Best 2-in-1 Laptops
These versatile laptops from LG, Samsung, and others 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.
You can use it as a notebook one minute, wrapping up a project in Word or Excel or Photoshop, and then minutes later use it as a tablet to binge on some Netflix or YouTube while on the couch.
“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.”
With a convertible model, the keyboard swings 360 degrees on hinges and folds flat against the back of the display, approximating the functionality of a big-screen tablet. Convertibles can also be used in so-called “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.
Detachables have a keyboard that can be completely disconnected from the display.
“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 2-in-1 laptops, with the vast majority being convertibles. In fact, as of August 2023, there are just seven detachables in our ratings, all made by Microsoft. They score about average in our ratings.
CR members can see a list of recommended models, organized by screen size, below. For more info on products, deals, and discounts for students, visit CR’s Back-to-School Guide.
For the past few years, the LG Gram has been one of the best laptops you can buy. The convertible version manages to pack powerful specs into a thin and light 16-inch device.
It has an Intel Core i7 processor, 16 gigabytes of memory, and 512GB of solid-state storage.
Our testers praise the portability, high-end display, and performance. The model weighs a hair over 3 pounds, delivers as much as 18 hours in battery life, and features a high-res, color-accurate display that makes a great streaming video companion.
Note that the LG Gram is available in several different sizes, but most models are traditional notebooks (that is, not 2-in-1 convertibles). These notebooks also do well in our ratings, if you’re looking for one of those instead.
Just as Samsung has a “Galaxy” series of smartphones, it also has a "Galaxy Book" series of laptop. The latest Galaxy Book3 360, with a 16-inch display, is a midrange convertible that should be on most consumers’ short list.
The model we tested has an Intel Core i7 processor, 16GB of memory, and 1 terabyte of solid-state storage. The touchscreen display uses AMOLED technology—the same tech found in the company’s Galaxy smartphones—to produce deep blacks and wide viewing angles, making this a particularly smart choice if you intend to watch a lot of streaming video. Its battery lasts around 13 hours in our tests, so you should easily make it through a full day without topping off. And while it’s not intended for gaming, the Galaxy Book3 360 has more than enough power to handle most other tasks with ease.
If you want even more power, you might consider the Galaxy Book3 Pro 360, which ticks many of the same boxes as the Galaxy Book3 360.
Lenovo was one of the first manufacturers to get behind the 2-in-1 concept with its Yoga line back in the early 2010s, and its latest IdeaPad Flex is a great convertible. The fact that it’s now priced well under $600 certainly doesn’t hurt.
This 14-inch model has an Intel Core i5 processor, 8 gigabytes of memory, and 256GB of solid-state storage. Those are somewhat modest specs, but if the most you push your PC is crunching numbers in Excel or watching a 4K Netflix stream, you’ll be more than okay.
MSI is perhaps best known for its gaming laptops and accessories, but this 14-inch convertible is an all-around performer. It has an Intel Core i7 processor, 32 gigabytes of memory, and 1 terabyte of solid-state storage.
Our testers admire the long battery life (nearly 18 hours for browsing the web) and color-accurate display. And, considering that a big part of the appeal of a convertible is being able to stream video in comfort, those are great features to have.
If you’re aiming for a slightly smaller convertible, you may want to consider this 13.3-inch ZenBook Flip. It has an Intel Core i7 processor, 16 gigabytes of memory, and 1 terabyte of solid-state storage. And as a result of its modest size, it weighs in at just 2.5 pounds.
Our testers also admire the OLED display, which harnesses the same technology used in high-end TVs. That’s not super-relevant when you’re staring at a spreadsheet or a Word document, but you will certainly appreciate the accurate colors and high contrast when streaming video.
