I just went hands-on with Lenovo’s Auto Twist laptop — and I’m unsure if it’s gimmicky or awesome

Lenovo ThinkBook Plus Gen 7 Auto Twist on a desk. — (Image credit: Tom's Guide)

The Lenovo ThinkBook Plus Gen 7 Auto Twist lives up to its name by literally introducing a new twist on laptop design. Originally conceived as a concept, the Auto Twist has a motorized dual-rotation hinge that automatically tracks your face when you move. While the mechanic seems gimmicky, it can be useful if, for example, you want to make video presentations more lively.

I briefly went hands-on with the ThinkBook Plus Gen 7 Auto Twist during CES 2026, and it certainly stood out from other laptops due to its rotating hinge. The mechanic is neat, but I was also impressed by the relatively thin profile, generous port selection, and vivid 14-inch 2.8K OLED panel. Even without the twisting mechanic, it’s a slick laptop.

Here are my initial thoughts about the ThinkBook Plus Gen 7 Auto Twist, and whether I think it’s worth considering.

ThinkBook Plus Gen 7 Auto Twist: Specs

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Row 0 - Cell 0	ThinkBook Plus Gen 7 Auto Twist
Price	$1,649 (starting)
CPU	Intel Core Ultra Series 3
GPU	Intel Integrated Graphics
Display	14” OLED 2.8K, 120Hz, 500nits, Touch
RAM	Up to 32GB LPDDR5x 9600MT/s
Storage	Up to 2TB M.2 2280 PCIe SSD
Ports	2x Thunderbolt 4, 2x USB-A 3.2 Gen 2, 1x Audio jack, 1x HDMI 2.1
Camera	Up to 10MP MIPI Camera, IR
Connectivity	Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth
Dimensions	12.32 x 9.17 x 0.63-0.94

ThinkBook Plus Gen 7 Auto Twist hands-on review: Price and availability

Unlike many of the best laptops of CES 2026, the Lenovo ThinkBook Plus Gen 7 Auto Twist has a release window and a starting price.

Expect this laptop to arrive sometime in June of 2026. Price-wise, it’ll cost $1,649 to start, and I imagine said price will increase if you get models with higher-end components.

ThinkBook Plus Gen 7 Auto Twist hands-on review: Design and display

At first glance, the ThinkBook Plus Gen 7 Auto Twist looks like a normal laptop. However, if you take a closer look, you’ll notice the thicker-than-usual lid and how said lid is connected to the laptop with a single large hinge in the bottom center (most laptops have two hinges on either side). When it’s living up to its namesake, the Auto Twist has a fairly basic design, which is to its benefit since it’s a fairly attractive piece of kit.

You get a decent number of ports, including a pair of Thunderbolt 4 ports, two USB-A ports, an HDMI 2.1 port, and a headphone jack. I’m happy to see the Auto Twist following the recent trend of reintroducing USB-A ports, so kudos to Lenovo on that.

One of the most pleasing features is that the Auto Twist has an OLED panel. This 14-inch display also has a sharp 2.8K resolution and a smooth 120Hz refresh rate. The contrast between dark and light elements is great, and colors are bold and vibrant to my eyes. We’ll have to get the laptop into our testing lab to see what it can do, but my first impression left me impressed.

ThinkBook Plus Gen 7 Auto Twist hands-on review: Auto Twist mechanic

I remember checking out the Auto Twist back when it was a concept laptop, and I have to say it has come a long way. The hinge’s new electromotor design rotates noticeably faster and makes less noise. Lenovo says this finalized laptop form has enhanced durability to ensure smooth and reliable transitions between notebook, tablet, and sharing modes (when presenting to others).

The laptop did a fantastic job of keeping me in frame when I checked it out. However, it doesn’t work well when there were multiple people in the frame since it was trying to track everyone. If you’re presenting something to others and want the Auto Twist to accurately track you, make sure you’re the only one in front of its webcam.

ThinkBook Plus Gen 7 Auto Twist hands-on review: Specs and performance

I wasn’t able to benchmark the Auto Twist, but I expect it to deliver strong performance when we get it into the Tom’s Guide testing lab. That’s because Lenovo’s laptop packs an Intel Core Ultra 3 “Panther Lake” CPU, which promises to deliver solid performance for everyday work, epic MacBook-like battery life, and even strong gaming performance on integrated graphics.

Beyond the new Intel CPU, the Auto Twist can be configured with up to 32GB of RAM and up to 2TB of SSD storage. That should all make for a fast and long-lasting laptop. But again, we’ll see what this ThinkBook can truly dish out when we run it through our benchmarking tests.

ThinkBook Plus Gen 7 Auto Twist hands-on review: Outlook

The Lenovo ThinkBook Gen 7 Auto Twist isn’t going to appeal to most people. Sure, the auto twist mechanic is neat and (mostly) works as advertised, but this is a machine made for the folks who are specifically looking for a laptop with a screen that follows your movements — not to mention hardcore tech nerds who’d love to own this ThinkBook for its novelty.

I’m looking forward to living with the ThinkBook Plus Gen 7 Auto Twist for a good while to see if perhaps it’s more beneficial than I originally thought. Or maybe I’ll just consider it a cool gimmick. Either way, stay tuned for my full review in the future.

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Tony is a computing writer at Tom’s Guide covering laptops, tablets, Windows, and iOS. During his off-hours, Tony enjoys reading comic books, playing video games, reading speculative fiction novels, and spending too much time on X/Twitter. His non-nerdy pursuits involve attending Hard Rock/Heavy Metal concerts and going to NYC bars with friends and colleagues. His work has appeared in publications such as Laptop Mag, PC Mag, and various independent gaming sites.

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