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MagyarNotebookcheck's Top 10 Convertible Laptops
May 2020 Update. Here you will find the best convertibles reviewed by Notebookcheck in the last few months. Our list of top models is regularly updated, maintained and commented on and should assist in purchase decisions.
Convertibles, also known as two-in-one or multi-mode PCs, are hybrids that can be used as a tablet or a laptop. There are many different types: docking tablets with a keyboard base, slider solutions over a fixed keyboard unit or clamshell chassis with a 360-degree hinge. The following list contains notebook convertibles and 2-in-1 notebook convertibles, aka conventional notebooks with a special hinge that allows a 360 degree rotation of the display in order to be used in tablet mode. Windows tablets with extra keyboard or convertible notebooks with detachable display can now be found in a separate top 10 list here.
- Notebookcheck Top 10 Convertible Tablets (2-in-1-Tablets, Detachables)
- Notebookcheck Top 10 Tablets (Android)
- Notebookcheck Top 10 Phablets (Smartphones larger than 5.5-inch)
The following table shows an overview over the past 12 months, and contains notebook convertibles reviewed by Notebookcheck that are still available. In case of identical scores newer models are listed first. The table can be filtered by clicking on the headings or by a text filter (for example “matte”).
Best Convertible Notebooks as of May 2020
Top 10 of the previous 10 months at the time of writing - current articles are listed first
Link: all reviewed convertibles ordered by total rating
Editors' Comments
Convertibles combine the advantages of a tablet and a conventional laptop. There are numerous devices following this concept. The most important feature is a bright, and matte display to work without any limitations, even in challenging environments. The general system performance benefits significantly from Intel's modern SoCs, but the rather compact construction of these systems also suffer from thermal issues quite often. Modern Core i CPUs often throttle dramatically after 5 - 20 seconds. We cover this aspects comprehensively in every individual review. SSDs are pretty much standard; they are not just fast, but the modules are also very compact, which means there is more room for the battery.
1st - HP EliteBook x360 1040 G5
We really liked the HP EliteBook x360 1040 G5 in our review and the attractive 14-inch convertible can secure the top spot in our ranking. It is powered by an Intel Core i7-8650U in combination with 16 GB RAM and 512 GB SSD storage.
The HP EliteBook x360 1040 G5 is not just a good choice for business users with frequent travels, but also for home users looking for a new Ultrabook. Even the least expensive SKU offers everything you come to expect from a convertible and you can save a few hundred Euros if the performance of the Core i5 is sufficient. The system cannot utilize the full potential of the i7 due to the limited cooling capabilities anyway.
The HP EliteBook x360 1040 G5 also manages very long battery runtimes, which makes it very versatile and it will easily last a full business day without recharging.
There is still some criticism, because you can hardly upgrade the device at all. The RAM is soldered and cannot be expanded. The fan noise is pretty high-pitched and a bit annoying under load. You will have to pay another 130 Euros for the HP Active Pen Stylus if you want to use an input pen.
The HP EliteBook x360 1040 G5 is a very good convertible for business users. If you want a device capable of gaming as well, you should consider alternatives with a dedicated graphics card.
Top 10 Laptops
Multimedia, Budget Multimedia, Gaming, Budget Gaming, Lightweight Gaming, Business, Budget Office, Workstation, Subnotebooks, Ultrabooks, Chromebooks
under 300 USD/Euros, under 500 USD/Euros, 1.000 USD/Euros
Best Displays, for University Students
Top 10 Smartphones
Smartphones, Phablets, ≤5-inch, Camera SmartphonesNotebookcheck's Top 10 Smartphones under 160 Euros
Pricecompare
2nd – HP Elite Dragonfly
The HP Elite Dragonfly [see review here] is a light-weight business convertible based on an Intel Core i5-8265U, 16 GB of RAM, and a 512 GB SSD. Its 13.3-inch touchscreen supports stylus input and offers a good contrast ratio and acceptable overall color space coverage levels. Another highlight is its long battery life. Furthermore, the HP Elite Dragonfly comes with WiFi 6, LTE, and a wide variety of security features that users will no doubt benefit from.
HP’s Elite Dragonfly turned out to be an excellent business convertible. While it has some minor flaws, they are easy to ignore.
The compact case comes with its own set of drawbacks. For example, Intel’s Core i5-8265U was incapable of utilizing its full turbo-boost potential, and overall maintenance options are not particularly great.
Pricecompare
3rd – Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga 2019
Lenovo’s ThinkPad X1 Yoga 2019 [see review here] is made of premium materials that not only feel but also look great. ThinkPads have always been very well made, however with the X1 we got the impression that Lenovo’s engineers tried to one-up themselves.
Intel’s Core i7-8565U was configured with a TDP of up to 51 W resulting in high turbo boost fluctuations during our sustained load test.
