Best 2-in-1 Laptops
These versatile laptops from brands like Asus, Dell, and Samsung could make you forget all about a dedicated tablet
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Why buy two devices when one will do the job? That’s the allure of a 2-in-1 laptop, which is one part traditional notebook and one part tablet.
With a 2-in-1, you can wrap up an Excel spreadsheet at your kitchen island and minutes later be lying in bed watching season three of “The Mandalorian” on Disney+ on what is essentially a big screen.
“The primary appeal of a 2-in-1 is the flexibility,” says Antonette Asedillo, who oversees computer testing for Consumer Reports. “If you don’t need the keyboard, you can tuck it away, change the configuration so it functions as a stand, or possibly detach it altogether.”
There are two approaches to 2-in-1 design: convertibles and detachables.
With convertibles, which are more common, the keyboard swings 360 degrees on hinges and folds flat against the back of the display. You can also use a convertible in what’s sometimes referred to as “tent mode,” in which you bend the keyboard back about halfway and flip the device over, making it easy to share your screen with people nearby.
In the case of detachables, the keyboard can be completely disconnected from the display, leaving you with what amounts to a tablet.
“Convertibles are good for presentations, times when you need to quickly show videos and slideshows,” Asedillo says. “It gets the keyboard out of the way and holds the display upright. Detachables are good when you want to be more mobile, maybe to play a game or browse the web using just the screen.”
Either way—convertible or detachable—you have a touchscreen, which comes in handy when you want to pause a movie or scroll through social media.
Roughly one-quarter of the laptops in our ratings are either a convertible or a detachable, which means you have plenty of options to choose from. CR members can see a list of recommended models, organized by decreasing screen size, below.
The Dell Inspiron i7706-7821SLV is a high-performance convertible with an Intel Core i7 processor, 8 gigabytes of memory, and 256GB of solid-state storage—all solid specs. The Core i7 may be overkill for day-to-day tasks, but it allows you to tackle more demanding fare like video editing, too.
Our testers praised the laptop’s strong performance, battery life that lasts as long as 13 hours for web browsing and other ordinary tasks, and the big, bright display that accurately represents colors. (The last thing you want is a washed-out picture when you’re watching the latest nature documentary on Netflix.)
You’ll also find a good selection of built-in ports, including several USB ports, one Thunderbolt port (which can accept USB-C connections), and an HDMI port for connecting to a nearby TV. WiFi 6, the latest WiFi standard, is supported out of the box.
This model ships with Windows 10, but you can upgrade to Windows 11 at no extra cost.
Recently added to our ratings, Samsung’s primary 2-in-1 convertible is aimed at everyday consumers. (A higher-end Pro model is also available.) The model here has an Intel Core i7 processor, 16GB of memory, and 512GB of solid-state storage.
It scored well across the board, earning top marks for metrics like performance, display quality, and portability. It’s powerful enough to make short work of even demanding tasks like rendering high-res video, and it has a 15.6-inch OLED display that makes it an ideal streaming video companion. Add a battery that can last as many as 17 hours on a single charge and you’re prepared for almost any challenge.
Another model to be on the lookout for around this size is the 2023 LG Gram. We haven’t finished our testing of that one yet, but previous versions, including last year’s model, have performed quite well in our labs.
Want a more modest-sized 2-in-1? Consider this 14-inch convertible laptop from the gaming specialists at MSI. It has an Intel Core i5, 16 gigabytes of memory, and 512GB of solid-state storage.
It’s more of an entry-level gaming laptop, what with the Core i5 and the use of integrated graphics. But it should be able to handle today’s games as long as you turn the settings for resolution or texture quality down just a smidge.
Performance, display quality, and versatility all get top marks from our testers. And with more than 15 hours of battery life at a lighter, nongaming load, the model can easily go a workday or two without needing to be plugged in.
There’s a healthy assortment of ports (two USB-C, one USB-A, and one HDMI) and even support for WiFi 6E. The model ships with Windows 11 Pro, which adds features not found on the consumer version of Windows 11, such as support for virtualization, which you can use to run separate operating systems on the same computer.
This Asus model is a fine choice if you’re looking for a 2-in-1 option in the 13-inch range. It’s equipped with an Intel Core i7 processor, 16GB of memory, and 1 terabyte of solid-state storage.
That all translates to a laptop that scores very well in our ratings, with our testers highlighting the fast performance and sharp, color-accurate OLED display. The battery lasts nearly 13 hours in our tests, which is plenty, sure, but perhaps not as eye-watering as what we’ve seen from laptops from companies like Apple and Samsung.
