Products · Broad category
Laptops
Raised as a usability problem by 244 people on Hacker News over 19 years (2008–2026), in 233 threads.
This is a broad category rather than one product, so its issues aren't ranked on the home page.
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- 8Volume keys need an extra Fn pressUnreviewed
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Every issue, all time, most people first
Large trackpad gets brushed by wrists and thumbs while typingUnreviewed
20082026- Palm detection is useless, so the cursor swoops around unintentionally2026-04-01
- Trackpad feels unpleasant and keys drop when typing fast on non-ThinkPad laptops2026-01-16
- Resting hands on the pointed folded edges is uncomfortable while using the touchpad2025-01-13
Non-Apple clickpads feel wrong compared with Apple trackpadsUnreviewed
20082026- Touchpad is hard to control and unreliable for mouse-based interaction2026-09-24
- Trackpad is virtually unusable for VNC, especially copy-paste2026-06-23
- Trackpads on nearly all laptops have a frustrating diving-board design that feels abysmal to use2025-12-25
Arrow keys and PgUp/PgDn are laid out inconsistentlyUnreviewed
20082026- Keyboard layout lacks ThinkPad-style page up/down keys, forcing Fn combinations2026-10-26
- Home, End, PgUp, PgDn keys scattered or hidden, arrow keys combined, making editing harder2023-02-23
- Shrunken arrow keys and missing PageUp/PageDown keys are hard to use2022-05-19
Tiny keyboards make proper touch typing impossibleUnreviewed
20082026- Gripping the tablet presses keyboard keys unintentionally2026-06-01
- Tiny keyboards make it impossible to touch type properly2024-08-07
- Fully waterproof keyboards have a spongey membrane that makes typing terrible2024-01-09
Keyboards are poor and no trackpoint options existUnreviewed
20082026- Laptop keyboard and trackpad sit unused and get in the way when open2022-04-04
- Laptop keyboards lack the ergonomic layout needed to avoid pinky strain and pain2021-11-30
- Laptop becomes basically unusable without an external mouse and keyboard2020-08-22
Heavy background software makes work laptop almost unusableUnreviewed
20082026- Two-core laptops become so slow that doing anything beside one app is painful2025-02-13
- Work laptop feels sluggish because security software runs constantly in the background2023-11-22
- Laptop is very slow and battery lasts only about 10 minutes2022-09-13
Long click travel makes the pointer drift off targetUnreviewed
20082026- Clicks only register when pressed harder in some areas, unlike MacBooks2023-04-05
- Click travel is so long the pointer drifts off the target before the click registers2019-06-20
- Clicking causes pointer to jump, selecting the wrong thing due to accidental touch2017-07-04
Arrow keys are too small to use comfortablyUnreviewed
20082026- Reduced-height arrow keys and small or missing Esc key make code navigation maddening2023-06-30
- Up and down arrow keys are tiny, hard to use for frequent navigation2023-06-11
- Arrow keys on modern laptops are too small to use comfortably2021-11-09
Small screen forces tabbing between windowsUnreviewed
20082026- Juggling windows back and forth on a small laptop screen is frustrating2023-11-15
- Working with many windows and logs on a laptop screen feels claustrophobic and cramped2023-03-04
- Small laptop screen forces tabbing between windows instead of seeing everything at once2023-03-03
Flat keys make typing hard and numpads force off-center typingUnreviewed
20082026- Built-in numpads force the main keys off-centre, so typing feels awkward2023-03-23
- Flat keys with no definition make typing hard, and numpads force off-center typing2022-12-30
- Keyboard shrinks shift and arrow keys to fit a numpad2022-04-03
Volume keys need an extra Fn pressUnreviewed
20082026- Volume keys need an extra Fn key press to work2024-11-03
- Fn modifier only works with about 20 keys, can't be used as a regular modifier2023-01-04
- Can't remember FN lock state, so function key presses give unintended results2022-02-21
Screen and keyboard coupling forces awkward hand heightUnreviewed
20082026- Keyboard and screen sit too close in height, forcing a bad posture while typing2026-03-18
- Screen and keyboard coupling forces awkward hand height or neck strain2022-01-05
- Low screen and deep keyboard force slouching and neck strain2017-09-06
Laptop wakes in bag, forcing full shutdown and slow startupUnreviewed
20082026- Laptop takes seconds to wake and then distracts with stuff going on2026-06-19
- Laptop wakes itself in bag, forcing full shutdown and slow startup each time2021-10-16
- Lid-closed sleep keeps laptop warm and draining battery overnight, fans running in bag2021-10-14
Moved Ctrl or Shift keys make typing painfulUnreviewed
20082026- Short left shift and slash placed beside it cause mis-hits when typing2023-04-02
- Nonstandard key layout makes the commenter struggle to type2019-12-18
- Left Ctrl or right Shift out of expected position makes typing painful for the commenter2019-12-16
Text on 1080px screen is too small to read comfortablyUnreviewed
20082026- Laptop screen shows far less text at once, making long threads hard to read2024-07-13
- Tiny screen forces squinting or enlarging text and endless scrolling in Excel2023-06-06
- Text on a 1080px laptop screen is too small and low-resolution to read documents comfortably2017-10-20
Screen resolution too low for development workUnreviewed
20082026- Modern software becomes unusable at 1366x768 screen resolution2023-11-14
- Screen resolution too low to be usable for development work2013-04-07
- High-resolution screen causes eye strain and headaches for the user2008-08-09
Some keys need hard presses to register, causing typosUnreviewed
20082026- Some keys need harder, more precise presses to register, causing typos and broken typing flow2026-01-02
- Chiclet keys make typing accuracy worse for an older typist2025-06-02
- T and M keys often fail to register, slowing typing2008-09-12
Screen is unusable outdoors in sunlight due to glareUnreviewed
20082026- Screen is unreadable outdoors in bright sunlight even at full brightness2022-04-02
- Laptop screen is hard to read outdoors on sunny days, causing squinting2020-04-11
- Laptop screen is uncomfortable to unusable outdoors in sunlight due to glare2010-03-23
Unreviewed issues were grouped by machine: Claude Haiku labelled each comment as a usability complaint, named what it's about and summed up the problem in a line, and a small model grouped similar problems. Nobody has checked them by hand. Expect mistakes.
