Lenovo ThinkBook Plus: 16.7-Inch Rollable OLED Review

Key Takeaways

1. The ThinkPad X1 Fold 16 features a large 16-inch display and a folding design, but requires multiple accessories for optimal use.
2. Essential accessories for the ThinkPad include an external keyboard, mouse, and kickstand folio case, which can be cumbersome.
3. The new ThinkBook Plus Gen6 rollable offers a 14-inch OLED display that expands to 16.7 inches and comes with a built-in keyboard and clickpad.
4. The ThinkBook rollable provides a more familiar and user-friendly experience compared to the ThinkPad foldable, especially in Portrait orientation.
5. While the ThinkPad foldable has touchscreen capability, its performance on Windows 11 is lacking, making the ThinkBook rollable a more practical choice.

In our assessment of the ThinkPad X1 Fold 16, we highlighted its large 16-inch display and its folding design that travelers will surely appreciate. However, this system depends heavily on at least three separate accessories to function well as a Windows PC. These include an external keyboard, an external mouse, and a kickstand folio case, which can feel a bit unwieldy when combined, despite the stylish folding design. Without an external mouse, using full screen mode can be nearly impossible.

A New Alternative

Introducing the latest 14-inch ThinkBook Plus Gen6 rollable, which features a 14-inch OLED display that can be extended to 16.7 inches as needed. In contrast to the ThinkPad X1 Fold 16, the ThinkBook rollable resembles a standard clamshell laptop, complete with a built-in keyboard and a physical clickpad. This makes it more familiar and less awkward to use, and arguably more comfortable than the ThinkPad foldable in most instances, especially for tasks that benefit from the tall Portrait orientation.

User Experience

It’s worth noting that the ThinkPad foldable has one significant edge over the ThinkBook rollable: touchscreen capability. Nevertheless, the touchscreen performance on Windows 11 is infamously subpar, which makes this a minor tradeoff compared to the more user-friendly experience offered by the ThinkBook rollable.

For more details on the unique rollable 16.7-inch OLED screen, check out our complete review of the ThinkBook Plus Gen6.