Cheapest 2-in-1 laptop
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Are you looking for a gadget for yourself and you cannot decide between a laptop or a tablet? Don’t worry as you can buy both in the form of 2 in 1 laptop which is convertible hybrid laptops. With this, you can satisfy all your desire to flip, transform, or bend your device to flexible states in accordance with your comfort. In order to buy the best budget 2 in 1 laptop, you can explore Laptop Factory Outlet as they are known to be the best in the business to provide their customers with affordable rates and exciting offers. To have an insight into the best 2 in 1 laptop available in the market we have prepared a list for you:
With this list, we are sure to provide you with some of the great options that are available in the market of 2 in 1 laptop. Although the availability of the stock depends on the demands of the customers. You can visit the Laptop Factory Outlet to explore your options of buying the best budget 2 in 1 laptop for yourself.
Please note: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. I also work with other affiliate partners and may be compensated from the links below. Details here. A 2-in-1 is one of the most powerful and versatile laptops you can get in 2022. It seems like everyone makes one these days, but if you get the wrong one you can have paid hundreds of dollars extra for features that barely work, or can break quickly. To help you put your money to the best possible use we’ve found the 12 best budget 2-in-1 laptops in 2022. We have options here for literally every budget, from $1000, down to $800, $600, or even as low as $400. Skip to: Best 2-in-1 Laptops Under $1000 Best 2-in-1 Laptops Under $800 Best 2-in-1 Laptops Under $600 Best 2-in-1 Laptops Under $400 The table below will give you a quick look at our selections for the 3 best 2-in-1 laptops under $1000 currently available on the market. To read a full review, simply click on ‘review>>’ in the respective row. 1. Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5 14Display: IPS 14″ | Screen Resolution: FullHD (1920 x 1080) | CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 5700U | GPU: Integrated | RAM: 16 GB | Storage: 1 TB SSD | Battery life: 13 hours | Weight: 3.52 lbs / 1.6 kg
REASONS TO AVOID
Our Rating: 9.8/10 Lenovo puts function first in just about everything it does. Their laptops tend to be plain, and often a bit blocky, but dollar for dollar will be among the best on the market. The IdeaPad Flex 5 is a perfect example of that. It’s a bit bulky, and not very stylish, but in terms of raw performance and value for the money, it is easily one of the best 2-in-1 laptops in 2022. For starters, the Flex 5 comes with a 14-inch FHD (1920×1080) touchscreen display. FHD is pretty much the baseline for any laptop, 2-in-1, or otherwise that you’ll find in 2022, and while higher resolution displays will often feel sharper, there’s not going to be a noticeable increase in image quality or performance. The bigger issue might be the refresh rate, which is also the base standard of 60Hz. You shouldn’t notice any flickering, but higher quality displays will often refresh a bit quicker and make the video seem smoother. Where this version of the Flex 5 really shines is with its processing power. It comes equipped with a Ryzen 7 5700U, which is an 8-core processor with a base clock rate of 1.8GHz and a max boosted clock of up to 4.3 GHz. With that, you’ll have multitasking ability and response times on individual tasks and applications far beyond most laptops in this price range. It’s also phenomenal in terms of memory, with 16GB of RAM and 1TB of SSD storage. The high amount of RAM (typically the highest you’ll find in a laptop) will further support the massive multitasking power offered by the CPU, and the SSD will allow you to store a huge quantity of photos and videos, or a fairly large game library. If you do a lot of gaming, you might be a bit disappointed to discover there is no dedicated GPU, rather graphics processing is integrated into the CPU, which has more than enough power for most games, though will still fall short of being able to run the latest releases. On the brighter side, the Flex 5 ships with a stylus which is going to provide more precision during creative activities, as well as extra protection for your touch screen. Besides that, the laptop features a 720P camera, which will give you pretty decent image quality for video calls and even some light streaming. The two 2-watt speakers are pretty much standard for laptops currently on the market. They work in a pinch but still sound a bit tinny, so a good (or even average) pair of headphones will be a big improvement. Our biggest surprise, especially considering the computing power, was battery life. With economic usage, you can stretch the battery life to 13 hours, making this a solid choice for students and on-the-go professionals. And lastly, the Flex 5 weighs 3.3 pounds and is 0.82 inches (21mm) thick, which offers a decent amount of portability, but is on the upper end of what’s feasible for a 2-in-1 laptop. Overall, the Lenovo Flex 5 is not only one of the best offerings from Lenovo but one of the best 2-in-1 laptops for the money currently on the market. When it comes to 2-in-1 laptops, you will be hard-pressed to find a better, more powerful laptop–the higher price tag is totally worth it, and it will pull its own weight no matter what you have planned for it. View On Amazon READ ALSO: Best Gaming Laptops Under $1500 2. Acer Spin 5Display: IPS 13.5″ | Screen Resolution: QHD (2256 x 1504) | CPU: Intel i7-1065G7 | GPU: Integrated | RAM: 16 GB | Storage: 512 GB SSD | Battery life: 15 hours | Weight: 2.6 lbs / 1.17 kg
