The Clear Advantages of Going for a 2-in-1 Tablet/Laptop Hybrid Instead of a Conventional Notebook

Quick Links

• Two Devices at the Price of One
• A Touch Screen Eliminates the Need for a Mouse
• They Are More Portable
• On Some Designs, Your Bed Won’t Block Airflow
• The Drawbacks of a 2-In-1 Design

Key Takeaways

• 2-in-1 laptops offer the versatility of two devices in one package, which saves money.
• Touch screens on 2-in-1 laptops eliminate the need for a mouse, offering faster and more comfortable navigation.
• 2-in-1 laptops are more portable because you don’t have to bring two devices with you, and they tend to be relatively small, thin, and lightweight.

Confession time: I never owned a traditional laptop. I always found them to be too slow and expensive compared to desktop computers with similar specs. However, 2-in-1 tablets with detachable keyboards have completely changed the game for me. Here’s why.

Two Devices at the Price of One

Tablets were a hot commodity ten years ago when we still had phones with small screens and overheating issues. However, phones have been perfected over the years and have massive screens now, so owning a slightly larger device just to play Android games and watch movies is not worth the investment—at least to me! Similarly, laptops made sense to me from a business perspective, but since I was a teenager who wanted the best value gaming computer, they weren’t for me. That was until I graduated and started freelancing.

A 2-in-1 PC running Windows kills two birds with one stone, eliminating the need to spend hundreds of dollars on two devices. You can easily switch between tablet mode and laptop mode, so it’s not like you’re losing versatility by opting for a 2-in-1. You can get a single device that’s perfect for work and watching movies, reading books, and gaming. My Lenovo Miix 510 goes into tablet mode the moment I disconnect the keyboard. It enables auto-rotate and shows a virtual keyboard when I want to type.

Ismar Hrnjicevic / How-To Geek

The best part is that you can use the money you saved on buying a tablet to get a better laptop with more powerful hardware. You’ll get to enjoy a nicer display and faster processing. Many 2-in-1 laptops also include a detachable or built-in keyboard, so you’re saving some money on that as well.

However, it’s worth noting that 2-in-1 laptops tend to be slightly more expensive than traditional laptops because of the more complex design and included touch screen. Despite that, I’d still opt for a slower 2-in-1 model than a traditional laptop, even if I had to downgrade my processor and lose some RAM.

A Touch Screen Eliminates the Need for a Mouse

While trackpads are okay for occasional use, having to rely on them constantly is tedious. That’s why people resort to a wireless mouse for everyday work, but that means you have to work at a desk, which kind of defeats the purpose of a laptop. If I work on my laptop, I want to do it from a more comfortable position, or if I’m on the go, I don’t want to carry my mouse with me.

Touch screens eliminate the need for a mouse almost entirely. You can interact with your laptop directly through touch, so it’s faster and more comfortable than a mouse for everyday use. It’s perfect for navigating browsers, text files, spreadsheets, and Windows. In fact, in two years of use, I haven’t plugged my wireless mouse into my 2-in-1 once. I even installed lightweight Windows games that don’t require a mouse to play, such as Cuphead and Burnout Paradise.

Granted, you can get a touch screen display on a traditional laptop as well, but it’s going to cost extra, and it’s only available on select models. 2-in-1 laptops have touch screens by design, as a tablet without a touch screen wouldn’t be particularly useful.

Bill Loguidice / How-To Geek

They Are More Portable

If you travel frequently, there’s a good chance you own both a laptop and a tablet. Tablets make for excellent entertainment devices, and a laptop is a must-have if you need to work remotely in any capacity. By replacing your tablet and laptop with a 2-in-1 device, you’ll save a lot of space in your carry-on, plus you won’t have to carry multiple chargers if one of the devices doesn’t use USB-C .

Moreover, 2-in-1 laptops have to be comfortable in tablet mode, so they tend to be relatively small, slim, and lightweight. You can fit a 2-in-1 into most backpacks, and you’ll hardly notice it’s there. Plus, if your model has a detachable keyboard, you can store it separately when you don’t need it so that it takes up even less space. I do this on long bus trips as I switch between working and watching TV shows. When I’m done with work, I detach the keyboard and throw it into the overhead compartment to free up space.

On Some Designs, Your Bed Won’t Block Airflow

There are two main styles of 2-in-1 laptops—those with detachable keyboards, and those that have a 360-degree hinge that allows you to fold the keyboard back to use the device as a tablet. Models with a detachable keyboard have all internal components (CPU, storage, battery, etc.) integrated within the display unit, so the keyboard is just a keyboard.

Models with a 360-degree hinge typically have all the internal components within the keyboard deck, just like a traditional laptop. The hinge allows you to use the keyboard as a stand or fold it back all the way if you need it in full laptop mode.

Hannah Stryker / How-to Geek

I prefer 2-in-1 laptops with detachable keyboards because they don’t overheat on soft surfaces, such as a bed or pillow. Models with internal components in the keyboard deck often rely on fans and vents on the bottom and sides of the main body, so when the vents are blocked, the laptop can suffocate and overheat. Also, they’re uncomfortable to hold on your lap for prolonged sessions because the heat gets uncomfortable fast. Repositioning the internal components solves all of those issues.

The Drawbacks of a 2-In-1 Design

A major drawback of 2-in-1 laptops is the price. People aren’t lining up and buying 2-in-1 devices as a replacement for their traditional laptops because you have to pay significantly more money to get the same specs. If you have never cared for tablets and don’t mind using a keyboard when you watch movies, a traditional laptop makes sense.

There are also some serious durability concerns with 2-in-1 models. The complex hinge mechanisms aren’t always very durable, though that depends on the model. Also, the contact pins found on detachable keyboards wear out over time, which causes the keyboard to stop working correctly.

There are also performance limitations. 2-in-1 laptops have to cram more stuff into a smaller space, which results in subpar cooling with razor-thin heatsinks and tiny fans, CPUs that prioritize power efficiency, and smaller batteries. They struggle to approach traditional laptops that have equivalent specs.

The last downside has to do with how Windows handles touch screens. My laptop is on Windows 10, and it doesn’t want to select text precisely the same way an Android phone would. Similar odd issues happen when I try to use Google Sheets. That’s why I usually resort to using the touchpad whenever I need to make precise inputs.

Despite all these drawbacks, I can’t imagine myself using a laptop that isn’t a 2-in-1. I prefer small, thin laptops that don’t have exhaust ports on the bottom, as they’re more comfortable to use on my lap or in bed. I don’t need a powerful laptop because I have my desktop PC for that. I just need a reliable web browsing machine that also doubles as a tablet, and I’m sure that you’ll feel the same if you give one of these 2-in-1 laptops a try.