There will always be a use case for owning both a laptop and a tablet as stand-alone products. But the 2-in-1 laptop is the utopian dream of combining these two into a single device.
Of all the models I’ve tested, no 2-in-1 laptop is equally good at being both a tablet and a laptop. They always lean toward one or the other. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t buy one, especially since the convenience of having both in one device makes it an easier pill to swallow, price-wise.
The products below should meet most people’s needs. But if none are a fit for you, check out our other computer buying guides, including the Best Cheap Laptops, the Best Tablets, and the Best iPad.
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Detachable Tablets
If you want a 2-in-1, think first about a detachable tablet. These are basically tablets that attach to a keyboard. This form factor emphasizes being able to switch between tablet and laptop modes. It’s just as functional as a tablet as it is as a laptop. The Surface Pro is the epitome of this design, pioneering the idea of a tablet with a built-in kickstand that runs a full version of Windows.
Microsoft has refined the hardware over the years, but it wasn’t until the 2024 model that it came into its own. That’s largely thanks to the Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite (and Plus) processor, which finally gave the device an appropriate amount of performance and battery life. While it’s not cheap (especially once you include the Type Cover), I love that you can now use the keyboard while detached from the screen, making it even more adaptable in scenarios away from a desk. To compete with the iPad Pro, there’s even an OLED model (with 120-Hz refresh rate) available, which really brings visuals on the display to life.
Last year, Microsoft came out with a smaller and more affordable model, the Surface Pro 12. This is the most successful small tablet Microsoft has ever made, and a big reason is because it doesn’t cheap out on quality or shrink down the size too much. With a 12-inch screen, it still allows the keyboard to be large enough to be comfortable typing on. It doesn’t have the option for an OLED screen, but this is still a surprisingly premium-feeling device that is even more portable than its older sibling.
Not only is the Surface Pro 12 cheaper overall, it’s also the only 256-GB storage model on offer. Because Surface devices run a full version of Windows, they are the best 2-in-1 devices to use as full laptop replacements. While the hardware is there to make for a good tablet, Windows isn’t so friendly with touch and doesn’t have a touch-first app ecosystem to support it. That’s where iPads come into play.
The iPad Air and iPad Pro are the best tablets you can buy, largely thanks to the breadth of touch-first apps available in the App Store. In many ways, that’s what makes an iPad such an ideal 2-in-1 laptop, especially if you actually want to use it as a tablet. They are also easier to hold in one hand, as they are lighter than the Surface devices. These days, these iPads are increasingly legitimate laptop replacements too. With the Magic Keyboard attachment, you can add an additional USB-C port and a full-size keyboard and trackpad. I like that this design doesn’t rely on a kickstand either, which makes it easier to use on your lap than the Surface.
iPadOS still isn’t perfect, but with the introduction of windowing and better cursor support, they work as laptops better than ever. The latest model I tested, the M4 iPad Air, is immensely powerful, and with the Magic Keyboard attached, it’s a really solid 2-in-1 laptop that comes in cheaper than the Surface Pro with the keyboard included. It’s plenty of performance for just about anything you’d want to do with an iPad, especially if you opt for the larger 13-inch model. My only real complaint is that the palm rests on the Magic Keyboard are quite small.
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