Thanks to the rapid advancement of mobile components and display tech, 2-in-1 laptops and tablets are thinner, lighter and more powerful than ever. What was once a niche market is growing crowded with lots of different devices, and that affords you lots of options, from laptops that fold over into giant tablets to tablets with attachable keyboards that transform them into decent writing devices. Of course, choosing the right one for your needs has gotten a lot trickier too: read on for our recommendations on the best 2-in-1s to buy right now, based on our hands-on testing and review of dozens of top contenders. Now that it’s November we’re already rounding up the best Black Friday deals, too!
The best 2-in-1 laptops you can buy right now
The Samsung Galaxy Book2 Pro 360 ($1,249 to start) is an ultra-thin 2-in-1 laptop that’s tailor-made for people who are always on the go. Like last year’s Samsung Galaxy Book Pro 360, this iteration features a gorgeous AMOLED screen that’s perfect for media consumption. It’s also ideal for work thanks to its speedy performance. Though a Windows laptop at its core, the Samsung Galaxy Book2 Pro 360 comes loaded with a slew of Samsung software. This could be good or bad, depending on how invested you are in the Samsung ecosystem. If you are, then you’ll find that this 2-in-1 pairs nicely with your Samsung tablets and phones. Otherwise, all of these applications are effectively bloatware. Despite the middling webcam and Samsung bloatware, the Samsung Galaxy Book2 Pro 360 has a lot going for it and is a 2-in-1 we highly recommend to those who are in the market for a powerful, portable laptop that pairs nicely with Samsung devices. Read our full Samsung Galaxy Book2 Pro 360 review. The Microsoft Surface Go 2 finally realizes the promise of the original Surface Go. Its bigger screen, smaller bezels and longer battery life (with an optional performance boost from the Core m3 CPU) add up to a sub-$800 hybrid that can handle a lot, making it one of the best 2-in-1 laptops you can buy when you’re on a budget. Power users may think twice when looking at how it stacks up against similar 2-in-1 tablets like the Surface Pro 7 and the iPad Air, but with the Go 2 Microsoft’s made a solid Surface 2-in-1 for those who don’t want to pay Pro prices. And, importantly for those who make a lot of video calls, it’s got a sharp webcam that won’t disappoint. Read our full Microsoft Surface Go 2 review. The Yoga 9i Gen 7 is a marked improvement over last year’s iteration in many ways. That’s saying a lot considering how much we liked that 2-in-1 laptop, but this update is simply that good. The beefy 12th Gen Intel Core i7 processor and bountiful RAM allow for seamless multi-tasking, while the spacious keyboard lets you work comfortably for hours. The improved webcam and roaring speakers are also highlights. While the battery life on our configuration is less than the previous model, you should be able to get through most of an average workday. The only major complaint we have with this laptop is that it makes for a somewhat awkward tablet. Yes, the touch interface is snappy and easy to use, but the laptop’s size means you can’t comfortably hold it in one hand as you would with smaller tablets. But it’s entirely possible some folks will consider the Yoga 9i as a perfectly capable Windows tablet despite its size. Read our full Lenovo Yoga 9i Gen 7 review. Microsoft’s Surface Laptop Studio is a reimagined Surface Book with a more MacBook Pro-like design and an eye-catching hinged display. This is Microsoft’s flagship device for Windows 11, which promises to make Windows a more inviting place for both work and play. Like Windows 11, the Surface Laptop Studio is advertised as a one-stop shop for productivity, entertainment and creative work. And for the most part, it is all that: its 11th Gen Intel CPU and 16+ GB of RAM gives you enough power to tackle most work, and if you splurge for a model with the discrete Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050 Ti GPU the Surface Laptop Studio also doubles as a decent machine for gaming or video editing on the go. However, it’s a bit pricey when you kit it out, and despite its great components the Surface Laptop Studio delivers subpar performance compared to similarly-priced machines. But few other laptops can match its intriguing sliding hinged display, which can be tented over the keys like an easel or slid all the way flat to turn the Studio into a heavy tablet. Read our full Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio review. The previous Lenovo Yoga 9i is