REASONS TO AVOID
Our Rating: 9.7/10 Acer is the ultimate “something for everyone” brand. Whatever you’re looking for in a laptop, chances are they not only have it but have one of the best versions of it on the market right now. We could have told you the Acer Spin 5 was one of the strongest choices for a 2-in-1 in this price bracket without looking at it, and closer examination only proves our initial instincts right. Some of the biggest uses for a 2-in-1 laptop are creative activities such as drawing and photo editing, so right off the bat, the Spin 5’s larger, high-resolution screen is a big plus. It’s still a 13.5-inch screen but offers a 2256 x 1504 resolution. If you feel like doing the math, you’ll notice that’s a 3:2 ratio rather than the usual 16:9. This will give you more space to work in for drawing, editing photos, browsing, etc. However, if you intend to watch a lot of movies you’ll notice a letterbox effect, and the blockier resolution can be an adjustment if you’ve been on widescreen for a while. Now, the Spin 5 is a solid choice in terms of processor power as well. It’s equipped with a 10th generation Intel Core i7-1065G7. Since it’s a slightly older processor, you sacrifice a tiny bit of speed for a pretty substantial drop in price. It’s still a four-core processor, which will give you all the power you need for major tasks, and still gives you a pretty reasonable amount of space for multitasking. The max clock rate is 3.9 GHz, which isn’t the fastest on the market right now, but it’ll be more than enough for most users and applications. In any case, the higher RAM will cover for the slightly lower processor speed, with a total of 16GB of RAM which again, is on the higher end for laptops, especially at this price point. The hard drive is a little smaller than we like to see, at 512GB, but that can be easily solved with an external drive if the need for extra storage arises. Furthermore, the integrated graphics chip is going to support most applications, though that combined with the higher resolution makes this a weaker choice if you were planning on doing a lot of gaming in your free time. One feature that you’ll definitely appreciate is the inclusion of a rechargeable Wacom pen for extra touchscreen functionality. Using the pen on the touchscreen feels very precise and accurate, so activities like drawing, editing photos, or something as simple as taking notes will be a treat with this laptop. Another big selling point for the Spin 5 is the incredible portability. It’s only 2.6 pounds, almost a full pound lighter than the other two in the bracket, and only 0.59 (15mm) inches thick–traveling and carrying it around will be a breeze. And finally, Acer claims that the laptop is capable of around 15 hours of continuous use, but most testing demonstrated a battery life of a little over 9 hours, which is quite a bit short of what Acer advertises, but still not terrible. Overall, the Acer Spin 5 is an excellent 2-in-1 laptop for the money and our top choice for creative professionals on a budget. The extra resolution, high-quality display, and outstanding Wacom pen in combination with the touch screen make it a perfect fit for all sorts of creative activities. View On Amazon YOU MAY ALSO LIKE: Best Laptops Under $1000 3. Dell Inspiron 14 5406Display: WVA 14″ | Screen Resolution: FullHD (1920 x 1080) | CPU: Intel i7-1165G7 | GPU: Integrated | RAM: 12 GB | Storage: 512 TB SSD | Battery Life: 8 hours | Weight: 3.39 lbs / 1.537 kg
REASONS TO AVOID
Our Rating: 9.4/10 Dell’s Inspiron 14 is another businesslike 2-in-1 laptop, though it manages to look a bit more sleek and stylish. Like all Dell laptops, you have a solid baseline of performance and the assurance that you’re getting exactly what it says on the box. The Inspiron 14 (as naming conventions would suggest) is a 14-inch 2-in-1 laptop. It offers an FHD (1920×1080) screen, with a 60Hz refresh rate. This is the most common resolution you’ll find in today’s laptops, and on a smaller screen like this will still provide clear, sharp pictures. And on top of that, the display also features a very precise touch-screen which makes any kind of creative activity a breeze. Unfortunately, the laptop does not come with a stylus but to be fair, it’s priced noticeably below the $1000 mark, so you should still have room in your budget. In terms of performance, the Inspiron 14 is powered by an Intel Core i7-1165G7 CPU. The i7-1165G7 is a four-core processor, with a max frequency of 4.7 GHz. That’s one of the fastest processors you’ll find in a laptop under $1000 and will make individual tasks and even more demanding