The newest 50 complaints
- Keyboard layout lacks ThinkPad-style page up/down keys, forcing Fn combinations2026-10-26
- Touchpad is hard to control and unreliable for mouse-based interaction2026-09-24
- Laptop trackpad is not ergonomic when using multiple external screens2026-09-22
- Trackpad is virtually unusable for VNC, especially copy-paste2026-06-23
- Laptop takes seconds to wake and then distracts with stuff going on2026-06-19
- Gripping the tablet presses keyboard keys unintentionally2026-06-01
- At 2x scaling, text and UI elements are so huge the user can barely interact with the screen2026-05-27
- BIOS uses confusing terms that don't match what they should mean2026-05-07
- Palm detection is useless, so the cursor swoops around unintentionally2026-04-01
- Refuses to boot on a weak charger, confusing users who must figure out to unplug it2026-03-29
- Had to click a lot to find the laptop's specs2026-03-19
- Keyboard and screen sit too close in height, forcing a bad posture while typing2026-03-18
- Too many choices and unknown, varying keyboard, display and trackpad quality2026-03-11
- Trackpad feels unpleasant and keys drop when typing fast on non-ThinkPad laptops2026-01-16
- Some keys need harder, more precise presses to register, causing typos and broken typing flow2026-01-02
- Trackpads on nearly all laptops have a frustrating diving-board design that feels abysmal to use2025-12-25
- Touchscreen on laptop strains the arm and gets covered in fingerprints2025-10-12
- Touchpad is so poor the commenter had to add an external trackpad2025-08-23
- Keyboard, mouse and login screen go to the wrong display during boot, so input seems to work only on the built-in screen2025-08-12
- Changing device settings requires a poorly designed Electron application2025-07-27
- External gear is a hassle to set up, needing colour-matched plugging at gigs2025-07-22
- Screen panels only look usable at 1.5x UI scaling, causing extra trouble2025-06-30
- Chiclet keys make typing accuracy worse for an older typist2025-06-02
- Ports are placed awkwardly and don't work as people expect2025-03-07
- Two-core laptops become so slow that doing anything beside one app is painful2025-02-13
- Without power or sleep lights, can't tell if laptop is safe to put in bag2025-01-19
- No power or sleep light, so users can't tell if the laptop is on or charging2025-01-19
- Edge that might touch the wrists is very spiky, making typing uncomfortable2025-01-13
- Resting hands on the pointed folded edges is uncomfortable while using the touchpad2025-01-13
- Volume keys need an extra Fn key press to work2024-11-03
- Computer becomes unusable for minutes at unexpected times2024-09-04
- Tiny keyboards make it impossible to touch type properly2024-08-07
- Laptop screen shows far less text at once, making long threads hard to read2024-07-13
- Can't open a laptop without it resting on passenger or risking screen damage2024-07-09
- Non-Apple trackpads have bad acceleration, unreliable gestures, and palm rejection failures2024-03-05
- Laptop locked up when scrolling a long web page, forcing battery removal2024-01-25
- Fully waterproof keyboards have a spongey membrane that makes typing terrible2024-01-09
- Work laptop feels sluggish because security software runs constantly in the background2023-11-22
- Juggling windows back and forth on a small laptop screen is frustrating2023-11-15
- Function keys default to shortcuts like volume and brightness, forcing constant use and muscle-memory disruption2023-11-14
- Modern software becomes unusable at 1366x768 screen resolution2023-11-14
- Manufacturers' custom key layouts make the user stop and search for keys2023-11-10
- Monitors get randomly reassigned after sleep, so screens end up swapped unexpectedly2023-08-31
- Reaching up to touch a laptop screen feels awkward and smudges with fingerprints2023-07-17
- Clickpads without separate buttons force users to move their thumb to right-click2023-07-17
- Turning Wi-Fi on and off with the mouse is slower than the old F-key2023-07-10
- Reduced-height arrow keys and small or missing Esc key make code navigation maddening2023-06-30
- Up and down arrow keys are tiny, hard to use for frequent navigation2023-06-11
- Tiny screen forces squinting or enlarging text and endless scrolling in Excel2023-06-06
- Hard to get proper posture with a laptop while traveling2023-06-05