This seems to be an adaptation of the modular AI concept framework and that of many competitors like Asus. With the keyboard on, it looks like a regular 14-inch ThinkBook laptop. The keyboard then closes, revealing a platform where you can linger on the secondary screen. It will remind you of the Asus ZenBook Duo with similar dual-screen functionality. The modularity doesn’t stop here. That screen can also be attached to the back of the laptop lid. In this mode, users can mirror their screen to show someone outside what they are working on.
That secondary screen can also hang as an external display thanks to the integrated kickstand. It’s not Bluetooth enabled, meaning you’ll have to plug it into one of the ThinkBook’s available USB-C ports. Taking a page from the Framework, two of the laptop’s four ports can be removed and apparently replaced with some other type of port. If you know you’ll be working with photos, you can replace it with an SD card slot.
It just needs an extra touch of framework
I started feeling excitement increasing. Finally, Lenovo was going full framework and promising that its business-class laptops could have the customizability we’ve long desired. Then reality emerged. Unlike Framework 13, the ThinkBook Concept uses a pin connection for its removable ports. On the other hand, the framework relies on the USB-C system which enables more users to establish any number of port connections. This means the ThinkBook is much less customizable for DIYers who enjoy building their own modules for their laptops.
There’s a lot to like about the ThinkPad concept, except perhaps durability. As soon as I removed the monitor from the laptop, the pin section on the back didn’t stick. Lenovo sent out a replacement for me so I could finish testing it. Still, I will admit that the idea behind this laptop is particularly attractive. The ZenBook Duo proved that we can have a high-powered dual-screen laptop with strong battery life. Having even more modularity could make the ThinkPad design more meaningful to the standard business laptop user. Lenovo would just have to eschew the module’s pin connections and stick a big red TrackPoint “nipple” in the center of the keyboard, and the ThinkPad Modular could be the one ultraportable laptop to rule them all.
Like any proof of concept, you shouldn’t expect a final product. It’s Lenovo’s focus on proprietary ports that dampens my enthusiasm. We should all enjoy more modular, repairable designs. We would be better off if Lenovo could trust its users to do it themselves.
If you don’t care about modularity, how about a 3D screen?
As if Lenovo didn’t already have enough concept devices, it was also adamant that I’d check out its Yoga Book Pro 3D Concept. The device is exactly what it sounds like: a giant, dual-screen laptop, with one screen built for glasses-free 3D. Sure, it’s running on an Intel Core Ultra 7 processor (Unfortunately Lunar Lake, not Panther Lake) and an Nvidia GeForce RTX 5070 mobile GPU, but all you really care about are those twin screens.
Lenovo has shown me previous monitor concepts and prototypes, like its ThinkVision 2D/3D monitor and a similar laptop with a 3D screen. Those devices use attached webcams to track users’ eyes. Then, the screen shows a different image to each eye, creating a stereoscopic effect that results in users experiencing a 3D image. Samsung has this technology in its Odyssey 3D gaming monitors and the upcoming 6K-resolution 3D Redux. The Yoga Book Pro 3D concept is built more for creators than gamers. It includes a touchscreen on the bottom that works with a stylus. Users can manipulate the 3D model in the graphics app, then see how it looks in 3D on the top screen.
If 3D screens take off – despite my enthusiasm for them, that’s a big ‘if’ – then these types of tools could become essential for creators and 3D modelers. The bottom screen also uses “pads” that react to the display, enabling a color picker or lighting adjuster. Believe it or not, this is the little feature that is the least useful in this incredibly strange laptop.
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