Lenovo Spins Its Newest ThinkBook Proper Spherical (Like a File, Child)

We’ve seen laptops that fold and laptops that roll, however what a couple of laptop computer that spins? Lenovo’s newest weird notebook design that’s quickly to turn out to be an precise product you should purchase is a brand new ThinkBook with a display on a pivot. In a model of a beleaguered coder’s worst nightmare, the laptop computer’s display can comply with you regardless of how far you attempt to scurry round your desk.

Previewed to Gizmodo for CES 2026, the $1,650 ThinkBook Plus Gen 7 Auto Twist makes use of a hinge that may rotate alongside a horizontal and vertical axis. Alongside face monitoring with its webcam, the laptop computer can comply with your actions whenever you’re pacing throughout a gathering or lounging again in your chair, watching Netflix and ignoring all of the pings you’re getting on Slack. The Auto Twist must be out there beginning in June this 12 months.

In particular person, the spinning mechanism is near-silent and considerably eerie for the way properly it will possibly observe your physique as you attempt to maneuver out of body. The one situation with my demo stemmed from positioning two individuals within the body directly. The Auto Twist grew confused and would comply with one particular person or one other regardless of how shut they had been to the laptop computer. It was the identical drawback with Lenovo’s Smart Motion Concept laptop computer holder, although the ThinkBook is much extra cell than that huge brick of a tool.

Regardless of the odd contraption that lets the show pivot, you’re not sacrificing a lot for the sake of a concept-made-reality. The brand new 14-inch ThinkBook comes with a 2.8K OLED show that sports activities as much as a 120Hz refresh fee. It options an Intel Core Ultra Series 3 processor inside with choices for a chip with 12 Xe3 GPU cores. The additional GPU headroom could possibly be helpful if you happen to intend to make this laptop computer a transportable workstation for some light-weight graphics duties.

If that wasn’t sufficient, Lenovo can be contemplating a revised model of its ThinkBook Gen 6 Rollable laptop from 2025. The brand new ThinkPad Rollable XD is one other idea gadget constructed for Lenovo’s long-standing business-oriented laptops, although with a twist. It nonetheless contains a 14-inch versatile display that extends to only north of 16 inches vertically. Whereas the ThinkBook makes use of a mechanism to feed the display into the laptop computer physique, the ThinkPad makes use of a number of carbon fiber cables and pulleys to tug the show into the laptop computer lid. There’s a bit of clear plastic on the highest to guard the folded show’s most delicate half.

Placing the versatile show within the lid has a number of advantages. One, it retains the chassis out there for the form of higher-end specs and cooling equipment you need for a pint-sized laptop computer. Two, the collapsing display then turns into a secondary half-display on the again. Lenovo confirmed how this could possibly be used for alerts and updates when you have the lid closed or to point out off a video to individuals wanting on the alternative facet of your laptop computer.

That idea isn’t fairly a real-life product but. The rolling and twisting ThinkBooks have proved that Lenovo is keen to make these oddball merchandise a actuality. Positive, it’s possible you’ll not have use for these laptops, however at the very least Lenovo’s staying on the entrance of retaining the outdated, staid laptop computer design contemporary.

Gizmodo is on the bottom in Las Vegas all week bringing you all the things you’ll want to know in regards to the tech unveiled at CES 2026. You possibly can comply with our CES live blog here and find all our coverage here.