applications extremely quick to respond. The lower core count might make a difference if you plan on doing really intense work like video editing, or are the sort to never close a window or a tab, but otherwise is going to be more than adequate for day-to-day use. Further, this laptop has 12GB of RAM, which is a quantity you really only see in laptops. Conventional wisdom is that between 8GB and 16GB of RAM is ideal, so we can’t really fault them for splitting the difference. Now, the SSD is only 512GB. It’s not a lot of space, but still in the realm of what we’d call good for a laptop. External storage is always a good idea for laptops, so the slightly smaller hard drive just highlights that need further. If you intend to do heavy-duty gaming, the lower core count might be a drawback since the Inspiron 14 uses integrated Intel graphics, meaning all video is processed through the CPU. That will limit the number of games you will be able to play, but less demanding games will still run perfectly fine on it. The sound system has been refined, so it’s not very loud but does have a surprisingly decent balance. It also has a dual microphone array, which will give you better audio quality on calls, and an HD webcam. The battery life is disappointingly average at 8 hours. That should be enough to get through a full day of work or school, especially if you manage to find half an hour to plug it in around midday, but it’s not as good as it could be for something that centers around portability as heavily as a 2-in-1 does. Speaking of portability, the Inspiron 14 is actually slightly heavier than the Flex 5, at 3.4 pounds, but is thinner, coming in at only 0.71 inches (18mm). Overall, the Dell Inspiron is an exceptional budget 2-in-1 laptop with lots of style and a decent amount of power. However, compared to the Lenovo and Acer from above, it’s a bit worse either in performance, or display quality. But to be fair, it’s also noticeably cheaper. That being said, this is still a fantastic 2-in-1 laptop on its own, it just slightly lags behind the competition. View On Amazon The table below will give you a quick look at our selections for the 3 best 2-in-1 laptops under $800 currently available on the market. To read a full review, simply click on ‘review>>’ in the respective row. 1. Dell Inspiron 14 7000Display: IPS 14″ | Screen Resolution: FullHD (1920 x 1080) | CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 4500U | GPU: Integrated | RAM: 16 GB | Storage: 512 GB SSD | Battery Life: 14 hrs | Weight: 3.75 lbs / 1.7 kg
REASONS TO AVOID
Our Rating: 9.8/10 The Dell Inspiron 14 7000 sports the same attractive design as the 5406, our more premium offering from the sub $1000 bracket, but comes with slightly less power under the hood. However, that appears to be the only major sacrifice you’re making. And, for a savings of a couple of hundred bucks, that seems to be a pretty good deal. The Inspiron 7000, like the Inspiron 5406, has a perfectly sharp 14-inch FHD (1920×1080) that is also a touchscreen, which feels super responsive and accurate, plus the colors on this one are accurate and crisp–no issue there. The only complaint we have against the display is the lower brightness, which might cause some problems for users who plan on using this laptop outside their home office. In terms of design and quality, the metallic case is a sandy yellow-brown color, which isn’t really attractive in any conventional sense, but the overall quality of the construction and design are one of the best on this list–It almost feels too good for how much you’re paying for it. When it comes to performance, the Inspiron uses a previous-gen processor, which is a common move in a mid-tier budget laptop. That allows you to get some extra performance without paying the premium for the newer processors which tend to be in short supply. This particular model uses the Ryzen 5 4500U, a six-core processor with a max clock rate of 4GHz. If we go just by processing power, this is one of the most powerful 2-in-1 laptops in the sub $800 category. Besides that, the more powerful processor also means that you’ll get better performance for gaming and other graphics-intensive processes since the Inspiron 7000 uses an integrated graphics processing unit. There’s a solid amount of RAM and storage as well: 16GB of RAM and a 512GB SSD storage drive. This combination will allow both files and programs to load quickly, making this an incredibly responsive computer. That’s always a plus for any computer, let alone a 2-in-1. Now, in terms of features and connectivity, there isn’t anything that really stands out. The laptop includes dual 2-watt speakers, which Dell has tuned surprisingly well, even if they are a bit quiet. Additionally, there’s an HD webcam, a fingerprint reader, lid sensor, micro SD card reader, an HDMI port as your only video port, two USB ports for your peripherals, and a USB Type-C port–nothing that really stands out, but pretty impressive set of features for the sub $800 category. One of the strongest features of this 2-in-1 laptop is its battery life. Most testings put it between 13 and 14 hours, which is one of the longest of any entries on