Everyone talked about AI at CES 2026 but this laptop trend shocked us

At CES 2026, many products were introduced that offered advances in speed with faster CPUs, improved brightness and color on their OLED displays, and lots of AI hype. What was most significant from the laptops released at CES 2026 had nothing to do with raw power. The trend was towards greater durability, repairability, and a longer lifespan of products.

The laptop manufacturers at CES 2026 were moving away from the sealed hardware trend that has become so prevalent in the last few years. The industry was starting to embrace a new design philosophy based on modular construction, providing for easy access to replaceable components, and designing laptops that are serviceable.

CES 2026 laptops are shifting focus from raw power to making things more practical

AMD, Intel, and Qualcomm all unveiled new chips geared towards these fancy AI laptops that are due out in 2026, which will power everything from those ridiculously slim laptops all the way to top-of-the-line gaming machines. You'd expect to see something on CPU speed, graphics performance, and AI get a bit of a bump, but the real story here was on longer-term practicality.

People and the IT people have finally started to call out these manufacturers on the whole 'laptops that are a nightmare to fix, break the bank to service, and are basically impossible to upgrade' thing. And for the first time in ages, people are actually touting the benefits of modular laptops and how easily they can be serviced—no longer something you have to sacrifice for other things.

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 14 sets the tone for repairable laptops

The Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 14 Aura Edition looks pretty familiar at first glance, but give it a look inside and you'll find something new. Lenovo's new spaceframe design lets you get into the guts through the bottom of the laptop and the keyboard as well.

Top features: you can swap out the battery and keyboard, clean the fans, fix the speakers, or even swap out the USB ports without having to rip the whole thing apart. RAM is still stuck in place by a soldering iron, but all things considered, it's way ahead of the curve compared to most business laptops out there. So if you're in the market for a repairable business laptop in 2026, the ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 14 just set a new benchmark to aim for.

And powering all of this is an Intel Core Ultra X7 Series 3 processor, courtesy of the Panther Lake family, a big chip that somehow still manages to keep things nice and slim.

Dell brings back the XPS brand after a short-lived identity crisis

Dell's decision to bring back the XPS brand was one of the biggest talking points at CES. After ditching the familiar XPS name last year, the company ended up confusing its loyal customer base, who had come to trust that name.

And now, as of today, the XPS 14 and XPS 16 are back on the market. And in a move that should please a lot of people, they've got the same clean design language that made XPS so popular in the first place. Throw in some newer Intel processors, OLED displays that are a big step up to 3,200 x 2,000 resolution, and more memory and storage to play around with, and you've got a pretty compelling package. As for pricing and release dates, Dell's still keeping that under wraps.

ASUS proves that one screen just isn't enough in 2026

While most companies were giving a lot of love to repairability, the ASUS Republic of Gamers decided to go in a completely different direction. Their new ROG Zephyrus Duo GX651 is essentially a 16-inch laptop with two full-size OLED screens built in, and they want to make a serious dent in the gaming and creative markets.

Announced back in January 2026, this thing features not one, but two 3K OLED touch displays that can run all the way to 120 Hz. ASUS is positioning it squarely at gamers and creators who need to juggle multiple things at once, like playing games while streaming or editing video, all without needing to fiddle with any external monitors. And under the hood, it's powered by Intel Core Ultra processors and up to an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 graphics card to make it a proper desktop replacement.

MSI Prestige Laptops Show That Sometimes Less Is More

MSI, of course, is a name you know for high-end gaming gear, and yet their revamped Prestige 14 and 16 laptops really caught my eye by dialing things back. I mean, they went for understated rather than in-your-face flashy design.

The Prestige laptops look sleek, they're OLED equipped, and they've got a real focus on being slim. Battery life, portability, and just pure usability were all priorities. I have to say, in a show where just about every other company was going all out with their designs, MSI's somewhat restrained approach was a breath of fresh air; it just reminded us that subtle changes can make all the difference.

Acer Swift Edge Takes A Different Path

Acer decided to give the Swift Edge 14 AI and Swift Edge 16 AI laptops some serious TLC; they got new Intel Core Ultra processors, and the RAM and storage options went up to 32 GB and 1 TB, respectively. But the real magic happens with the new chassis.

By mixing in some stainless steel and magnesium, Acer managed to give these laptops some serious durability while keeping the weight down. It's a really compelling choice for folks looking for a mid-range option that's not going to break the bank but still packs a punch.

HP EliteBoard G1a: What Happens When the Laptop and Keyboard Become One

HP's EliteBoard G1a really stood out at CES 2026; it's a computer and keyboard all rolled into one, which is a pretty radical design choice. The idea is to use it and then slap on some external monitors to create a really flexible working setup.

It's powered by some pretty serious AMD Ryzen AI PRO processors and can even handle up to 64 GB of memory, so it's a pretty serious bit of kit. And what it's saying to the rest of the industry is, 'Hey, maybe not every portable computer needs a built-in screen.'

CES 2026 Laptops Are a Whole New Ball Game

CES 2026 delivered laptops with thinner designs, way more potent GPUs, and some big promises about AI. But the real progress wasn't as flashy as all that. From laptops that you can fix yourself if they go wrong, to modular designs that let you upgrade and repair them easily, to really brave new product lines and the odd crazy dual-screen design that just took a punt, what we saw at CES 2026 was laptop makers starting to focus on longevity, usability, and plain old trustworthiness. If this is the direction they stick to, then the next wave of laptops might do more than just get a bit faster; they might finally be built to last.

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