Lenovo kicked off its day in MWC 2024 by showing Project Crystal, the brand’s laptop with a transparent microLED display panel. On that note, the brand also makes the claim that this is the first device of its kind to ever be made.
Now, before you ask, allow us to set the record straight: if you’re hoping to see Project Crystal hitting the shelves anytime soon, you’re out of luck. Lenovo has made it clear that the laptop is, at current, simply concept device and there are no plans to push it out to the masses. And the reason why? It’s really, really, expensive.
That out of the way, it is actually something of a wonder that Lenovo even bothered making Project Crystal a reality at all. Based on the multiple reports by folks that were there and able to see it first hand, the transparent microLED display has a nominal brightness of up to 3,000 nits, which is far higher than even the displays of the newly launch Samsung Galaxy S24 lineup. It is also apparently really thin, despite it being a 16-inch display.
Beyond that, the same reports point out that the rest of Lenovo’s Project Crystal is still a work in progress, and understandably so. The keyboard, for example, is a touch-based replacement that is reportedly similar to the ones used in older Yoga Books. Again, Engadget says that this leads to the classic hand drift, whereby because of the lack of tactile feedback, typing accuracy gradually decreases. Further, the models Lenovo had on the floor were all fitted with a previous generation CPU, and the hinges latching the display to the base were also reportedly weak.