this list, and is especially valuable considering the performance this laptop offers. In terms of portability, this is the heaviest option on our list so far, at 3.75 pounds, but it’s only 0.71 (18mm) inches thick. But don’t worry, this is still considered a lightweight laptop, and so traveling or carrying it around won’t be a big issue for you. It just got a bit of heft to it. All things considered, we cannot stress enough how fantastic this 2-in-1 laptop is for the price. It’s a complete hidden gem, and in terms of raw performance only trails the more expensive laptops by inches. On top of that, it offers a quality chassis, clean design, an exceptional touchscreen, plenty of connectivity, and long battery life–what more can you really ask for in the sub-$800 category? View On Amazon RELATED READING: Best Laptops For Streaming 2. Acer Spin 3Display: IPS 14″ | Screen Resolution: FullHD (1920 x 1080) | CPU: Intel i5-1035G4 | GPU: Integrated | RAM: 8 GB | Storage: 512 GB SSD | Battery Life: 15 hrs | Weight: 3.3 lbs / 1.5 kg
REASONS TO AVOID
Our Rating: 9.6/10 In case it wasn’t clear from our introduction of the Spin 5, you will be seeing several entries from Acer on this list. They do a fantastic job of scaling their products for different budgets, and at no point do you feel like you’ve gotten anything but a great buy for your money. The Acer Spin 3 makes some minor adjustments to drop the price but otherwise remains an excellent and highly functional 2-in-1 laptop. Like the Spis 5, the Spin 3 also rocks a 14-inch FHD (1920×1080) touch screen. The resolution combined with the accurate display will give you sharp, accurate pictures in both laptop and tablet mode, on a screen that’s noticeably larger than most tablets, which makes this another excellent choice for creative professionals. Speaking of creative professionals, this laptop also comes with a rechargeable active stylus. Using the stylus will allow you to create designs, draw, or simply take notes all easily on your laptop. In addition, the laptop features a charging dock for it, so whenever you run out of juice, simply plug the stylus into the laptop for a couple of minutes and you’re ready to go again. Now, this laptop is powered by an Intel Core i5-1035G4 which is Intel’s 10th generation processor with four cores and a maximum clock rate of 3.7 GHz. A four-core processor is going to deliver solid performance across all applications, though the 3.7 GHz clock rate makes this the slowest offering on our list so far. It’s not a difference you’ll typically notice, especially since the base clock rate is on the same level as the rest of the laptops on this list. Where you will notice a decrease in performance is with the RAM. 8GB of RAM is still going to give you full functionality, but you may notice that multitasking is a bit sluggish, and some programs won’t launch or respond as quickly. Storage-wise, the SSD is the same 512GB we’ve seen in most of the other laptops on our list. This amount of storage should and will be enough for most basic users, though once again it is our official recommendation that you have some sort of external storage/backup. The one advantage the Spin 3 has over the Spin 5 is battery life. The tested battery for the Spin 3 is a solid 13 hours, more than your typical work or school day. However, that increased battery life comes at the price of a bit of extra weight at 3.3 lbs, making it over a pound heavier than its ‘bigger’ brother. It’s inevitable that we’d compare this to the other options from Acer on this list, and the conclusion is pretty much what you’d expect. It’s a linear decrease from the Spin 5 to this one, and you’ll see a similar proportionate decrease from this one to the next Acer offering. That being said, if you don’t mind the slightly decreased performance, the Spin 3 has plenty to offer for less money. The overall mix of quality, design, battery life, and accuracy of both the display and the stylus makes this an outstanding 2-in-1 laptop for the money. View On Amazon ALSO READ: Best Budget Laptops for Video Editing 3. Samsung Galaxy Book Flex AlphaDisplay: QLED 13.3″ | Screen Resolution: FullHD (1920 x 1080) | CPU: Intel Core i5-2300 | GPU: Integrated | RAM: 8 GB | Storage: 256 GB SSD | Battery Life: 18.5 hrs | Weight: 2.62 lbs / 1.18 kg
REASONS TO AVOID
Our Rating: 9.4/10 So far all of the entries on our list have tried to make a laptop into a tablet. The Samsung Galaxy Book Flex Alpha is the first one that appears to have started from the direction of a tablet and worked its way over to a laptop. Even though it still uses Windows 10 for its OS, it feels like it’s meant to spend a lot more time as a tablet, with occasional breaks in computer mode to hammer out a long-form email. Starting with the display, the Galaxy Book Flex Alpha is only 13 inches but still has an FHD (1920×1080) QLED touchscreen display, which means pictures and video are going to look insanely sharp. It’s only a little bit smaller than the other laptops on this list, but you will start to notice how small it is if you frequently switch between this and a desktop or even a larger laptop. The keyboard especially can start to feel cramped