Our comparison table only shows our top 5 picks. You can find the other recommendations within this article.
Welcome to our guide of best convertible laptops. We have reviewed 10 of them here.
There was a time when we wished to carry around the bulky desktop with us which led to the invention of laptop. Next we wished for more portability and that’s how tablets came into being. But yet we were not satisfied, we wanted the best of both worlds – the functionality of a laptop and super portability of a tablet.
And if you can add a dash of 360 degree viewing experience to your display screen so that it can act as a tent, stand or tabletop then it definitely serves as a cherry on top. Keeping in view all these requirements, the hybrid convertible laptops came into being.
Well they for sure have been doing rounds in the market for quite some time but their importance has received its much deserved accolade off late. Already a hot favorite amongst online shoppers, these convertible laptops are quickly flying off the racks.
On What To Pay Attention When Buying Convertible Laptop?
Functionality limitation becomes a passé with these cutting edge laptops which pump in extensive versatility in comparison to the traditional ones.
Its folding design helps in flipping the keyboard to various angles on the wings of its powerful hinges. In most of the hybrid models, the system’s motherboard and battery are located in the base in line with traditional ones.
The clamshell’s stable bottom lid also provides a better typing platform in comparison to the flimsy panel of detachable keyboard models. Increased room for battery leads to better running time before the machine runs out of juice.
Check Also: 5 Best Hybrid Laptops
Not only are they slim and come with a classy build but are also a complete powerhouse in terms of CPU performance, graphical display and sound quality. Most of them can fill up a midsized room with its excellent sound waves and also deliver decent webcam pictures.
In our today’s article we have combined 10 best convertible laptops vying the current market for potential takers. These laptops belong to various price ranges but they have one thing in common – their full on value for money functioning.
So whether you are a budget adhering shopper or the one who wants to splurge it all out, we have got you covered under this list.
Browse through the same to get a bird’s eye view of the possible options out there waiting to become your work companion. New launches are taking place every month. Thus we have summed up the best possible options as of now.
Our Top Picks for Best Convertible Laptops
1. Dell XPS 13 9365
Specs:
The XPS 13 with its mechanized aluminum outer body, carbon fiber palm rests and a little bit rubberized corners and edges provides its users with that extra grip when toggled to the tablet mode.
The dual hinges also perform brilliantly with no major teetering or inconsistencies while typing. Unlike its contemporaries its glass lid thickness wins extra credit. This often leads to an even weight distribution when used in tablet mode.
With a 3.5mm standard audio jack and two USB Type-C ports, it does not impress much in the connectivity test. However the full size SD card reader gets replaced with a Micro one. The 10.5x6 cm wide clickpad is responsive, smooth and consistent around the edges and corners.
Although the laptop does not come with an in-built fan, it stays pretty cool on the top. Its battery life of approximately 8.5 hours can be termed as solid but nothing extraordinary. Windows Hello with its fingerprint sensor assists in easy logging into the system.
The compact laptop also surprises much with its excellent sonic punch which stays clear at even top volume levels. Key travel of 1.3mm results in a cushy typing experience and QHD 3200 by 1800 screen offers colorful and sharp pictures.
See Related Article: 5 Best Laptops With Fingerprint Readers
2. HP Spectre x360
Specs:
The HP Spectre with its 15.6-inch display should be your ultimate pick if you have a 1000$ budget for your next laptop purchase. It clearly stands out of the crown when it comes to best convertible laptops currently available.
With an entire metallic case having silver finish this hybrid model scores pretty high both in terms of looks and build. Its sharp edges on the full aluminum body and polished sides accentuate its premium feel.
Weighing at only 2.8 pounds, this HP offering is surely one of the most attractive buys you can get your hands on. With two USB-C and one USB 3.1 Type-A port users can carry around just one data cable cum charger to fulfill all the connectivity and charging issues.
The glossy 4K ultra-HD 15.6 inch display having super thin side bezels provides excellent viewing experience with even the most minute color details captured with utmost brilliance. A wide trackpad, touch sensitive screen and backlit keyboard adds up to its heavyweight pros.
16 GB of DDR4-2133 SDRAM and 512 GB of blazing fast SSD PCIe NVMe 4x3 Lane makes this laptop a tough performing contender. The new Intel 7th-Gen Kaby lake CPU with Core i7-7500U processor can toggle with more than twenty tabs. Its dual speakers ensure optimal hearing experience in all its modes.
3. ASUS ZenBook Flip UX360UA
Specs:
The ASUS ZenBook Flip is among the best convertibles since its launch and you can also check its individual review here. Get 360 degree of freedom with the ZenBook Flip which packs in versatility and convenience in a 2.8 pound ultra-thin and extremely stylish laptop which can be your constant companion on the go.
Featuring a precision engineered metal mechanism having multi-gear structure, the flexible hinge holds the display beautifully at every possible angle. The torture tested hinge having more than 20000 open/close cycles make sure that this hybrid can toggle in between tablet and laptop forms easily.
Its lithium polymer battery having a 12 hour life helps in completing important tasks even on those long international flights. The one-piece keyboard having ergonomic design ensures ultimate typing satisfaction.