an excellent 2-in-1 with good battery life, a colorful display, an amazing rotating speaker, and speedy performance. It’s a great choice for those seeking a 2-in-1 for work, as Lenovo (true to form) packs minimal bloatware into the Yoga 9i. However, it does have a limited port selection and while the webcam delivers decent image quality, it doesn’t have an IR sensor and thus can’t support logging in via Windows Hello biometric authentication. It’s also a bit pricey if you kit it out with all the bells and whistles; but hey, if it’s for work, why not? You can probably write it off. If you can afford it, splurge for the Shadow Black version — it has a slicker design with some leather trim. Read our full Lenovo Yoga 9i review. From its bright 15-inch screen to its strong performance and even more-striking color, the Galaxy Book Flex is a great 2-in-1 laptop, and its nifty Qi-charging touchpad offers the kind of unique functionality we’d like to see other laptop makers toy with. We also love the Galaxy Book Flex’s fantastic endurance and solid performance, but there are some asterisks getting in the way. Specifically, its keyboard takes some getting used to, thanks to a questionably-placed fingerprint reader and shallow keys. Still, if you need the best 2-in-1 with the longest battery life on the market (the Flex lasted an amazing 15 hours and 44 minutes in our battery test) this is the laptop for you. Read our full Samsung Galaxy Book Flex review. The Microsoft Surface Pro 8 is the latest in the company’s line of 2-in-1 Surface Pro tablets. This iteration includes an 11th generation Intel CPU, a 13-inch 120Hz display, two Thunderbolt 4 ports and a removable SSD. Just as important, you’ll get Windows 11 right out of the box with this 2-in-1. Its small size and lightweight design make the Surface Pro 8 ideal to use at home or on the road. The front-facing and rear cameras are also fantastic, providing clean detailed images. Unfortunately, the Surface Pro 8 disappoints as a gaming device and didn’t live up to the promised 16 hours of battery life in our testing. Despite some of those qualms, the Surface 8 Pro is arguably the best Surface Pro yet. Read our full Microsoft Surface Pro 8 review. If you’re amenable to ChromeOS, the Lenovo Chromebook Duet is a great $249 tablet with a detachable keyboard that comes included by default, so you’re not paying extra for the laptop experience. We’re pretty impressed by its fantastic battery life and sharp screen, as well as some neat new tablet optimizations for Chrome. If only its keyboard weren’t so cramped and its hinge felt a bit more solid; still, for students who need a cheap 2-in-1 Chromebook or families looking for a device that everyone can use for browsing the web, the Lenovo Chromebook Duet is a compelling option. Read our full Lenovo Chromebook Duet review. The HP Spectre x360 14 is a powerhouse of a convertible business laptop, featuring top-tier hardware that provides excellent performance for both work and play. Available in three colors (silver, black, and navy blue) and sporting an ultra-thin profile of just .67 inches, the HP Spectre x360 brings a touch of sophisticated style that perfectly complements its internal components. Whether your office is wherever you happen to be that day, or you’re looking to upgrade your home laptop, you’d be hard-pressed to find a better option. While the price can be steep, we think the top-notch components and sleek, sturdy design of the Spectre x360 are worth the asking price. It comes packaged with a rechargeable MPP2.0 Tilt Pen too, which is perfect for digital artists or anyone who prefers to take handwritten notes during meetings. Read our full HP Spectre x360 14 review. If you enjoy working in iPadOS, Apple’s 12.9-inch 2021 iPad Pro is secretly the best 2-in-1 you can buy. Apple’s latest iPad Pro is faster than any tablet ever, armed with the super-fast M1 processor from the latest Macs, making it ready to crunch video for pros around the world. This iPad Pro’s Liquid Retina XDR screen has features none of its rivals can match, getting up to 200% brighter than the competition. Plus, its Center Stage video conferencing trick is quite impressive. Still, it’s an expensive device that gets even more so when you factor in the cost of a new Magic Keyboard, which is critical to making it usable as a laptop. If you have an old Magic Keyboard lying around, be aware that the 2021 12.9-inch iPad Pro should be compatible but will fit a little wrong, due to it being slightly thicker than earlier models. Read our full iPad Pro 2021 (12.9-inch) review.
