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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.
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 displays—also called convertibles—use a 360-degree hinge that can position the screen flat, in “tent” 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 movies—all with the ability to go right back to a standard laptop orientation when it’s 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 Microsoft’s Surface lineup, which is still going strong more than a decade since its introduction. We’re 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, they’re generally comparable to any other clamshell laptop you’ll find. However, Windows and ChromeOS aren’t 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 one—hence, 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 you’re aiming for the more budget range and already have a tablet, it’s 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.
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Best Overall 2-in-1 Laptop
Lenovo
Yoga 9i (14-inch, 2025)
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.
Specs Lenovo Yoga 9i CPU: Intel Core Ultra 7 256V Display: 14-inch, 2,880 x 1,800, OLED RAM: 32 GB Storage: 1 TB -
Best Detachable Laptop
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Photograph: Christopher Null
Microsoft
Surface Pro 13-inch (11th Edition, 2024)
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 Microsoft’s 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.
Specs Surface Pro 13 Inch (11th Edition) CPU: Qualcomm Snapdragon X Plus or X Elite Display: 13.3-inch, 2,880 x 1,920, OLED RAM: 16 GB Storage: 512 GB -
