Lenovo ditches old haptic touchpad tech for Sensel’s FusionUX stack — here’s why it’s a big deal
Lenovo’s 2nd gen ThinkPad Z13 and Z16 laptops are getting a touchpad remake for the better.
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What you need to know
Haptic touchpads have been slowly gaining traction on Windows laptops, with independent tech company Sensel leading the way. Sensel has previously put its technology in the LenovoThinkPad X1 Titanium Yoga, MicrosoftSurface Laptop Studio, and Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Fold 16.
But now, the company is taking another major step as Lenovo is using the company’s ‘full stack’ of technology in its nascent ThinkPad Z-line with theThinkPad Z13andThinkPad Z16laptops.
The move is interesting for a few reasons.
Lenovo previously used another haptic solution for the Z13 and Z16 Gen 1 laptops. While the laptops themselves, which are aimed at Gen-Z users to be more stylish and modern, were generally well received, the touchpads were only seen as “OK.” But for thejust-announced ThinkPad Z’s Gen 2, Lenovo ditched the old solution and opted for Sensel’s design, which speaks volumes about how much better Sensel is at this than other haptic providers.
The second part relates to how this is the first time a company uses all of Sensel’s newest technology in one touchpad. Until now, companies like Microsoft used some of Sensel’s haptic engine but provided designs and technology for other components like touch, making them hybrid designs.
Sensel calls this full delivery itsFusionUX technology stack, and it includes:
Sensel notes in its press release that “All this and more was fit into a module that is substantially thinner than the traditional haptic trackpad that’s been in the market for the past 8 years.”
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As to other benefits, Sensel remarks that using its full technology stack “eliminates the need for dedicated force sensors, a force sensing chip, high voltage electronics, and haptics transducers.”
With the FusionUX tech stack, companies can create even more (or larger) “smart-surfaces in a wide array of products and applications, making the technologies we use every day more intuitive and expressive — a future we’re excited to help usher in."
Haptic touchpads are one of themost exciting areas of developmentin laptops PCs these days (seeLG’s latest Gram implementation). The technology eliminates moving parts from the trackpad area, reducing hardware failures and manufacturing errors. The touchpads are also thinner than traditional mechanical ones, which lets OEMs put in larger batteries or build better thermals for more powerful CPUs. The touchpads are also more accurate and, more interestingly, customizable, including how much “click” is simulated for the user.
Since force detection is now part of the equation, OEMs can also build their own custom gestures with haptic touchpads such as volume controls, scrubbing, zoom, and more. For instance, on the Z13 and Z16, both of which feature Lenovo’s famed TrackPoint red nub, the company can still have the top left and right-click buttons but let the user “turn them off,” thereby regaining the full size of the touchpad since those buttons are no longer physical.
Thenew Lenovo ThinkPad Z13 and Z16 Gen 2will be available this summer, starting at $1,249 for the Z13 and $1,749 for the Z16.
There is no ETA for Surface Laptop Studio 2. However,a recent leaksuggests it is also coming later this spring/early summer.
Daniel Rubino is the Editor-in-chief of Windows Central. He is also the head reviewer,podcast co-host, and analyst. He has been covering Microsoft since 2007, when this site was called WMExperts (and later Windows Phone Central). His interests include Windows, laptops, next-gen computing, and watches. He has been reviewing laptops since 2015 and is particularly fond of 2-in-1 convertibles, ARM processors, new form factors, and thin-and-light PCs. Before all this tech stuff, he worked on a Ph.D. in linguistics, watched people sleep (for medical purposes!), and ran the projectors at movie theaters because it was fun.
