Bigger on the inside: The best 2-in-1 laptops of 2024

In our review of the Asus Zenbook Duo laptop, we thought it was an exceptional machine that absolutely nailed the concept of a dual-screen model. Not only does this have two vibrant OLED displays, the keyboard can be removed from its magnetic dock allowing you to type comfortably while looking at the two screens. Plus, the integrated stand means you can easily see both at once. They’re both touchscreens as well, so although you can’t fold it a full 360 degrees for a hybrid tablet experience, it’s just another intuitive way of using it. 

Aside from the sturdy yet slim and refined build, there’s a powerful Intel i9 processor inside, along with a generous 32GB of RAM and a massive 2TB SSD for more storage than the average laptop. Our reviewer found that it was adept at everything that was thrown at it, but those dual displays really do lend themselves to creative design work, media and multitasking.  There’s even above-average sound here too, thanks to Dolby Atmos and Harman Kardon speakers. Using those two screens at once will, of course, impact the 6-hour battery life quite significantly, but it’s a small price to pay for such a capable 2-in-1 laptop.

Getting your hands on any 2-in-1 laptop for well under £900 can be a bit of a challenge, but Dell has used its considerable know-how to put together this Inspiron 14 7430 2-in-1 Laptop. As you’d expect from this brand, the build and design are reassuringly solid, but it’s the fantastic 14-inch touchscreen and Intel Core i7 CPU with a generous 16GB of RAM that blow us away – especially when you consider the price. If you are on a little more of a budget, you could opt for the slightly less powerful  Dell Inspiron 14 7430 2-in-1 Laptop which has half as much RAM and a Core i5 CPU. 

But, of course, it’s the 2-in-1 functionality that takes this laptop to another level, as it’ll fold 360 degrees for full touchscreen tablet mode, and stand or tent modes in between. We also really appreciate a good backlit keyboard for those times when you need to carry on working in low light, and the fingerprint reader for enhanced security. Dell’s ComfortView screen tech is another welcome feature for anyone burning the midnight oil, with its low blue light feature. Despite a 7-hour battery life (at best), we think this laptop is an excellent budget option. It will suit anyone who needs to do general computing tasks and office work while also providing enough power for light gaming and streaming video.

We love the innovative design of the ASUS Zenbook Duo UX482EAR laptop. Unlike the larger (and more expensive) full-size dual-screen OLED version, this one stands out for its exceptional but understated  2-in-1 functionality. The slim secondary display just above the keyboard is perfect for those who love tweaking and adjusting photos or doing graphic design. It’s just the right size for docking those tools and colour palette panels while keeping them within easy reach. This dual touchscreen design allows for a lot of usability too, depending on the work you’re doing. We do, though, think that, despite the seven-degree tilt, that horizontal smaller screen might take some getting used to. 

The ASUS Zenbook Duo's design is equally impressive, boasting a robust yet lightweight chassis with a premium feel. It's not just about looks, though. The Zenbook Duo's Intel i7 CPU and 16GB of RAM ensure that multitasking is smoother and more seamless than ever.  The inclusion of the ASUS Pen adds another layer of depth to in-depth image editing. This isn’t just a well-designed piece of laptop tech – it's designed to deliver real benefits to creatives, including great colour accuracy, making it our top choice for design and media professionals.

There’s no doubt that OLED screens look fantastic with black and contrast levels that are second to none. That’s why we love this 2-in-1 laptop from HP. It’s also something of a rarity as the 13.5-inch display makes this one of the best most compact and tablet-like OLED laptops here. And while that smaller size makes this a super-portable machine, it doesn’t skimp on power. Inside there’s an Intel Core i7 processor running Windows 11. That’s well above average for a tablet laptop and means you can run pretty much anything you want to on it. 16GB of RAM is well-suited for this spec, too.

We would have liked to have seen a 1TB SSD inside, but we get 512GB instead – not a showstopper by any means as it should be more than enough for the average user. Finally, it’s that gorgeous OLED display that makes this really special. Fold this laptop into tablet mode, or tent mode for a quick and easy angled display, and use the included pen to create or write directly onto the screen. One brilliant extra is the Adaptive Colour feature that compensates for the light in your environment, ensuring it always looks its best. A stunning and powerful 2-in-1.

Sometimes lugging around a larger, heavier laptop for your work meetings is the last thing you need when you need to stay mobile. And that’s just as true if you’re working from home – when you want to escape your desk, you could just pick up this HP ENVY 2-in-1 laptop. The standout feature for us is the 15.6-inch display – that’s plenty of room for more detailed work like spreadsheets. The CPU isn’t as fast as some others here, but the Intel Core i5 is more than up to the task when it comes to office work and general computing.

The storage is a 512GB SSD, which should be more than enough for a large collection of office applications and your important projects and files. The 8GB of RAM is at the lower end but is perfect for a general-purpose office machine. Also, we’re impressed with the 15-hour battery life here – giving you plenty of flexibility when out and about. But, of course, the true star is the laptop’s ability to fold into a touchscreen tablet when you need to. At 1.78kg it’s also light enough to carry for longer periods. A great, capable 2-in-1 laptop.

