How we rate the Best 2 in 1 Laptop
Laptop designs have changed tremendously in the past decade or so. Initially, the most impressive part about laptops was watching them get slimmer and slimmer with each passing year. This resulted in some of the best lightweight laptops that we found very convenient for all of us who are always on the road. After some time, lightweight laptops became like a norm and this sent the manufacturers back to the drawing board in an attempt of coming up with new interesting designs. This gave birth to a new type of laptops known as 2-in-1 laptops. These are also referred to as convertibles or hybrids.
So, what is a 2-in-1 laptop? This is a type of laptop that allows the keyboard to slide 360-degrees, thus converting the laptop into a tablet. In simple terms, a hybrid laptop is a gadget that you can use as both a laptop and a tablet. Take note that these laptops are completely different Chromebooks because they offer a full windows experience, unlike your typical Chromebooks.
To make them convertible, different technology has been employed. This determines how the laptop converts from one mode to the other. While hybrid laptops are made with hinges that allow for a full 360-degree turn, some are more advanced with detachable keyboards meaning that you can completely remove the keyboard and remain with just the screen which you can now use as a tablet.
It would have been great if we could just say that one of the two types of hybrid laptops is outright the best, but we can’t. Both of these types have their own strengths and drawbacks. Take the detachable hybrid laptop, for instance, on paper, it should be superior because it delivers an almost excellent experience on both modes, but that’s not the case. These laptops usually have very clumsy keyboards, and the likelihood of them generating hardware issues is usually very high. On the other hand, convertible laptops with a 360-degree hinge offer a more solid laptop experience, but then this usually affects the tablet mode. How so? Well, when the keyboard is rolled back, it lays behind the screen, and this makes the tablet thick and also heavier as compared to the detachable laptop.
Do you really need to buy a 2 in 1 laptop?
This is a very important question you need to find an answer to failure to which you can end up with an expensive piece of tech that’s rather useless to you. You need to understand that a lot of work has gone into making the tech behind 2 in 1 laptop and hence the manufacturers will make sure that they get full value for their gadgets. This is one of the reasons that the best hybrid laptops can be even more expensive than the overall best laptops. Therefore, you need to be absolutely sure that you need this laptop; otherwise, you may compromise your experience on a dedicated laptop or tablet for a hybrid that may not be that useful. Ask yourself, do you really need or use a tablet in your life? If the answer is a no, then you are better off avoiding hybrid laptops and instead look for the best notebook.
With that answered, it’s time for yet another difficult, tough one; which is the best 2 in 1 laptop?
The best 2 in 1 laptop is the Microsoft Surface Book 2. This exceptional device packs all the relevant stuff to make sure that you are getting perhaps the best of everything. In doing so, you can rest easy knowing that the laptop will be more than capable of punching both your laptop and tablet tasks with ease.
Here is a more detailed review of the Microsoft Surface Book 2 and other remarkable convertible laptops:
1.Microsoft Surface Book 2
The Microsoft Surface Book 2 sports an Intel Dual Core i5 (7th gen) processor, 8GB of RAM, an Intel HD Graphics 620 integrated GPU, NVIDIA GeForce GPU, and a full sized SDXC card reader. The internal storage is a reasonable 256GB, and you will get as much as 17 hours of video playback from the laptop. From this brief overview of the specs, you can already tell that the Surface Book 2 is definitely going to impress you in both laptop and tablet mode. And it gets even better because this laptop is also available in 16GB RAM, i7 and as much as 1TB in internal storage! You could also get the i7 version with 256GB or 512GB of internal storage. It’s insane that we are in the age where you can get all that in a super lightweight convertible laptop.