Its full size Backlit keys having 1.5mm optimized travel imparts a comfortable desktop like feel. The touchpad and keyboard locks down automatically when this hybrid is flipped into tablet mode.
Its super fast 512GB SSD, 16GB RAM and Intel Core i7 processor offers smooth application launches, video playback and effortless multitasking.
The ultra-sharp 13.3-inch touchscreen with QHD and resolution of 3200 by 1800 provides users with a vivid and accurate kaleidoscope of colors and its wide viewing angles makes the images life-like from all viewing angles. Its SonicMaster audio technology fosters incredible sound output. The USB Type-C port helps in super fast data transfer.
With an HDMI port, two USB 3.0 Type-A ports and an SD card slot, the ZenBook impresses on the connectivity frontal.
4. Microsoft Surface Pro
Specs:
The house of Microsoft combines the performance of a laptop and portability of a tablet in the Surface Pro making it one of the best convertible laptops.
The ultra light 1.7 pounds laptop will let you carry your virtual world around to work, cafe, study and play. Its portable design having rounded edges and all day battery life stands out as its USP. Its 12.3 inches PixelSense display having a 3:2 aspect ratio and 2736 by 1824 resolution assures rich graphics.
The Intel Core i5-7300U processor can boost up to 3.5 GHz under performance pressure. Magnesium casing backed with silvery finish imparts a very premium look to this laptop which excels from its predecessor Surface Pro 3 in terms of 68% longer battery life and 2.5 times faster performance.
It works in sync with Surface Dial, Surface pen and Office. Windows Hello ensures super fast and password free sign in time and again. Surface Pro Type Cover which is sold separately can be used to turn this hybrid into a full throttle laptop.
The state of art Surface Pen having rubber eraser on one end and ink on other provides pressure sensitivity up to 4096 level. Its front facing speakers ensure improved acoustics and fanless cooling system leads to a quieter work environment.
5. Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga
Specs:
This 14-inch productivity churner offers the killer combination of long battery life, premium carbon-fiber chassis, accurate stylus, vibrant screen and comfortable keyboard.
The premium soft touch surface finish which includes the palm rest helps in increasing comfort while typing. Its latest Wave keyboard helps in preventing accidental typing when the laptop is in tablet mode.
The strong dual hinge design helps in toggling the device between tent, tablet and stand modes. Lenovo’s 2-in-1 offering can stand vibrations, extreme temperature fluctuations and shock. Its 14 inch Full HD touchscreen display with 1920 by 1080 pixels offers sharp images with vibrant colors.
Although not extremely rich but the audio coming from its in-built speakers are loud enough to fill up a midsized room. The button less touchpad of 3.9x2.4 inch helps in navigating with much accuracy.
An impressive 12 hours of battery life is a surprise coming from this slim beauty. Its 256GB PCle SSD, 8GB RAM and Intel Core i7-8550U CPU is a pro at multitasking without any performance drop.
With features like this, its surely outshines the rest. This hybrid beauty comes with a hefty price tag but for all those who are looking for complete portability at 3.7 pounds and flexibility, this laptop needs to be on your wish list.
6. Toshiba Satellite Radius P55W-C5321-4K
Specs:
Toshiba makes a big bang with its excellent 15.6 inch ultra HD 4K display translating to 3840 by 2160 pixels which surely can assist in intricate photo editing work.
Other than this guide of best convertible laptops, we have also listed it in our other laptop buying guides. Its dual hinge design allows usage in five modes – Audience, Laptop, Presentation, Tablet and Tabletop.
The silver clad hybrid laptop with metal grey exterior is quite difficult to carry around with its 4.96 pounds weight. On the display frontier its In-Plane Switching offers wide viewing angles and 10 point touch capability.
The chiclet style keyboard having a fully numeric keypad and large touchpad is easy to operate. With the left side occupied with just a solitary USB 2.0. port and the right side filled with SD card reader, HDMI port and two USB 3.0 ports, connectivity is pretty average with this one.
The Satellite Radius having 1TB HDD and 12 GB internal memory can more than satisfy the work requirements of an average user with its storage and multitasking gigs. Its Intel Core i7-6500U Dual Core processor built on Skylark architecture in combination with Intel HD Graphics 520 can run even the most strenuous tasks.
The 3-cell lithium ion powered battery can manage up to 5 to 6 hours of battery life.
7. Acer Aspire R 15 Convertible
Specs:
The powerful Acer Aspire R15 provides end to end value for money with its premium built of rubbery plastic and aluminum and state of art features. Especially if you are searching for a bigger display then this 2-in-1 will surely fit your bill.
Weighing at 5.3 lbs, the Acer model does not score full parks on portability but its bang on 15-inch IPS touchscreen, large hard drive and Intel processor are there to compensate for its weak spots. Its sturdy lid, 360 degree rotating screen and keyboard area having minimum flex helps users in using this convertible as a tent, notebook, stand or tablet.
