The Best 2-in-1 Laptops to Flip Between Work and Play

A 2-in-1 is a laptop that can go from a standard clamshell laptop configuration to a tablet setup. Over the years, there are really two types of designs that fall into this category: the convertible 2-in-1 laptop and the detachable tablet.

Laptops with rotating displays—also called convertibles—use a 360-degree hinge that can position the screen flat, in “tent” mode, or flush against the underside of the laptop. Think of this as a touchscreen clamshell laptop with a fancy hinge. The flexibility of positions makes them great for everything from signing documents to streaming TV shows and movies—all with the ability to go right back to a standard laptop orientation when it’s time to do some work.

Detachable 2-in-1s, on the other hand, are Windows tablets meant to be used with magnetic keyboards, not unlike an iPad Pro. These let you completely separate the screen from the keyboard, using a kickstand on the back of the display to keep it upright. This is a design popularized by Microsoft’s Surface lineup, which is still going strong more than a decade since its introduction. We’re even starting to see dual-screen laptops arrive to add even more flexibility (if you have the cash to spare). The main benefit of the detachable 2-in-1 is the portability. While they aren’t as good to use on your lap, they are thinner and lighter, making for better standa-lone tablets and devices to travel with.

The big draw of 2-in-1 laptops is that they can be used as both a laptop and a tablet. While in laptop mode, they’re generally comparable to any other clamshell laptop you’ll find. However, Windows and ChromeOS aren’t exactly the best touch-oriented operating systems out there, so you may find the touchscreen experience lacking when using it as a pure tablet.

If you already use a recent iPad or Android tablet regularly, you may not get as much out of a 2-in-1. But if you don’t, these 2-in-1 laptops can give you the functionality of both devices in one—hence, the name. Beyond that, convertible laptops use 360-degree hinges to offer even more capabilities, such as flipping the laptop upside down in various modes.

The only real downside to picking a convertible 2-in-1 over a clamshell is some of the design tweaks that have to be made to incorporate the hinge. Sometimes the balance of the weight can feel off, and the heftier hinge can be ugly and sometimes require a larger bottom bezel under the display.

Ultimately, our top pick on this list, the Lenovo Yoga 9i, happens to also be one of the best overall laptops you can buy. Consider its 2-in-1 capabilities to be a nice bonus on top of its stellar performance and features. If you’re aiming for the more budget range and already have a tablet, it’s worth considering whether you can save some cash by sticking with a traditional clamshell.

It’s a good question. All in all, it remains difficult to beat the iPad or iPad Pro when it comes to pure tablet usage. From a software and third-party app perspective, iPadOS is a far more robust device when using it without a keyboard, though that may start to change with Apple’s recent multitasking improvements in iPadOS 26, coming later this year.

The opposite is true for Windows tablets, which benefit from the full Windows 11 experience. That means you can get all your work done, in theory, on one device, while still having something highly mobile. There are some people who can even do all their work on only an iPad Pro, for example, but most of us prefer (or require) some kind of desktop computing environment such as macOS or Windows.

I still wish Microsoft would improve the touch experience of Windows though, which would make the proposition of 2-in-1 laptops that much more enticing over iPads.