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The technology found in laptops has evolved tremendously over the years, and many people even prefer it over owning a desktop computer. Those who do heavy gaming or need extreme processing power for work might need a desktop, but laptops are reasonably enough for essential work, browsing, streaming, and more. Laptops used to be thick and hard to carry, but things are entirely different today because most of them are slim and lightweight. There is a new breed of laptops emerging that come with detachable screens, making it a mix of a standard laptop and tablet. These detachable laptops are perfect for those who constantly move around to different places during the day and need to bring a reliable computer system with them. You can keep its keyboard on when you need to work, but if you’re only browsing the internet or watching a movie, you’ll love how you can hold it like a tablet. Since these devices have a touchscreen display, you should check that it’s responsive, high-quality, and large enough for you to be productive. Apple hasn’t released a hybrid laptop yet, so most options available on the market run on either Windows or Chrome OS. Here are some of the best detachable laptops in 2022.
The Microsoft Surface Pro 8 looks like a tablet and is as flexible as one, but it guarantees the power you get from a laptop. It comes with a 13-inch touchscreen display and a built-in kickstand. Unfortunately, you’ll have to purchase the detachable keyboard separately. Its display is responsive and excellent for multitasking, and its 120Hz refresh rate ensures you get superb motion handling. The Surface Pro 8 runs on Windows 11, and you get a Quad-core 11th Gen Intel Core i7-1185G7 Processor. It’s the first hybrid laptop that was built on the Intel Evo platform. The variant with 16GB RAM and 256GB SSD storage might be enough for some, but you also can go for other models with higher memory and storage. All your content will look sharp and vibrant because of its Intel Iris Xe Graphics. Because the Surface Pro 8 is like a tablet, it’s not surprising that it has cameras. It features a 5MP front camera that can shoot 1080p video and a 10MP rear camera that can shoot 4K footage. This detachable laptop also has dual far-field studio mics and 2W stereo speakers with Dolby Atmos support. You can expect to get the best reception available since it supports Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.1. For its connectivity, you get two USB-C ports with USB 4.0/Thunderbolt 4, a 3.5mm headphone jack, a Surface Connect port, and a Surface Type Cover port. You can confidently bring it with you throughout your entire workday because you get up to 16 hours of usage per charge.
High-quality display with vibrant colors and a 120Hz refresh rateExcellent built-in webcamWi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.1 support
Detachable keyboard not includedPriceyNot the best for gaming
If you prefer a detachable laptop running on Chrome OS and has a more budget-friendly price tag, you can go for the Lenovo IdeaPad Duet 5 Chromebook. It features a 13.3-inch FHD OLED touch display with a 100% DCI-P3 color gamut and a 400-nit peak brightness. It’s equipped with a Qualcomm Snapdragon SC7180 Processor that features a maximum CPU speed of 2.55 GHz. The model with 4GB RAM and 64GB eMMc storage comes at an affordable price, but you should expect to pay more if you want the variant with 8GB RAM and 256GB eMMc storage. The IdeaPad Duet 5 would be enough for you to take Zoom calls because it comes with a 5MP front-facing camera. It also has an 8MP rear camera, but you might still want to use your smartphones or cameras if you want high-quality pictures. This hybrid laptop has an estimated battery life of 15 hours per charge, but it will still depend on your usage and settings. It won’t be the best choice if you need a wide variety of ports because it only comes with two USB-C 3.2 Gen 1 ports. The IdeaPad Duet 5 already comes with the detachable fabric folio keyboard, but its stylus is sold separately. Since it runs on Chrome OS, you will get to access different apps from the Google Play Store and use Google Assistant. The IdeaPad Duet 5 is available in Abyss Blue and Storm Grey.
