Best 2-in-1 PCs in 2019 for when you need a laptop and tablet in one – CNET

Two-in-ones — also known as convertible laptops — continue to grow in popularity, and PC makers are meeting the demand with a growing number of models at different specs, sizes and prices. Premium models offer the best functionality in the lightest, smallest bodies and with powerful battery life to get you through a long flight or a full day of work. You just have to be willing to pay for it, with prices typically starting around $1,000. However, the feature gap between these and mainstream two-in-ones from Dell, HP, Lenovo and others is now much smaller, with some starting at less than $500. 

While most of our top picks in the category are convertible laptops — those with 360-degree hinges where the keyboard rotates around to the back of the display — there are detachable two-in-ones here, too, which are more tablet PC than laptop and have a removable keyboard. 

Read: Best laptop deals 2019: Windows and Chromebooks for under $500

And if you’re only thinking of it as a tablet and a laptop, here are five other good ways to easily use a two-in-one device or convertible laptop that you might not have considered. Also, note that CNET may get a share of revenue from the sale of products featured on this page.

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Three updates to Yoga’s top two-in-one helped push it as our top pick in our list of best 2-in-1 laptops. First, the company swapped its watchband hinge for a sleek hinge that acts as a 360-degree soundbar. The change makes the size of this convertible laptop a hair thicker, but you get much better audio in return. 

Lenovo also features a built-in charging garage for the included active pen, so you always have it ready when you need it, and it put in a privacy shutter for the webcam to make users feel better about any potential prying eyes. Add in powerful performance and long battery life and you’ve got a convertible laptop that’s tough to beat when it comes to specs.

The company just announced its replacement, the C940, at IFA 2019, which updates it with the latest Intel processor. It qualifies as an Intel Athena laptop, which means certain aspects of its performance are more phonelike. This also means there should be a price drop for the C930 as the holidays approach. 

Read Lenovo Yoga C930 review


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Microsoft still makes the best tablet PC on the market, which is how the Surface Pro 6 landed on our list of the best 2-in-1 laptops. The latest Surface Pro doesn’t make any radical design changes from its predecessor, but a good performance jump and better battery life make it a more viable mainstream laptop replacement. The Surface Pro’s sleek keyboard cover and stylus still cost you extra, but there’s usually some good bundle pricing available, especially around the holiday shopping season.  

Read Microsoft Surface Pro 6 review

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Like the Yoga, HP used design to improve the Spectre x360’s usability. It put both the power button and a Thunderbolt 3 port used for charging (along with a headphone-mic combo jack) on the rear left and right corners of the device, simultaneously keeping them in reach and out of the way. 

HP offers several configurations (all with decent battery life) and three display options. The low-power full-HD touchscreen we tested helped it run for more than 13 hours on our streaming-video battery test, making it one of the best 2-in-1 laptops for long battery endurance.

Read HP Spectre x360 (13-inch, 2019) review

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Two-in-one designs typically weigh more than their clamshell counterparts, but LG kept the lightweight Gram to only 2.5 pounds (1.1 kg). By comparison, 2018’s LG Gram 15 laptop is also 2.5 pounds, while the 14-inch Lenovo Yoga C930 two-in-one is a touch more than 3 pounds. Samsung’s redesigned Notebook 9 Pro two-in-one falls in between the LG and Lenovo at 2.8 pounds. 

Battery life is another big advantage of the Gram 14 2-in-1, giving it a leg up in our list of the best 2-in-1 laptops. On our video streaming test, this convertible laptop ran for 12 hours, 35 minutes. 

Read LG Gram 2-in-1 14 review

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Samsung’s little two-in-one deserves consideration among our list of the best two-in-one laptops for being so well rounded in performance, features, specs, battery life and design. One of the cons of this device is that it doesn’t excel in any one area like the Lenovo, HP and LG do. However, it looks smart and is well built, has good components and features for its price, and has a long battery life, lasting for 12 hours, 30 minutes on CNET’s streaming video test. Its powerful performance is right up there with the rest in this category, too, so if you like the look of the Notebook 9, definitely put it on your shopping list. 

Read Samsung Notebook 9 Pro (13-inch, 2019) review

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Ultraportables typically have integrated graphics processors that are a bit more power efficient, run cooler and cost less than a standalone discrete graphics processor. They also eat into your system memory and storage space and can’t handle more demanding graphics tasks such as photo and video editing or gaming. 

Asus somehow got an entry-level Nvidia GeForce MX150 into the Flip 14’s slim body. It’s not a full-fledged gaming laptop or a graphics workstation, but games are smoother and faster, and it can make quicker speed of tasks you wouldn’t even consider doing on other thin-and-light convertible laptops. 

Read Asus ZenBook Flip 14 review

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Despite its age, this is still a top-notch Chromebook for the money. The sleek 12.3-inch screen is a good screen size for everything from watching videos to apps to browsing websites to playing games. And it has a garaged Samsung S Pen for drawing and writing on the touchscreen. 

Read Samsung Chromebook Plus (V2) review

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This detachable two-in-one Chromebook tablet is thin and lightweight with peppy performance, and comes with a pen and keyboard cover — something its competition can’t claim.

Read HP Chromebook x2 review

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Although 13.3- and 14-inch models are typically what you’ll find for two-in-ones, there are a handful of bigger models like Dell’s excellent XPS 15 2-in-1. Its size is the smallest and thinnest in the category, with powerful performance from its hybrid Intel/AMD processor. It’s not cheap and it’s not exactly light at 4.4 pounds, but if you want a big, color-accurate, pen-enabled display for graphics work, get this Dell. (At least until we finish our review of the OLED version of the HP Spectre x360 15.)  

Read Dell XPS 15 2-in-1 (2018) review

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The pen-enabled detachable delivers accurate color and smooth sketching with workstation credibility. It’s powerful for its size, relatively full-featured, and the detachable Bluetooth keyboard is comfortable for typing.

Read HP ZBook x2 review

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With a 4K UHD 15.6-inch touchscreen display, solid components and a sturdy, tasteful aluminum chassis, you’re not missing out on anything by going with the C630 — except maybe the higher price of a Windows system.  

Read Lenovo Yoga Chromebook C630 review

source: cnet.com