Top 5 High-Performance 2-in-1 Laptops in the US, 2026

The trackpad is a bit small compared to most laptops, though it gets the job done. Without realizing it, you end up compensating for its small size by using touch gestures directly on the screen, which takes some getting used to if you typically work with a mouse.

Battery life could always be better

Type Cover sold separately

The Surface Pro 9 with 5G will also run many applications under emulation, as a lot of Windows apps haven't yet been updated to fully support Windows on ARM.

The antenna on the 5G model is also much more noticeable, with small plastic lines surrounding the entire chassis to ensure good 5G connectivity. The Intel model has no obvious antenna lines.

Tablets typically don’t have varied port selections, and the Surface Pro 9 doesn’t change that: It has just two Thunderbolt 4 (USB-C) ports along its left edge. As noted, the headphone jack that was on the Surface Pro 8 is gone for little explicable reason.

ARM introduces some system compatibility and stability issues

You'll pay extra for the keyboard and pen you want and need

You will pay dearly for Microsoft's most road-ready Surface Pro. The Microsoft Surface Pro 9 5G starts at $1,299.99 and that's without the Surface Pro Signature Keyboard and Slim Pen 2, which we consider critical additions to the Surface Pro 5G package and that will add...

If you want a full laptop experience, you’ll need to add on the cost of a leyboard cover. A stylus isn’t included either, making this expensive for anyone looking to work and game.

Stylus and keyboard add to cost

ARM model needs better app support

Despite the best efforts of the fans, the performance was consistently below key rivals, including its Surface Laptop 5 clamshell sibling. The SSD speeds either feel just short of a competitor or well behind, coming in at 3475MB/s read and 2519MB/s write.

As with the Pro 8, it’s frustrating that they’re still sold at a pretty significant additional cost. Yes, the device is a functional tablet on its own, but “2-in-1” as a category implies it can be both a tablet and a laptop replacement inherently, and it is always shown or...

The deck flexes downward every time a key is pressed, apparently due to the larger hidden compartment that houses the Slim Pen 2. It's not a major issue and won't cause missed keystrokes, but the movement creates a feeling that something is out of place.

Battery life is one of the most criticized aspects of the Surface Pro 9. Under heavy use, the battery barely lasts past 8 hours, which may be insufficient for users who need to work long days without access to a power source...

Loss of stylus garage hurts

1-Click function keys waste space

That said, the fabric loop on the laptop sleeve that's intended to hold the stylus is no substitute for a proper built-in charging garage.

Dim screen in direct light

Too expensive for most people

You’ll find the same rounded edges and overall elegant design, innovative soundbar, and solid construction. The battery life and price are still its two biggest weaknesses, but the Yoga 9i remains a solid option in its eighth generation.

After running the laptop through our suite of battery tests, I found it to be a slightly below-average performer. It ran out at 7.75 hours in our web-browsing test, which isn’t great, and it couldn’t hit the 10 hours in the PCMark 10 Applications test that’s close to average.

You’re unlikely to get a full day’s work out of the laptop. That’s not surprising given the display and CPU, but it’s a little disappointing nonetheless.

Display could be brighter

The Yoga 9i doesn’t have much going on in the ports department; we would have appreciated an HDMI port, but at least it delivers a solid number of Thunderbolt 4 ports.

Overall, this is a really good pen experience, but because the pen is fairly long and thick, there’s no garage for it on the laptop. You need to make sure you carry it separately and don’t lose it.

To help manage this, Dell includes two dongles in the box: one USB-C to USB-A adapter for legacy peripherals, as well as a USB-C to 3.5 mm headphone jack adapter. The system also charges over the same ports, however, so you can't charge and use both dongles at once.

Even Apple has kept the headphone jack. On the MacBook Air with M2, Apple's thinnest laptop, there are two Thunderbolt ports, a headphone jack and the MagSafe charging port.

Capacitive function row not as good as keys

Pulse-width modulation (PWM) or flickering is still present at most brightness levels. We detected a frequency of 238.6 Hz from 0% to 52% brightness, and 60 Hz from 53% to maximum brightness. Alternative IPS options are not expected to have flickering or PWM.

Up front, I wish the Dell XPS 13 was easier to open. There’s really no lip to grab onto, so I had to rely on wedging a fingernail in there to lift the lid.

I’m less of a fan of the touch function row. The keys themselves don’t provide any feedback, and the lighting just doesn’t look as premium as the rest of the chassis.

Update August 31: Some Dell XPS 13 Plus OLED models are suffering an issue where the display is becoming detached due to the glue used. Dell is aware of the issue and is working to rectify it.

There’s just two ports. There’s no headphone jack. And Dell even took away physical function keys, replacing them with a capacitive row. There’s not even lines to denmark the touchpad; the entire area beneath the keyboard is one smooth piece of glass.

Capacitive function row lacks feedback

Touchpad can be oversensitive

Relatively short battery life

The final thing I will note is that so far there is no developer edition of the 2-in-1 with Ubuntu Linux installed by default. I was able to install and run Arch Linux without any major issues, but you might run into some hardware compatibility issues with older Linux Kernels.

The problem is that the real world conspires against designers, and when you're outside the safety of your home or office, nothing can be taken for granted. Sometimes you need an audio jack to record a soundtrack for a video or...

The Dell XPS 13 Plus includes only two USB-C Thunderbolt 4 ports, and that's it. No headphone jack. No microSD card slot. Nothing.

The passive cooling system in some configurations can cause thermal throttling under very high sustained workloads, but for typical professional use, the device runs smoothly and stably.

As for connectivity, Dell bets everything on Thunderbolt 4: two USB-C ports and nothing else. No USB-A, no audio jack on some models, no card reader. A dongle or hub is practically mandatory for regular professional use.

The most controversial decision is the keyboard without a physical function row, replaced by a touch bar similar to the one on the MacBook Pro. There is also no trackpad with distinct buttons - it is a seamless glass surface.

The battery on the XPS 13 Plus is the most visible compromise of its ultra-thin design. In real-world work use (browsing, documents, video calls), you can expect between 6 and 8 hours, depending on screen brightness and workload.

For a laptop at this price point, those figures are mediocre. If battery life is your priority, the MacBook Air M3 offers significantly better results, or consider the ASUS ZenBook 14 OLED as an alternative with a better battery-to-screen balance.