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Best Overall 2-in-1 Laptop
Lenovo
Best Detachable Laptop
Amazon
Best 2-in-1 Chromebook
Amazon
Best Dual-Screen 2-in-1 Laptop
Amazon
The best 2-in-1 laptops have aimed to bridge the gap between laptops and tablets ever since touchscreens became ubiquitous on laptops (Windows laptops, anyway). Clamshells are still the standard, but many of our favorite laptops today also happen to be 2-in-1s, thanks to their combination of power and flexibility. Whether you want a computer that can rotate its display or a tablet with a detachable keyboard, these are our favorites we've tested.
We review dozens of laptops every year. Make sure you read our comprehensive guide on picking the best laptop for your needs, as well as our other computing buying guides, including the Best MacBooks, Best Tablets, Best Cheap Laptops, and Best Gaming Laptops.
Updated June 2025: We've added the Surface Pro 12, Zenbook Duo, Lenovo Yoga 9i, and ROG Flow Z13.
What Is a 2-in-1 Laptop?
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 displaysâalso called convertiblesâuse a 360-degree hinge that can position the screen flat, in âtentâ 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 moviesâall with the ability to go right back to a standard laptop orientation when itâs 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 Microsoftâs Surface lineup, which is still going strong more than a decade since its introduction. Weâre 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.
Should You Buy a 2-in-1 Laptop?
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, theyâre generally comparable to any other clamshell laptop youâll find. However, Windows and ChromeOS arenât 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 oneâhence, 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 youâre aiming for the more budget range and already have a tablet, itâs worth considering whether you can save some cash by sticking with a traditional clamshell.
Why Not Just Buy an iPad?
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.
Lenovo
Lenovo
Best Buy
Amazon
The Lenovo Yoga 9i (8/10, WIRED Recommends) has been one of my favorite 2-in-1 laptops for a long while now, and the 2025 model doesn't rock the boat. Lenovo has left the more experimental features to its updated clamshell Yoga Slim 9i, while the convertible model remains the tried-and-true option.
It's a highly polished laptop, with soft, rounded edges, extremely robust build quality, great speakers, a large touchpad, and a glorious high-resolution OLED screen. Lenovo even manages to squeeze in a USB-A port in its thin chassis. My main problem with this laptop in previous generations was battery life, but with the Intel Core Ultra 7 256V, that problem is solved. The configurations are limited to an expensive 32-GB RAM model. There may be more options available later, but it's worth noting that you can still buy the 2024 Yoga 9i, and it sometimes dips to $1,000. That's a fantastic value, even if the newer model is an improvement.
Microsoft
Amazon
Best Buy
Microsoft
If there's one device that came to define the 2-in-1 category, it's the Surface Pro. The 2024 model, also known as the Surface Pro 11th Edition (6/10, WIRED Review), is easily the best version of the device ever made. The OLED display is downright amazing, battery life is awesome thanks to the new AI-infused Qualcomm Snapdragon X CPU, and Microsoftâs Flex Keyboard feels great. It even has an improved webcam. For the first time, it feels like a proper competitor to the iPad Pro.
It's not cheap once you add in the cost of the Flex Keyboard, sold separately. Microsoft has also removed the starting configuration of the device (with 256 GB) to make room for the new Surface Pro 12. For a proper laptop replacement, however, the larger 13-inch model remains the go-to choice and is the best detachable 2-in-1 you can buy.
Acer
Amazon
Best Buy
The Acer Chromebook Plus Spin 714 (9/10, WIRED Recommends) is simply one of the best Chromebooks you can get right now. If you can get by without Windows and can work within the Chrome browser (with an Android app here and there), then the Spin 714 will save you a lot of money for a slick little 2-in-1. Despite what its $699 MSRP suggests, you get a premium-looking laptop with one of the best screens Iâve used on a Chromebook.
Performance on the Spin 714 is great, and the Intel Core Ultra 5 CPU has a little extra juice to boost Googleâs latest AI features in ChromeOS. Unfortunately, as great as the screen is, this laptop is let down by its tinny speakers. Itâs also a tad too heavy to use comfortably in tablet mode for long, but itâs a great performer if you donât need access to any Windows-exclusive apps.
Asus
Amazon
Asus
B&H
Adorama
For road warriors who want to take their dual-screen setup on the go, the Asus Zenbook Duo (9/10, WIRED Recommends) could be your perfect match. At first glance, the laptop looks just like any ordinary 14-inch Asus laptop, but appearances can be deceiving. The keyboard is attached to the bottom chassis magnetically, and lifting it away reveals a second 14-inch screen.
The two screens give you much more real estate to work with while youâre on the road, allowing you to orient them side-by-side for two portrait displays or one on top of the other (with the help of a kickstand). Our testing found the laptop performs pretty well, beating out its predecessor, particularly on graphics and AI tasks. Battery life has significantly improved, with nearly 14 hours of streaming video in our test (on one screen). It's truly a portable workstation on the go.
