Lenovo and NEC ahead of CES 2021 have announced a new pocket-sized convertible PC, LAVIE MINI. The device is a concept laptop and portable gaming console hybrid. The new pocket PC will be showcased at CES 2021.
LAVIE is a joint venture between Lenovo and NEC, which has showcased a number of products at previous CES conventions also. This year it will be showcasing the LAVIE MINI, which is a touchscreen pocket PC that comes with controller and dock accessories.
Portable PC-gaming console dream
LAVIE MINI is a portable PC-gaming console hybrid dream, that we have been seeing multiple brands show off their variation of each year at CES. One prime example of it is the Alienware’s UFO concept from last year. However, none of these has ever made it into the mass market. Dell did not even pursue the design and after the convention, the UFO is nowhere to be heard off.
Similar could be the case for the MINI, but not in entirety. As some LAVIE products do launch, but only in select markets like China.
To chase the said dream, just like the Nintendo Switch, LAVIE has also made controller attachments for the portable PC, which can be connected after you fold the keyboard back. To keep the device portable, we do not get to see a trackpad, instead, the company has provided users with an optical touch sensor to control the pointer, similar to an old-style BlackBerry.
LAVIE MINI: Price, availability
As of now, the company has not revealed its plans, as to if it wants to launch the device for the market or not. Due to which, it has not announced a price or release date for the MINI. And it will not be surprising if it does not make it to market. But, if it does, like the Razer Edge or the Nvidia Sheild, it will have a very niche target audience that has the potential to grow, if everything is done right like the Switch.
For now, we will have to wait and see, for if LAVIE has a plan to launch it as a mass-market product or not.
LAVIE MINI: Specifications
Even though we might never get to see the LAVIE MINI make it into the market, the specifications are for sure very shiny.
The device sports an 8-inch WUXGA touch display with a resolution of 1920×1200 pixels. It is powered by the latest 11th Gen Intel Core i7 mobile processor paired with Intel Iris Xe graphics. The device will come with 16GB of LPDDR4 RAM along with up to 256GB of SSD storage.
It comes with premium features like Modern Standby and IR camera with Windows Hello for zero-touch login, and weighs at just 579 grams. The backlit keyboard features circular-shaped numeric and symbol keys which are the same size as the alphabet keys. There is also a breathing outer light for the logo on the outer shell, just like the older MacBooks.
Additional optional accessories that will ship, if the laptop launches, include an HDMI dock to use it on a big screen and a Gaming Controller that will attach to its sides.