How to choose the best 2-in-1 laptop for you
Performance: If you only need something basic for surfing the web and checking email, consider a 2-in-1 Chromebook like the Lenovo Chromebook Duet. If you need more power to multi-task, run demanding applications, or edit photos/videos, look for a 2-in-1 packing the latest Intel CPUs, like the Samsung Galaxy Book Pro 360 or Lenovo Yoga 9i. Graphics and gaming: To function as both tablets and laptops, 2-in-1s are typically designed to be as thin and power-efficient as possible, so they don’t pack discrete GPUs and thus aren’t great at running the latest games. However, they can usually run older games pretty well, so if game performance is important to you, your best bet is to look for a 2-in-1 with the latest Intel CPUs to take advantage of their integrated graphics (currently Intel Iris Xe) hardware, then splurge for extra RAM and storage. A great display will also help your games look their best. Size: Consider how portable you need your new 2-in-1 to be: is this a laptop you occasionally want to use as a tablet, or vice versa? If you prefer the lighter weight and smaller size (typically) of a tablet, and can live with having a flimsy/detachable keyboard, then something like the Apple iPad Pro 2021 (12.9-inch) or Microsoft Surface Go 2 is a good choice. If you’d rather have the larger screen and extra power/versatility of a laptop that doubles as a tablet, and don’t mind the extra size and weight, consider something like the Samsung Galaxy Book Pro 360 or Lenovo Yoga 9i. Operating system: 2-in1s mostly come with three varieties of operating system: Windows 10 (most 2-in-1s), iPadOS (for iPads), and Chrome OS (2-in-1 Chromebooks). Windows 10 is the most common, while iPadOS is more useful to folks already tied into Apple’s ecosystem. Chrome OS is a lightweight operating system built to allow for cheap, fast systems, though it has gotten a bit more robust over the years with support for full Android apps.
How we test the best 2-in-1 laptops
To find the best 2-in-1 laptops we run every machine through a rigorous suite of benchmarks and real-world tests to gauge how it will perform during everyday use. We measure the average brightness and color quality of each laptop’s display using our in-house light meter and colorimeter. For general performance, we run our machines through tests that include Geekbench 5 (CPU performance), as well as various 3DMark tests to measure graphics capabilities. We also run a file transfer test to measure how fast a machine’s hard drive is, and a custom battery test that has the machine browse the internet over Wi-Fi until it runs out of juice. Since these aren’t dedicated gaming laptops we don’t run benchmarks for popular games (like Far Cry: New Dawn); 2-in-1 laptops don’t have discrete GPUs, as a rule, and thus will rarely deliver satisfactory performance in modern 3D games. However, they are capable of running older or less demanding PC games, so we do run a benchmark test to measure their performance in Sid Meier’s Civilization 6: Gathering Storm. For more information, check out our how we test page for Tom’s Guide.
title: “The Best 2 In 1 Laptops In 2022” ShowToc: true date: “2022-12-30” author: “Linda Shaw”
Thanks to the rapid advancement of mobile components and display tech, 2-in-1 laptops and tablets are thinner, lighter and more powerful than ever. What was once a niche market is growing crowded with lots of different devices, and that affords you lots of options, from laptops that fold over into giant tablets to tablets with attachable keyboards that transform them into decent writing devices. Of course, choosing the right one for your needs has gotten a lot trickier too: read on for our recommendations on the best 2-in-1s to buy right now, based on our hands-on testing and review of dozens of top contenders. Now that it’s November we’re already rounding up the best Black Friday deals, too!
The best 2-in-1 laptops you can buy right now
The Samsung Galaxy Book2 Pro 360 ($1,249 to start) is an ultra-thin 2-in-1 laptop that’s tailor-made for people who are always on the go. Like last year’s Samsung Galaxy Book Pro 360, this iteration features a gorgeous AMOLED screen that’s perfect for media consumption. It’s also ideal for work thanks to its speedy performance. Though a Windows laptop at its core, the Samsung Galaxy Book2 Pro 360 comes loaded with a slew of Samsung software. This could be good or bad, depending on how invested you are in the Samsung ecosystem. If you are, then you’ll find that this 2-in-1 pairs nicely with your Samsung tablets and phones. Otherwise, all of these applications are effectively bloatware. Despite the middling webcam and Samsung bloatware, the Samsung Galaxy Book2 Pro 360 has a lot going for it and is a 2-in-1 we highly recommend to those who are in the market for a powerful, portable laptop that pairs nicely with Samsung devices. Read our full Samsung Galaxy Book2 Pro 360 review. The Microsoft Surface Go 2 finally realizes the promise of the original Surface Go. Its bigger screen, smaller bezels and longer battery life (with an optional performance boost from the Core m3 CPU) add up to a sub-$800 