PC laptop trackpads are really good now. The average laptop trackpad works well, and many even feel downright great. But there’s one big upgrade that can take your laptop trackpad experience to the next level — a haptic trackpad.
Haptic trackpads are still tough to find on modern PC laptops, but they’re getting there — as we see in Microsoft’s latest Surface Laptops. All else being equal, haptic trackpads offer a much nicer controlling-a-mouse-with-your-finger experience than typical trackpads, elevating any laptop to the next tier of premium feel.
If you’ve ever used a haptic trackpad, you know exactly what I’m talking about. But if you haven’t had the pleasure of using one yet, here’s why they’re awesome and why you’ll want your next laptop to have one.
What is a haptic trackpad?
Let’s start by considering the traditional mechanical trackpad. When you press your finger down and click, the trackpad physically presses down and activates a physical switch. It’s simple and intuitive. Most laptops still include this type of conventional trackpad.
On the other hand, a haptic trackpad doesn’t physically move when you click down on it. Instead, it has several components — a touch sensor, a force sensor, and a haptic actuator — that detect a click intent and then respond with feedback to let you know a click was registered.
Mark Hachman / IDG
So, when you glide your finger over the touchpad, it senses where you’re touching and moves the cursor accordingly (just like on a mechanical touchpad), but when you press down to perform a click, the trackpad itself doesn’t move; instead, it vibrates. It’s a lot like the haptic feedback you experience on modern Android phones and iPhones. It’s a vibration. But it doesn’t feel like a vibration. It feels like a click.
How does this provide an improved trackpad experience? The differences are subtle yet significant. Let’s dive into why it’s better.
Why is a haptic trackpad better?
If you’ve ever used a good haptic trackpad like the ones in Microsoft’s latest Surface Laptops, you know that they just feel better to use. It’s clear as soon as you press your finger down for the first time.
Now, to be fair, “better” is always subjective. You may actually prefer the conventional trackpad experience with its physical actuations. But for many, here are some of the tangible advantages that make haptic trackpads superior in feel and performance:
- You can click anywhere on the surface of a haptic trackpad, whereas on a mechanical trackpad you’re usually only able to click on the bottom half, not the top half.
- The click force is consistent across the entire surface of a haptic trackpad, whereas on a mechanical trackpad you may have to use different amounts of force to perform a click on different areas.
- Haptic trackpads are more durable because they don’t have physical switches that can wear out. They’re also thinner and take up less room in the laptop, making them perfect for thin-and-light laptops.
- You can customize how a haptic trackpad works. For example, you can choose how much force is needed to register a click, and you can change the feedback’s vibration pattern. (On Windows 11, these options are available under Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Touchpad if your PC has a haptic trackpad.)
Chris Hoffman / IDG
Because haptic trackpads can measure the amount of pressure you’re applying with your finger, they can respond differently to different pressure levels and perform different actions. They can also provide different types of haptic feedback in different applications depending on what you’re doing. There’s a lot of potential customizability that can be unlocked by the various applications that support it.
But, for me, the biggest advantage of a haptic trackpad is that it just feels so much better to use. You can click anywhere on the surface with the same pressure level and get crisp, responsive feedback. It’s just qualitatively different than clicking down on a mechanical trackpad.
Which laptops have haptic trackpads?
PC manufacturers are a little late to the haptic trackpad game. I hate to do it, but I have to point out that Apple popularized this technology on MacBooks a long time ago — called Force Touch and first released back in 2015 on both MacBooks and MacBook Pros.
The PC industry is still playing catch-up, but they are catching up. We’re seeing an ever-increasing number of Windows laptops with haptic trackpads, and those trackpads are made by a company named Sensel.
Mark Knapp / Foundry
At the start of 2025, here are some noteworthy Windows laptops with haptic trackpads available on the market:
- Microsoft’s Surface Laptop 7 models offer haptic trackpads. That’s one of the big advantages they have when compared to other Copilot+ PC laptops in the same price range. The Surface Laptop’s trackpad feels excellent, and I prefer it to the mechanical trackpads on more expensive laptops I’ve reviewed.
- Dell’s XPS 13 has a haptic trackpad, as do XPS 14 and XPS 16 models. Mark Knapp found the haptic trackpad on the XPS 13 to be “satisfying” in his review here at PCWorld.
- Lenovo offers a few laptops with haptic touchpads, including the ThinkPad X1 2-in-1 and ThinkPad P1 Gen 7.
Yes, this is a very short list. Microsoft Surface Laptops, a few Dell machines, and a few Lenovo machines. Is that all? Really? Unfortunately, yes. It’s slim pickings out there for PC users at the moment, and I can only hope more PC manufacturers will follow suit and that haptic trackpads will become more common. They really are great.
That said, here’s a bit of good news for desktop users: At CES 2025, Hyper announced an external haptic trackpad accessory. Some people do prefer desktop trackpads, but I confess I’m not one of them. Give me a traditional mouse at my desk!
And as for mechanical trackpads…
When it comes to trackpads, I personally prefer the haptic one on my Surface Laptop. It blows away the mechanical trackpads on all the other laptops I own and review. But not everyone agrees. Yes, some people do prefer the mechanical trackpad experience with its physical click.
At the end of the day, trackpad preferences are just that — preferences. You have to figure out what you like, so I encourage you to visit any local electronics store, head over to the laptop area, and play with some of the trackpads there. There’s a good chance they’ll have at least a Surface Laptop on display. Again, decide what feels best to you. (If you aren’t sure about the trackpad or anything else before buying a laptop, you can always take advantage of laptop return policies.)
I’ve spent a lot of time talking about trackpads here, but for the record, I prefer a good physical mouse over any trackpad, even a haptic one. But when I’m working on a laptop and don’t have the option of using a separate mouse, a haptic trackpad is my ideal choice.
