Summary created by Smart Answers AI
In summary:
- PCWorld explores how laptop manufacturers are innovating beyond traditional materials, introducing carbon fiber, ceraluminum, and advanced metal alloys to differentiate their products.
- These material advances matter because they significantly impact laptop weight, durability, and tactile feel, becoming crucial competitive factors as internal components become similar across brands.
- Key innovations include Lenovo’s ThinkPad X1 Carbon using biological carbon fiber, Asus’s ceramic-bonded ceraluminum in the Zenbook A14, and HP’s forge-stamped metal construction for enhanced durability and premium user experience.
Laptops felt different at CES 2026. I mean, literally. While new hardware from Intel, AMD, and Qualcomm stole the show, advances in laptop materials flew under the radar. Forget plastic versus metal. PC makers are now competing on physical feel—and there’s a whole new world of different metals and alloys to choose from.
Laptop chassis materials are something else these days. I recently wrote about how plastic laptops are underrated—plastic isn’t a bad material for laptops these days, with well-made plastic laptops sporting a comfortable rubbery touch that doesn’t creak like they once did.
In a world where spec sheets have less and less to differentiate them, this is the next path for PC makers who want to stand out.
Different makers, different philosophies
At CES 2026, I found myself touching a lot of Asus laptops with Asus’ new lightweight material called “ceraluminum.” Laptops like the Zenbook A14 aren’t just incredibly lightweight—Asus wants you to know that ceraluminum (i.e., ceramic-coated aluminum) is more durable than a typical aluminum chassis while also weighing less.
Michael Crider/Foundry
Later, I was holding the HP OmniBook Ultra 14 while an HP representative explained that it was made of forge-stamped metal for a solid, heavy feel. Consumers tend to regard thin-and-light laptops as fragile, so HP made this laptop out of forge-stamped metal—”like a sword”—so that it would feel more durable and inspire confidence.
While both companies were showing off new laptops with new hardware and their own approaches to marketing, one thing was clear: each went above and beyond the typical aluminum chassis laptop.
People tend to lump laptops into two categories: metal and plastic. But some of the strongest and lightest laptops are made of carbon fiber, like the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon.
And even within the metal laptop market, not all metal laptops are made from the same type of metal. Many metal laptops are made from aluminum, while others are made from magnesium alloys. Other laptops are even made from magnesium-aluminum alloys.
Michael Crider / Foundry
Aluminum laptops are less expensive to produce and heavier than magnesium, while magnesium alloys are more expensive and lighter than aluminum. But magnesium scratches more easily and isn’t as robust. That’s why some premium laptops have magnesium-aluminum alloys that are lighter than aluminum and stronger than magnesium, but these laptops tend to be more expensive.
Asus’ ceraluminum isn’t pure metal but more of a hybrid material: a ceramic material that’s bonded to aluminum. It’s incredibly lightweight and doesn’t feel like metal—your fingers are touching the ceramic coating—but Asus says it’s stronger than aluminum.
There are also different ways of manufacturing the metal body of the laptop. Most aluminum laptops are made with CNC milling where a machine precisely cuts from a sheet of metal. HP’s forge-stamping is a different approach. As HP explains: “You heat it up, you fold it over, you tamp it down—you make it stronger.”
Carbon fiber is still underrated
Carbon fiber is an even better laptop material than metal and alloys. It’s stronger and lighter—there’s a reason why this material is used in spacecrafts and sports cars. You don’t see it as much in laptops because it’s expensive compared to both metal and plastic.
Matt Smith / Foundry
At CES 2026, Lenovo showed off the ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 14 Aura Edition, which starts at just 2.2 pounds thanks to that carbon fiber. The high-end Asus ROG Flow Z13-KJP, made in partnership with Kojima Productions, also features carbon-fiber elements.
If money was no object, I’d skip metal and get a machine with a strong and lightweight carbon-fiber body. That’s my professional opinion as a laptop reviewer, despite the fact so many believe a “metal laptop” is more premium. (That’ll change when they discover carbon fiber!)
Recycled materials are huge once again
When I speak to PC manufacturers, they’re always eager to explain how much of their laptops are made from recycled materials. Many are made from “ocean-bound plastic” (i.e., waste plastic that might’ve ended up in the ocean if it wasn’t recycled). But recyclying and eco-conscious messaging includes metal and carbon-fiber machines, too.
I took a look at Lenovo’s spec sheet for the ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 14, where the “Responsible Design” section proudly advertises that the carbon-fiber plate is made from 100% biological materials and that the frame incorporates recycled carbon-fiber materials.
Joel Lee / Foundry
Elsewhere, the laptop’s metal components feature recycled magnesium and aluminum with specific percentages. Laptop manufacturers are increasingly competing on those percentages and on how much of their laptops’ bodies are made from recycled materials.
Laptop marketing blurbs often advertise that a machine was made with recycled materials. It doesn’t make a difference in how a material feels, but manufacturers are increasingly using the providence of their materials as part of their overall sales strategies.
Don’t underestimate chassis materials when you buy a laptop
I enjoy using all sorts of laptops. Some of my happiest computing moments happened on creaky plastic laptops decades ago. You don’t need a fancy laptop material to be happy—and even the average plastic laptop in 2026 feels surprisingly nice.
But a laptop’s material does make an undeniably huge difference in the day-to-day experience. Different materials can have significant impacts on weight, durability, and tactile pleasure. A smooth-and-shiny aluminum laptop feels very different from a matte-surfaced magnesium laptop although they’re both “metal laptops.”
So, don’t underestimate chassis materials! If you can afford it, you should definitely consider a laptop’s materials when choosing a winner. With pretty much all laptops having Intel, AMD, or Qualcomm parts, this is one way PC makers are really starting to make themselves stand out.
Chris Hoffman is always thinking about PCs. Sign up for his free newsletter, The Windows ReadMe, for more thoughts from a real human.
