The Best Windows Tablets (2-in-1 Tablets)
Windows on smartphones has failed, but the OS is still the leading solution for PCs. There are hardly any Windows tablets without keyboards anymore or the usage concept for these tablets is designed with attachable keyboards in mind (Surface Pro). This is why the following Top 10 ranking only includes 2-in-1 devices consisting of tablet and keyboard dock, also called detachable. All Yoga like devices with 360 degree hinges are listed in our ranking of 2-in-1 laptops. The following ranking might be interesting as well:
- The Best Convertible Notebooks (laptops with 360-degree hinge that can be used as tablets)
- The Best Tablets (traditional tablets running Android or iOS)
- The Best Phablets (smartphones with particularly large display)
The Best Windows Tablets
Pos. | Rating | Date | Image | Model | Weight | Height | Size | Resolution | Screen | Best Price |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 89 % | 09/2019 | ![]() | Dell Latitude 7200 Intel Core i5-8365U Intel UHD Graphics 620 16 GB Memory, 512 GB SSD | 1.2 kg | 9.35 mm | 12.30" | 1920x1280 | glossy | |
2 | 88 % | 11/2019 | ![]() | Microsoft Surface Pro 7 Core i5-1035G4 Intel Core i5-1035G4 Intel Iris Plus Graphics G4 (Ice Lake 48 EU) 8 GB Memory, 256 GB SSD | 1.1 kg | 8.5 mm | 12.30" | 2736x1824 | glossy | |
3 | 88 % | 01/2019 | ![]() | Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Tablet G3-20KJ001NGE Intel Core i5-8250U Intel UHD Graphics 620 8 GB Memory, 256 GB SSD | 1.3 kg | 8.9 mm | 13.00" | 3000x2000 | glossy | |
4 | 88 % | 06/2020 | ![]() | Microsoft Surface Book 3 15 Intel Core i7-1065G7 NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Max-Q 16 GB Memory, SSD | 1.9 kg | 23 mm | 15.00" | 3240x2160 | glossy | |
5 | 87 % | 11/2020 Neu! | ![]() | Lenovo Yoga Duet 7 13IML05-82AS000WGE Intel Core i5-10210U Intel UHD Graphics 620 8 GB Memory, 256 GB SSD | 1.2 kg | 9.2 mm | 13.00" | 2160x1350 | glossy | |
6 | 87 % | 01/2019 | ![]() | Toshiba Portege X30T-E-109 Intel Core i7-8550U Intel UHD Graphics 620 16 GB Memory, 1024 GB NVMe | 1.4 kg | 9.1 mm | 13.30" | 1920x1080 | matte | |
7 | 87 % | 06/2020 | ![]() | Microsoft Surface Book 3 13.5 Intel Core i7-1065G7 NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 Max-Q 32 GB Memory, 512 GB SSD | 1.6 kg | 23 mm | 13.50" | 3000x2000 | glossy | |
8 | 86 % | 11/2018 | ![]() | HP Spectre Folio 13t-ak000 Intel Core i7-8500Y Intel UHD Graphics 615 16 GB Memory, 256 GB SSD | 1.5 kg | 15.4 mm | 13.30" | 1920x1080 | glossy | |
9 | 85 % | 12/2020 Neu! | ![]() | Microsoft Surface Go 2, m3-8100Y Intel Core m3-8100Y Intel UHD Graphics 615 8 GB Memory, 128 GB SSD | 790 g | 8.3 mm | 10.50" | 1920x1280 | glossy | |
10 | 84 % | 05/2019 | ![]() | VAIO A12-92993 Intel Core i7-8500Y Intel UHD Graphics 615 16 GB Memory, 512 GB NVMe | 1.1 kg | 24 mm | 12.50" | 1920x1080 | glossy |
The table above contains an overview over the best Windows tablets reviewed by Notebookcheck over the course of the past 12 months as well as still relevant and available older products. In cases of identical score the more recent device is listed first. All prices in above table and price comparisons are updated daily and can thus differ.
