OT: Hybrid/Convertible laptop recommendations sought
Hi all. I'm always impressed by the quality of the recommendations on this site whenever someone asks for buying advice, and would appreciate tips on a purchase I'm considering.
Anyway, I'm looking for a combo tablet/laptop. I know so little about this area of computer hardware that I'm not sure if I'm using the right name (I've seen them called 2-in-1, convertible and hybrid laptops). I currently have a traditional laptop that I use at work -- and carry with me often -- but I'd like something more portable like a MS Surface. Any thoughts on recommended brands, models features etc. along with the experience of working with a smaller screen/keyboard would be appreciated. I'll use it mostly for work, but would be interested in knowing if certain brands are better for streaming shows/watching live sports. I'm in a completely Windows office environment (Outlook, Word, Excel, Powerpoint etc.) if that makes a difference though I'm imagine it wouldn't. Thanks in advance.
The Surface Pro is hard to beat. We have used them at work for years. They are very portable and have always done everything we have needed.
For entertainment it is hard beating the iPad. The Pro is a beast and I know people who use it as their only computer. Personally, I prefer the Surface for work stuff and the iPad Pro for consuming media because the screen is pretty amazing.
The iPad Pro is crazy good. It has better performance than my 2013 Mac book pro.
Thanks. Do you have any thoughts about which Surface Pro model you'd recommend?
March 25th, 2023 at 11:31 PM ^
The 9 has a bit better performance just by virtue of being a gen newer, but grab an 8 if you need a headphone jack. Otherwise they'll be very comparable.
If you're looking at the 9 and trying to decide between the ARM and Intel models, Intel will still give you better performance across the board in Windows and you get Thunderbolt 4 ports for expandability. The tradeoff is that the ARM version appears to get about 10% better battery life.
Disclaimer that I'm still rocking a 6 and haven't used the 8 or 9 as a daily driver, but I've been very pleased with my 6. And we have a few other personal Surface devices we've been happy with (laptop and laptop go).
Avoid the Surface Go like the plague, however.
SurfacePro. Next!
Your work isn't providing you with a device?
I can run as a business expense, but am a part owner so it's still a bit like I'm buying it myself.
The Microsoft Surface Pro is THE answer.
It's like asking what to buy for portable film editing - the answer is a MacBook Pro.
It really is just that simple/black and white.
Thanks
Agreed, especially if your'e in a MS Office environment and not dependent on demanding graphic processing.
Wife is a teacher. She got a surface pro 7 a few years back. She loves it for walking around the class. She has a dongle that attaches to the projector also. She got the one with an i7.
I had been using a tablet PC for inking and notetaking in OneNote and had a separate home desktop. When both devices needed to be replaced, I bought a 2 in 1 convertible laptop thinking one device would replace the two. I'm finding I prefer the discrete functionality that the separate devices provided. The convertible is usually always plugged into a docking station and other peripherals so using it as a tablet isn't convenient--I'd have to unplug and replug everything--and the convertible isn't as robust as a standalone desktop PC. I'm thinking of getting an iPad specifically for tablet functionality.
I think the 2 in 1 would have been a better replacement for my work laptop, but the firm isn't offering one.
March 25th, 2023 at 10:56 PM ^
That’s been my experience. I use my PC for tasks it does well, but for general web surfing and non-business tasks, I use my iPad. As a former Dell employee, I’ve used their 2-in-1 devices and just didn’t like them. Too bulky for tablet use. Surface Pro looks attractive, but if you don’t need to spend your entire life in the world of MS software, iPad is hard to beat.
Lenovo Yoga for work sucks, battery power is terrible, I rarely use it as a tablet, and it gets very hot. i avoid using it instead I use my iPad Pro which is now 6 years old but better than that POS.
Yeah, we replaced our yoga's with the surface pro during COVID because they were the only device unaffected by supply chain issues. Fortunately, they worked a lot better too!
March 25th, 2023 at 10:53 PM ^
Anything Mac of course like iPad, except that you are already stuck with a Windows environment. So Surface Pro it is.
March 25th, 2023 at 11:19 PM ^
If you're bound to MS Office, then the Surface makes sense.
Personally, and after using one when I worked at Google, the ASUS Chromebook Flip is amazing! And if the world's top internet software and services company finds a Chromebook good enough, others can too.
Chromebook performance beats anything else out there.
Boots in less than 3 seconds,
Security is built in -- no extra things to install, manage, update, etc. in that regard. Perfect for a small business without an IT department.
Great keyboard.
Reboots are a breeze. Speaking of which -- it's not going to force a reboot in the middle of the night after you worked for 30 hours straight and corrupt that critical presentation like Windows forces reboots.
You can run Android apps on it (so MS Office for Android works the same as on Windows). Most Excel functions works just like on Apple; ribbon items are in a different spot though. You don't get the full .NET experience like on Windows. But if you're looking to run the advanced/esoteric Excel features, you're probably not looking for a convertible in the first place.
And I also have one as a penetration testing laptop. You can use something called Crostini to create another root partition on a Chromebook and install a full up version of Debian to run side by side with the existing ChromeOS.
And I also have one as a penetration testing laptop.
Uh, what the hell do you do for a living now?
Cybersecurity shit
Surface Pros are a good choice, but also look at the LG Grams - top notch specs, multiple screen sizes, and super lightweight.
Thanks for pointing these out. They get a lot of strong reviews.