Not long ago, touchscreen laptops were considered pretty out of place. But a lot has changed over the last few years, specifically because Microsoft has made vast improvements to Windows to improve the overall touchscreen experience. Before it was just using your finger to scroll through a long web page, which wasn’t a real benefit. Now, thanks to the combination of a touch-friendly interface and stylus support throughout Windows 11 and in apps, 2-in-1 laptops are becoming more common – and more attractive.
The 2-in-1 idea is simple; it’s a laptop with a touchscreen that either detaches or rotates 360-degrees, morphing the device into a faux-tablet. In theory, this gives you the best of both worlds; a laptop and a tablet in a single slim(ish) package. Some convertible and detachable laptops even support Windows Ink, which allows you to use a stylus to jot down some notes or draw on the display. Of course, a poorly designed convertible laptop can also give you the worst of both worlds with an expensive, underpowered laptop and a bulky tablet. Luckily, we’ve got you covered, and we’ve done all the research and narrowed down the search for you with these models listed below – and click here to see them in the UK.
TL;DR – These are the Best 2-in-1 Laptops:
- Surface Pro 9
- Surface Laptop Studio
- Galaxy Book 2 Pro 360
- HP Envy x360
- Zenbook Pro 15 Flip OLED
- Asus Chromebook Flip CX5
Surface Pro 9
Best 2-in-1 Laptop
There’s no doubt that Microsoft’s Surface Pro lineup helped create the 2-in-1 market, and with the Surface Pro 9, Microsoft has once again set the bar for a portable device that pulls double-duty as a laptop and tablet. The detachable’s 13-inch ultra-crisp touchscreen offers superior color quality and touch accuracy, supporting a stylus like the Microsoft Slim Pen 2 for drawing or writing. It’s even rocking a 120Hz dynamic refresh rate for super smooth scrolling.
Our favorite model runs on an arm-based, Microsoft-designed SQ3 chip that offers AI features for video calls, a better battery life, and 5G mobile broadband to let you get work done anywhere. It’s slightly less powerful than the Intel models of the Surface Pro 9 but still has no problem cruising through most everyday tasks and offers a decently snappy performance with its 8GB RAM and 256GB of storage.
Keep in mind, however, that if you want to use the Surface Pro 9 as a laptop and tablet, you’ll need to buy a keyboard separately, like the $180 Surface Pro Signature Keyboard or the $280 combo that comes with a Surface Slim Pen 2, adding to the overall cost.
Surface Laptop Studio
Best 2-in-1 Laptop for Creatives
Instead of a screen that detaches from the housing, the Surface Laptop Studio’s screen can be positioned a few different ways, including rotating it so that it lays flat on top of the keyboard, giving you a spot to draw or sketch with the Slim Pen 2. You can can also magnetically attach and charge the Slim Pen 2 just under the device’s front lip, keeping it nearby and ready to work at all times.
Inside this particular build is an Intel 11th Gen Core i7 processor, 16GB of memory, 512GB of storage and an RTX 3050 Ti, giving you all of the power you’d need to work in professional CAD apps or edit video and photos – and do some casual gaming between projects. The Surface Laptop Studio does a little bit of everything, and it looks good while doing it.
Samsung Galaxy Book 2 Pro 360
Thinnest 2-in-1 Laptop
Samsung’s latest 2-in-1 laptop is the Galaxy Book 2 Pro 360, an impressively thin and light laptop/tablet hybrid. The display folds back, nearly 360-degrees, converting from a standard laptop to a tablet. On top of that, you can use the stowable Samsung S Pen stylus to interact with the Windows 11 interface.
Samsung includes several of its own apps and services on the Book 2 Pro 360, such as the Samsung Notes app that syncs with Galaxy smartphones, like the Samsung Galaxy S22.
This model has an impressively sharp AMOLED display that’s powered by a 12th Gen Intel Core i7 processor, 16GB of memory, and 512GB of storage with enough battery life to get through a full day of work with some juice to spare.
HP Envy x360
Best Premium 2-in-1 Laptop
The HP Envy x360 is a capable laptop ready to take on all your everyday tasks with ease. This machine is packing the latest 12th Gen Intel Core i7 processor, 8GB of memory, and 512GB of storage. This combo ensures all your applications run smoothly and fast. And when it comes to battery life, it should last most of the day with moderate use and comes with a fast charging feature. Though this machine is somewhat heavy at over 3lbs, so it’s not the most portable option on our list.
