One of the benefits of this kind of haptic touchpad is that you get the same level of feedback no matter where you click. It is not deeper to the front and there are no strange dead zones. Mac users are already familiar with this, but haptic touchpads are still rare in the PC world. The feel of using the Sensel pad is not really different from Apple’s Force Touch. However, it does not have the level of integration that opens up a world of secondary features on a MacBook. On the other hand, the actual “click” on Sensel’s path is much more satisfying. Apple’s trackpad feels slightly hollow and shallow.
Of course, Sensel’s touch grille and high-resolution power sensors are also on board. At the moment, its use is limited to a handful of visualizers and a CAD demo. In the CAD demo, power at the edges of the trackpad rotates a 3D model, while using differential power it explodes so you can see inside. It’s easy to see how it can contribute to video editing, where you can scrape through a clip faster based on how hard you press. Or paired with a stylus to draw, similar to a Wacom tablet.
As a regular, old touchpad, the prototype is spot on. It has a smooth glass finish and recognizes gestures with many finger flawless. Honestly, it’s undeniably better than the trackpad on my two year old Dell XPS 15. However, it’s a bit smaller.
It’s anyone’s guess whether we’ll see a Sensel touch pad in a manufacturing machine. But I would be lying if I said I was not interested in the possibility of having a little Morph built into my laptop.