The new speakers were also vastly improved over what other ThinkPad laptops have to offer. Port selection as very good albeit we mourn the loss of the card reader. Keyboard, trackpoint, and touchpad remained top notch even though keyboard travel has been noticeably reduced and might require some getting used to if you are already familiar with other ThinkPad keyboards.
No improvements have been made in regards to overall performance. The cooler, however, has been upgraded noticeably and is now spinning less often. In return, surface temperatures were slightly higher.
An improved design, a brighter display, and better speakers are the main benefits of Lenovo’s 2019 ThinkPad X1 Yoga over its own predecessor.
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4th – HP EliteBook x360 1030 G4
HP’s EliteBook x360 1030 G4 [see review here] turned out to be a great device and scored very high in our review accordingly. As such, the compact 13-inch convertible easily made our top 10 list. It is powered by an Intel Core i7-8565U, a whopping 16 GB of RAM, and a large 512 GB SSD.
The HP EliteBook x360 1030 G4 is a decent convertible for everyday work. Its touchscreen is superior to other reflective alternatives.
The HP EliteBook x360 1030 G4 is not just aimed at business users on the go but also home users looking to buy an Ultrabook. Due to the limited turbo boost the system was incapable of utilizing the Core i7’s full potential anyway.
The device offered a long battery life and a very bright touchscreen display. Unfortunately, the latter’s PWM frequency of just 952 Hz was too low. Security features, such as SureView, can narrow down viewing angles but also impede upon image quality noticeably.
Our main gripe was the laptop’s poor maintainability. RAM is soldered and cannot be upgraded retroactively.
Pricecompare
5th – HP Spectre x360 13
HP’s Spectre x360 13 (see review here) is a well-made convertible that easily secured a spot in our top 10 list. Its case and build quality are state of the art, and the display is a feast for the eyes with its 100 % sRGB coverage and its high contrast ratio. That said it could use a better ex facto calibration.
The Spectre x360 13 furthermore offers a comfortable keyboard, a well-made touchpad, USB 3.1 Type-A, two Thunderbolt ports, and a microSD card reader.
The specs themselves do not justify the Spectre’s high price. Its build quality and modern design, on the other hand, do.
Performance was one of the characteristics we took issue with. Despite its very good components (latest generation Intel Ice Lake CPU including Iris Plus Graphics) the Spectre x360 13 was incapable of reaching its full potential. The integrated GPU is not powerful enough even for casual gaming.
If you don’t expect too much and want a cutting-edge modern workhorse for home use the HP Spectre x360 13 will be a good-looking partner in crime.
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6th - Lenovo Yoga C940-14IIL
The Lenovo Yoga C940 is the successor to the Yoga C930 and the design did not change. The build quality of the chassis is high and it is primarily made of aluminum. The good sound system was also carried over from the C930, but the new display is much brighter.
The Ice Lake CPU Core i7-1065G7 including the new iGPU is also new. The latter in particular is much faster than before, so even casual gamers should be happy. We also liked the good emissions during our review, including long battery runtimes and low temperatures.
The Lenovo Yoga C940 is a great device without any real serious drawbacks. The big highlight is the speaker system, which is implemented as a compact sound bar into the display hinge.
The box also includes an active pen, which can be stored inside the chassis, where it is also charged.
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7th – Lenovo ThinkPad L13 Yoga
Lenovo’s ThinkPad L13 Yoga [see review hereLenovo ThinkPad L13 Yoga review: Business convertible with good equipment] offers a fast Comet Lake processor and is the successor to Lenovo’s L390 Yoga. The input devices are at the expected level and will satisfy avid typists. In our review, the 13.3-inch convertible offered a good overall system performance. It is made of high-quailty case materials. In addition, the convertible offers fast Wi-Fi and an ActivePen Pro stylus that can be stored inside the case.
Overall, the Lenovo ThinkPad L13 Yoga is business as usual. Great build quality and choice of material meet excellent input devices and a level of performance adequate for its price level.
Our biggest gripes were the comparatively short default warranty of just 12 months (common in the US, uncommon in Europe) and the lack of an LTE option, which would have made the L13 Yoga an even better business notebook. The rather conservative fan controller will keep the fans running at low and quiet speeds even when under load, resulting in high case temperatures and a poor multi-core performance score. If not for that, the device would have scored even higher.
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8th - HP EliteBook x360 830 G6
The HP EliteBook x360 830 G6 got a very good score in our review. Both the Intel Core i7-8565U and 32 GB memory transform this convertible into a serious work horse. But that's not all; you can even upgrade the RAM all the way up to 64 GB and our test unit was shipped with a massive 1 TB SSD.