hybrid that can handle a lot, making it one of the best 2-in-1 laptops you can buy when you’re on a budget. Power users may think twice when looking at how it stacks up against similar 2-in-1 tablets like the Surface Pro 7 and the iPad Air, but with the Go 2 Microsoft’s made a solid Surface 2-in-1 for those who don’t want to pay Pro prices. And, importantly for those who make a lot of video calls, it’s got a sharp webcam that won’t disappoint. Read our full Microsoft Surface Go 2 review. The Yoga 9i Gen 7 is a marked improvement over last year’s iteration in many ways. That’s saying a lot considering how much we liked that 2-in-1 laptop, but this update is simply that good. The beefy 12th Gen Intel Core i7 processor and bountiful RAM allow for seamless multi-tasking, while the spacious keyboard lets you work comfortably for hours. The improved webcam and roaring speakers are also highlights. While the battery life on our configuration is less than the previous model, you should be able to get through most of an average workday. The only major complaint we have with this laptop is that it makes for a somewhat awkward tablet. Yes, the touch interface is snappy and easy to use, but the laptop’s size means you can’t comfortably hold it in one hand as you would with smaller tablets. But it’s entirely possible some folks will consider the Yoga 9i as a perfectly capable Windows tablet despite its size. Read our full Lenovo Yoga 9i Gen 7 review. Microsoft’s Surface Laptop Studio is a reimagined Surface Book with a more MacBook Pro-like design and an eye-catching hinged display. This is Microsoft’s flagship device for Windows 11, which promises to make Windows a more inviting place for both work and play. Like Windows 11, the Surface Laptop Studio is advertised as a one-stop shop for productivity, entertainment and creative work. And for the most part, it is all that: its 11th Gen Intel CPU and 16+ GB of RAM gives you enough power to tackle most work, and if you splurge for a model with the discrete Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050 Ti GPU the Surface Laptop Studio also doubles as a decent machine for gaming or video editing on the go. However, it’s a bit pricey when you kit it out, and despite its great components the Surface Laptop Studio delivers subpar performance compared to similarly-priced machines. But few other laptops can match its intriguing sliding hinged display, which can be tented over the keys like an easel or slid all the way flat to turn the Studio into a heavy tablet. Read our full Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio review. The previous Lenovo Yoga 9i is an excellent 2-in-1 with good battery life, a colorful display, an amazing rotating speaker, and speedy performance. It’s a great choice for those seeking a 2-in-1 for work, as Lenovo (true to form) packs minimal bloatware into the Yoga 9i. However, it does have a limited port selection and while the webcam delivers decent image quality, it doesn’t have an IR sensor and thus can’t support logging in via Windows Hello biometric authentication. It’s also a bit pricey if you kit it out with all the bells and whistles; but hey, if it’s for work, why not? You can probably write it off. If you can afford it, splurge for the Shadow Black version — it has a slicker design with some leather trim. Read our full Lenovo Yoga 9i review. From its bright 15-inch screen to its strong performance and even more-striking color, the Galaxy Book Flex is a great 2-in-1 laptop, and its nifty Qi-charging touchpad offers the kind of unique functionality we’d like to see other laptop makers toy with. We also love the Galaxy Book Flex’s fantastic endurance and solid performance, but there are some asterisks getting in the way. Specifically, its keyboard takes some getting used to, thanks to a questionably-placed fingerprint reader and shallow keys. Still, if you need the best 2-in-1 with the longest battery life on the market (the Flex lasted an amazing 15 hours and 44 minutes in our battery test) this is the laptop for you. Read our full Samsung Galaxy Book Flex review. The Microsoft Surface Pro 8 is the latest in the company’s line of 2-in-1 Surface Pro tablets. This iteration includes an 11th generation Intel CPU, a 13-inch 120Hz display, two Thunderbolt 4 ports and a removable SSD. Just as important, you’ll get Windows 11 right out of the box with this 2-in-1. Its small size and lightweight design make the Surface Pro 8 ideal to use at home or on the road. The front-facing and rear cameras are also fantastic, providing clean detailed images. Unfortunately, the Surface Pro 8 disappoints as a gaming device and didn’t live up to the promised 16 hours of battery life in our testing. Despite some of those qualms, the Surface 8 Pro is arguably the best Surface Pro yet. Read our full Microsoft Surface Pro 8 review. If you’re amenable to ChromeOS, the Lenovo Chromebook Duet is a great $249 tablet with a detachable keyboard that comes included by default, so you’re not paying extra for the laptop experience. We’re pretty impressed by its fantastic battery life and sharp screen, as well as some neat new tablet optimizations for Chrome. If only