Editors' Comments
If you want a tablet with Windows, you do not want to get stuck with the first app due to performance issues. Almost all devices on the market are shipped or at least offered with real SSDs and Core i processors (with and without fan). Core m/Y turned out to be some kind of interim solution, which is primarily found in detachables (Latitude 7285, Surface Book Pro 2017 Core M, …) to run more efficient and manage longer battery runtimes.
All models in this ranking claim to provide notebook levels of performance, at least close to it. The problem is that Core i system often throttle their performance significantly after load periods of 5-20 seconds to avoid causing thermal issues. You should read our full reviews to get details on each device.
1st - Dell Latitude 7200
Dell's Latitude 7200 2-in-1 is the Surface version for business users with a simple design, high build quality, and compact dimensions. We also liked the good display with high contrast and accurate colors.
The good performance is combined with a quiet operating noise and the keyboard dock is included. Contrary to Microsoft, you can even repair or upgrade the device, including the PCIe-SSD, the Wi-Fi module as well as the fan. You also get 2x USB Type-C as well as a standard USB Type-A port.
The Dell Latitude 7200 2-in-1 combines good features like ergonomics, sufficient performance, and decent stamina in a slim and appealing overall package.
The Latitude 7200 2-in-1 is the business competitor for the Surface Pro. It is superior to Microsoft's tablet in terms of ports, maintenance as well as the display brightness. You only get the FullHD resolution, but this does not have to be a disadvantage. The drawback of the 7200 is the battery runtime. We determined about 7 hours in our practical test, which is beaten by the Surface Pro 6.
Pricecompare
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 SmartphonesThe Best Smartphones for Less Than 160 Euros
2nd – Microsoft Surface Pro 7
On the outside Microsoft’s Surface Pro 7 (see review here) looks like like its predecessor. As before, it feels very premium and great. On the inside, Microsoft upgrade both CPU and GPU. Due to its passive cooling the SoC has to throttle under sustained load. That said even bigger devices are not necessarily any better in this regard.
Battery life was slightly improved over its predecessor, and the new Surface Pro 7 lasted for around ten hours. This should be long enough to last a full work day, and it remains unrivaled in its class.
Microsoft remains true to its colors and left the design untouched for the 2019 model year. Looks, feel, and design are still premium, and the Surface Pro 7 offers a very good performance to boot. We still miss the future-proof USB-C and Thunderbolt 3 options. Why Microsoft refuses to include this port in 2019 is beyond us.
The top model, equipped with an i7 CPU and 1 TB of SSD storage, costs over $2,000. However, Microsoft recently got company with HP’s Elite x2 that costs around the same.
The Surface Pro 7 left a good impression on us during our review. We particularly liked the fact that the Surface Pen is now included by default. The type cover must however still be purchased separately, and will increase the giant gaping hole in your wallet even further. The device also lacks a USB-C port, which should be included given its price tag.
Pricecompare
3rd - Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Tablet 2018
The Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Tablet G3 (here in review) is now in its third iteration and the manufacturer completely reworked its business convertible. Instead of the 12-inch display, Lenovo now equips the ThinkPad X1 Tablet G3 with a 13-inch panel, but the aspect ratio is still 3:2.
The tablet convinces with top-notch build quality and high quality materials. As per usual, the input devices are excellent and the very good screen rounds off the package. However, the display requires a calibration to reach its full potential. Intel's quad-core processors ensure a significant performance bump, but the optional Core i7 is a waste here, since it is even slower than the i5 SKU under sustained workloads.
The Lenovo ThinkPad x1 Tablet G3 is a successful upgrade and a very good business convertible. If you do not require the longest stamina, you will get a very good business device with excellent input devices. You can save the additional price for the Intel Core i7 though.
But the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Tablet G3 also has drawbacks. The device is not perfect for outdoor use due to the very glossy screen. The competitors often feature more ports and the battery runtime is not ideal. Still, we do not want to criticize the ports, because both USB-C and Thunderbolt 3 are very versatile.
Pricecompare
4th – Microsoft Surface Book 3 15
The Surface Book 3 15 is slightly larger than the 13.5-inch model and offers a better performing GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Max-Q. Both models feature up-to-date Ice Lake quad-core CPUs.
In some aspects the new 15-inch convertible is an improvement over its own predecessor. In others, it most certainly is not.
