Best Buy 2 In 1 Laptops
For many laptop shoppers, portability is king, and there's nothing more portable than a tablet. With touch screens and support for a pen or stylus, the most popular laptops today often do double duty as tablets. There are two ways to achieve this: Convertible 2-in-1 designs that rotate between notebook and slate modes with 360-degree hinges, or detachable models that let you remove the keyboard entirely to become a standalone tablet. You have a keyboard and touchpad when you need it, or can go all touch screen when that's more convenient.
best buy 2 in 1 laptops
We've outlined below our top picks among the 2-in-1 laptops that we've tested for 2023. Read on for our lab-tested favorites, followed by the basics you should know when buying a 2-in-1 laptop. Also note: At the very end of this article is a detailed spec breakout of our top models.
The convertible laptop can transform from laptop to tablet and back again, with most systems featuring a hinge design that allows for rotating the keyboard portion through 360 degrees, out of the way back behind the screen. This type of 2-in-1 is the best choice if you're planning on using the keyboard a lot, as you're guaranteed to always have it with you. (Typing the Great American Novel or even an ordinary business report on the hard, flat surface of a virtual onscreen keyboard is an experience you wouldn't wish on your worst enemy.)
The rest of the specs (screen size, storage space, the processor used, and so on) for convertibles and detachable hybrids generally follow the same lines as more standard laptops and Windows 10 tablets, which means you'll have to pay more if you want additional speed, fancier features, or a thinner, flashier design.
For example, a system with a fanless Intel Core i3 or Core i5 processor is likely to have excellent battery life and a wafer-thin body. These chips are generally what you will find in detachables. That said, you should expect that these systems will be somewhat less powerful than comparably sized laptops or convertible 2-in-1s, as these low-power mobile processors are designed for cool, quiet operation (which you'll want for a system you're using on your lap or holding in your hand) more so than for blazing speed.
Below are the top convertibles and detachable hybrids we've tested in recent months. We refresh the list often to include the newest products, so check back frequently. Don't need the unique transformational capabilities you get from a 2-in-1? Check out our reviews of the best overall laptops, the top business notebooks, and our favorite ultraportables.
Advancements to low-powered mobile processors have helped lightweight, über-portable 2-in-1 designs flourish into a fantastic sub-category of laptops, with plenty of excellent offerings to choose from.
Laptops with OLED displays used to make bank cards quiver with fear, but that's no longer the case: Asus' Vivobook 13 Slate proves that affordable 2-in-1 laptops can now benefit from the screen technology too. If you're after a convertible for watching Netflix but don't want to spend the earth, it should be your first port of call.
Many Chromebook keyboards are merely serviceable, and others feel stubborn, mushy, and unpleasant to type on. But the backlit keys on the Flex 5i offer deeper travel than those of many laptops and are comfortable to use. The trackpad, like most Chromebook trackpads nowadays, is accurate and reliable.
Laptops are great, capable of offering plenty of portability and a full computing experience with a keyboard and trackpad. Touch screen laptops add additional ways to react with your content, but this HP Envy machine can become a tablet with its 360-degree hinge, making it one of the best laptops for students.
What type of 2-in-1 laptop is best for you? There are 2-in-1 laptops that turn from a laptop into a tablet by physically removing the keyboard. These are usually much thinner and lighter devices when used in tablet mode, but it does mean you need to store the keyboard carefully when it's not being used.
Other 2-in-1 laptops feature a hinge that can flip the keyboard 360 degrees so that it is behind the screen. As the keyboard remains attached, these 2-in-1 laptops are usually a bit thicker and heavier than models with removable keyboards. However, you don't have to worry about stashing an unused keyboard anywhere, and the hinge allows you to use the laptop in a variety of different ways. For example, you can flip the keyboard 90 degrees and use it as a stand, which makes it useful for watching media or presentations.
The best 2-in-1 laptops allow you to switch between laptop and tablet modes, and pick which setup is best for the creative task at hand. Sat at a desk needing to write emails? That may be more comfortable when the 2-in-1 is in laptop mode. Watching a film, or doing some digital doodling on a train journey? That might be better suited to the tablet mode.
The best 2-in-1 laptops allow you to detach the screen and use it as a tablet; for example, if you want to do some digital drawing with a stylus. Then you can reattach it when you prefer to use a physical keyboard. In other words, you get the best of both worlds, making them a great choice for digital creatives. With almost every maker now offering 2-in-1 laptops, you'll be able to find one for most budgets, from cheap-as-chips Chromebooks up to high-end portable workstations.
In our guide, we've selected some of the best 2-in-1 laptops available now, based on our own reviews as well as recommendations from creative professionals. We've taken into account each model's suitability for creative work, as well as taking a good look at its specs and performance, the effectiveness of its transition mechanism, the quality of its display and, of course, its value for money. (If you want to know more, see our guide to how we test laptops, PCs and workstations.)
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Laptops feature the traditional keyboard on the bottom and screen on top. They open and close. They feature different inputs/outputs, a CD/DVD player, larger memory and more. There is almost nothing a traditional laptop can do that a 2-in-1, at a similar price point, cannot do. Some hybrid laptops are actually as light as a tablet while offering the abilities of a laptop.
In a tablet vs a hybrid laptop debate, you will find that some hybrid laptops weigh more than traditional tablets. Hybrid laptops also operate on Windows and Chrome operating systems, meaning that you won't find the wide selection of apps that Android and Apple offer. You also won't be able to connect your smartphone and 2-in-1, unless you have a Windows or Google phone.
There are so many electronic devices available today that it isn't always easy to make a decision. The best you can do is research and prepare before making a purchase. A 2-in-1 laptop offers the best of both worlds between laptops and tablets, but that doesn't mean it's the right choice for you. You must weigh the pros and cons to decide whether you need the functionality of two devices in one.
Is It Worth It?: If the thought of a cloud-based Google machine sounds intriguing, Best Buy offers the Acer Intel Celeron 2.16GHz 11.6" Chromebook for $159, which is the second-best price we've seen on this model. (We saw it for $10 less on Black Friday). The 2.4-lb. machine features an Intel Celeron N2830 2.16GHz dual-core processor, 11.6" 1366x768 LED-backlit LCD, 2GB RAM, 16GB flash memory, and Google Chrome OS. Alternatively, Amazon offers it for the same price. 041b061a72