Are 2-in-1 laptops good for gaming

Included in this guide:

The best 2-in-1 laptops have revolutionized how we use portable devices by expanding on the traditional laptops form factor. Instead of having one mode, these devices offer several. Along with the typical laptop and tablet mode, they offer stand and tent modes that lend themselves to media consumption. Buyers can skip paying for a collection of devices for their computing needs and get just one.

This versatility doesnt extend to all notebooks out there after all, gaming laptops and MacBooks have stuck to the basic laptop form factor. But, 2-in-1 devices offer a lot more flexibility for the person that needs it. And, a professional needing a computer that can keep up will find powerful options on the market, as some of them come equipped with impressive internals like the best processors and speedy RAM.

With one of these, you can easily switch to reading an ebook or streaming the newest movies after youve finished your work without having to pick up another device. No matter if youre in the market for a business workstation or a laptop for college students, we want to help you pick out one of the best 2-in-1 portables as your next computer. Weve tested a lot of laptops and have gathered our top picks here. And, dont forget to check out our included price comparison tool so you can find the best deal available.

HPs impressive business laptop is back with its smart design, great battery life, and 2-in-1 prowess. The HP Elite Dragonfly was among the best HP laptops, and its successor is following in its footsteps. Of course, being a follow-up, its more powerful now than its predecessor. Now, the line is touting 11th-gen Intel Core chips, Intel Iris Xe graphics, and now a 4K display, upgrading from its previous Full HD models.

Of course, theres a whole lot more to love here. It might just be as close to being the perfect business laptop as any manufacturer can get, but its also stylish enough to appeal to the more casual users. That is, if they can afford it as this laptop is as expensive as its always been. However, as it is meant for professionals, its definitely worth the investment. Plus, that 2-in-1 form factor, touchscreen functionality and included stylus makes it a better value than its rivals.

Read the full review: HP Elite Dragonfly G2

The Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga Gen 6 isnt just among the best 2-in-1s out there. Its also among the best laptops 2021 has to offer, touting sheer power, an excellent battery life, and a breathtaking 16:10 display. Of course, being an Evo-certified laptop targeted for business professionals, it comes with many security add-ons for business users. Its a little on the expensive side, but if you can afford it, its well worth the price. Especially because it comes with a few extras like an SD card slot and a garaged stylus.

Read the full review: Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga Gen 6

The HP Spectre x360 is among the best laptops in the world, and the latest addition in this flagship line doesnt fall far from the tree. The HP Spectre x360 [2021] continues the tradition of pairing elegance and premium design with the latest in specs for a 2-in-1 laptop thats as much substance as it is style. This gorgeous Windows laptop comes with the new 11th-gen Intel CPU, latest integrated Intel graphics, and enough battery life almost hitting the 13 hour mark to get you through a long day at work. Thats while being slightly more affordable than its rivals like the Dell XPS 2-in-1.

Dont get us wrong; you wont likely find it in a budget laptops list anytime soon. However, it is very affordable considering its build, power and features. Just bear in mind that it tends to be bulky in tablet mode and can get loud.

Read the full review: HP Spectre x360 [2021]

If you want a high-performance 2-in-1 laptop that will keep going long after its rivals have given up, the Intel Evo-certified Lenovo Yoga 9i is the best 2-in-1 laptop for you. The price of entry here isnt what you would categorize as cheap, but given the power, battery life, and premium features, its actually quite reasonably priced. This means that youre getting a lot of value for paying just a bit more. Among those noteworthy features are the rechargeable Lenovo Active Pen, its reasonably-quick pen charging dock built-in on the laptop, and its great sound.

Of course, its performance is phenomenal. Its capable of handling just about anything you can throw at it thanks to the 11th-gen Intel Core processors and the Intel Iris Xe integrated graphics powering it. Its displays 16:9 aspect ratio may be a bit of an acquired taste and give you less room to work with, but its not a big deal-breaker.

Read the full review: Lenovo Yoga 9i

Is it a Chromebook or is it a tablet? Well, luckily, you wont have to decide. True to its name, the Lenovo IdeaPad Duet Chromebook delivers two form factors in one while keeping the price unbelievably low. In fact, if youre looking for a budget option, this is the best 2-in-1 laptop for you. This Chromebook utilizes the versatility of the Chrome OS while you back much less than many of the top Windows tablets out there.

Of course, true to its Chromebook nature, its battery packs an incredibly long life of almost 22 hours you could pull an all-nighter, work through the day and mid-afternoon, and youll still pass out before it runs out of juice. For this price, sacrifices have to be made, naturally the keyboard is tiny, the trackpad isnt as reliable, and the charger and headphones share one port. However, if budget is your top priority, this has to be your top choice.

Read the full review: Lenovo IdeaPad Duet Chromebook

The Dell XPS line has been upping the ante in the world of portables since its launch, and that hasnt changed years later. It has now penetrated the premium game, forcing its budget-conscious fans to look for cheaper alternatives, but that higher price tag is more than justified considering this laptops build, features, and prowess. The Dell XPS 13 2-in-1 [2020] remains to be among the best laptops right now, touting more versatility thanks to its hybrid design. We love this laptop so much, wed get it just for the pleasure of using it. But, if that price is holding you back, let us assure you: this is worth paying extra for.

