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, creaky material. But after testing dozens of laptops over the years, I’ve found that plastic often holds up better in real life than buyers expect.. In many cases, a plastic laptop chassis is even better than a metal one!
Plastic laptops aren’t what they used to be
When many people think “plastic laptop,” they picture the discount special from a decade ago: A machine that creaks and flexes when you pick it up.
But today’s plastic laptops rarely feel like that to me. They usually feel solid, without weird flexing. They often have nice matte surfaces that feel comfortable and almost rubbery. Those rubbery surfaces often feel nicer than smooth metal ones, too.
Here’s my biggest confession: When I start reviewing a laptop and hold it for the first time, I’m not always completely sure whether the laptop is made of plastic or a metal alloy. I’ve reviewed laptops where the lid was made of metal and the bottom of the laptop was made of plastic, and the materials often felt very similar. There’s such a wide range of different plastic and metal materials out there.
Plastic can take a beating
Plastic is a good material, actually. While modern plastic laptops rarely flex when you pick them up, plastic can still flex in a way metal can’t. A plastic laptop chassis may be more resistant to bumps and drops. Plastic will flex rather than dent.
Chris Hoffman / Foundry
It’s also pretty hard to scratch a plastic laptop chassis. On the other hand, a metal laptop chassis can often scratch easily on contact with keys, jewelry, USB connectors, coins, and other stuff you may have laying around.
When I take a review laptop out into the world and set it on a rough surface to take a photo of it, I’m more confident a plastic laptop won’t scratch. But I’m concerned that a “premium” metal laptop might be damaged if it’s set on the wrong surface.
Plastic laptops are often more upgradable
If you want a laptop that’s upgradable, you’ll probably be getting a plastic laptop. Metal laptops often have glue or just a unibody construction that makes them impossible to open.
Meanwhile, the most upgradable laptops likely have a plastic bottom. You can get them on and off by prying them off with a spudger tool — or perhaps just by removing some screws. Metal laptops are less likely to be upgradable, and they’re usually more difficult to open.
Gaming laptops are often made of plastic for a reason
Most gaming laptops I review are made of plastic — even high-end 18-inch ones. This helps make them lighter: Many metal laptops are heavier than plastic laptops. For a massive, heavy gaming laptop, extra weight is a bad idea.
IDG / Chris Hoffman
Plus, that plastic makes them more durable: A huge, heavy gaming laptop made of plastic might flex a little bit if you hold it wrong and don’t properly support it. A unibody metal laptop might actually snap. I haven’t seen it happen because I’ve never seen a heavy metal gaming laptop — manufacturers know better. The only metal gaming laptops I’ve used are on the lighter side.
Metal can get too hot (and too cold)
Metal also tends to trap heat. If a laptop’s cooling isn’t perfectly designed with vapor chambers in mind, you’ll get hot spots on the metal chassis around the keyboard when you’re really putting the laptop through its paces. The hottest laptops I’ve ever touched were metal ones — plastic just doesn’t seem to get as hot. Plastic is a great material for a gaming laptop.
But it’s not just heat: Metal can also be cold. It’s now winter here in New England, and the temperatures have been frigid. If I’ve been out in the cold, I enjoy grabbing a plastic laptop more than a metal one — the metal unibody laptops can feel absolutely freezing!
Plastic palmrests are often just more comfortable. I’d rather use a plastic laptop outdoors on an unexpectedly hot or cold day than a metal one.
Even premium materials can feel “cheap”
Some plastic laptop materials feel cheap, sure. But others feel premium, with a solid surface that doesn’t flex and a great finish that makes them more comfortable to rest your hands on than a smooth piece of metal.
Ultimately, whether a material feels “cheap” or not is subjective. I reviewed the Asus ZenBook A14, which is made of a proprietary “Ceraluminum” material — aluminum coated with ceramic. It’s as light as a cloud, which is very impressive. However, the ceramic coating felt kind of plastic-like to me. And, when I picked up the Ceraluminum laptop, my brain said: “This feels plasticky and hollow. It feels cheap.”
IDG / Chris Hoffman
It wasn’t cheap — Ceraluminum is technically impressive! But the feel of a laptop is subjective. The same is true for carbon fiber laptops like the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon. It’s a high-end material, but carbon fiber materials can sometimes feel like “plastic” — just because they’re not a piece of smooth, heavy metal.
Metal isn’t all that important
Whether a laptop has a metal chassis or a plastic chassis is one of the least important things to me while I review it. A plastic laptop with a more responsive keyboard, a smoother touchpad, and a better display will feel more premium in actual day-to-day use than a metal laptop with lower specs.
And metal is often something that drives up the price — you may get a metal chassis instead of a faster CPU at the same price point. But that CPU may be much more important in day-to-day use.
Don’t write off plastic laptops
I’m not here to convince you plastic is always better than metal. Just don’t write plastic off.
Maybe you prefer metal — that’s fine! But plastic is a perfectly fine material for a laptop. Plus, even in the metal laptop space, there’s a wide variety of different aluminum and magnesium alloys that feel and look different.
If you like a laptop and it’s made of plastic, that’s fine. If the feel of a laptop is important to you, I recommend you go touch some in person. There’s such a wide variety of different metal materials and finishes, and you might be shocked at how different various metal laptops can feel to the touch.
So when you take a look at PCWorld’s best laptops and dig through the best laptop deals, don’t overlook plastic laptops. Metal is often overrated. And, if you really want to get into high-end laptop materials, at least consider higher-end materials like carbon fiber or Ceraluminum.
