The laptop market is pretty huge in 2021, which is no surprise considering how many people rely on these portable PCs every day. One of the more interesting developments to come to this space very recently is the 2-in-1. These unique convertibles feature fold-flat touch displays that let you use the computer much like a tablet, adding a lot of versatility to an otherwise standard laptop design. They’re not as cutting-edge as they were a few years ago, too, which means that you no longer have to pay out the nose to get a good one. So if you’ve been thinking of giving one a try, read on to see the best 2-in-1 laptop deals and sales available this month.
Today’s best 2-in-1 laptop deals
How to choose a 2-in-1 laptop
Convertible laptops have really taken off over the past decade and pretty much every major computer maker under the sun carries at least a few 2-in-1s under its umbrella, and they’re actually some of the best laptops on the shelves. HP, Dell, Lenovo, Acer, and Asus are arguably the “big five” brands you’ll see the most while shopping for 2-in-1 laptop deals (Samsung is a newer player worth mentioning as well), and you can’t really go wrong with any of the big names such as these. It really just comes down to what you need and what you’re willing to spend. Acer and Asus offer a lot of budget-oriented laptops, while the other makers span the full range of prices you’re likely to see.
Some specific models to look for on the cheaper end of the spectrum include the Asus VivoBook and Flip, Acer Spin, Lenovo IdeaPad and Yoga, HP Pavilion and Envy, and Dell Inspiron lines. You’ll find plenty of 2-in-1 laptop deals in the sub-$1,000 price bracket. If you want something more high-end, then some of the best 2-in-1 laptop models include Dell XPS, HP Spectre, and Lenovo ThinkPad (particularly the ThinkPad X) lines. These top-tier ultrabooks offer better hardware along with superior build quality, enhanced displays, overall sleeker designs, and some other value-added features over their cheaper counterparts.
After setting your budget, you’ll first have to decide which operating system you want. This is a binary choice: Windows or Chrome OS. As of now, Apple hasn’t jumped onto the 2-in-1 laptop bandwagon, so don’t expect to see any MacBook deals while poking through these 2-in-1 laptop sales. We imagine that Apple will come around eventually (although the company remains on the bleeding edge of mobile device technology, its Mac computers have lagged behind the competition a bit), but there’s no telling when that will happen. If you’re a die-hard Mac fan, you’ll have to live without a 2-in-1 for now.
Chances are that, like most people, you probably use and are most familiar with Windows PCs, but Chromebooks — laptops that run on Google’s unique cloud-based Chrome OS software — are worth a look, especially if you’re a student and/or you’re on a tight budget. The cloud-based nature of the Chrome OS ecosystem is well-suited for remote work and online studies, with the added benefit of being able to run many Android apps. That’s something to consider if you own an Android smartphone. Another benefit of Chromebooks is that they’re generally a pretty solid value compared to Windows PCs, as the cloud-based Chrome operating system isn’t as resource-heavy since much of it operates “in the cloud”.
That said, there are some higher-end Chromebooks sporting PC-like specs (namely Intel Core processors, 8GB to 16GB of RAM, and full-sized SSDs instead of pared-down eMMC flash storage) along with premium features like 4K displays, so keep a lookout for those when shopping these 2-in-1 laptop sales if one of these Chrome OS machines piqued your interest. For most people, though, it’s going to be Windows, and as with any type of PC, the selection of 2-in-1 laptop deals is going to be the largest with this operating system.
Once you’ve settled on an operating system, your main consideration is going to be hardware — that is, how much power you actually need. For very basic light use, such as web browsing, email, and word processing, a cheap laptop should suffice. We don’t recommend going with anything less than an Intel Core i3 or Ryzen 3 CPU, 4GB of RAM (8GB is still better if you can find it within your budget limit), and a 128GB SSD. Avoid Windows laptops with mobile CPUs and anemic flash storage. If you’re shopping through 2-in-1 laptop sales and you’re on a seriously tight budget, a Chromebook will give you more for your money here, although you may also want to consider looking at refurbished laptop deals.
If you can spend around $500, you should instead look for boosted specs like Intel Core i5 and Ryzen 5 CPUs, 8GB of memory at a minimum, and at least 256GB of solid-state storage (or maybe a 128GB-256GB SSD paired with a 1TB HDD, which is not uncommon on many cheap and mid-range laptops). For more than $700, you’ll start to see more Intel Core i7 and Ryzen 7 CPUs along with 16GB of RAM and larger SSDs. And once you move north of a grand, keep the Core i9 and Ryzen 9 CPUs on your radar when shopping through 2-in-1 laptop sales. This is also the place to be looking for the premium models we mentioned above.