Its absolutely stellar battery life, Wi-Fi 6 connectivity, plenty of storage, and quiet operation are among the most noteworthy features here. As is its bright and vibrant display thats just a pleasure to use in tablet mode as it is in traditional laptop mode.

Read the full review: Dell XPS 13 2-in-1 [2020]

A great feature set definitely adds a lot of value, and if youre looking for the best 2-in-1 laptops, thats one thing to keep an eye out for. Its that kind of feature set combined with its affordability that makes the Acer Spin 5 [2020] a terrific candidate. This 2-in-1 laptop isnt just versatile due to its form factors and fantastic battery life. It also comes with a 3:2 display and a feature-rich stylus that together give it that extra advantage for students and professionals over its rivals: an easy and seamless note-taking experience. If youre one of those folks who have a contempt for typing up notes in class, this old-school approach might just seal the deal.

Of course, that just-under-12-hours battery life is a bonus, and the fast stylus charging that gives you about 90 minutes of use for 15 or 20 seconds of charging is a boon. Finally, that stellar performance is impressive considering its affordable price.

Read the full review: Acer Spin 5 [2020]

Lenovos latest release, the ThinkBook 14S Yoga, is a solid and affordable convertible that comes with some great features and terrific performance. Even though admittedly, it isnt perfect, theres a lot to love here, starting with its great price-to-performance ratio. Youll appreciate the specs behind that power that 11th-gen Intel Core chip and Intel Iris Xe graphics inside will ensure that itll see you through even arduous tasks. And, although that coveted 2-in-1 design may come standard on every hybrid, for example, its garaged pen is not, making it a boon to those who tend to lose small peripherals. Plus, its webcam shutter is there to protect your privacy.

Sadly, that battery life is no match to the competition. It falls just shy of the nine hour mark, which means that you should take your charger with you if youre clocking in a full work or school day. Still, for the price youre paying, this is among the best 2-in-1 laptops out there.

Read the full review: Lenovo Thinkpad 14S Yoga

Business laptops are a dime a dozen, but once in a while, you get one thats just a little more special than the others. As far as such portables go, the Lenovo ThinkPad X12 Detachable is a more versatile option. It boasts a detachable, portfolio-style keyboard that allows its users to seamlessly go from full traditional laptop to that more convenient tablet mode in seconds, minus the bulk. Dont worry, though. As it is still a business laptop, it still boasts a host of excellent business-centric features, like robust security features that matter a lot to business customers and surprisingly long battery life of around 10 hours per full charge [thats considerable for business laptops].

Of course, theres plenty of power behind all that as well, with 11th-gen Intel Core chips and Intels integrated graphics. Although if youre looking for a business laptop with more robust graphics, you should consider other options as theres no way to configure it with discrete graphics.

Read the full review: Lenovo ThinkPad X12 Detachable

The HP Envy x360 15 [2021] is nearly in a class in its own right, a 2-in-1 laptop that combines impressive CPU and GPU power with an elegant yet robust design, a stunning display, and outstanding battery life all for an incredible price. In fact, if you dont want to spend a fortune, you'll be hard-pressed to find a better value for a 2-in-1. Especially when youre already getting best-in-class performance. Its huge collection of ports make it an even better value. If you have a few peripherals in your arsenal, you wont find its connectivity options lacking.

Its not the most comfortable to use as a tablet, however. Because its on the heavier side, it doesnt offer the best tablet mode experience. However, the positives far outweigh these points for us, especially because even the most premium contenders on this list arent perfect, so its easy to forgive this laptop for that.

Read the full review: HP Envy x360 15 [2021]

How we test 2-in-1 laptops

Testing 2-in-1 laptops looks a lot like testing traditional clamshell laptops, only with a few extra steps. After all, we also need to test these hybrids 2-in-1 form factor as well as touchscreen functionalities, ensuring that everything works swimmingly and the touchscreen is as responsive as it should be.

We take a look at a 2-in-1 laptops design, first of all, checking to see how robust its build is, just how portable it is, how comfortable its keyboard and trackpad are to use, how good the display is, etc. We check the availability of ports and biometrics sign in technologies [in on hand]. We check to see the webcam, speakers, and mic as well, since video conferencing has become such an integral part of our daily lives. Naturally, because its 2-in-1 form factor is a major selling point, we inspect the hinges, the different modes, the touchscreen functionality, and the stylus, if included, to make sure that its delivering a seamless experience.

Of course, we test its performance as well. Since most 2-in-1 notebooks are designed for productivity, school, or everyday use, we utilize it in our daily workloads as well as for entertainment and casual use. We use the most commonly used Windows 10 [or Chrome OS on Chromebooks] apps to see how fast they load and run. And, we perform synthetic benchmarks as well, including PCMark 10 [Home Test] and GeekBench 5 so we can get you those exact numbers to compare to its rivals.

Battery life or rather, great battery life is an integral part of laptops, especially premium ones. So, we also test its longevity, using it at full charge to see just how long the battery lasts when doing everyday workloads, as well as running both our looped 1080p movie test and the PC Mark 10 battery life benchmark.

Finally, we gather all that information we collected about the laptop and compare it to its price tag to gauge whether its a great value to consumers or at the very least, worth the money.