Lenovo unveils its first solar-powered keyboard, its power system is unique

On 26 September 2025, Lenovo launched its first self-charging Bluetooth keyboard in the United States. The device, which was first shown at CES 2025, was supposed to be released in May, but the release was delayed by four months. The price increased from $69.99 to $99.99. The keyboard has a unique power supply system - no trickery, just bare physics.

Unique power system

Any device with solar panels works in the same way - during the day, solar energy charges a capacious battery, which then powers the device at any time. Lenovo went in the same direction, but in its own way. This keyboard has no battery at all. Its role is played by a supercapacitor.

This solution is as ingenious as it is simple. The capacitor can be charged with a high current, which means that the keyboard can be recharged via USB in a few minutes. Capacitors also wear out less, so they can withstand more charge-discharge cycles with little or no loss of capacity. Finally, such a charge carrier hardly loses its capacity in conditions of excessively high or low temperature. And if you don't use the keyboard for a long time, the capacitor will lose less charge during idle time. Unlike a lithium battery, a capacitor is not capable of spontaneous combustion, although a short circuit (for example, if liquid is spilled on the keyboard) is still dangerous for such an energy carrier and can release a large amount of energy that, although it won't ignite your desktop fire, will still destroy everything that the electrical circuit tracks can reach.

Capacitor power supply also has disadvantages: a high-capacity supercapacitor is more expensive than a small lithium-ion battery, and to create a low-voltage power supply for the keyboard, you need to fundamentally redesign the entire traditional power supply circuit.

Technical Characteristics

Lenovo promises a month of operation from a fully charged capacitor. It can be charged not only from sunlight but also from indoor light (the glow of a lamp or monitor also gives a charge). In case of emergency, the keyboard can be quickly charged via USB-C.

The layout is classic - 108 keys, including a separate number pad (2.5-zone layout). There is an adjustable stand and protection against liquid spills. The connection is via Bluetooth 5.1, with support for Microsoft Swift Pair (supported in Windows 10 and 11). Currently, only the black version is available. Lenovo has not yet announced the launch of the white version.