Don’t Call It an Update: The Six Most Adventurous Laptop Designs of 2022

In a world of shiny clamshells and flashy convertibles, laptop versions can seem repetitive. Some of the most successful and popular designs don’t always see huge overhauls from year to year. Stick with newer CPUs or GPUs, maybe clamor for a slightly cooler architecture, and you name it a day (or year). After all, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it, right?

The problem with that is, it gets boring. And for tech enthusiasts interested in developments that could change the way we work, play, fix, and upgrade, it’s imperative that PC makers are willing to take risks.

The laptops below have tried something more adventurous than a component upgrade in 2022. We’ll break down the groundbreaking designs, ideas, and capabilities these systems strive to deliver—and whether the risks they took paid off.

Lenovo ThinkBook Plus Gen3

Discerning laptop shoppers are increasingly looking for monitors with longer aspect ratios. But Lenovo took things in the opposite direction with ThinkBook Plus Gen3, clamshell with a 17.3-inch primary screen, 21:10 aspect ratio. Going even further, Lenovo hasn’t let the extra long surface that the screen makes — 16.3 inches long — go to waste. Instead, Lenovo came out with a secondary, 800 x 1280 resolution LCD screen Next to the keyboard to create a laptop that claims to be uniquely designed for multitasking.

We haven’t seen such a fast laptop since 2017 Acer Predator 21X Curved screen gaming computer. The Acer computer focused on enhancing immersion for gamers by making games feel more like they wrap around than on a flat-screen laptop. However, the ThinkBook 2022 targets its expansive screen at multitasking-obsessed workers.

the ThinkBook Plus Gen 3’s The smaller screen allows users to do things like show thumbnails while working in Photoshop, use a calculator, and take notes. It reminds us of ScreenPads Which Asus has been using for a while in its touchpads and north keyboards of some laptops but it’s less advanced.

Does it bear fruit?

The ThinkBook Plus Gen 3 is a slick exploration of the clamshell design that brought a variety of laptops to life in 2022. Lenovo didn’t anticipate that everyone would want this laptop or spark a wave of ultraportable laptops taking over 16:9 and 16:10 competitors. Since the first generation, Lenovo ThinkBook Plus laptops have been delivering computers with features that push the envelope and deliver superior features most people could live without.

But for the right user, the ThinkBook Plus Gen 3 offers a convenient way to work and organize multiple windows. It also challenges other companies to create designs that are not just stunning, but aim to deliver distinctive value.

We’d like to see Lenovo play with its ultra-fast PC ergonomics. Because it is so long, it can be difficult to balance the roll. We haven’t tried the device but worried about our right hand brushing the deck screen when typing or using the touchpad. The ThinkBook Plus Gen 3 isn’t a left-friendly design, either.

But Lenovo has revived the idea of ​​ultra-wide laptops with a new multi-screen option for users, providing greater options when it comes to balancing tasks.