When it comes to hinges, few people pay attention to them, as they are often regarded as an inconsequential accessory on a laptop, as long as the screen can open and close smoothly. In fact, hinges are not simple. The quality of their design not only affects the overall style of the laptop but also the arrangement of its ports. A poor hinge design can lead to hinge breakage and damage to the casing's fixed points, or worse, cause the screen cable inside the hinge to break, leading to various malfunctions of the laptop. Therefore, hinge design should not be overlooked!

Curvy and distinct in character

Although laptop hinges come in various forms, they can be divided into two categories based on their basic structure: one type has the fixed end on the main body, with the movable part protruding and connected to the screen, forming a protruding structure; the other type has the fixed end on the screen, with the movable part recessed and connected to the main body, forming a recessed structure.

The advantage of protruding hinges is that when opened, the screen rises overall, preventing it from blocking the back of the laptop. This allows for the convenient placement of various ports and ventilation holes at the back of the laptop. From the perspective of maximizing laptop space and increasing the number of ports, this is very beneficial. Additionally, because protruding hinges are less likely to be obstructed during rotation, the angle at which the screen can be opened is larger.

Although protruding hinges have many advantages, the number of laptops using them has decreased. Why is this the case? Because protruding hinges require a sufficiently large protruding part to ensure their strength and damping. As a result, the laptop lid must be made thicker to cover the hinge. For laptops that use LED backlighting and pursue thinness, protruding hinges naturally seem somewhat unsuitable.

Recessed hinges solve this problem well. The connection point of recessed hinges is located in the thicker part of the main body, so the laptop lid does not have to increase in thickness due to the hinge. At the same time, when opened, the screen sinks down, making laptops with recessed hinges feel more convenient in crowded environments.

However, recessed hinges also have some issues. For example, they can easily obstruct the back of the laptop, preventing ports from being set at the back. Additionally, during rotation, the screen can easily be obstructed by the back of the laptop.

Overall, there is no clear superiority between protruding and recessed hinges; the choice should depend on the specific model. Generally, large-screen laptops, business laptops, and fully functional laptops tend to use protruding hinges for better expansion capabilities and viewing comfort. In contrast, netbooks, lightweight laptops, and stylish laptops often use recessed hinges to control the thickness of the laptop lid.