HP promises a brightness of up to 1000 Nits. We cannot confirm this value, but "only" 700 Nits, which is still a lot when you compare it with the rivals.
The HP EliteBook x360 830 G6 is an excellent convertible with a very good screen, even though we cannot confirm the advertised luminance.
The EliteBook x360 830 G6 is primarily designed for business users with high requirements. Long battery runtimes ensure you can work on long travels and the WWAN option can be another argument for the device.
We also liked the comfortable input devices as well as the included Digitizer Pen. The low temperature development in combination with the quiet operating noise complete the package very well.
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9th – Dell Latitude 7400
Dell’s Latitude 7400 [see review here] is a premium 2-in-1 convertible equipped with Intel’s Core i7-8665U CPU, 16 GB of RAM, and 512 GB of storage.
During our test, we encountered difficulties maintaining the i7’s high level of performance, which had to be throttled regularly due to high temperatures. Nevertheless, the i7 managed to outperform the i5 by between 11 and 15 percent. Whether or not this minor performance improvement is worth the price premium is up to you.
We liked the Dell Latutide 7400’s high build quality, including the choice of material. The downside to the sturdy aluminum case is the laptop’s high weight. The input devices were pretty good and well-suited for avid typists and prolific writers.
The display’s color accuracy and contrast were decent, albeit its maximum brightness was too low overall. This inadvertently also had a negative impact out outdoor usability. Battery life was decent, as were the speakers and the notebook’s low noise emissions.
Our overall rating was 87 percent, which secured the Latitude 7400 a spot in our top 10 list.
Dell’s Latitude 7400 is equipped with a fast Intel Core i7-8665U CPU, at least on paper. Unfortunately, it failed to perform accordingly during our review.
Pricecompare
10th - Asus ZenBook Flip 15
The Asus Zenbook Flip 15 (see test here) is available with either 8 or 16 GB of RAM. However, given that RAM is not upgradeable you need to decide how much RAM you will need in the future at the time of purchase. Thanks to among others its good-looking and robust case the Core i7-10510U and GeForce GTX 1050 Max-Q-equipped device scored very high and managed to make it into our top 10 list.
All things considered the Zenbook Flip 15 UX563FD is a powerful convertible capable of casual gaming every now and then.
Great battery life and its gaming capabilities make this laptop a true all-rounder more akin to what we are normally only used to from fully loaded multimedia notebooks. In return, there are a few downsides that need to be taken into consideration as well, namely its highly reflective touchscreen display or its lack of Thunderbolt 3 support. We expect a 2020 laptop to come with Thunderbolt 3.
Pricecompare
Recent Convertible Awards
Top 10 Convertible-Notebooks im Vergleich
Test Results
| HP Elitebook x360 1040 G5 | HP Elite Dragonfly-8MK79EA | Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga 2019-20QGS00A00 | HP EliteBook x360 1030 G4 7YL44EA | HP Spectre x360 13-aw0013dx | Lenovo Yoga C940-14IIL | Lenovo ThinkPad L13 Yoga 20R6S00800 | HP EliteBook x360 830 G6 | Dell Latitude 7400 2-in-1 | Asus ZenBook Flip 15 UX563FD-A1027T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Response Times | ||||||||||
