its futuristic laptop with a rollable screen. But that hasnt stopped the company from taking that notebooks core components and remixing it into a whole new thing at MWC 2025. Officially called the ThinkBook codename Flip AI PC Proof of concept (yes, that is its official name and its a real mouthful), the laptop uses the same flexible OLED featured in its rollable sibling, except this time instead of disappearing inside its chassis, the display folds outwards. This allows what is normally a 13-inch panel to double in size to 18.1 inches at a moment's notice. Notably, because the Flips screen bends instead of sliding in and out of the bottom half of the system, Lenovo can utilize the panels full area unlike the ThinkBook Rollable, which can only extend up to 16.7 inches. In its vertical mode, this provides a ton of extra space for documents or multitasking. However, the screen can also be folded back into tablet mode or something akin to a 2-in-1s tent mode for times when you might want to share your display with someone on the other side of the table. Sam Rutherford for Engadget Somewhat impressively, a fancy monitor isnt the only trick the Flip has. Down below, Lenovo created what it calls a Smart ForcePad, which features a three-layer illuminated dashboard that adds customizable controls and icons to its surface. Its a neat trick that expands what a basic touchpad can do, though its not exactly a huge leap from what weve seen on rival machines from Acer and others. Finally, on the inside, the Flip should have solid performance thanks to the inclusion of an Intel Core Ultra 7 processor, 32GB of RAM and PCIe SSD storage. As a fan of anything with a flexible screen, its fascinating to see how quickly Lenovo was able to take the components used in the ThinkBook Plus Gen6 Rollable and turn them into something else. That said, as this was a very early prototype (a Lenovo representative said it was only one of two in the world at the time), there are some obvious issues that need to be ironed out before this thing ever gets close to an official release. The first is that for a system with a screen this tall, its hinge wasnt fully up to the task of keeping everything stable, as even a light tap would cause the whole panel to sway back and forth in a disconcerting way. The model I used also lacked that kickstand that appears in some of Lenovos promotional images, which would have further increased its sturdiness. However, the biggest potential problem with the Flip may be difficult to address because its inherent to its core design. When the laptop is collapsed down into a clamshell for traveling, the way its screen folds exposes the flexible display to items that might scratch it. And while its possible to get around this by using a form-fitting laptop sleeve, that seems a bit too dangerous, even for someone like me whos been using foldable phones for half a decade. Upon further consideration, I wouldnt be surprised if this design challenge is a big reason Lenovo decided to bring the ThinkBook Rollable to market instead of the Flip. Currently, Lenovo has no plans to bring the Flip to full production, but even so, its nice seeing what a company can come up with when it's not scared to show off unfinished devices.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/laptops/lenovos-codename-flip-is-another-wild-take-on-a-flexible-screen-laptop-230051495.html?src=rss
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Lenovo has announced new laptops with generative AI features for this year's Mobile World Congress (MWC), including the Yoga Pro 9i Aura edition. Lenovo's Aura edition branding is the result of a partnership with Intel to create a set of "distinct software, hardware and AI features" that make "computing a more personalized, productive, and protected experience." The Yoga Pro 9i Aura edition is powered by the Intel Core Ultra processor and ships with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 GPU, which is the company's most affordable model in the RTX 50 series. It has a 16-inch 3.2K PureSight Pro display with a double layer of OLED pixels that increases its overall brightness to 1600nits peak, as well as boosts its power efficiency. The display also supports 100 percent sRGB, P3 and Adobe RGB color gamut that provide true-to-life color accuracy. Like the previous versions of the Yoga Pro 9i, the Aura edition comes with the Lenovo Creator Zone, an on-device AI suite that can make third-party video, photo and music applications for creators easier to use. Lenovo's Yoga Pro 9i Aura Edition will be available starting in the second quarter of 2025, with prices starting at $1,799. The company has also introduced the 15-inch IdeaPad Slim 3x, a Copilot+ PC that runs on Snapdragon X chip, Qualcomm's new platform designed to put Copilot+ PCs within reach for more people. IdeaPad Slim 3x can also process AI tasks on device and comes with a dedicated key for Microsoft's Copilot assistant. One more interesting feature is the device's open SSD slot that can fit an extra SSD for those who want to expand the laptop's storage capacity. The model will be available starting this month for at least $649. Lenovo This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/laptops/lenovos-new-ai-laptops-for-mwc-include-the-yoga-pro-9i-aura-edition-and-the-ideapad-slim-3x-230024761.html?src=rss
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You might be surprised to learn that the first laptop with built-in solar panels is nearly 15 years old. But to me, the bigger shock is that with all the recent advancements in photovoltaic cells, manufacturers havent revisited this idea more often. But at MWC 2025, Lenovo is changing that with its Yoga Solar PC Concept. Weighing 2.6 pounds and measuring less than 0.6 inches thick, the Yoga Solar PC Concept is essentially the same size as a standard 14-inch clamshell. And because its underlying design isnt all that different from Lenovos standard Yoga family, it doesnt skimp on specs either. It features an OLED display, up to 32GB of RAM, a decent-sized 50.2 WHr battery and even a 2MP IR webcam for use with Windows Hello. However, all those components arent nearly as important as the solar cells embedded in its lid. Lenovo says the panels use Back Contact Cell technology so that its mounting brackets and gridlines can be placed on the rear of the cells. This allows the panels to offer up to 24 percent solar energy conversion, which is pretty good as that matches the efficiency you get from many high-end home solar systems. Furthermore, the PC also supports Dynamic Solar Tracking to automatically adjust the cells settings to maximize the amount of energy they can gather. Lenovo says this means the Yoga Solar PC can generate enough juice to play an hour of videos after only 20 minutes in the sun. But what might be more impressive is that even when the laptop is indoors, it can still harvest power from as little as 0.3 watts of light to help top off its battery. Finally, to help you understand how much power it's gathering, Lenovo created a bespoke app to track how much light the panels absorb. Unfortunately, Lenovo doesnt have any plans to turn this concept into a full commercial device. But after playing around with it, I was pleasantly surprised to see how solid and sturdy its chassis felt. Unlike a lot of prototype devices, the Yoga Solar PC Concept doesnt feel like that much of a stretch technologically compared to other notebooks on sale today. Its PV cells sit safely behind a sheet of glass (or possibly plastic, Lenovo wouldnt confirm which one) while also adding a bit of distinctive visual flair. However, the biggest hurdle (and possibly a big reason why we havent seen more laptops like this) is that for people who want to use solar panels to charge their devices, its probably easier and more versatile to rely on a standalone solar array instead of something built-in to the gadget itself. Regardless, Lenovos Yoga Solar PC is a surprisingly polished concept that Id love to see get more attention in the future.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/laptops/the-lenovo-solar-pc-concept-feels-like-a-device-whose-time-has-come-230022723.html?src=rss
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