This laptop has seven times the average number of screens

A company called Expanscape has created the most Inspector Gadget-like device I have ever seen. It’s a prototype laptop called the Aurora 7 (a working title), and attached to its gigantic black box of a chassis are six additional screens that extend in all directions away from the main screen, each displaying its own windows and applications.

If you’re like me, the first thought that comes to my mind is “that poor hinge!” Yeah, poor hinge, indeed. Many laptop hinges don’t stylishly handle having one display attached, let alone seven. On the 17.3-inch 4K main display are overlapped three other screens of the same size and resolution. Above the left and right screens sits a single 1200p seven-inch monitor. You’ll also find another seven-inch 1200p touchscreen mounted in the palm rest. This prototype weighs around 26 pounds and is 4.3 inches thick. He has an imposing and intimidating presence, and I haven’t even seen him in person.

Image: Expanscape

Which GPU is responsible for powering its four 4K displays? None other than the mid-range Nvidia GTX 1060, which isn’t exactly a powerhouse. It also has an Intel Core i9-9900K processor and 64 GB of RAM. You can find more specifications here. In future revisions, Expanscape wants to use the Nvidia RTX 2070 instead, with options for the AMD Ryzen 9 3950x processor or Intel’s i9-10900K.

While it’s primarily designed to be a mobile security operations station (and stay plugged in pretty much all the time), it might also be able to run some games. Gizmodo noticed in his writing of this gadget that his current prototype can only last an hour before the battery demands more power, which is frankly longer than expected. It uses a 148 Wh secondary battery just to power its additional displays, which exceeds the FAA’s legal limit for flying in an airplane. Expanscape says it is working to address this in future prototypes. In other words, the company is committed to letting you bring a seven screen laptop on an airplane. However, you will probably have to buy a whole row of seats to have the space to use it. (If you are reading this in the future, please take a photo of any of them if you see it on your plane.)

Of course, the Aurora 7 looks rougher around the edges than Razer’s triple-screen Project Valerie laptop from a few years ago. But nonetheless, Expanscape says it’s ready to sell this thing, which is more than what Razer can say about its Valerie concept. If you’re interested in purchasing one, Expanscape says it can help interested parties reserve a prototype for its next review. As for the price, the company will ask you to sign a nondisclosure agreement, prohibiting you from publicly sharing the costs. This does not bode well for the bank account.

I can’t wait to learn more about future revisions of the Aurora 7, especially if it has a button that comically opens all screens. Currently, this appears to be an extremely manual process.