A 2 in 1 laptop is a portable PC that has features of tablets and laptops both convertible or detachable. The idea behind this was to deliver the best of both. The predecessor of this version was called a hybrid. They had the option to slide or rotate the keyboard behind the chassis or to be hot-pluggable which means that it can add or remove devices to the PC while the system is still running and the system would also recognize the change.
The 2 in 1 laptop consists of components like light chassis, exemplifying technological convergence. This means that the technology at the start of the production was quite unrelated and after some time it got integrated and advanced.
2 in 1 laptops were used for normal media consumption and non-intensive task in “Tablet Mode”. The first gadget like that was Compaq Concerto from 1993, it had installed Windows 3.1 and Windows for PEN and also had a detachable keyboard. It had some really nice add-ons, for example, handwriting recognition, pen positioning even when it was up to 1 cm away from the screen. For nearly two decades it wasn’t really that popular.
Microsoft released its own series called “Surface Pro” in 2013 as the years went by other competition was joining on the market, only Apple still didn’t release their version of 2 in 1 PC. They started as really low performance at the beginning but as it continued to grow in popularity, companies decided to meet the demands for higher performance.
Comparing the prices for under 500 dollars and customers rating on the product these are the best-rated products on the Amazon Market.
1. HP 2-in-1 12.3″ Touch-Screen Chromebook
This was the most expensive device in that price range, the price tag is $ 460.00, 87 customers have rated this device and the total rating is 4.3 out of 5 stars. It was released on May 20, 2018.
Basic Technical Details:
Screen Size: 12.3 Inches (res. 2400 x 1600)
RAM: 4GB
CPU: Intel Core M3-7Y30
Memory: 32GB eMMC
Camera: Front 5MP/ 13MP Rear
OS: Chrome
2. Samsung Chromebook Plus V2
The price tag for this product is $ 417.90, 134 customers have rated this device it got 4.1 out of 5 stars. It was released on October 22, 2018.
Basic Technical Details:
Screen Size: 12.2 Inches (res. 1900 x 1200)
RAM: 4GB
CPU: Intel Celeron 3965Y
Memory: 64GB eMMC
Camera: 1MP Front/ 13MP (on keyboard deck)
OS: Chrome
3. Acer Chromebook R 11 Convertible
Even though the price tag is $ 259.00 still Acer manages to provide a device with high specs for that price. 1120 Customers have reviewed it and it got 4.1 out of 5 stars it is really good results because this was the most reviewed device on this list. It was released on August 31, 2016.
Basic Technical Details:
Screen Size: 11.6 Inches (res. 1366 x 768)
RAM: 4GB DDR3L
CPU: Intel Celeron N3150
Memory: 32GB SSD
Camera: HD Webcam (1280 x 720)
OS: Chrome
4. Lenovo Flex 14 2-in-1 Convertible
The price for this product is $ 489.99 out of 32 reviews it got 4.5 out of 5 stars. This laptop was released on September 17, 2019, after a couple of months, the original version was with Ryzen 7 and 256GB of SSD storage which can be bought for $ 585.33 this version was released on April 10, 2019.
Basic Technical Details:
Screen Size: 14 Inches (res. 1920 x 1080)
RAM: 8GB DDR4
CPU: AMD Ryzen 3
Memory: 128GB SSD
Camera: HD Webcam (1280 x 720) with microphone
OS: Windows 10
5. HP Elite X2 1012 G1 Detachable 2-in-1
This was HP’s biggest competitor for Microsoft Surface Pro, this is considered to be a business laptop for the mobile workforce and executives who want to get a top-class without any compromises. The price tag for this product $ 399.99, 5 reviews in total and it got rating 5 out of 5. Elite X2 1012 was released on August 24, 2018.
Basic Technical Details:
Screen Size: 12Inches (res. 1920 x 1280)
RAM: 8GB DDR3
CPU: Intel Core M-5Y10
Memory: 512GB SDD
Camera: Front 2MP/ 5MP Rear
OS: Windows 10 Pro 64-bit
Benefits of having a 2-in-1 laptop
First of all, they are light and they still have good durability and are easier to transport. If the user gives a good amount of money for the device he will have the opportunity to work, read, and entertain himself on only one device.
This means that with premium performance a user can finish up a presentation or reply to important e-mail on the go. Also, this will save battery on other devices that we’re using constantly. For example, the customer won’t use his mobile for reading out mail when he buys a 2-in-1 laptop- and altogether, he won’t his smartphone that much. The battery life is longer than on a smartphone.
Even though they are not generally cheaper, if the user invests more money into the 2-in-1 laptops he will also save money at some point, because he still gets two devices for one price. Also, in creative industries, like, for example, drawing, working can be made easier thanks to some laptops that have included a special pen like the one in Compaq Concerto.