Now get this; the whole concept of a 2-in-1 laptop is to get a laptop, and a tablet in a single unit but Microsoft have completely changed the game here delivering not one, not two but four different modes. This includes the standard laptop where the laptop is definitely going to beat a big percentage of outright laptops in the market; a tablet mode where you can completely detach the keyboard to get a powerful Intel Core i5 or i7 tablet; a studio mode where you can fold the laptop and get creative with your sketches and drawings and finally; a view mode where you can detach the keyboard, invert and reattach it on the back of the screen and you will get yourself an amazing screen to catch up with the latest season of Black Mirror. With the rich PixelSense Display and the fact that you can use voice commands makes sure that your everyday experience with this laptop is effortless.
Other Features
- Available with a 13.5” or 15” PixelSense Display (3240 x 2160)
- 10-point multi-touch G5 Display
- Aspect ratio 3:2
- Contrast ratio: 1600:1
- 1Tb, 512GB, 256GB Internal storage
- SSD Slot
- Connections: 1 USB C, 2 USB 3.1 Gen13.5mm headphone jack, SDXC card reader, 2 Surface Connect ports for both laptop and tablet mode
- Ambient light sensor
- Accelerometer
- Proximity sensor
- Magnetometer
- Gyroscope
2. Microsoft Surface Pro 6
The Microsoft Surface Pro 6 is yet another excellent convertible laptop that could have very easily been at the top of our list. This hybrid laptop packs an Intel Core i5-8250U (8th Gen) processor, 8GB RAM and Intel UHD Graphics 620. You can also get the laptop with Intel Core i7-8650U, 16GB of RAM and the Intel UHD Graphics 620 (i7). The 8GB RAM surface Pro 6 is available with either 128GB or 256GB of internal storage while the 16GB RAM version can be bought with a 512Gb or 1TB internal storage.
The Microsoft Surface book 2 can be used in three different modes: as a laptop which comes with the Microsoft signature type cover and an inbuilt kickstand that gives you the full laptop experience capable of handling all your office tasks; a tablet mode which is easily achievable by folding or removing the Type Cover and closing the kickstand to get a stand-alone tablet; finally, you can use the Surface Pro 6 as a Studio where the screen will rest back at a convenient 15-degree angle allowing you to paint, draw and write using the surface pen.
Other Features
- 12.3” PixelSense Display (2736 x 1824)
- 10-point multi-touch
- Solid State Drive (SSD) slot
- Micro SDXC card reader
- Connections: 1 USB 3.0, 3.5mm headphone jack, Mini Display Port, Surface Connect Port
- Weight: 1.7 lbs. For the i5 version and 1.73 lbs. for the i7
- 13.5-hours battery life
3. HP Pavilion X360
The HP Pavilion X360 runs on the 8th Generation of the Intel Dual Core i3-8130U processors delivering speeds of up to 2.13GHz. As you can tell, the HP Pavilion X360 is not as powerful as the other two convertible laptops discussed above. It is, however, a very affordable 2-in-1 laptop that will give you the feel and experience of the hybrid class without leaving a massive patch on your bank and that’s precisely why it earned its place in this list.
The Pavilion X360 features a full-size backlit keyboard and a numeric keypad. You will also get an HP Digital Pen that comes very handy, particularly when you are using the laptop in tablet mode.
The HP Pavilion comes with a total of 20Gb memory, 16GB Intel Octane Memory and 4GB of DDR4-2400 SDRAM. Meanwhile, the screen is a 15.6-inch Full HD IPS WLED backlit display (1920 x 1080). The image quality on this Display is amazing, and the screen to body ratio is also improved significantly thanks to the slim bezels.
The HP Pavilion X360 is designed with a durable 360 hinge which helps to role the keyboard out of the way allowing you to get into tablet mode. With the 1080p IPS panel, you can easily take a break from your typing and stream your favorite TV shows before switching back to your formal tasks with the same laptop.
Other Features
- Intel Celeron CPU
- HP audio boost
- Dual HP speakers
- 320GB internal storage
- Connections: 2 USB 2.0, 1 USB 3.0, HDMI, Ethernet, headphone jack
- Weight: 3.3 lbs
- Bluetooth 4.0
- Up to 7-hours of battery life