Lenovo's transparent laptop PC: ThinkBook transparent display laptop

At the recent Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2024, Lenovo unveiled a stunning concept device: the ThinkBook Transparent Display Laptop. This futuristic machine boasts a 17.3-inch transparent display, offering a glimpse into what the future of laptops might hold.

We took a Lenovo laptop PC, which is distinguished by a transparent screen. If it is only a prototype, we are already asking questions about the practical aspect of the device.

I tap on the laptop keyboard, browse an article online, and then I close the web browser window. And then, bam, I can see the bouquet placed just behind the computer screen... through the computer screen. And yes, you read it correctly.

It’s beautiful and impressive… But what’s the point? This is pretty much the train of thought that crosses our mind when discovering the transparent laptop PC from Lenovo that we have been hearing about for a few days. At MWC 2024 in Barcelona, ​​the brand officially lifted the veil on this most intriguing prototype.

We must indeed remember that this is not a product already dedicated to marketing. But this Lenovo ThinkBook of another kind gives an overview of the ideas on which the manufacturer's teams are working.

Immediate wow effect

Concretely, what does that mean? We're not going to lie; the WOW effect is immediate. The device is a bit less flashy than in the renderings that we have seen circulating on the web. We feel that it is a prototype and that it still lacks a little refinement. Despite this, it has an eye-catching look and a real futuristic air.

The million-dollar question remains: what is it for? Before answering that, let's get a few things straight: here we have a 17.3-inch micro-LED screen. Great features so far. But woe: the definition is limited to a meager 720p on this prototype.

Lenovo is considering moving upmarket and is talking to us about going up to a “2K" panel. In the meantime, the visual effect is indeed a bit degraded. We feel that the images and especially the texts that are displayed are not at their best in terms of readability with such a definition on such a screen.

We still make up for it with an overall maximum brightness of 1000 nits, which already gives a good pep to this prototype. With micro-LED, however, we can hope for better, and a Lenovo spokesperson has already assured us that this is something the brand is working on.

On this prototype, don't count on a physical keyboard either. Here, we have a tactile surface that displays the keys and can also be used as a surface for drawing with a stylus. Faced with the lack of haptic feedback when typing text and the cadaverous reaction time of the trackpad, I quickly expressed my concern.

Here again, Lenovo wants to be reassuring. The idea behind this model presented at MWC 2024 is to test a few options and use cases. However, the manufacturer affirms that nothing prevents it from integrating a physical keyboard or improving the solution chosen here.

I didn't have the right to handle the computer in all directions - I think there were only three on display - but I didn't get the impression of a fragile product. The lower base is quite imposing while the micro-LED panel is sandwiched between two protected glass plates with a Gorilla Glass 3 coating.

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For transport in a backpack, you can probably have peace of mind. By closing and reopening the laptop a few times, I did not have any unpleasant sensations at the hinge. In this part, we are dealing with a very classic computer.

Good. I've talked a lot, but I still haven't said what such a product is used for. I'm coming. Lenovo has put forward several things to convince you.

You can therefore place something on the other side of the screen and see it directly through the screen while platforms based on artificial intelligence will offer interactions thanks to a camera placed at the back of the base that sees the same thing.

We can think of augmented reality, for example, but also of interactions with a conversational agent that give you information and inspiration around the object that you see through the screen.

There were some demonstrations around this, but I must admit that it was still too abstract for my taste. More concretely, we can also imagine uses in businesses or at the reception of a hotel where a person might need to show their interface to someone face-to-face. Instead of flipping the PC, she would just have to enable an option for an inverted, mirrored display.

Make the transparent screen opaque.

This brings us to the question of confidentiality. For the moment, we can always guess what is displayed on the screen if we are on the other side, but Lenovo is considering solutions to make the panel opaque. Several solutions are being studied.

Ultimately, the real purpose of such a product is, above all, aesthetic and almost social. On the one hand, it's just cool to have a transparent screen. On the other hand, because we remove a sort of visual barrier. We see the whole person in front of us, even if they are on their computer. It has a more open side.

Be careful, though. Here we enter the slippery slope of marketing bullshit. It's interesting to hear, but you have to keep a certain perspective. Bottom line: I loved this transparent laptop, but I still have a hard time justifying its interest at the moment, except for the beauty of the gesture.