Best 2-in-1 convertible laptops for 2021 – CNET
Two-in-ones — also often called convertible laptops — were once more expensive than their clamshell laptop counterparts, but they’ve come down quite a bit in price. Premium models tend to start around $1,000 and typically come with features that a traditional laptop doesn’t have, such as active pen support and a touchscreen. But the feature gap between these and mainstream models from Dell, Lenovo, HP and others is now much smaller, with some starting at less than $500.
While most of the best two-in-ones are also convertible laptops — those with 360-degree hinges where the keyboard rotates around to the back of the display — there are some with a detachable keyboard and tablet mode on this list. A touchscreen hybrid laptop with a keyboard dock is more tablet PC than laptop, though. That said, they’re still good in laptop mode, and we’ve included models like the incredibly portable Surface Go 2 and Lenovo IdeaPad Duet Chromebook.
And if you’re only thinking of a hybrid device as a detachable tablet and a laptop, here are five other uses for a two-in-one that you might not have considered.
Read more: Best laptop backpack for 2021
Joshua Goldman/CNET
The HP Envy x360 13 is a great pick for an older high-school or college student or anyone looking for a small, stylish two-in-one to travel with. It’s light at just less than 3 pounds (1.3 kg) and battery life is long despite the size. It’s also available with a choice of AMD Ryzen 5-4500U or Intel 11th-gen Core processors. Essentially, you’re getting a speedy little two-in-one that’s ready for working from home or remote learning, but is also ready for your backpack.
The 13.4-inch convertible laptop is basically a screen, keyboard and touchpad, available with Intel Core i7 or Intel Core i3 processor options. The 11th-gen Intel Core i7 processor and Iris Xe graphics I tested outperformed their ninth- and 10th-gen counterparts while still getting more than 10 hours of battery life, which definitely qualifies this as one of the best two-in-one laptops.
Josh Goldman/CNET
Co-engineered with Intel as part of its Project Athena program, Acer Spin 5 features an Intel Core i7 processor and backlit keyboard fingerprint reader. The Spin 5’s updated design improves its mobility, but also adds a bright 2,256×1,504-pixel resolution, 13.5-inch touchscreen. The 3:2 screen ratio gives you much more vertical space and, since it’s roughly the size of a sheet of paper, it’s more comfortable to use for note-taking and sketching with the included active pen.
Sarah Tew/CNET
Whether you go with the 14- or 15.6-inch touch screen laptop model, you’re getting the best features Lenovo offers in a consumer two-in-one. That includes things like a 4K UHD HDR display; speakers that you’ll actually want to use; Thunderbolt 4 for power (on the 14-inch), speedy data transfers and external display support; faster integrated graphics and the option for discrete graphics on the 15.6-inch; and an included active pen stored in the laptop. And this convertible PC is still wrapped up in a sturdy but lightweight metal body that can be used in laptop or tablet mode. Read our Lenovo Yoga 9i review.
Sarah Tew/CNET
Microsoft still makes the best tablet PC on the market. The latest Surface Pro doesn’t make any radical design changes from its hybrid laptop tablet predecessor, but a good performance jump with Intel’s 10th-gen processors and better battery life make this detachable laptop a more viable regular laptop replacement. The Surface Pro’s sleek detachable keyboard cover and stylus still cost you extra, but there’s usually some good bundle pricing available if you’re looking for a good budget laptop that can also be used in a tablet mode. Read our Microsoft Surface Pro 7 review.
Watch this: Surface Pro 7: Still the Windows 2-in-1 king
5:26
Joshua Goldman/CNET
This is essentially a Chromebook version of the first Microsoft Surface Go. Like the Go, the Chromebook Duet is a 10-inch tablet with a detachable keyboard and touchscreen. Unlike Microsoft, though, Lenovo includes the keyboard. It also costs much less than the Go (including the new Go 2), with laptop deals starting at $279 for a 64GB version or $299 for one with 128GB of storage. It’s essentially a smaller, albeit less powerful, Pixel Slate that makes more sense for more people with a price that’s more in line with what people expect a Chromebook to cost. Read our Lenovo Chromebook Duet review.
Sarah Tew/CNET
Regularly available for less than $750, this thin, 3-pound convertible laptop is a solid choice for anyone who needs a laptop for office or schoolwork. The all-metal chassis gives it a premium look and feel and it has a comfortable keyboard and responsive, smooth precision touchpad. Though it’s light on extra features compared with its premium linemate, the C940, it does have one of Lenovo’s sliding shutters for its webcam to give you privacy when you want it. And it has long battery life to boot.
Sarah Tew/CNET
Two-in-one designs typically weigh more than their clamshell counterparts, but LG kept the lightweight Gram to only 2.5 pounds (1.1 kg).
Battery life is another big advantage of the Gram 14 2-in-1, giving it a leg up in our list of the best two-in-one laptops. In our video streaming test, this convertible laptop ran for an amazing 16 hours, 3 minutes.
Sarah Tew/CNET
This update to Asus’ excellent Chromebook Flip C434 steps up its performance thanks to new 10th-gen Intel Core i3 and i5 processors, faster NVMe SSD storage and speedy Wi-Fi 6. It’s pricey starting at $800, but if you already know the value of Google’s lightweight operating system, the C436 is built to deliver the best Chrome OS experience in an ultraportable two-in-one design.
Sarah Tew/CNET
Although 13.3-inch and 14-inch models are typically what you’ll find for convertible notebooks, there are a handful of bigger models like Dell’s excellent XPS 15 2-in-1. It’s the smallest and thinnest in the category, with powerful performance from its hybrid Intel/AMD processor. It’s not cheap and it’s not exactly light at 4.4 pounds, but if you want a big, color-accurate, pen-enabled display for graphics work, get this Dell.
Sarah Tew/CNET
The pen-enabled detachable delivers accurate color and smooth sketching with workstation credibility. It’s powerful for its size and relatively full-featured, and the detachable keyboard with Bluetooth is comfortable for typing in either mode.
Sarah Tew/CNET
With a 4K UHD 15.6-inch touchscreen display, solid components and a sturdy, tasteful aluminum chassis, you’re not missing out on anything by going with the C630 — except maybe the higher price of a Windows system. This touchscreen laptop Chromebook keeps webpages loading fast and apps zipping along.