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.

I’ve reviewed a lot of laptops for PCWorld, and I’ve held laptops made of so many materials in my hands: Metal, plastic, carbon fiber, and even ceramic. People often think of plastic as a cheap, ...