Brands release numerous new device models annually. While many prototypes never make it to the market as final products, manufacturers often showcase their best ideas as concept devices at trade shows and conferences to introduce innovation in the industry. These may offer a "first look" at potential future devices, demonstrate better manufacturing techniques, or highlight design mockups where some features may eventually make their way into more consumer-friendly products.
In recent years, several brands, including Samsung, Lenovo, Dell, Asus, and Acer, have pushed the boundaries of PC technology with exciting concepts. Here are some of the most intriguing devices brands have teased to ignite our imagination:
1. Acer Project Dual Play
Unique Gaming for Two
Gaming laptops often offer interesting experiences, and Acer’s latest concept laptop aims to solve the challenge of making handheld gaming devices more portable. Unveiled at IFA 2024, Acer introduced Project Dual Play, a gaming laptop with a handheld gaming console hidden inside the base. Pressing a button detaches the console, similar to the Nintendo Switch. The controller also detaches from the main display for the mini console.
You can pair the console with the laptop and play a cooperative game with a friend in co-op mode. As the console slides out, two 5-watt speakers pop out from the sides of the laptop chassis to enhance the audio experience. After use, everything folds back into place for easy portability.
Visually, the laptop’s keyboard, screen bezel, and trackpad area have plenty of RGB highlights for added flair. While this concept was developed as part of Acer’s Predator gaming laptop line, no specific specs have been released yet.
2. Lenovo Auto Twist AI PC
Command with a Twist
Lenovo is known for releasing several concept devices, some of which make their way into consumer products. At IFA 2024, Lenovo introduced its latest concept, the Lenovo Auto Twist AI PC. This device features a hands-free rotating mechanism activated by voice commands and responds to requests for opening, closing, or switching between tablet and laptop modes. It also has an AI-tracking feature that adjusts the panel as you move, keeping you focused during various communication applications.
The tracking feature allows functions like stitching together wide-angle images captured from multiple shots. As a security measure, the Auto Twist AI PC's lid will automatically close when the device is not in use. Lenovo believes that the hands-free, command-driven design offers ergonomic advantages if these features are applied to consumer products.
3. Samsung Flex Hybrid OLED
Is Sliding the Next Big Thing?
Though Samsung is known for its foldable smartphones and rollable TV projector screens, it has yet to explore foldable computer display parts. Nonetheless, the brand has experimented with this concept behind the scenes. At CES 2023, Samsung introduced the Flex Hybrid OLED display concept, a device that can both slide and fold. The panel opens on the left side and can be manually rolled out on the right to expand into a larger screen.
Using Samsung’s OLED display technology, the device starts as a 10.5-inch display with a 4:3 aspect ratio and expands into a 12.4-inch screen with a 16:10 aspect ratio. Samsung noted that the concept could be adapted for various potential uses depending on the client, including smartphones, tablets, or laptops. Samsung has also introduced a concept for a slideable PC, which starts as a 13-inch tablet and manually extends into a 17-inch monitor. This concept, considered the next step beyond foldable devices, has been showcased at several events, including Intel Innovation 2022 and MWC 2023.
4. Dell Luna
An Easy-to-Repair Concept for a Sustainable Future
Many hardware brands have dabbled with the idea of modular and repairable laptops. However, Dell’s Concept Luna is a long-term project designed to promote the brand’s commitment to sustainability. First introduced in 2021, Dell showcased this proof-of-concept device, resembling the ultra-slim Latitude laptop, which can be fully disassembled and reassembled without any tools.
All components are connected inside like a puzzle, making them more efficient to remove and replace. Each part of the laptop is individually replaceable, making it cost-effective for consumers, energy-efficient for manufacturers, and reducing e-waste for the planet. Dell presented an updated version of Concept Luna in 2022, showing that the device could be disassembled in about 30 to 45 seconds with the help of a pin-like unlocking tool.
In 2023, Dell demonstrated how it applied the sustainable efforts learned from Concept Luna to many consumer products currently on the market. As of 2024, no new updates have been announced for Concept Luna.
5. Lenovo Project Crystal
A Trippy Design with an Interesting Use Case
Lenovo showcased Project Crystal, a ThinkBook with a transparent display concept, at MWC 2024 in February. This device has no back panel, allowing you to see through the display from front to back. The laptop features a 17.3-inch HD transparent display that supports a 120Hz refresh rate and 1000 nits of brightness. Using a micro-LED panel for the display, its level of transparency depends on the viewing angle. It’s more transparent from the front compared to the back, but brightness affects the overall transparency level.
To complete the aesthetic, the unit uses a ThinkBook chassis and a glass keyboard and pairs with a Wacom stylus. With a camera on the back of the display panel, Lenovo envisions potential use cases for augmented reality (AR) functionality. The laptop can capture images from the back and project AR through the front screen via an art-rendering program.
How Concepts Add Value to the PC Industry
Concept devices offer a unique glimpse into how different companies envision product development and the future of computing. While many devices showcased by manufacturers don’t become consumer products, it’s fascinating to see how they fit into the innovation timeline.
Prototypes tell a story, showing how other hardware, like smartphones and gaming consoles, can inspire PC creation. Additionally, working with concepts allows manufacturers to focus on more abstract and experimental efforts, such as artificial intelligence and sustainability. While some concepts are just wild ideas pushing the boundaries, others suggest practical or creative functions that consumers will surely appreciate in future devices.
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