ASUS Republic Of Gamers (ROG) gear is at the top of many gamer’s wishlists. Not only does this laptop look the part, but it's built to last and houses some of the most powerful hardware for sheer performance that we’ve seen. The CPU is a blisteringly fast Intel i9 with 14 cores. Twinned with an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 graphics card and the 13.5-inch 165Hz IPS screen, this laptop will eat games and media for breakfast. 1TB of SSD storage is excellent, but 16GB of RAM is really the only surprising nitpick here. For the money, we think it could have had 32GB, but that doesn’t detract from what is already a star performer.

But what makes it a 2-in-1 laptop? Well, the keyboard can be removed from the magnetic dock and the whole laptop becomes a super-powerful touchscreen tablet with a built-in kickstand. Stereo speakers with Dolby Atmos support and an ASUS Smart Amp deliver above-standard audio too. For anyone who wants to take top-tier gaming with them and have the flexibility to use it in tablet form for tasks, browsing or watching movies in comfort, this is it.

When is a laptop not a laptop? Well, when it’s designed for lighter computing tasks and running ChromeOS. Although it certainly qualifies as a lightweight machine at only 1.37kg, it’s not our pick for the best lightweight 2-in-1 simply because it runs on ChromeOS, which may not appeal to those using Windows – especially when connecting to office networks. But, if you’re in the market for an affordable 2-in-1 that uses Google's super-lightweight operating system, this is a fantastic option. Yes, you’ll find cheaper Chromebooks, but not this powerful. Behind that 14-inch display lies an Intel Core i5 and a 512GB SSD for storage, putting this leagues ahead of your typical Chromebook.

8GB of RAM is also good for a machine like this, and the overall spec adds up to a laptop/tablet that is ideal for lighter everyday browsing, documents, emails, YouTube and so on.  The battery life is a decent ten hours too, and the full-HD touchscreen comes with a stylus for fingerprint-free use. It’s a powerful little Chromebook with more to offer than you’d expect.

If there’s one thing that our pick of the best 2-in-1 laptops isn’t short of it’s computers that look like tablets. But, this Surface Pro 9 from Microsoft is described as a ‘tablet PC’ which, to us, really means that it’s a laptop that’s been designed from the ground up to be used as a tablet first and a laptop second. And there’s been no holding back on the internals, either. The Surface Pro 9 is going to blow many ordinary laptops out of the water thanks to its serious specs – starting with the Intel Core i7 processor and 16GB of RAM. The tablet section also has a stand and a magnetically docked keyboard for the ultimate in flexibility, removing the need for folding hinges as seen in others here.

Although this model can be found with a preferable 512GB of SSD storage, it’s a little hard to find. This one only has a 256GB version, which we think is fine for a tablet but underwhelming for something that has laptop performance running Windows 11. That said, it does have USB-C which means you can connect other storage devices if you need to. It also comes with a pen stylus – the Surface Slim Pen 2 which provides tactile feedback for sketching and more. We love the 15.5-hour battery life too, making this a super-portable tablet with laptop-level power when you need it.

For us, what makes the Samsung Galaxy Book4 Pro better than much of the competition is its 16-inch screen. Yes, it converts between laptop and tablet formats thanks to the 360-degree hinge, but however you use it, it’s the combination of the latest AI-powered Intel Core Ultra processor and that beautiful AMOLED touchscreen that does it for us. It’s a 120Hz screen running 3K resolution for smooth and detailed visuals. Elsewhere you’ll find a generous 512GB SSD for storing plenty of apps and files (which we wish was a 1TB drive, given the price tag – although there is a MicroSD slot to let you add more if you need it) and a brilliant 16GB of RAM. Combined, those make for a really powerful machine – possibly one of the most capable here.

Samsung also includes its S Pen which gives a lot of accuracy and finesse when using the Book4 as an art tablet. We’re also happy to see the kind of range of port connectivity that you’d expect on a regular laptop, including Thunderbolt 4, USB-A, and a HDMI output for attaching to a secondary display. It’s also excellent in the sound department, with Dolby Atmos, plus the 21-hour battery life is one of the best out there. A large and vibrant screen on a very portable 2-in-1.

If you want all the agility of a tablet fused into a truly flexible lightweight laptop, the Lenovo ThinkPad Yoga is the one for you. What really takes this to the next level is the specification – quite how Lenovo has jammed an Intel Core i7 CPU, touchscreen, 16GB of RAM, fingerprint reader and more into this super-thin chassis is impressive. At just 1.43kg and under 1.6cm thick, we think it really does qualify as a fully capable laptop in something that is more tablet-like in terms of portability.

But, what makes the Yoga so aptly named is its amazing flexibility. It can quickly and easily transform from a standard laptop form into a tablet and also a tent format for when you need to sit back and watch. There’s even a slot with an included pen which works with the screen for handwriting, so we think this really is the perfect lightweight laptop with a multitude of uses. We do wish, though, that the SSD had more storage capacity as it’s a standard 256GB. But, given that this laptop is probably best used for everything other than media production, you’re not likely to fill it up any time soon. Overall, the Lenovo ThinkPad 7i Yoga is a slimline, super-light computing tool for every occasion.