Lenovo unveiled the ThinkPad X1 Nano[1], a foldable device under 2 pounds, and launched the ThinkPad X1 Fold[2] for pre-orders.
The ThinkPad X1 Nano will be available in the fourth quarter starting at $1,599. The ThinkPad X1 Fold[3] with Windows 10 will start at $2,499 after being previewed at CES 2020[4] and teased in 2019[5] and 2017[6].
With the launches, Lenovo is the latest technology vendor to push into foldable devices at commercial scale. Foldable devices to date have revolved around the smartphone-meets-tablet form factor.
Recent developments include:
In an interview, Christian Teismann, president of Lenovo's commercial PC and smart device business, said it has been a five-year march to commercialize the ThinkPad X1 Fold:
We probably created 30 different concepts until we arrived at the one that we finally then started to productize and even from productization to the point that we can ship it, it was a very long journey to really create a product that is as stable and as reliable, to put a ThinkPad name on it. The other challenge of the product is clearly that it is a product that you can use in multiple form factors.
Those multiple form factors required software that could switch into "modes" for various use cases, said Teismann. In addition, the device is also designed to deliver productivity in a work anywhere environment. Teismann said:
It was very important for us to really create a new category with the Fold that really allows people to switch between different modes of operation, but also have this as an all day device. I mean, you can use it as a tablet. You can use it as a productivity device.