A rather unusual-looking Lenovo laptop was leaked over the weekend. Coming to us via reliable and prolific gadget leaker Evan Blass on Twitter, the laptop is reportedly part of the ThinkBook range and will sport a 17-inch screen… along with a smaller display where a number pad would normally be on a keyboard.
A stylus strategically placed on the smaller screen implies it will likely be a touchscreen, allowing users to write, draw or doodle as necessary. Whether the main display also comes with stylus support is as yet unclear.
Have you guys seen this yet? 17-inch ThinkBook Plus from Lenovo… pic.twitter.com/OElc5ZM3pbOctober 31, 2021
Unfortunately, other than a render, nothing else has been revealed about the laptop – no specs have leaked, not even the size of the second display.
As with any leak or rumor, we’d suggest taking this news with a pinch of salt until Lenovo decides to make it official. In fact, just because a device is announced, doesn’t mean it will ship to customers – we’ll just have to wait and see.
Lenovo has typically used tech trade shows like CES to announce new devices, so we wouldn’t be surprised if this dual-screen ThinkBook Plus makes its debut at CES 2022, scheduled to begin on January 5. That’s not to say the laptop maker doesn’t have a Christmas surprise up its sleeve, and could be gearing up to make a holiday announcement.
Analysis: The short-lived duality of the ThinkBook range
Blass calls this device the ThinkBook Plus, which isn’t a new line of Lenovo laptops. A 13-inch ThinkBook Plus debuted at CES 2020 and was briefly available, but has since been discontinued.
It too had two screens – the main display, plus an E Ink touchscreen built into the lid. Stylus support was available for the E Ink display, and it also gave you a way to check notifications and read ebooks without needing to open the laptop.
It wasn’t the first such Lenovo laptop either. The Yoga Book C930 also came with an E Ink display that replaced the entire keyboard. As innovative as this 2-in-1 was, it too lived a short life and can no longer be purchased in most markets.
With that kind of track record, will this rumored 17-inch ThinkBook Plus do any better? It might, considering the smaller display doesn’t appear to be an E Ink screen. It could be a lot like the Asus ZenBook Duo, but we won’t know how well Lenovo’s dual-screen laptop functions in comparison unless we know more about the specs or, better yet, get our hands on it.
We might get the chance at CES 2022 and if this unusual looking laptop does see the light of day, we’ll be sure to bring you all the details.
- While you’re here, check out our picks of the best laptops you can buy