Technology / Tue, 02 Jul 2024 The Verge

This dual-screen laptop swings horizontally — and quotes the Whole Earth Catalog

And unlike the upcoming GPD Duo, it swings horizontally instead of vertically. It also only supports 5Gbps transfer speeds from its USB-A and USB-C ports and HDMI 2.0 rather than HDMI 2.1 for its video output. And one of its two USB-C ports is only for charging. (No, we don’t have a picture of the gold lettering to see if Steve Jobs’ name is also on the side of this laptop.) In case you’ve never heard of Acemagic, know that they’re not a total unknown, just relatively new to the West.

Unlike the Asus Zenbook Duo and Lenovo Yoga Book 9i we reviewed earlier this year, it’s not a twin-screen tablet with a detachable keyboard; this one’s most definitely a laptop with an extra screen on a hinge that swings all the way around. And unlike the upcoming GPD Duo, it swings horizontally instead of vertically. The company is calling it the “world’s first horizontally foldable 360 degree laptop.”

Image: Acemagic

While we don’t have a price, release date, or full spec sheet yet, it seems this laptop isn’t shooting for gaming or high-end productivity; it’ll be equipped with a two-year-old 12th Gen Intel Core i7-1255U processor (we’re expecting 15th Gen this fall), 16GB of DDR4 memory, and a 1TB PCIe 3.0 SSD.

It also only supports 5Gbps transfer speeds from its USB-A and USB-C ports and HDMI 2.0 rather than HDMI 2.1 for its video output. And one of its two USB-C ports is only for charging.

In addition to the ports, you can see Acemagic’s geared hinge mechanism; Tom’s Hardware saw a unit and says the hinge seems to work well. Image: Acemagic

Still, there are lots of tasks that don’t necessarily need lots of horsepower but could benefit from more visual real estate — and the second screen isn’t the only unique thing about this machine!

The Acemagic X1 also includes, and I quote:

Adding to its distinctive appeal, ACEMAGIC has engraved Steve Jobs’s iconic quote, “Stay hungry, Stay foolish,” in real gold on the left side of the keyboard. This touch symbolizes the device’s premium quality and innovative spirit.

I am assuming Acemagic doesn’t realize that Steve Jobs was actually quoting the Whole Earth Catalog in his 2005 commencement speech, but hey, bonus points for countercultural message written in gold?

(No, we don’t have a picture of the gold lettering to see if Steve Jobs’ name is also on the side of this laptop.)

In case you’ve never heard of Acemagic, know that they’re not a total unknown, just relatively new to the West. The Chinese company typically sells mini PCs and recently offered apologies and refunds after shipping some of them with preinstalled malware; its most recent entry is this $1,400 mini PC that looks like a gaming router.