Thanks to its good performance the Microsoft Surface Book 3 remains a great convertible with some know flaws, such as for example the fact that Thunderbolt 3 is only available in combination with the expensive dock.
The Microsoft Surface Book 3 15 is a premium device with a much higher 3D performance than its predecessor.
Its main benefits are the excellent build quality and its high-quality materials. The robust base and well-thought-out docking mechanism are worth the trade-off of a slightly thicker device.
The top model is only really worth it if you absolutely need the GTX 1660 Ti Max-Q’s prowess. Unfortunately, not everything was improved over last year’s model. The major downside is the slower SSD when compared to last year’s model.
Pricecompare
5th - Lenovo Yoga Duet 7
The Lenovo Yoga Duet 7 (see review here) is Lenovo’s attempt to lure away potential Surface Pro 7 customers, and truth be told Lenovo did a great job overall as the Yoga Duet 7 only showed a few weaknesses during our review. Its strengths include its robust high-quality case as well as its solid performance, courtesy of Intel’s Core i5-10210U processor. A bright sRGB display and low noise emissions seal the deal, and face recognition with support for Windows Hello is the icing on the cake.
Lenovo’s Yoga Duet 7 is a serious competitor for Microsoft’s Surface Pro 7.
Downsides include relatively low amounts of storage. Both RAM and mass storage devices would have benefited from more spacious designs in order to lure customers over resulting in a slightly sour aftertaste.
Pricecompare
Pricecompare
6th - Toshiba Portege X30T-E
The Toshiba Portege X30T-E-109 only left an average impression during our review. It has a high-quality chassis with good build quality. You can either use the device as a laptop replacement or tablet. The scope of delivery is very generous and includes a soft-cover keyboard as well as the Toshiba Universal Stylus. Other manufacturers only offer these accessories for an additional charge.
The Toshiba Portege X30T-E-109 is a powerful convertible, which can replace a laptop.
The performance of the Toshiba Portege X30T-E cannot keep up with the competition, even though you cannot feel the difference with everyday tasks. All in all, the Toshiba convertible convinces with a very good price-performance ratio, but the rivals often offer more performance.
Pricecompare
7th – Microsoft Surface Book 3
The Surface Book 3 with GeForce GTX 1650 Max-Q (see review here) and up-to-date Ice Lake quad-core CPU is Microsoft’s latest offering for power users.
In some aspects the new 13.5-inch convertible performed very well. In others we keep wondering why Microsoft continues to ignore known issues or foregoes current standards.
Thanks to its good performance, the Surface Book 3 remains a virtually unrivaled product. However, it requires a few compromises (no Thunderbolt 3!) that are not worthy of its high price.
The Microsoft Surface Book 3 is a premium device incapable of fully utilizing its hardware’s full performance potential.
Its main strength is mobility due to the tablet option. Undocking takes mere seconds and combined with a Surface Pen the 13-inch tablet is ready for the next meeting. Unbelievably, said Surface Pen is not included by default despite the Surface Book 3’s high price of more than $2,500.
The top model is only really worth it if you absolutely need the GTX 1650 Max-Q’s prowess. Compared to its predecessor, we fail to see any convincing reasons as to how the new model would be beneficial.
Pricecompare
8th – HP Spectre Folio 13
HP’s Spectre Folio (review) unique feature is without a doubt its texturized vintage-style leather case. Unlike most of its competitors that are made of modern, smooth, and often shiny material the HP Spectre Folio 13 is an immediately recognizable eye candy. It is powered by a passively cooled Core i7-8500Y. Unfortunately, it can only be had equipped with low-power 5 W CPUs, which means it cannot keep up with its competitors performance-wise.
The Spectre Folio sits quite comfortably in its niche by offering 4G LTE, Thunderbolt 3, a long battery life, and a large display. Qualities you cannot find in Microsoft’s Surface Go or Surface Pro 6. It is aimed primarily at business users and road warriors.
While it is true that the Spectre x360 13 offers more for its price, after all it is better equipped than the Folio. However, the latter will win your heart with its visual appearance as well as its touch and feel.
