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In 2019, several vendors, notably Samsung, boldly launched the first wave of foldable phones. In theory, the concept sounds amazing as it allows a phone to expand to the size of a tablet for viewing content and then shrink to the size of a phone for talking or texting. The first-generation devices were generally lousy, but the impressions of the second-generation designs have been more positive. Our own Ryan Whitwam wrote an enthusiastic review of the Galaxy Z Fold2.
Now, Lenovo is bringing the folding screen concept to the PC market. Meet the X1 Fold:
The idea of the X1 Fold is that, well, it folds. It can be used as a large tablet, laid flat to use like a conventional laptop, or oriented like a book to read. It has an optional detachable keyboard and easel. It ships with a Core i5-L16G7 processor (1.4GHz base, 3GHz Turbo Boost) with five cores and five threads. You can read more about Lakefield here if you’re unfamiliar with Intel’s latest low-power GPU.
The display is a 2048×1536 OLED with 95 percent of the DCI-P3 gamut and a 300-nit display. There is also 8GB of LPDDRX-4267 in the system and an expected battery life of 8.5-10 hours, depending on workload. It has up to 1 TB of storage and two USB-C ports. 5G support will be available and the entire system weighs just 2.2 pounds.
None of the first coverage gives much opinion on how the device is used. I’m intrigued by the idea that a folding computer screen can deliver, but it should be more than just a screen expansion; we also need good software hooks. The ability to display application data on different screens opens up exciting collaboration possibilities. On the downside of things, there are always questions about the strength and longevity of the hinges. OLEDs aren’t the strongest devices, and any material that makes its way onto a hinge will wreak havoc in no time.
I’m not sold on foldable phones or foldable devices, mainly because I don’t think the advantage of a slightly larger screen outweighs the current list of problems these devices have had. I think it’s perfectly possible that the technology will continue to improve, possibly to the point that having a dual-screen device is completely normal. For now, I’m happy to sit on the sidelines, watch Lakefield’s performance, and see this new kind of smartphone design evolve.
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