2-in-1 laptop benchmarks
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The 2-in-1 form factor has certainly come into its own over the last several years. There's really no reason to limit yourself to a clamshell -- there's a 2-in-1 that will meet the needs of all but the most demanding users in terms of sheer performance. Show
We've reviewed every great 2-in-1 you can buy, including Chromebooks, convertibles, and powerful 15-inch versions. The best 2-in-1 at the moment is the ThinkPad X12 Detachable, with its fantastic keyboard that's easy to remove as it is to type on. It's as good a laptop as it is a tablet, which is what makes it the best overall 2-in-1.
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Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Titanium YogaThe best business 2-in-1
$1469 from Lenovo Best 2-in-1 laptops FAQ
What's a 2-in-1 laptop?A convertible 2-in-1 laptop can convert from a traditional clamshell laptop to a tablet. In some cases, it's a bit of a misnomer -- 360-degree convertible laptops like the HP Spectre x360 13 can also be used in tent and media modes. The keyboard is not removable. A detachable 2-in-1 laptop is a tablet-based device with a detachable keyboard accessory. In most cases, the keyboard is an additional cost, as seen with the Surface Pro family. You can keep the keyboard attached and flip it around so you can use the screen as a tablet. The main advantage of a detachable 2-in-1 is portability -- tablets are extremely thin, light, and easy to carry around -- while they also work the best for drawing and taking notes on the pen-enabled display. On the flip side, they tend to have less powerful hardware than convertibles. The 360-degree convertible 2-in-1, on the other hand, isn't quite as handy as a detachable, but it tends to work better in clamshell laptop mode -- especially when using it on the lap, where it's more stable than most detachable 2-in-1s. The hardware tends to be better due to the lack of space constraints with thin tablets. Should I get a 2-in-1 or a traditional laptop?Recent 360-degree convertibles like our favorite HP Spectre x360 13 make for great clamshells -- in fact, it's a great competitor to the Dell XPS 13 even if you never end up flipping the display around. Modern 2-in-1s are fast, have long battery life, and often enjoy even better displays than the typical clamshell laptop. If you need the fastest gaming laptop or professional workstation that uses the absolutely fastest CPUs and GPUs, then a 2-in-1 PC isn't for you. As we mention below, 2-in-1s tend to be thinner and lighter because they can be used as slates. That creates some limitations in just how fast a 2-in-1 can perform compared to traditional laptops. Does Apple make a 2-in-1 laptop?Technically, no, Apple doesn't offer the traditional 2-in-1 laptop. Its MacBooks are clamshell-only. However, Apple advertises its iPad Pro as a detachable 2-in-1, although it uses the mobile iPadOS instead of MacOS for desktops and laptops. Like Microsoft's Surface Pro, the keyboard is an accessory, which adds to the base price. And because the iPad Pro uses a mobile operating system, you can't install traditional desktop software -- which is where Microsoft trumps Apple with the Surface Pro 7, for example. Still, Apple is improving how well the iPad works as a laptop by enabling mouse support and improved file system support in the new iPadOS. Can a 2-in-1 laptop be used for gaming?A big disappointment for dedicated gamers is that many 2-in-1s lack the capacity for super-advanced CPUs and GPUs. You can use a 2-in-1 for gaming, but you won’t get the same high-quality graphics or frame rate that you’re used to on a real clamshell laptop. The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio has an Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050 Ti GPU that makes it more than fast enough for modern games at 1080p and moderately-high graphics settings. Another choice is the HP Spectre x360 16, which can have a 35-watt 11th-gen Intel Core i7 CPU paired with an Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050. You can play a range of PC games at 1080p and still get decent graphics quality, but it’s still limited compared to a gaming laptop. |