if you plan on doing a lot of typing. It does still have a quad-core processor, the Intel Core i5-2300, which is a lot more power than we expected for a machine of this size. Even though the max frequency is only 3.1 GHz, the base rate is 2.8 GHz, so this laptop is going to feel quick and responsive at all times. Chances are, you won’t be doing much multitasking on a display this small, so you won’t notice that it only has 8GB of RAM compared to the higher amounts we’ve seen from laptops in a similar price range. However, you will probably notice the drop to a paltry 256GB of storage which will now force even basic users to purchase an external drive. Now, the built-in webcam is a 720P HD camera and performs well in most circumstances, but a full HD camera would be obviously better, especially if you’re going to use it for online lessons or zoom meetings. The speakers are only 1.5 Watt and don’t give a lot of volume or much in the way of sound quality. On the brighter side, this 2-in-1 laptop is extremely portable: only 2.6 pounds, and 0.55 inches (14mm) thick. Besides that, the battery life is the top draw for the Galaxy Book Flex Alpha. Samsung advertises its battery life at over 18 hours, and most of our testing bore that out. All things considered, the Samsung Galaxy Book Flex Alpha is going to be a top choice for people who spend a lot of time on the go. If you’re specifically looking for a portable 2-in-1 laptop with extremely long battery life, we strongly recommend you this one. If, however, you don’t consider these factors priorities, you’ll be missing out on the extra performance that both laptops above offer, and an included stylus in the case of the Acer Spin 3. View On Amazon The table below will give you a quick look at our selections for the 3 best 2-in-1 laptops under $600 currently available on the market. To read a full review, simply click on ‘review>>’ in the respective row. RELATED READING: Best White Laptops 1. Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5Display: IPS 14″ | Screen Resolution: FullHD (1920 x 1080) | CPU: AMD Ryzen 3 5300U | GPU: Integrated | RAM: 4 GB | Storage: 512 GB SSD | Battery Life: 13 hrs | Weight: 3.3 lbs / 1.49 kg
REASONS TO AVOID
Our Rating: 9.7/10 This is the same base model as the Flex 5 from earlier, but we were so excited about the performance of that one that when we came across a cheaper version in the $4-500 price range, we had to put it on the list. Our position on the version of the Flex 5 remains unchanged: it’s a little bulky and not very stylish but has a truly shocking amount of performance for the price. The display is a fairly basic 14-inch FHD touchscreen. 1920×1080 pixels is one of the more minimal 16:9 resolutions, but on smaller screens, a higher pixel count would increase the price by a lot more than it’s typically going to be worth. The processor in this version of the Flex 5 is a Ryzen 3 5300U. That’s a previous-gen 4-core processor, and it boasts a max clock rate of 3.8 GHz. It’s definitely not the most powerful processor on our list, but it’s one of the strongest ones you’ll find for under $500. In addition, this laptop also comes with an impressive amount of memory for the price point with 512GB of SSD storage, which is a little bit of a rarity in this price range, but only 4GB of RAM, which is a standard amount that will limit you a bit in terms of multitasking and productivity. On all counts, however, the Flex 5 can go toe-to-toe with a much more expensive laptop. Now, the bundle we reviewed includes an accessory pack, which consists of a USB extender, an HDMI cord, and a mouse pad. You would probably get more use out of a stylus, but the cables do set you up for easier peripheral management. Like most laptops, the webcam has a 720p resolution, and the speakers are a bit weak but work fine for movies and casual listening. Considering the lower power, it was slightly surprising to see that this particular model doesn’t get better battery life than the more power-hungry version at the top of our list. Under most use, you’ll still get 10-12 hours, but it’s not super consistent, which can be frustrating. As far as portability, this is at about the same level as the other Lenovo and most other options on this list–at 3.3 pounds and 0.7 inches (18mm) thick, it’s still considered a lightweight and portable laptop, but there are definitely more portable options available. Overall, it’s hard to get excited and recommend a laptop at this price range, as most of them will come with some sort of limitations. However, this budget 2-in-1 laptop from Lenovo is pretty much solid across the board, and there isn’t anything major we can hold against–It offers great performance for the money, lots of storage, and a great touchscreen display. Compared to other 2-in-1 laptops in the sub $600 category, this one is a bargain. View On Amazon YOU MAY ALSO LIKE: Fastest Gaming Monitors 2. Acer Chromebook Spin 713Display: IPS 13.5″ | Screen Resolution: QHD (2256 x 1504) | CPU: Intel i5-10210U | GPU: Integrated | RAM: 8 GB | Storage: 128 GB SSD | Battery Life: 10 hrs | Weight: 4 lbs / 1.81 kg
REASONS TO AVOID
