Best 2-in-1 Chromebook 2022: top hybrid Chromebooks for students and more

Best 2-in-1 Chromebook
(Image credit: Future)

Get yourself one of the best 2-in-1 Chromebooks if you’re looking for the versatility of a tablet but also want the functionality of a laptop. And, since they run on Google’s Chrome OS, a lightweight and intuitive operating system, you’ll find using one incredibly easy as well.

Thanks to that simplified Chrome OS interface as well as a generally much lower price tag, the best Chromebooks have become quite popular, taking the place of more traditional laptops in quite a few settings. Though they are usually cheaper, they’re not necessarily of worse quality. The top 2–in-1 Chromebooks can do most day-to-day computing tasks just as well as the best 2-in-1 laptops powered by Windows 10.

The classroom might be the place where you see more 2-in-1 Chromebooks than anything else. That’s because a student can write up an assignment while in traditional laptop mode, and then flip it into tablet mode to take notes. And, professionals who rely mostly on the cloud will also appreciate the versatility of these notebooks since they’re made to work well with the cloud.

Chromebooks in general aren't going to be a good purchase for everyone though. It's important to ask yourself whether you should buy a Chromebook or look for a more traditional laptop running a more robust operating system. 

If you're certain that a 2-in-1 Chromebook is exactly what you need, however, you're in luck because we've gathered together the best 2-in-1 Chromebooks we've reviewed to help make the right decision for your needs and your budget.

Best 2-in-1 Chromebooks

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Acer Chromebook Spin 713 Against A Pure White Background

The best 2-in-1 Chromebook going

Specifications

CPU: Intel Core i5-1135G7
Graphics: Intel Iris Xe
RAM: 8GB
Screen: 13.5" 2256 x 1504p 3:2 IPS Touchscreen
Storage: 256GB PCIe SSD

Reasons to buy

+
Powerful performance
+
Gorgeous display

Reasons to avoid

-
Nothing bold about design
-
No stylus included

By far one of the best 2-in-1 Chromebooks we've ever reviewed, the Acer Chromebook Spin 713 takes everything that's great about their Spin form factor, like a 3:2 display ratio, and adds in some seriously powerful hardware for a Chromebook like an 11th-generation Intel Core i5-1135G7 processor. 

The hardware on this 2-in-1 honestly blows just about every other Chromebook out of the water when it comes to performance, not only making it one of the best 2-in-1 Chromebooks out there, it makes it one of the best Chromebooks, period. 

That said, the design is pretty basic, which is a shame, and the lack of a garaged stylus when other Acer Spin 2-in-1s laptops feature one as a major selling point is a huge missed opportunity. Still, it's hard to beat the Acer Chromebook Spin 713 if you're looking for the best 2-in-1 Chromebook on the market right now.

Read the full review: Acer Chromebook Spin 713

The Lenovo ThinkPad C13 Yoga Chromebook in tent mode on a white background

(Image credit: Lenovo)
One of the best 2-in-1 Chromebooks money can buy

Specifications

CPU: AMD Athlon Gold 3150C - AMD Ryzen 7 3700C
Graphics: Integrated AMD Radeon
RAM: 4GB - 8GB
Screen: 13.3-inch FHD (1,920 x 1,080) IPS LED
Storage: 32GB eMMC - 256GB SSD

Reasons to buy

+
Powerful AMD processor
+
Outstanding security features

Reasons to avoid

-
Expensive
-
Less than 10-hour battery

The Lenovo ThinkPad C13 Yoga Chromebook is arguably one of the most powerful Chromebooks you're going to find, so it's not hard to see why we put it right into our list of best 2-in-1 Chromebooks the second we finished reviewing it.

While all the heavy-duty hardware on this device is obviously going to make it a more premium product in terms of price, especially when you opt for the higher end configurations, the investment is still worth it if you want to future-proof your 2-in-1 Chromebook for the years ahead – such as your freshman year in high school or college.

Read the full review: Lenovo ThinkPad C13 Yoga Chromebook

The Lenovo IdeaPad Duet Chromebook with its keyboard detached on a white background

(Image credit: Lenovo)
The best 2-in-1 Chromebook-tablet hybrid

Specifications

CPU: MediaTek Helio P60T Processor
Graphics: ARM G72 MP3 800GHz
RAM: 4 GB LPDDR4X
Screen: 10.1" FHD (1920 x 1200) IPS, glossy, touchscreen, 400 nits
Storage: 64 GB eMMC

Reasons to buy

+
Lightweight and portable
+
Long battery life
+
Very affordable

Reasons to avoid

-
Tiny keyboard and finicky trackpad
-
Charger and headphones share a single port

Is it a Chromebook or a tablet? Thankfully, you can have both with the brilliant Lenovo IdeaPad Duet Chromebook. This Chromebook delivers two form factors in one, utilizing the versatility of the Chrome OS and setting you back much less than many of the top Windows tablets out there, making it the best 2-in-1 Chromebook detachable you can buy right now. 

