At CES 2022, laptop makers were out in force, unveiling scores of new models, revisions, and more.
We identified a few key themes among the finest new laptops from Dell, HP, Lenovo, and Asus that will have an impact on computers in 2022 and beyond.
Haptic trackpads are here to stay
Apple dominated haptic feedback trackpads for many years. Instead of a physical click mechanism, the trackpad uses motorized haptics to imitate the sensation of a click without the usage of a real button. After years of only seeing the technology on MacBooks, we finally saw several high-end Windows laptops, such as the Surface Laptop Studio, embrace it in 2021.
However, it appears to be a full-fledged trend for CES 2022. The Dell XPS 13 Plus was the first laptop to employ one, incorporating a haptic feedback touchpad into the single pane of glass that spans the palmrests. Then it appeared in the ThinkPad Z13, another new laptop that thrilled us at CES.
The most shocking haptic trackpad, though, was discovered on the HP Elite Dragonfly Chromebook – yes, a Chromebook. This is no average Chromebook; it may be the most opulent-looking Chrome OS gadget ever created. The inclusion of a haptic trackpad here, on the other hand, is proof that this technology is catching on like wildfire.
Webcams with resolutions less than 720p are no longer acceptable
Webcams were everywhere this year at CES, and for good reason. It took more than two years, but laptop manufacturers eventually got the ponderous gears of supply chains to revolve in response to the rise of remote work. Finally, practically every new laptop revealed this year at CES featured at least a 1080p webcam. HP went so far as to put a 5-megapixel camera in every commercial PC that was released.
Even the majority of the monitors introduced at CES have built-in cameras. New high-end models, such as the Dell UltraSharp U3223QZ and HP Z34c, even included 4K cameras on top for crystal-clear video conversations.
If you buy a new electronic product in 2021, chances are it will have a better webcam than prior years. That’s a huge relief!
OLED, mini-LED are everywhere you look
For a long time, traditional LED was the only option for laptop displays. However, it was evident at CES 2022 that modern display technologies are finally making their way into a substantial number of computers. OLED and mini-LED displays were everywhere at CES, including large monitors, gaming laptops, and standard Ultrabooks.
The brand new QD-OLED screen even made its debut in a gaming monitor, the Alienware 34 QD-OLED, just as it was hitting the initial wave of Samsung televisions. That’s astounding, because it demonstrates that manufacturers are finally paying attention to display technology.
New graphics options
Nvidia, of course, reigns supreme in laptop graphics. Intel and AMD, on the other hand, turned up at CES 2022 determined to present a viable alternative. AMD added eight new mobile GPUs to its Radeon 6000 series, including options for thin-and-light gaming laptops to compete with Nvidia’s Max-Q technology. In addition, the company revealed some impressive capabilities of its integrated APU graphics in its new Ryzen 6000 CPUs.
Meanwhile, Intel announced the soft launch of its first Arc Graphics. These are Intel’s first discrete GPUs designed for gaming and demanding artistic applications. While there are many unknowns about Intel Arc, it appears that over 50 PCs, including both desktops and laptops, will be released with the new graphics. That’s a promising start for a new entrant in the discrete GPU market.
But, whether you pick with one of the underdogs or the safe bets like Nvidia’s new RTX 3080 Ti and 3070 Ti, there are more graphics alternatives than ever before.