Our Rating: 9.5/10 Our third and final entry from Acer is their Chromebook Spin 713. A lot of the more budget-friendly laptops, especially 2-in-1 laptops are going to be Chromebooks, which rely heavily on cloud storage, and typically use an Android OS for a simplified, storage-friendly desktop experience. They are a bit of a departure if you’re used to Windows OS, but anyone familiar with android devices, or mobile devices, in general, won’t have any trouble navigating them. The first thing you’ll notice about the Chromebook Spin 713 is that it rocks a 13.5 inch 2256 x 1504 touchscreen display. This is another 3:2 ratio, giving you a bit more screen space overall at the cost of doing away with the familiar widescreen resolution. It is also going to provide a noticeably sharper picture than the FHD options we’ve seen so far. What makes the Spin 713 unique among Chromebooks and as a result, a bit more expensive than a lot of other Chromebooks, is the processing power. It uses an Intel Core i5-10210U, a 10th generation quad-core processor with a maximum boosted clock of 4.1 GHz. That alone will give you great performance and immediately puts this small and relatively inexpensive 2-in-1 Chromebook on par with a lot of more expensive laptops in terms of processing power. And even better, it ships with 8GB of RAM which further adds to the already great performance. Since this is a Chromebook, memory is going to be pretty limited. It’s designed to have most documents, images, etc stored on the cloud, so the Spin 713 only has 128GB of memory. Because of the way the OS handles storage, it’s not as big of a point against it, but if you often find yourself in places with poor or no internet, it can be frustrating. Connectivity-wise, the Spin 713 features a variety of ports you’d typically find on a Chromebook, such as an HDMI port for an additional screen or three USB ports including a Type-C port. Further, the speakers aren’t any better or worse than you’d typically find on a laptop, which becomes more of an endorsement the less you spend on them. The biggest drawback here is portability. Obviously, this is a 13.5-inch laptop, so this is all in relative terms, but it is slightly heavier than most, weighing 4 pounds, and a little thicker too at 0.7 inches (18mm) thick. The battery life also isn’t phenomenal, though that’s probably a function of the increased processing power. Under the best circumstances, it only gets 10 hours, which is a lot less than we expected for something of this size and weight. To sum it up, the Spin 713 is probably the best 2-in-1 Chromebook you can currently buy at this price point. Yes, the battery life could be better, and yes, it could be a bit lighter, but those are really our only complaints. Again, considering the price tag, this is an excellent 2-in-1 laptop and one that’s going to perform beautifully in most if not all circumstances. View On Amazon ALSO READ: Best Gaming Monitor Brands 3. ASUS VivoBook Flip 14Display: IPS 14″ | Screen Resolution: FullHD (1920 x 1080) | CPU: Intel i3-8145U | GPU: Integrated | RAM: 4 GB | Storage: 128 GB SSD | Battery Life: 11 hrs | Weight: 3.53 lbs / 1.6 kg
REASONS TO AVOID
Our Rating: 9.4/10 ASUS and Acer have a lot in common, beyond just the similarity in names. They compete in a lot of the same markets, often with the same basic strategies. ASUS computers tend to be versatile and a good value for the money, though ASUS is often more willing to go to extremes, either with super-premium offerings or rock bottom budget builds while still being worth the money at either end. The VivoBook Flip 14 is right in the middle of that spectrum. It’s probably not going to blow you away, but it does have a solid level of performance for the price tag. Once again, we have a 14-inch FHD (1920×1080) touchscreen display and an included flash drive/stylus combo as part of your purchase of this laptop. If anything, that’s quite an added value because the flash drive marks a 50% increase in storage over the base laptop. Speaking of storage, that’s one of the biggest drops you’ll notice as we move down the ladder. The VivoBook Flip 14 only has 128GB of SSD storage. It’s enough to get by, but you’ll need to be a lot more diligent about your storage in ways that you probably wouldn’t have to on a 512GB or even a 256GB machine. Besides that, the RAM is also not that great, at 4GB of DDR4. It’s still going to be enough for basic applications, but you’ll definitely start to notice lag when either working with a more demanding application or while multitasking. Besides that, this laptop uses an older processor, though it’s one that holds up well. The Intel Core i3-8145U is an 8th generation dual-core processor, with a base clock of 2.1 GHz and a maximum clock rate of 3.9 GHz. In practical terms, that means fairly quick response times for individual programs, but a fair amount of sluggishness if you try any serious multitasking or complicated procedures like video editing. On the brighter side, the VivoBook Flip offers a surprising number of ports for a 2-in-1 of this size and price point, with one USB Type-C port, one USB 3.0 port, two USB 2.0 ports, one HDMI port, and one micro SDXC card reader. That alone makes it a good