A new design that will look good in coffee shops and at the university at the same time. HP’s Spectre Folio combines a vintage look with Intel’s latest Amber Lake Y-series CPUs, a 4G/LTE eSIM, a long battery life, ad always-on features. Should you not fall in love with its case almost immediately other Ultrabooks will offer more and be more compact, too.
Pricecompare
9th - Microsoft Surface Go 2
The Surface Go (see review here) is an affordable Windows tablet made by Microsoft. Just like on its larger and more expensive Surface siblings its build quality and Microsoft’s choice of material are superb. Visually, the smaller tablet suffers from fairly wide display bezels rendering its design somewhat outdated. Internally, its hardware is state-of-the-art though and includes useful features such as the IR camera with support for Windows Hello.
In our review, the 10-inch tablet turned out to feature an excellent high-quality display with high color-space coverage as well as a passively cooled Intel Core m3-8100Y with enough performance for everyday tasks. Even 4K/2160p video was rendered smoothly thanks to the integrated GPU.
Microsoft’s Surface Go is a high-quality Windows tablet at a comparatively low price for a Surface device. However, its relatively expensive accessories could turn out to be a deal breaker.
Battery life was acceptable, and its passive cooling solution transformed the Surface Go into a very interesting device. However, watch out to not get blinded by its low price. Once you include accessories such as the Signature Type Cover and the Surface Pen it can get quite pricey indeed.
Pricecompare
10th - VAIO A12
The Vaio A12 is a 2-in-1 device with a 12.5-inch touch display. The device is always shipped with a corresponding keyboard dock as well as an active pen. The advantages of the convertible include the good memory/storage equipment with a 512 GB SSD and 16 GB RAM. The efficient Intel Core i7-8500Y is passively cooled, so the system is completely silent.
The combination unfortunately has one big drawback, the steep price of 2799 Euros. Despite the high-end materials, we cannot really understand the pricing. We also got the impression that the design was not fully thought through. One no-go, for example, is the charging situation of the tablet, which can only be charged via keyboard dock. The tablet itself has a USB-C port, so you can at least charge it with a third-party adapter.
The display is hardly impressive, either, when you consider the price. It is just too dim and there is no option for a 3K or 4K panel.
High-end material for the tablet and the accessories like the keyboard dock as well as the active pen are not enough to justify this price. The Vaio cannot beat the competition in any discipline, and it is often even worse.
You get a lot of ports in combination with the keyboard dock and there is even a VGA output. The manufacturer also implemented an LTE module, so frequent travelers can use the Internet on the go.
Pricecompare
Top 10 Convertibles (2-in-1 Tablets) in Comparison
Test Results