The Input Output system of this laptop also scores pretty well with its USB Type-C connector, 3 USB slots in the edges, power button, full scale HDMI video output, volume rocker, DC-IN and a card reader. Its short-stroke keyboard doesn’t supply much typing satisfaction but its visibility wins points with white and light blue keys and backlight.
Although the Synpatics trackpad is made of plastic it is quite accurate and sensitive to gestures. The 1920 by 1080 pixels screen is more than what a budget laptop can ask for.
Its touchscreen display having Zero Gap technology helps in reducing glare. Its Intel Core i5-7200U CPU assists in handling both everyday activities and complex functions like Photoshop as well as multitasking.
8. Lenovo Thinkpad Yoga 14
Specs:
This portable powerhouse combines the best Lenovo offerings – hybrid laptops supporting a vast range of uses and durable notebooks sufficing business work.
The magnesium alloy construction in matte black, thin red stripes at the top segment of touchpad and red pointing stick portrays the signature style of ThinkPad series. In terms with its Yoga namesake, the Lenovo wonder is flexible enough for a 360 degree bend powered by its dual hinges.
Its Lift ‘n’ Lock technology allows the fourteen keys to recede automatically whenever the laptop gets folded into a non-laptop mode. The black Chiclet keyboard of this 4.2 pound tech baby is comfortably contoured and feels great to touch.
With Function keys doubling up as shortcut buttons, users can easily open the settings menu, adjust brightness and volume, project onto a connected screen and pull up the search window. Its 3.9x2.75 inch touchpad is sensitive and highly responsive.
Its 14 inch display screen with 1920 by 1080 pixels can point out even the most intricate details. The bottom faced speakers of Yoga 14 are loud enough but lack clarity.
With a USB 2.0 port, power input slot, 4 in 1 card reader and microphone/headphone jack in the left edge and volume rocker, power button, two additional USB 3.0 ports and HDMI port in the right, this Lenovo Yoga model comes with all the necessary port requirements to guarantee a smooth flow. Its 720p webcam can decently manage web conferencing and it stays cool enough to be kept on one’s lap for a whole days functioning.
Powered by 3.5-GHz Intel Core i7-7500U processor having 8GB RAM the Yoga 14 can juggle multiple works with much ease. Overall, if you need the best budget convertible laptop then this is something you need to consider.
9. HP Envy X360
Specs:
The sleek HP Envy X360 with its rear mounted 360 degree hinges and shiny metallic accents remind us heavily of the MacBook. The hinges which feel stable at all its positions allows users to toggle the device between laptop, display, tent and tablet modes.
In spite of weighing just 4.6 pounds, this HP invention packs a bevy of features like non-charging Type-C USB port, SD memory reader, USB 3.0. port and HDMI port in its right side and its security lock slot and another USB 3.0 port in its left side with the volume and power buttons.
The crisp 15.6 inch display and 1080p panel scores decent marks in the display frontier. However the 4.6x2.5 inch touchpad devoid of any buttons recognizes three digit app-switching and two-finger scrolling.
This laptop wins hands down in the audio segment with its built in speakers which can fill in a big room with its solid reproduction. The Envy equipped with 16GB RAM, 8th Gen Intel Core i5-8250U CPU and fast 256GB SSD pleases with its multitasking and hardcore performance.
Color accurate yet grainy pictures are shot by the 0.9 megapixel webcam of HP Envy which also fails to last long in the battery spectrum with just 6 hours of running time.
10. ASUS Chromebook Flip C302CA
Specs:
Asus has finally entered the premium Chromebook segment with its 12.5 inch sleek variant having an all-aluminum getup and highly functional touchscreen.
This petite beauty weighing 1.1. Kg stands out with its compact build which makes it an easy to carry along style statement. Its 360-degree convertible hinge allows its lid a full cycle rotation and we highly recommend it to users looking for the best convertible laptop.
So whether you want to enrich your video viewing experience by propping it up like a tent or want a conventional tablet like experience to substitute your e-book, this wonder baby can serve it all.
The responsive touchpad having multi touch commands, Corning Gorilla Glass as the display screen and full size backlit keyboard with palm rejection feature ensuring comfortable typing add up to its brownie points.
Its anti-glare panel having an effective light sensor reduces glares and reflections in bright surroundings thus relieving its users from eyestrain and fatigue. In comparison to Windows 10 laptops in the same price range, the ASUS Chromebook stands out with its full HD display screen having a resolution of 1920 by 1080 pixels and wide viewing angle.
A match made in heaven for the seekers of long battery life, this metallic laptop with 64 GB flash storage and 4 GB RAM comes with built in Google Play Store and Android Apps. The latest 802.11ac Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 4.0 ensure lighting speed connectivity.
Conclusion
It’s difficult to pick out a clear cut winner amongst these best convertible laptops. Some excel in terms of performance whereas others provide better graphics. But it is up to you to decide upon the choosing factor according to your terms of usage.
So don’t forget to do a thorough market survey before zeroing on your work partner. But before spending a fortune on the same look out for other options like an add on stylus which you can purchase within the same budget by shifting to another model and enriching your work experience as a whole.