choice for photo editors and other users who might need to plug in a lot of peripherals. Other than that, there’s not a lot of surprises. The webcam is a standard 720p, and the nicest thing you could say about the speakers is that they work. Likewise, the battery life is about what we expected at this size and price point. You can get a solid 10 to 11 hours out of it, which will get you through most work or school days. In terms of portability, this laptop weighs 3.53 pounds and is 0.7 inches (18mm), and will easily fit your suitcase or school bag. All things considered, the ASUS VivoBook Flip 14 is on all counts a great 2-in-1 laptop. It features a really quality chassis and display, and it also comes with a stylus unlike the majority of budget 2-in-1 laptops. But compared to our top picks in this category, it lags behind quite significantly in terms of the overall performance. View On Amazon The table below will give you a quick look at our selections for the 3 best 2-in-1 laptops under $400 currently available on the market. To read a full review, simply click on ‘review>>’ in the respective row. RELATED READING: Lightest Gaming Mice 1. Lenovo Chromebook Flex 5Display: IPS 13.3″ | Screen Resolution: FullHD (1920 x 1080) | CPU: Intel i3-10110U | GPU: Integrated | RAM: 4 GB | Storage: 64 GB eMMC | Battery Life: 10 hrs | Weight: 2.97 lbs / 1.34 kg
REASONS TO AVOID
Our Rating: 9.7/10 We just cannot get away from the Flex 5, no matter where we look. We’re not exactly trying to get away from it either, and the Chromebook Flex 5 is a fantastic example of how much you can do, and get, on a laptop that barely passes the $300 mark. There are a couple of immediate differences between this and the other Flex 5’s we’ve covered earlier. The first is fairly obvious, in that it’s a Chromebook and so uses Chrome OS, a desktop-friendly version of what is more or less the Android OS. The second main difference is that the display is a 13-inch FHD (1920×1080) display. It’s a little smaller than the others but has the same high resolution. However, it’s worth noting that it is a little bit dimmer and could potentially cause you some inconveniences if you plan on using it outside your office or class. Now, you’re getting an incredible amount of procession power, especially considering the price, with a 10th generation Intel Core i3-10110U. It’s a dual-core processor, with a max clock rate of 4.1 GHz. Typically a dual-core processor is going to be more than enough to run anything on a Chrome OS and the high boost clock rate is going to give you blazing-fast response times when needed. In terms of memory, this is where things get a little worse, but for the price, it’s still above average. The laptop offers 4GB of RAM but is a bit light on storage. It uses a 64GB eMMC drive, which is small, but common among Chromebooks since they lean heavily on cloud-based storage. Connectivity is a little bit of a mixed bag with two fast USB Type-C ports, but only one typical USB 3.0 port. Besides that, you won’t find any video ports such as an HDMI or DisplayPort which could be an issue for some users. Our biggest gripe here is with battery life. This version of the Flex 5, despite having components that should be a lot less demanding across the board, maxes out at about 10 hours of battery life. It’s good, but by all accounts, it should be better. Other than that, it’s about the size you’d expect. It’s 0.67 inches (17mm) thick and weighs a little under 3 pounds, making it a fairly portable option for those on the go. Overall, this little 2-in-1 laptop represents an incredible value. For the money, you’re getting incredible processing power, sleek design, responsive touch display, and plenty of functionality. This is hands-down one of the best 2-in-1 Chromebooks for the money and should be a no-brainer for anyone with a tight budget. View On Amazon ALSO READ: Best White Gaming Mice 2. ASUS Chromebook Flip C433Display: IPS 14″ | Screen Resolution: FullHD (1920 x 1080) | CPU: Intel m3-8100Y | GPU: Integrated | RAM: 8 GB | Storage: 64 GB eMMC | Battery Life: 10 hrs | Weight: 3.31 lbs / 1.5 kg
REASONS TO AVOID
Our Rating: 9.5/10 The ASUS Flip C433 is taking the concept of a Chromebook more literally than most, with a shiny silver finish. This one is a little bit pricier than our top pick but offers an excellent combination of features that make it worth the price. Once again, we have the FHD (1920×1080) 14-inch touchscreen display, which is pretty much the defining feature of a 2-in-1. Being an IPS panel, it has excellent viewing angles and it’s also fairly bright and vivid–the display is overall really good considering this is a cheap laptop. In terms of performance, the Flip C433 is powered by a 10th generation Intel Core m3-8100Y. With that, you have two cores, and a max clock rate of 3.4GHz. It’s not going to be the quickest when it comes to demanding, multi-faceted operations, but the advantage of a Chrome OS is that all of its applications are designed in a way to avoid unnecessary demands on your processing power. ASUS has made kind of a weird choice on the RAM for the C433. It has a total of 8GB, which is a quantity you’d often find on more