its keyboard weren’t so cramped and its hinge felt a bit more solid; still, for students who need a cheap 2-in-1 Chromebook or families looking for a device that everyone can use for browsing the web, the Lenovo Chromebook Duet is a compelling option. Read our full Lenovo Chromebook Duet review. The HP Spectre x360 14 is a powerhouse of a convertible business laptop, featuring top-tier hardware that provides excellent performance for both work and play. Available in three colors (silver, black, and navy blue) and sporting an ultra-thin profile of just .67 inches, the HP Spectre x360 brings a touch of sophisticated style that perfectly complements its internal components. Whether your office is wherever you happen to be that day, or you’re looking to upgrade your home laptop, you’d be hard-pressed to find a better option. While the price can be steep, we think the top-notch components and sleek, sturdy design of the Spectre x360 are worth the asking price. It comes packaged with a rechargeable MPP2.0 Tilt Pen too, which is perfect for digital artists or anyone who prefers to take handwritten notes during meetings. Read our full HP Spectre x360 14 review. If you enjoy working in iPadOS, Apple’s 12.9-inch 2021 iPad Pro is secretly the best 2-in-1 you can buy. Apple’s latest iPad Pro is faster than any tablet ever, armed with the super-fast M1 processor from the latest Macs, making it ready to crunch video for pros around the world. This iPad Pro’s Liquid Retina XDR screen has features none of its rivals can match, getting up to 200% brighter than the competition. Plus, its Center Stage video conferencing trick is quite impressive. Still, it’s an expensive device that gets even more so when you factor in the cost of a new Magic Keyboard, which is critical to making it usable as a laptop. If you have an old Magic Keyboard lying around, be aware that the 2021 12.9-inch iPad Pro should be compatible but will fit a little wrong, due to it being slightly thicker than earlier models. Read our full iPad Pro 2021 (12.9-inch) review.
How to choose the best 2-in-1 laptop for you
Performance: If you only need something basic for surfing the web and checking email, consider a 2-in-1 Chromebook like the Lenovo Chromebook Duet. If you need more power to multi-task, run demanding applications, or edit photos/videos, look for a 2-in-1 packing the latest Intel CPUs, like the Samsung Galaxy Book Pro 360 or Lenovo Yoga 9i. Graphics and gaming: To function as both tablets and laptops, 2-in-1s are typically designed to be as thin and power-efficient as possible, so they don’t pack discrete GPUs and thus aren’t great at running the latest games. However, they can usually run older games pretty well, so if game performance is important to you, your best bet is to look for a 2-in-1 with the latest Intel CPUs to take advantage of their integrated graphics (currently Intel Iris Xe) hardware, then splurge for extra RAM and storage. A great display will also help your games look their best. Size: Consider how portable you need your new 2-in-1 to be: is this a laptop you occasionally want to use as a tablet, or vice versa? If you prefer the lighter weight and smaller size (typically) of a tablet, and can live with having a flimsy/detachable keyboard, then something like the Apple iPad Pro 2021 (12.9-inch) or Microsoft Surface Go 2 is a good choice. If you’d rather have the larger screen and extra power/versatility of a laptop that doubles as a tablet, and don’t mind the extra size and weight, consider something like the Samsung Galaxy Book Pro 360 or Lenovo Yoga 9i. Operating system: 2-in1s mostly come with three varieties of operating system: Windows 10 (most 2-in-1s), iPadOS (for iPads), and Chrome OS (2-in-1 Chromebooks). Windows 10 is the most common, while iPadOS is more useful to folks already tied into Apple’s ecosystem. Chrome OS is a lightweight operating system built to allow for cheap, fast systems, though it has gotten a bit more robust over the years with support for full Android apps.
How we test the best 2-in-1 laptops
To find the best 2-in-1 laptops we run every machine through a rigorous suite of benchmarks and real-world tests to gauge how it will perform during everyday use. We measure the average brightness and color quality of each laptop’s display using our in-house light meter and colorimeter. For general performance, we run our machines through tests that include Geekbench 5 (CPU performance), as well as various 3DMark tests to measure graphics capabilities. We also run a file transfer test to measure how fast a machine’s hard drive is, and a custom battery test that has the machine browse the internet over Wi-Fi until it runs out of juice. Since these aren’t dedicated gaming laptops we don’t run benchmarks for popular games (like Far Cry: New Dawn); 2-in-1 laptops don’t have discrete GPUs, as a rule, and thus will rarely deliver satisfactory performance in modern 3D games. However, they are capable of running older or less demanding PC games, so we do run a benchmark test to measure their performance in Sid Meier’s Civilization 6: Gathering Storm. For more information, check out our how we test page for Tom’s Guide.