For best proper usability and transport it had been considered that smaller 2-in-1 laptops and for the price under $500 are really good for kids and students. As mentioned before some laptops include a pencil which is good for students who are into art, students can also make a presentation, write essays, and take notes during the lecture. The best thing is- any operative system is compatible to run Office Apps.
While for kids it can be used for entertainment, for example, watching kids shows or even depending on the operative system the can download games from Google Play Store/Windows Store, also it can even be educational for kids if the there’s internet access and access on Google Chrome and go to duolingo (website for learning language). Even with a small amount of money you can buy a laptop with good resolution.
The most important factor for having this type of technological gimmicks is the bodywork and durability of the laptop. For example, if the mechanism that attaches and detaches the keyboard is mechanical and if it breaks the device is considered to be broken. Thus, a better solution is to a have magnetic detachment system. As the price goes a little bit up then you can even use the laptop for some higher-performance tasks like video editing.
Some lighter versions of gaming also come to mind, but you won’t be able to play the newest and most demanding games. According to techgamingpro.com, which reviews gaming monitors and laptops, companies are even now making gaming 2-in-1 laptops but they have problems with battery management and ventilations. Adding more money to invest for the device most probably at the end will just upgrade the picture like the Quad HD display in the Microsoft Surface Pro 6. It is important to mention that 1366 x 765 is considered to be HD but it is also, according to critics, grainy.
To consider the HP elite from the previous list is a business-class laptop that has pretty nice storage and steady-performance. Professionals use 2-in-1 business laptops and they have the possibility to choose them as replacements for their full-size keyboard laptops. Later on, it was discovered that it has an ideal mechanism for note-taking, touch screen data entry, presentations and many more.
When choosing between a 2-in-1 laptop and tradition laptop you should have a good idea about the utility of this device. A customer needs to choose between portability and performance mainly. Even the traditional ultrabooks are super thin and compact but the 2-in-1 wins the challenge because the keyboard is thin and it doesn’t add any bulks to the tablet portion of the device.
As already said, sometimes you don’t need to have a keyboard with yourself all the time. If the user is a musical producer or photographer the better choice would be traditional. Because the traditional will bring more performance for less price, also storage price jumps quite fast. The next consideration would be the usage of windows ink and the digital pen. Even though some laptops have touch screens and support Windows Ink it can’t be near as good as the experience on 2-in-1 laptops. When using a pen, you won’t always need a keyboard. Everything experienced on the pen is a fully natural experience like on paper.
A recent study from Princeton University found out that students who take longhand, or, in other words, handwriting, learned better than the students who took notes with their laptops, one more bonus point for the 2-in-1 laptop. The Surface Pro is the best standard for the pen but it doesn’t mean it is the only one, there are others who support pen. Application for writing sheet music (Sibelius) teamed up with Windows and they developed a fully compatible application for the pen done in a remarkable way.
Many customers from the music industry shifted to pen version because the original version was poorly done in the way that the system with the mouse and num-pad was really uncomfortable to use. Almost every 2-in-1 laptop works currently on Windows 10 or Chrome. Recent versions carefully added touch technology into the platform. This means, in some way, that if the user doesn’t have a touch computer, he cannot get the full experience of Windows 10 or Chrome.
The last thing to consider is the availability of the ports. Traditional port is a better option as it will provide more than one port.
Downsides of the 2-in-1 laptops
- overall performance
- screen size
- keyboard size
Screen size isn’t that bad because small size comes along with the small design and compactness. Also with keyboard size, it comes with the design that is generally not as big as the traditional. The functionality of the keyboard isn’t good and it doesn’t have some functions in-built- everything is very basic. Sometimes the keyboard can be tight which will lead to discomfort and difficulties.
The biggest downsides of earlier models were security features- only in the past couple of years the companies started to add fingerprint scanners, multifactor authentication features, locking slots or TPMs. TPMs are hardware-based security chips that were in connection with software to generate codes that are unique for the specific device. For business use, the best option is to buy models that have both TPM and multifactor authentication features. This thing even helped more for the popularization of 2-in-1 laptops, it was estimated growing between 21.2% and 48$ each year.
From this list, the best option should be the newest version of Lenovo Flex 14 2-in-1 Convertible. Because it is definitely the one who would also give an additional overall in performance. It has the biggest screen and also has Integrated Radeon Vega 3 which will give some improvement also in the gaming experience.
The only thing that was not done well on this model was the availability to upgrade the specification. All works on the device must be performed by a certified technician, so as not to void the warranty. By even upgrading RAM stick to 16GB of RAM and Storage and that would be one of the best custom 2-in-1 laptops under $1000.
To conclude 2-in-1 laptops are still developing and it won’t stop as it seems to be the future for everyone in society. It’s easy to see why 2-in-1 laptops are trending. They are the perfect solution for people who are looking for a versatile computer that’s easy to carry and as technology develops it will get even better function. Companies are looking for development in the industry meaning to please everyone’s needs in all areas of society.