Large FHD OLED touch displayDecent CPU performance for its price15-hour battery lifeLarge detachable keyboardNot the best tablet performanceSome might think the keyboard is pretty flimsyKickstand could use improvementsStylus sold separatelyLimited portsCould use better cameras
The Microsoft Surface Go 3 is a more budget-friendly alternative for those who think the Surface Pro 8 is too expensive. This laptop and tablet hybrid costs less than $500, and you’ll love how portable it is. Unfortunately, you will need to purchase a detachable keyboard separately. The Surface Go 3 features a 10.5-inch PixelSense 220 PPI multi-touch display. It features 8GB RAM and 128GB of SSD storage, and you can expect optimum CPU performance thanks to its Dual-core Intel Pentium Gold 6500Y processor. It comes with a 5MP front camera, and its Windows Hello face authentication makes it easy for you to sign in to your device. The laptop also comes with an 8MP rear-facing camera, dual far-field studio mic, and 2W stereo speakers with Dolby Audio. Users will get up to 11 hours of usage on a single charge, and getting your juice back will be a quick process because it supports fast charging. You can connect devices and accessories to the laptop using Bluetooth 5.0, the microSDXC card reader, headphone jack, or the USB-C port. The Surface Go 3 runs on Windows 11, which features a user-friendly interface. You can make it stand upright whenever you want to watch a movie since it has a built-in kickstand. The laptop has an LTE variant for those who want data on the go, and it supports either a nano-SIM or an eSIM.
PortableDecent CPU performanceReasonable priceBuilt-in kickstandThick bezelsBattery life could be betterKeyboard sold separately
With a jaw-droppingly affordable price tag of $160, the Lenovo Chromebook Duet proves that you don’t always have to empty your pockets for a detachable laptop. The laptop features a 10.1-inch FHD IPS touch display with a peak brightness of 400 nits. It runs on Chrome OS and uses an 8-core, 2 GHz MediaTek Helio P60T processor. Thanks to its integrated ARM Mali-G72 MP3 graphics, users can expect decent visuals. Its 4GB RAM and 64GB eMMc storage won’t be enough for those with heavy workloads, so this laptop might only be ideal for students or those that intend to do basic tasks. You can expand its storage by subscribing to Google One and getting at least 100GB of extra cloud storage. It only has a 10-hour battery life, which means you might need to bring its charger with you if you plan to bring it out with you for an entire day. The Chromebook Duet has a 2MP front camera and an 8MP rear camera. Users will need to purchase a USB hub if they plan on connecting different accessories or devices because the laptop only comes with a USB-C port. Its detachable keyboard is already included, but the stylus pen is sold separately. Sadly, some might think that the keys and touchpad on the keyboard are too cramped up, but you could always opt to use a third-party keyboard with a better design.
AffordablePortable and lightweight10-hour battery lifeNeeds more portsNot powerful enough for heavy multitaskingTouchpad and keyboard are pretty cramped upLackluster camera system
Many people would need larger screens for their daily tasks, and there are models like the Microsoft Surface Book 3 that offer a 15-inch display while still keeping the detachable design. It’s undoubtedly a premium product, so it’s why it comes with a pretty hefty price tag of $1,684. It has a responsive PixelSense™ Display with a maximum resolution of 3240 x 2160 (260 PPI) and a contrast ratio of 1600:1. You can expect it to have a speedy performance because of its Quad-core 10th Gen Intel Core i7-1065G7 Processor and 16GB RAM. The Surface Book 3 features NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti graphics, so it’s pretty decent for basic gaming. It comes with 256 GB of SSD storage, so you can store enough files, programs, and videos for work or school. Since this is a hybrid laptop, it has an ambient light sensor, proximity sensor, accelerometer, gyroscope, and magnetometer, which are all found in most modern tablets. The laptop has an impressive battery life because you get up to 17.5 hours of usage on a single charge. It comes with one USB-C 3.1 Gen 2 port with USB Power Delivery, two USB-A 3.1 Gen 2 ports, an SDXC card reader, a 3.5mm headphone jack, and two Surface Connect ports. The Surface Book 3 can shoot 1080p HD video through its 5MP front-facing camera and 8MP rear-facing camera, and it has stereo speakers with Dolby Atmos support and dual far-field studio mics. The laptop supports Bluetooth Wireless 5.0 technology and Wi-Fi 6, and it even has Xbox Wireless built-in. The laptop’s platinum color makes it look premium, but we wish its display had thinner bezels.
High-quality displayExcellent keyboardSuperb GPUTrackpad is too smallProcessor could be betterSpeakers are not the bestExpensive
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