For years now the best laptops have often stuck to the tried and tested formulas – but that's no way to move the needle, right? Well, Lenovo certainly isn't sitting tight, as its latest laptop, the ThinkBook Plus Gen 6, shown off to me behind closed doors at CES 2025, is like nothing else.
Well, that's not entirely true: as Lenovo did present a prototype model at the Mobile World Congress show in 2023, but it's amazing to see what can be achieved in a couple of years – as the ThinkBook Plus Gen 6 will comes it to market. It costs a cool $3,500, but that's the price of innovation – as this is the very first laptop with a rollable screen that you'll be able to buy.
So how does it work? Generally speaking, the ThinkBook looks like a generic enough 14-inch laptop. But the press of a shortcut key sees that 14-inch panel expand vertically – the OLED comes from within the base of the machine – to form a 16.7-inch laptop that's very tall indeed. It's all mechanised, so you can just sit back and enjoy the show.
Watching the ThinkBook effortlessly jostle between one position and another became quite quickly addictive, I found, watching it morph between its two sizes across its numerous background options. That it so successfully stands up in its elongated position is another impressive factor.
The other inevitable question, however, is 'why'? What's the need for a laptop with such a perplexingly tall screen? Well, I can see the logic in stacking windows within Windows for multi-tasking. It's a more elegant solution than carrying around a secondary portable monitor, for example.
I've also only tested this design for a very short period – and I certainly wonder if the roller which the lower portion of the screen goes under would easily catch debris (the MacBook I'm typing this on has plenty of annoying crumbs that I'm desperate to clean out!) that could then cause scratches. Otherwise the build doesn't concern me at all – the rigid nature of the aluminium chassis and the way the screen is protected as it rises are all assuring.
As for the overall spec of this Gen 6 ThinkBook: it features Intel's Series 2 processors up to Core Ultra 7, Intel Arc Xe2 graphics, 32GB RAM as a maximum, and houses two USB-C thunderbolt ports. It's not massively heavier than a normal laptop either, at 1.69kg. All fairly standard stuff for a laptop that costs multiple thousands.
So while I don't think you'll see many Lenovo ThinkBook Plus Gen 6 rollable laptops in the wild, if you do ever get to see one the temptation to press its magic button may be irresistible. This is one mighty impressive laptop, a CES 2025 highlight, and a sign that innovation doesn't sit still.