Microsoft
Amazon
Microsoft
I love the idea of a smaller Surface device for portability. But Microsoft has struggled in the past to deliver a smaller and more affordable Surface tablet that makes the right compromises. The Surface Pro 12 (6/10, WIRED Review) gets awfully close to nailing that balance. It uses the same overall designâand even the same Snapdragon X Plus processorâensuring that you aren't losing the premium feeling.
It trades out the OLED display, the Surface Connect port, and the Alcantara fabric keyboardâbut what you get is a lighter, thinner, and completely fanless tablet. If it were a bit cheaper, I'd be a bigger proponent of this device. That's especially true since you still have to buy the keyboard attachment, which isn't cheap.
Lenovo
Amazon
Lenovo
The Lenovo Chromebook Duet Gen 9 (8/10, WIRED recommends) is one of my favorite pieces of tech from 2024 for one reason: its size. This diminutive detachable laptop is only 11 inches, which sounds painful at first. But this isnât a productivity machine. Rather, itâs better viewed as a companion you can take anywhere for light web browsing, writing, and watching videos.
The Duet Gen 9 is powered by a MediaTek Kompanio 838 processor with enough oomph for light work while keeping the battery going for around 10 hours on a charge. The small keyboard and trackpad take some getting used to, but theyâre also what helps this thing stay so portable. Finally, the included Lenovo Pen is great for sketching or signing documents, and itâs easily stashed away with a magnetic docking slot on the back of the display when not in use.
Asus
Amazon
Asus
Best Buy
The ROG Flow Z13 (7/10, WIRED Recommends) is the kind of device no one asked for, and upon its release, everyone doubted. And yet, against all odds, it worked. Despite being a tablet, Asus stuffed a discrete GPU beneath its impressive screen, and out came one of the most portable PC gaming devices ever made. Because the computer itself is behind the screen instead of under your fingers, all the hot air stays far away from your hands while gaming, which is a fantastic benefit of this design.
This latest model takes things even further. Under the hood, the Flow Z13 uses the most interesting chip of the year, the AMD Ryzen AI MAX+ 395, which has powerful enough integrated graphics to make it a step forward above even the RTX 4060 without the use of a discrete GPU. It also has a slightly toned-down aesthetic and improved battery life. It's expensive, but there's truly nothing else like it.
Lenovo
Amazon
Lenovo
Best Buy
If you want to dip more into the budget range, weâre big fans of the Lenovo Flex 5i Chromebook Plus (8/10, WIRED Recommends). While it usually goes for $500, youâll frequently find it on sale for under $400. Thatâs excellent value if all you need is solid performance, a web browser, and the occasional Android app.
The Intel Core i3 CPU in the Flex 5i is powerful enough to handle the lightweight ChromeOS with 20 tabs open at a time, and its 14-inch screen is pretty good for such a budget laptop. Battery life is just OK at a little over seven hours in our testing, but you should be able to eke out a pretty solid workday in most situations. Thereâs also the matter of the rather small 128 GB of storage, but you can open that up with the included microSD card slot.
Lenovo
Amazon
Budget laptops in the Windows space are guaranteed to come with some compromises, but the Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5i 14 (6/10, WIRED Review) holds up well for the price. The laptop is sturdy, if a bit heavy when using it in tablet mode. The keyboard feels nice during extended typing sessions, and the 16:10 display is crisp, though not the most vibrant.
Powering the Flex 5i 14 is an Intel Core i5-1235U processor with 8 GB of RAM and 512 GB of SSD storage. Even now, those specs are respectable for the price, though they can struggle to keep up with heavier tasks. The included fingerprint sensor is great for quick logins, and thereâs a nice selection of ports. A newer model came out a few years ago, and while the CPU upgrade (to the Core i5-1335U) is negligible, you can buy it for around the same price as the older model.
Lenovo ThinkBook Plus Gen 5 for $1,609: If you want the most unique 2-in-1 you can buy, the Lenovo ThinkBook Plus (Gen 5) (6/10, WIRED Review) is it. This is a detachable laptop that carries the hardware for a full Windows laptop in its base and a full Android tablet in its display. You can switch between the two when the screen is attached, or detach it to go Android-only.
Asus ProArt PZ13 for $1,100: Another detachable, the Asus ProArt PZ13 (6/10, WIRED recommends) veers toward mimicking Microsoftâs Surface Pro playbook but at a much more affordable price. For $1,100, you get a Copilot+ PC that can go up to around 19 hours on a single charge. Unfortunately, the performance leaves much to be desired, and its three-piece design is confounding. Still, itâs a nice alternative to the Surface Pro if youâre dead set on the style.
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