powerful laptops, but it lacks the processing power or even the demand to really make use of such a high amount of RAM. If anything, we would have been happier with less RAM and a larger storage drive, since the C433 only has a 64GB eMMC. When it comes to design and construction, the C433 sports a very sleek-looking chassis and every part of it feels quality, be it the 360-degree hinge, keyboard, or display. But ultimately, it isn’t any lighter (3.31 pounds) or thinner (0.367 inches/17mm) than any other laptop on this list, so you get the same level of portability as with any other laptop on this list. Connectivity-wise, you get the same amount of USB ports as the Flex 5 above with two USB Type-C ports and one USB 3.0 port. But on top of that, the C433 also features a micro SD card reader, further enhancing its connection capability. The C433 is also right on the line of what we’d consider having a full day of battery. For the most part, you only get about 9 hours of battery life. That’s usually going to be enough for a full day of classes, but if you’re putting too much strain on it, it’s going to run down quicker. All things considered, the ASUS Chromebook Flip C433 is a fantastic budget 2-in-1 laptop. Compared to the Flex 5, it doesn’t have as good of a processor and it’s also noticeably pricier. On the contrary, it sports a premium design with a quality display and even more connectivity. In our opinion, the Lenovo Flex 5 is still the best bang for your buck in this price range, but if you’re looking for a more premium-looking 2-in-1 laptop, this is a good way to go about it. View On Amazon RELATED READING: Best Pink Gaming Mice for Female Gamers 3. HP Chromebook X360Display: IPS 14″ | Screen Resolution: HD Ready (1366 x 768) | CPU: Intel Pentium Silver N5000 | GPU: Integrated | RAM: 4 Gb | Storage: 128 GB eMMC | Battery Life: 11 hrs | Weight: 3.5 lbs / 1.58 kg
REASONS TO AVOID
Our Rating: 9.3/10 HP is in kind of a weird place in our books. They don’t handle power well, so you’re not typically going to see us recommend their (allegedly) top-of-the-line options. However, their budget offerings tend to be pretty decent. The power levels are balanced, and you won’t be overpaying for features that are wildly out of proportion with the rest of the machine. The HP X360 is a minimal laptop but still has some pretty decent specs for the price. Our biggest downside on it comes right off the bat, with its 14-inch touchscreen having an HD (1366×768) rather than the sharper FHD we’ve seen from most of the entries on this list. It’s not going to be as obvious on a 14-inch screen as it would be on larger displays, but you’re still going to notice that some details aren’t as sharp. Now, the X360 has a decent amount of processing power and is equipped with an Intel Pentium Silver N5000. It is an older processor, so even with four cores, it’s not going to be as responsive as newer processors, especially considering the max clock rate is only 2.7 GHz. Further, the X360 comes with 4GB of RAM, which helps with more demanding applications and will help with some of the responsiveness from the lower clock rate of the CPU. The storage drive is a 128 GB eMMC drive, which is a form of embedded storage rather than an installed drive like an SSD or even HDD. The storage technology is basically what you’d find in an SD card or flash drive, so it’s pretty quick, but not quite as fast as an SSD would be. It’s also the type of storage most commonly used in phones and tablets. On the brighter side, the X360 has an SD slot and comes bundled with a 64GB SD card, which you can leave more or less permanently installed for a storage boost. On top of that, it comes with two USB Type-C ports and one USB 3.0 port, ultimately offering great connectivity across the board. The battery life is pretty inconsistent, depending on what you’re using it for. Some tests stretch it as far as 17 hours, but in other circumstances, even light usage drops that as low as 11. It’s a good battery in either case, but it would be nice to have a better feel for how much battery life you have. For how limited the performance is, it’s not as light or thin as we expected. It weighs a total of 3.5 pounds and is 0.67 inches (17mm) thick. Granted that’s about the same as most of the laptops on this list, but usually, the consolation for having something that’s weaker in performance is that it’s a lot more thinner and compact. Admittedly, starting all the way up at the $1000 tier has colored our perception a bit, but the HP X360 feels a bit like a last resort. It’s still one of the best in its price class, and if you know what you’re getting going in, there’s nothing that we’d call disappointing about it. For the money, this is a perfectly acceptable budget 2-in-1 laptop. View On Amazon There are a lot of great 2-in-1 laptops available this year, including a few that surprised us. We’ve got choices for you no matter what you’re looking for–many of these are going to be reliable workhorses perfect for students and busy professionals. A few of them even push the envelope in creative directions and no matter what you pick, you’ll be sure to be getting your money’s worth. |
