The first transparent laptop from Lenovo. Having tried it, I am convinced that it will not be the only one.

Transparent laptops are here. Mobile World Congress 2024 has just begun and we already have one of the most amazing devices in years. This is a Lenovo ThinkBook laptop concept with a transparent display, a prototype laptop that uses 17.3″ transparent microLED panel.

We managed to spend some time playing with this laptop and were fascinated by the idea. Granted, the visual experience doesn’t match what Lenovo itself offers with its ThinkBooks, but this transparent laptop opens the door to many possibilities. AND, For a concept it has proven to be quite reliable in operation..

Transparent panels aren’t exactly new. Manufacturers such as LG and Samsung are already starting to produce them. Lenovo here has taken advantage of this screen technology, which is expanding and adding it to a category in which they have a lot of experience.

A laptop where we can’t hide behind the screen

The Transparent ThinkBook comes with a see-through panel where you can practically no borders and transparent keyboard area. In the official images, he looks flawless.

In size and design, it is not much different from other 17-inch laptops. We have a pair of USB ports on the sides and an aluminum base under the glass where the keyboard protrudes and under the transparent screen.

What attracts the most attention, without a doubt, is the transparent microLED panel. While this isn’t the first time I’ve seen this, the truth is that such high quality is still rare to see in laptops. Color contrast is excellentwhich helps to further enhance the transparency effect.

We visited web pages, navigated Windows menus, and drew in Paint. “White” areas remain transparent, but colored areas appear brightly.

As Lenovo explains, the panel reaches Brightness 1000 nits. We were only able to test it indoors and under lighting conditions that helped improve its visibility, but first impressions were very positive.

Where I think the transparent screen is weak is in the display of white tones. The idea is no longer that they are translucent, but that the bluish and purple tint is clearly visible.

Lenovo does not miss the opportunity to talk about content generated by artificial intelligence. These transparent laptops will offer content adapted to the environment. Depending on what’s behind the screen, adapt what’s shown on it. We weren’t able to test this feature in our demo, but Lenovo offers the idea. After all, it is a concept and they teach it with the intention of causing debate around it and hearing the opinions of different users.

Lenovo’s see-through laptop was a concept, just like LG’s TV, and it eventually materialized into an OLED T available for purchase. Lenovo is the first company to use the new MicroLED panels and is fully functional, although Samsung proposed a similar concept more than a decade ago. During this time, something has changed: transparent panels are already produced in large quantities.

Lenovo was the manufacturer that dared to release it, but I am convinced that more brands will try similar prototypes. It’s not crazy. The use is very similar to that of a laptop, the cost of its production should not increase dramatically, and it has many advantages, such as a much more minimalist design or the ability to “blend” the image on the screen with the environment – a trend that is becoming increasingly popular. now with the advent of mixed reality.

This transparent laptop concept is exactly what you’d expect when attending a technology conference like Mobile World Congress. Innovative, functional products that bring to life the latest components available to you. We won’t be able to buy it, but after trying it for a while, I became very curious about how I could use it in my daily life.

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