| Response Time Grey 50% / Grey 80% * | 70.8 (34.8, 36) | 60.8 (30.8, 30) | 61.6 (30, 31.6) | 74 (30, 44) | 60.8 (26, 34.8) | 49.6 (23.6, 26) | 40 (21.6, 18.4) | 44 (18.8, 25.2) | 56 (31.6, 24.4) | 60 (29, 31) |
| Response Time Black / White * | 34.4 (18.8, 15.6) | 33.8 (17.2, 16.6) | 35.2 (18, 17.2) | 44 (22, 22) | 36.8 (15.6, 21.2) | 30 (16.4, 13.6) | 28 (15.6, 12.4) | 30 (14, 16) | 38 (22.8, 15.2) | 35 (21, 14) |
| PWM Frequency | 735.3 (100) | 952 (100) | 25000 (50) | 952.4 (100) | 1667 (24) | |||||
| Screen | ||||||||||
| Brightness middle | 416.3 | 411 | 372 | 542 | 447.4 | 384 | 340 | 603 | 277.2 | 351 |
| Brightness | 400 | 388 | 368 | 653 | 420 | 363 | 336 | 692 | 263 | 335 |
| Brightness Distribution | 89 | 87 | 88 | 70 | 85 | 90 | 90 | 69 | 83 | 87 |
| Black Level * | 0.29 | 0.22 | 0.22 | 0.22 | 0.31 | 0.17 | 0.18 | 0.26 | 0.2 | 0.31 |
| Contrast | 1436 | 1868 | 1691 | 2464 | 1443 | 2259 | 1889 | 2319 | 1386 | 1132 |
| Colorchecker DeltaE2000 * | 2.69 | 1.8 | 4.6 | 4.72 | 4.23 | 3.5 | 1.3 | 2.2 | 2.1 | 1.74 |
| Colorchecker DeltaE2000 max. * | 4.95 | 4.1 | 7.8 | 10.5 | 9.34 | 5.5 | 2.8 | 7.7 | 5.91 | 2.76 |
| Colorchecker DeltaE2000 calibrated * | 2.13 | 1 | 0.9 | 1.32 | 1 | 0.7 | 1.5 | 1.03 | ||
| Greyscale DeltaE2000 * | 2.9 | 2.5 | 5.9 | 7.71 | 6.1 | 4.6 | 1.9 | 2.6 | 3.4 | 2.22 |
| Gamma | 2.4 92% | 2.26 97% | 2.58 85% | 2.31 95% | 2.11 104% | 2.32 95% | 2.15 102% | 2.17 101% | 2.241 98% | 2.35 94% |
| CCT | 6623 98% | 6448 101% | 6516 100% | 6670 97% | 6136 106% | 6884 94% | 6735 97% | 6412 101% | 6030 108% | 6667 97% |
| Color Space (Percent of AdobeRGB 1998) | 60.1 | 64.7 | 62.7 | 63 | 64.8 | 62 | 64.1 | 60.2 | 64 | 62 |
| Color Space (Percent of sRGB) | 94.5 | 99.3 | 97.8 | 100 | 98.9 | 97.7 | 99.6 | 93.6 | 100 | 97 |
| Noise | ||||||||||
| off / environment * | 28.3 | 29.5 | 29.3 | 30.3 | 28.5 | 29.3 | 29.3 | 28.8 | 28.2 | 30.3 |
| Idle Minimum * | 28.3 | 29.5 | 29.3 | 30.3 | 28.5 | 29.3 | 29.3 | 28.8 | 28.2 | 30.3 |
| Idle Average * | 28.3 | 30 | 29.3 | 30.3 | 28.5 | 29.3 | 29.3 | 28.8 | 28.2 | 30.3 |
| Idle Maximum * | 28.3 | 30.3 | 31.1 | 30.3 | 28.5 | 29.3 | 29.3 | 32.2 | 28.3 | 30.3 |
| Load Average * | 32.6 | 31.6 | 32.7 | 31.2 | 28.5 | 33.3 | 32.7 | 32.2 | 28.2 | 33.7 |
| Load Maximum * | 36.6 | 31.6 | 32.7 | 32.8 | 35.3 | 33.3 | 32.7 | 34.4 | 28.8 | 38.9 |
| Witcher 3 ultra * | 35.3 | 37.4 | ||||||||
| Heat | ||||||||||
| Maximum Upper Side * | 38.2 | 41.1 | 44.1 | 39.3 | 37.2 | 41 | 49.3 | 35.1 | 49.6 | 42.6 |
| Maximum Bottom * | 48 | 47.5 | 47.8 | 40.8 | 42.2 | 44.6 | 62.9 | 43.3 | 60.2 | 41.5 |
| Idle Upper Side * | 23.6 | 26.4 | 24 | 26 | 25.8 | 24.4 | 24.7 | 25.5 | 22.4 | 26.4 |
| Idle Bottom * | 26.6 | 29.7 | 24.8 | 26.5 | 28 | 25 | 25 | 26.7 | 23.2 | 26.3 |
| Battery Runtime | ||||||||||
| Reader / Idle | 1673 | 729 | 2223 | 912 | 1169 | |||||
| WiFi v1.3 | 623 | 605 | 541 | 564 | 594 | 636 | 459 | 586 | 732 | 566 |
| Load | 187 | 166 | 85 | 177 | 160 | 64 | 123 | 146 | 149 | |
| Power Consumption | ||||||||||
| Idle Minimum * | 2.7 | 3.5 | 3.8 | 3.4 | 3.9 | 3.2 | 3.7 | 4.4 | 2.6 | 2.3 |
| Idle Average * | 6.5 | 5.1 | 6.1 | 7.8 | 6.3 | 7 | 6.2 | 8 | 4.3 | 10.3 |
| Idle Maximum * | 11.5 | 8.1 | 9.1 | 10.3 | 6.8 | 8.9 | 11.2 | 10.6 | 5.5 | 11 |
| Load Average * | 38.7 | 35.6 | 38.6 | 36 | 32.6 | 47.6 | 44.3 | 34.6 | 32 | 77 |
| Load Maximum * | 50.5 | 44.7 | 64.5 | 49.5 | 59 | 63.1 | 65 | 68.2 | 78.8 | 118 |
| Witcher 3 ultra * | 25.6 | 68 |
* ... smaller is better