Dell Latitude 7200 | Microsoft Surface Pro 7 Core i5-1035G4 | Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Tablet G3-20KJ001NGE | Microsoft Surface Book 3 15 | Lenovo Yoga Duet 7 13IML05-82AS000WGE | Toshiba Portege X30T-E-109 | Microsoft Surface Book 3 13.5 | HP Spectre Folio 13t-ak000 | Microsoft Surface Go 2, m3-8100Y | VAIO A12-92993 | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Response Times | ||||||||||
Response Time Grey 50% / Grey 80% * | 52 (26, 26) | 34.8 (16.8, 18) | 47.2 (21.2, 26) | 38 (18, 20) | 58 (24, 34) | 42 (22, 20) | 57 (28, 29) | 52 (24.4, 27.6) | 37.2 (18.4, 18.8) | 52.8 (24.4, 28.4) |
Response Time Black / White * | 34.8 (18.4, 16.4) | 26.4 (13.2, 13.2) | 42.4 (19.6, 22.8) | 25 (15, 10) | 26 (14, 12) | 37 (17, 20) | 38 (22, 16) | 37.2 (21.2, 16) | 22.8 (10.4, 12.4) | 30.4 (15.6, 14.8) |
PWM Frequency | 1645 (25) | 21550 (24) | 250 (50) | 17000 (100) | 961.5 (94) | 990.1 (99) | ||||
Screen | ||||||||||
Brightness middle | 401 | 480.4 | 474 | 428 | 450 | 350 | 391 | 389.8 | 404 | 315 |
Brightness | 385 | 485 | 418 | 413 | 411 | 343 | 367 | 396 | 402 | 294 |
Brightness Distribution | 88 | 91 | 76 | 89 | 83 | 73 | 86 | 88 | 88 | 89 |
Black Level * | 0.28 | 0.48 | 0.33 | 0.23 | 0.22 | 0.29 | 0.19 | 0.27 | 0.28 | 0.21 |
Contrast | 1432 | 1001 | 1436 | 1861 | 2045 | 1207 | 2058 | 1444 | 1443 | 1500 |
Colorchecker DeltaE2000 * | 1.8 | 5 | 3.2 | 2.65 | 4.15 | 6.36 | 3.07 | 2.72 | 0.7 | 4.4 |
Colorchecker DeltaE2000 max. * | 3.4 | 7.72 | 6.1 | 8.12 | 11.49 | 11.63 | 4.74 | 5.49 | 1.2 | 7.1 |
Colorchecker DeltaE2000 calibrated * | 1.1 | 2.44 | 0.9 | 0.92 | 1.09 | 1.7 | 1.52 | 1.25 | 0.7 | 2.9 |
Greyscale DeltaE2000 * | 1.6 | 5.9 | 4.5 | 3.99 | 6.66 | 8.04 | 3.6 | 4.2 | 1 | 4.8 |
Gamma | 2.14 103% | 2.38 92% | 2.07 106% | 3.12 71% | 2.42 91% | 2.47 89% | 2.29 96% | 2.1 105% | 2.15 102% | 2.02 109% |
CCT | 6702 97% | 7805 83% | 5881 111% | 6309 103% | 6043 108% | 7716 84% | 6330 103% | 7470 87% | 6485 100% | 7307 89% |
Color Space (Percent of AdobeRGB 1998) | 66.6 | 60.3 | 64 | 58 | 65 | 59 | 61 | 62.2 | 64.5 | 44 |
Color Space (Percent of sRGB) | 99.4 | 93.2 | 99.4 | 93 | 98 | 91 | 95 | 98.2 | 99.7 | 69.5 |
Heat | ||||||||||
Maximum Upper Side * | 42.5 | 43.6 | 44.3 | 41.4 | 33.6 | 40.4 | 41 | 44.2 | 45.4 | 42.4 |
Maximum Bottom * | 39.4 | 47.8 | 48.9 | 39.7 | 33.9 | 43.1 | 43.7 | 48.2 | 42.6 | 47.1 |
Idle Upper Side * | 23.8 | 32 | 30 | 34.6 | 24.8 | 30.7 | 29.2 | 33 | 24.9 | 26.6 |
Idle Bottom * | 22.8 | 32.4 | 26.6 | 30.3 | 25.4 | 30 | 27.6 | 35.6 | 23.8 | 24.9 |
Battery Runtime | ||||||||||
Reader / Idle | 1336 | 790 | 969 | 768 | 991 | 1882 | 514 | |||
H.264 | 489 | 523 | 776 | 494 | 542 | 223 | ||||
WiFi v1.3 | 417 | 597 | 395 | 512 | 523 | 551 | 396 | 852 | 407 | 431 |
Load | 106 | 116 | 83 | 179 | 95 | 188 | 212 | 115 | 97 | |
Power Consumption | ||||||||||
Idle Minimum * | 3.3 | 4.5 | 4.8 | 4.2 | 3.1 | 4.7 | 4.8 | 1.8 | 4.4 | |
Idle Average * | 5.8 | 9.2 | 9 | 7.4 | 5.7 | 9.4 | 9.4 | 3.8 | 6.5 | |
Idle Maximum * | 6.5 | 9.6 | 10.5 | 9 | 8.7 | 16 | 11.2 | 7.7 | 7.1 | |
Load Average * | 37 | 42 | 42.8 | 78 | 20.5 | 26.4 | 72 | 26.9 | 20.2 | |
Load Maximum * | 51.3 | 63.5 | 57.8 | 108 | 22.6 | 34 | 90 | 38.5 | 28 | |
Witcher 3 ultra * | 94.2 |
* ... smaller is better