There’s plenty of chatter about Windows PCs at the moment, a lot of which is being led by the talk of artificial intelligence and new chipsets from the likes of Qualcomm, Intel and AMD. Now Lenovo – the company responsible for the popular ThinkPad range of devices – has given us something else to feast our eyes on when it comes to laptops and maybe offer yet another reason to start thinking about ditching Windows 10.
The Lenovo Auto Twist AI PC POC – which has just been shown off at the IFA tech show in Berlin – doesn’t have the catchiest name going, we’ll admit, but it will open and close without you lifting a finger, and that’s not all. It’s a concept device – that’s what the POC stands for in proof of concept – and it can enter tablet mode, laptop mode and creator mode all by following a voice command.
In laptop mode, the Auto Twist AI PC looks just like a traditional ThinkPad laptop running Windows 11 Pro, but there is a central element below the display that allows the screen to rotate 360-degrees. You can say “Hi Twist, Tablet Mode” and the display will then spin around automatically and fold flat on top of the keyboard, allowing you to use it as a tablet.
If you say “Hi Twist, Creator Mode”, the Auto Twist will go into the same position as Tablet Mode, but it launches an app automatically that will allow you to draw and well, create, various elements. The Auto Twist also has the ability to take a 360-degree panoramic selfie, which could be helpful for those presenting on stage if they want a picture of themselves and their audience.
Speaking of presenting, if you were to use the Auto Twist for a good old PowerPoint presentation for example – and you have a tendency to move across the room – the display will find your face when you begin and rotate with you as you move.
It’s perhaps the fact that the Auto Twist can open and close through a voice command that is the most impressive, however. Say “Hi Twist, Open” and the laptop lid will slowly lift up while you sit there sipping your tea, while “Hi Twist, Close” sees the lid slowly shut.
When it comes to specs, the Auto Twist runs on the Intel H Series Core Ultra chipset and it has up to 32GB RAM and up to 512GB storage. There is a 13.3-inch touchscreen OLED display for a screen with vibrant and punchy colours, while two speakers and dual-array mics make sure it can hear what you’re commanding.
There’s only a little bit of bad news here if this automatic-opening and closing laptop has caught your eye and that’s that you can’t actually buy it. It’s currently a concept and Lenovo hasn’t detailed whether or not it will become a real product at any point. It’s pretty cool though, and it could be excellent for accessibility so if there was ever a laptop concept that had legs, this one is it.
One thing that is certain, no innovations like this are coming to Windows 10 PCs – you’ll have to move to Windows 11 if you want the latest and greatest laptops.