Of course, like all the best Chromebooks, it has outstanding battery life, but the longevity of the Duet Chromebook is even more impressive than just about any other Chromebook out there, squeezing almost 22 hours of continuous video playback on a single charge, meaning it can go even longer with less intensive computing tasks. 

For its incredible price, though, something has to give. The keyboard is tiny and the trackpad isn't even close to the best you'll find out there, while the Duet Chromebook's charger and headphones share a single port.

Read the full review: Lenovo IdeaPad Duet Chromebook 

The Asus Chromebook Flip in several modes on a white background

(Image credit: Asus)
Great specs at economic Chromebook pricing

Specifications

CPU: Intel Pentium 4405Y – Intel Core m3-6Y30
Graphics: Intel HD Graphics 515
RAM: 4GB
Screen: 12.5-inch, FHD (1,920 x 1,080) LED backlit anti-glare
Storage: 32GB – 64GB eMMC

Reasons to buy

+
Elegant tablet mode
+
Tactile keyboard

Reasons to avoid

-
Middling speakers

The Asus Chromebook Flip is one of the best 2-in-1 Chromebooks for shoppers on a budget who don't want to give up too much on style and performance. 

The Intel Core processor and full-HD display packed into the Asus Chromebook Flip makes this a powerful 2-in-1 that can more than handle your general computing needs while offering a great tablet experience. 

Even though this is Chromebook model is a few years old by this point, its impressive specs still offer outstanding performance with an excellent thin and light design while costing less than newer 2-in-1 Chromebooks that don't perform as well as this one does, which is great if you're on a tighter budget.

Read the full review: Asus Chromebook Flip 

The Acer Chromebook Spin 311 in stand mode on a white background

(Image credit: Acer)
Versatile and fun little Chromebook for work and play

Specifications

CPU: Intel Celeron N4000
Graphics: Intel UHD Graphics 600
RAM: 4GB
Screen: 11.6" HD (1366 x 768) 16:9 IPS touchscreen
Storage: 64GB Flash Memory

Reasons to buy

+
Great design and build
+
Lovely size
+
Excellent touch screen and flip mechanism

Reasons to avoid

-
Dim screen
-
Massive bezels drastically reduce actual screen size

Versatility is the essential selling point of the best 2-in-1 Chromebooks, which makes the Acer Chromebook Spin 311 an obvious choice for our list. 

The Chromebook Spin 311 not only has great battery life and a solid build quality, it also features plenty of ports for its size, great portability, and a fantastic touch display. Its keyboard and touchpad are also not just reliable, but they're also satisfying to use, which is a pretty rare thing for a Chromebook at this price point. 

And while the display is slightly less than a full HD 1080p resolution, this doesn't make as much a difference on an 11.6-inch screen as it does on a larger laptop, so isn't as much of a compromise as it might seem at first. An 11.6-inch screen might be uncomfortable for some people to use for extended periods, though, especially if you're more accustomed to larger laptops.

Read the full review: Acer Chromebook Spin 311 

The Asus Chromebook Flip C436F against a white background

(Image credit: Asus)
A whole lotta hits

Specifications

CPU: 10th-generation Intel Core i3 – i5
Graphics: Intel UHD Graphics
RAM: 8GB – 16GB 2133MHz LPDDR3
Screen: 14” LED-backlit Full HD (1920 x 1080) 16:9 display
Storage: 512GB / 256GB / 128GB PCIe® NVMe 3.0x 2 M.2 SSD

Reasons to buy

+
Superb performance
+
Premium build and features
+
Impressive keyboard

Reasons to avoid

-
Subpar speakers
-
Erratic touchpad
-
Touch display not accurate enough

Premium Chromebooks occupy their own space in the laptop market, bridging that gap between powerful traditional laptops and super lightweight Chromebooks.

And, the Asus Chromebook Flip C436F is perhaps one of the very few examples of these out there, with its combination of superb power, terrific feature set, premium build and a price tag that’s cheaper than its rivals. 

During our time with the Asus Chromebook Flip C436F, we were really impressed with its gorgeous design, with a magnesium alloy body, stunning 1080p screen, and wonderful keyboard. This could easily rival premium laptops like the Dell XPS 13 or MacBook, and it even comes with features like Wi-Fi 6 support and a fingerprint sensor.

If you’re looking for a lightweight OS machine that touts more power than the rest of the clan, this is one of the best Chromebooks on offer.

Read the full review: Asus Chromebook Flip C436F

John Loeffler
Components Editor

John (He/Him) is the Components Editor here at TechRadar and he is also a programmer, gamer, activist, and Brooklyn College alum currently living in Brooklyn, NY. 


Named by the CTA as a CES 2020 Media Trailblazer for his science and technology reporting, John specializes in all areas of computer science, including industry news, hardware reviews, PC gaming, as well as general science writing and the social impact of the tech industry.


You can find him online on Twitter at @thisdotjohn


Currently playing: Deep Rock Galactic, Destiny 2