Buying a 2-in-1 laptop? Here are 7 things I wish I knew before I did

1. A 2-in-1 laptop is going to be either a worse laptop or a worse tablet

Michael Crider / IDG

In trying to dip its toes into both worlds, the 2-in-1 laptop ends up being a jack of all trades and master of none.

Laptops with 360-degree hinges may work as tablets, but in practice you’ll be carrying around a “tablet” that’s as heavy, thick, and unwieldy as a laptop. Even smaller 2-in-1s can end up fairly uncomfortable to use for longer sessions, and it can be awkward to feel the keyboard and trackpad on the back when holding. (You’ll likely prefer to use it on a table.)

Now, naturally, the detachable 2-in-1 design solves the above issues, but this form factor introduces its own problems. The portability-friendly tablet improves handheld use cases, but the attached-tablet-as-a-laptop experience ends up being worse than a regular laptop.

With very few exceptions, detachable 2-in-1s rely on a loose connection to their keyboards and some sort of kickstand to remain upright. That loose connection will feel flimsy whenever you use the keyboard on a soft surface or on your lap. (So much for being a laptop.)

And when used on a lap, rather than spreading all of its weight across the base of the keyboard like a typical laptop, 2-in-1s tend to concentrate their weight on the bottom edge of the tablet and kickstand, creating uncomfortable pressure on the thighs. Even on a table, the use of a kickstand means the device will require more space to stand up than a laptop with a firm hinge. That can pose issues if you’re trying to work on a small train or airplane tray table, for instance.

2. The hinge design is kind of a big deal

Dominic Bayley / IDG

For a 2-in-1 laptop, the hinge is a key aspect of its design. While a flimsy hinge may not be a deal-breaker for a standard laptop, it can be a huge issue that can’t be ignored in a 2-in-1.

If the hinge is too floppy, the touchscreen will probably be annoying to use in some positions as every tap just pushes the display back. When you fold the laptop all the way open into a tablet position, that loose hinge may leave the laptop wagging its base obnoxiously.

You can’t tell how the hinge will feel just from looking at it online, though, so if you’re thinking of buying a particular model, do your best to inspect it at a brick-and-mortar store or look for reviews that address it.

3. It may not include everything

Mark Hachman / IDG

When you buy a laptop, you have certain expectations. You expect a display, a keyboard, a trackpad, and — mixed up somewhere inside of all that — a proper computer that runs out of the box. With 2-in-1s, you might also expect to get a stylus for the touchscreen.

Alas, those things aren’t always guaranteed to be included in the base package. For laptops with 360-degree hinges, you’ll at least get all the makings of a laptop because it’s still one complete unit. But with detachable tablet models? There’s more of a question. For example, the Asus ProArt PZ13 that I recently tested thoughtfully included the keyboard attachment and kickstand cover but omitted a stylus.

And then you have Microsoft, who’s long been a pioneer of the detachable laptop form factor with its Surface Pro and Surface Go… which are notorious for coming without their keyboards. The Surface Pro 11 that released this year starts at a reasonable $999, but that doesn’t include the Surface Pro Keyboard, which costs an extra $139. For the more advanced keyboard and stylus options, you’ll be looking at as much as $450 on top of the base tablet. Yikes.

4. Detachable 2-in-1 laptops don’t have a lot of ports for connectivity

Mark Hachman / IDG

While 360-hinge laptops can certainly pack just as many ports as their standard laptop counterparts, detachable 2-in-1s are all but guaranteed to wind up with few ports. Even purportedly “pro” hardware can see one of these 2-in-1s with just a couple options.

The Surface Pro 11, for example, has just two USB-C ports along with Microsoft’s long-standing proprietary Surface Connect port, an unnecessarily restrictive connector for docks and hubs.

To be fair, some modern laptops — especially those that pride themselves on slimness as a selling point — end up with just as few ports. But that’s a design decision, whereas here it’s a physical limitation of tablets.

5. There will always be some trade-off between size, weight, and price

Josh Hendrickson / IDG

The hinges on 2-in-1 laptops are more complex than your typical laptop hinge, and that complexity costs money — a cost that ultimate gets passed onto you, the customer.

Consider a basic option on the market: the Dell Inspiron 14. A modest configuration of this laptop costs $849, whereas a near-identical configuration of the Dell Inspiron 14 2-in-1 costs $949 — and you’ll be getting half the SSD storage. While Dell managed to keep the dimensions the same between these two models, the 2-in-1 is also 0.33 pounds heavier. Of course, the 2-in-1 gets a touchscreen, but that upgrade alone doesn’t fully account for the difference in price.

If you want to avoid paying extra, you’ll have to settle for a 2-in-1 laptop that’s less polished in its design. That means heavier and larger. And if you recall what’s already been said about using these 2-in-1s as tablets, you now know that heavier and larger just makes it that much worse.

6. Not all styluses and touchscreens are created equal