Two-in-ones — also often known as convertible laptops — were once more expensive than their clamshell laptop counterparts, but have significantly come down in price. Premium models typically start around $1,000 and tend to come with features that a traditional laptop typically doesn’t, such as a touchscreen and active pen support. However, the feature gap between these and mainstream models from Dell, HP, Lenovo 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 new 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 2020
Joshua Goldman/CNET
HP’s fourth-gen X360 13 impressed us with its performance, battery life and classy design. For its fifth-gen version, HP kept everything we liked about the last one and tweaked the design to eliminate almost all of the top and bottom bezels around the display, shrinking the overall footprint. Add in its 10th-gen Intel Core I processor with 8GB RAM noticeably boosting its performance, as well as a 256GB solid-state drive and a handful of new helpful and handy features, and there’s little not to like about the 13.3-inch Spectre x360.
If for some reason the HP Spectre x360 doesn’t meet your needs, consider the newest XPS two-in-one, which ranks a close second. Like HP did, Dell trimmed every last bit of chassis it could so that the 13.4-inch convertible laptop is basically a screen, keyboard and touchpad. The 10th-gen Intel Core i7 processor and Iris Pro graphics I tested outperformed their eighth- and ninth-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.
The Spectre comes out ahead based on a handful of extra features and options, and a debatably better keyboard.
Josh Goldman/CNET
Co-engineered with Intel as part of its Project Athena program, Acer updated the Spin 5’s design and features to improve its mobility, but also added 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 notetaking and sketching with the included active pen.
Sarah Tew/CNET
Whether you go with the 14- or 15.6-inch touchscreen 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 3 for power, 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 it’s all still wrapped up in a sturdy but lightweight metal body.
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 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, especially around the holiday shopping season. Plus, the Surface Pro 6 will remain available and was our top pick before the Pro 7 arrived.
Watch this:
Surface Pro 7: Still the Windows 2-in-1 king
5:26
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
Ultraportables typically have integrated graphics processors that are a bit more power-efficient, run cooler and cost less than a stand-alone discrete graphics processor. They also eat into your system memory and storage space and can’t handle more demanding graphics tasks such as photo and video editing or gaming.
Asus somehow got an entry-level Nvidia GeForce MX150 into the Flip 14’s slim body. It’s not a full-fledged gaming laptop or a graphics workstation, but games are smoother and faster, and it can make quicker work of tasks you wouldn’t even consider doing on other thin-and-light convertible laptops. It also has excellent battery life, several USB ports, a backlit keyboard and other creature comforts you don’t necessarily find in this type of device. And we didn’t even mention the excellent battery life.
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
This detachable two-in-one Chromebook tablet is thin and lightweight with peppy performance, and comes with a pen and keyboard cover — something its competition can’t claim. Battery life on this budget laptop hybrid is acceptable but integrated storage is limited.
Best 15.6-inch 2-in-1 for creatives
Dell XPS 15 2-in-1
Sarah Tew/CNET
Although 13.3-inch and 14-inch models are typically what you’ll find for two-in-ones, 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.
