A variable torque opening hinge joint for a laptop may comprise a shaft having a protrusion along its axial length and operably connecting to a display chassis inserted through a first hinge joint and a second hinge joint that are operably connected to a base chassis. The first hinge joint may apply a constant torque resistive to a rotation of the shaft throughout a range of angular displacement, and the second hinge joint may apply a variable torque resistive to a rotation of the shaft that increases from a minimum variable resistive torque to a maximum variable resistive torque over a preset subset of the range of angular displacement to reach a maximum variable torque. A leading edge of the protrusion and a trailing edge of the protrusion may be separated by an angle equivalent to the preset subset of the range of angular displacement.