Of course, you’re not just getting a basic laptop with the HP Envy x360, but a 2-in-1 option. It can also be used in tent mode to watch movies or YouTube videos or fold the screen all the way back and use it as a big tablet. The display itself offers thin bezels and a 1920 x 1200 resolution with intuitive touch technology baked-in.
Beyond the display, you get a sleek, durable chassis along with backlit keys and several ports that make it easy to connect your accessories. The integrated Bang & Olufsen speakers sound surprisingly good for a laptop, and a shutter on the 5MP camera also ensures privacy when you’re not video chatting.
Zenbook Pro 15 Flip OLED
Best 2-in-1 OLED Laptop
Want a 2-in-1 with a display you can’t stop staring at? Look no further than the Zenbook Pro 15 Flip OLED. It has a bright and vivid 15.6-inch OLED touchscreen panel featuring a 2880 x 1620 resolution and a 120Hz refresh rate for butter-smooth visuals. That display covers a wide color gamut and is even HDR certified for a pleasant viewing experience. Best of all, you can use it as a laptop, tent it to watch your favorite shows, or fold the display until it lays flat and convert the ZenBook into an OLED tablet.
Inside the ZenBook Pro 15 Flip is a 12th Gen Intel Core i7 processor, 16GB of memory, and a 512GB SSD for storage to power that impressive OLED screen—and all your everyday tasks. You also get a 96W battery that should keep the laptop juiced up for 12 hours, making it a perfect campion to bring to work or on trips.
There are a full set of I/O ports on the Zenbook, including two Thunderbolt 4 ports for charging the laptop or connecting high-speed accessories, an HDMI port makes it easy to connect an external display, and a USB-A port means you won’t have to carry a USB hub either. The bow on top of this solid 2-in-1 option is the included stylus to get even more creative with drawing and writing.
Asus Chromebook Flip CX5
Best 2-in-1 Chromebook
Chromebooks are no longer the weak machines just running Android apps that they once were, and the Asus Chromebook Flip CX5 is proof. It features powerful internals that won’t slow you down, including an 11th Gen Intel Core i3 processor and 8GB of RAM to cruise through most workloads and maybe even some light gaming.
This 2-in-1 option features a sturdy 360-degree hinge, while its chassis is durable yet thin and lightweight, so you’ll feel comfortable tossing it in your bag to work on the go. It’s even packing a robust selection of ports, including dual Thunderbolt 4 that can support additional monitors and power delivery.
You’ll also love its 14-inch nano-edge Full HD display that supports not only touch inputs but also a USI stylus, making it especially handy for creatives. However, this capability does come at a higher than usual price tag for Chromebooks, but it’s still one of the cheapest, quality 2-in-1 options out there.
Where to Get the Best 2-in-1 Laptop in the UK
Best 2-in-1 LaptopSurface Pro 8 £999.00
What to look for in a 2-in-1 laptop
It’s most important to take into account what you’re going to be using a 2-in-1 laptop for, not only today, but in the future. Once you identify if you’re going to use it for everyday tasks like browsing, email, messaging, online shopping and videos you can narrow down your search to a build near the lower end of most laptop makers' configurations.
However, if you’re going to need to do heavy video and photo editing, or spend a lot of time in 3D animation software, then you’ll want to look at a device like the Microsoft Laptop Studio that has the power you’re certainly going to need.
If you’re not sure what you’ll use it for, the best advice, then, is to get a 2-in-1 laptop that has a fast processor and plenty of memory. Every option listed here, save for the Surface Pro 8, meets those requirements. And even then, you can pick a higher-end configuration of the Pro 8 to up the memory and storage.
A good starting point would be to look for a 2-in-1 laptop with an Intel Core i5 processor, 8GB of memory and 256GB of storage. In an ideal situation, you’d double the memory and storage to future-proof your investment.
Jason Cipriani has covered technology full-time for the past 8 years. During that time he has freelanced for the likes of CNET, Fortune, Time, ZDNet, Macworld, Wired, and TechRadar.