Let's talk 2 in 1 Laptop/Tablets

[LiamHaith]

Howdy folks,

 

So I'm looking into upgrading my tablet and basically I've come to the idea that I'd quite like a 2 in 1 Laptop/Tablet since they're actually priced somewhat decently now. Does anyone have any recommendations through use/experience of decent ones?

 

I've looked at the Surface but I really don't like the idea of a soft keyboard, I'm much more a fan of the Switch 10 style of 2 in 1.

 

Let me know what you guys think are good/bad or any experiences you've had with them.

[Steve21]

Personally I hate them all, get the worst bits of both of them (e.g. heavy tablet, rubbish laptop) and constantly switching between screen/keyboard depending on what you're trying to do (e.g. Win8 apps). Much rather a small lighter laptop

 

You can get the hard style keys for surfaces though, more like laptop style.

 

What is it you want from the device? As if it's more just the keyboard side have you considered one of the nifty cases with keyboard in for a tablet? Random example: Logitech Type+ - Keyboard and Folio Keeps the tablet nice for being mobile but easier to type etc

 

Steve

[halbaradkenafin]

The Surface with Type cover is pretty nice, it's the harder keyboard and works well for me. I don't use it as much as I used to but it's pretty good spec (even the Surface Pro 2 that I have) and I currently use it for a test lab running Hyper-V with a few VMs in it (and Windows 10 on the actual device). I've played some steam games on it previously and performance was good, it did get pretty warm when doing that but it's expected with any tablet sized device.

 

If I had the money then I'd definitely buy a Surface 3 (or Pro) with Type Cover but I managed to snipe mine from ebay for £500 with cover, which was pretty much the most I was willing to spend at the time.

 

I've heard good things about the Lenovo Yoga as well, not sure how it compares in spec to the Surface but I'd guess it's cheaper (and you're not paying ~£100 for the keyboard).

[jmak]

Personal or classroom use?

 

I've had an Acer switch 11 on trial and discovered what I think is an issue with most of the devices where the gubbins is in the tablet bit and the keyboard is just......the keyboard. They're very top heavy, so if you try and use the touchscreen in laptop mode, the whole tips backwards. I ruled them out for that reason. I think the Yoga devices are better and the Surface gets round this by having a prop at the back as part of its design.

[LiamHaith]

It's for personal use as a supplement for my Gaming PC, and for train journeys etc.

 

It'll be used for general use, web browsing, maybe an occasional Steam game and the likes. I heard about the stability issues with the Switch 10.

 

May look more into the Surface since you guys preach so highly of it

 

EDIT: I basically want a laptop, the tablet functionality is more of a bonus.

Edited June 29, 2015 by LiamHaith

[timbo343]

Might be interested to see what comes about of this, the site team here are looking at wanting a laptop/tablet device for when they are out doing their checks but I want the data to be on site. Trying to get things done with no cash is proving really difficult.

[mthomas08]

Thought about the Lenovo Yoga? There are several models available.

[LiamHaith]

Thought about the Lenovo Yoga? There are several models available.

 

Yeah, I was quite interested in the Lenovo Yoga 2 Pro because of the dinky little projector it has built in... but I have no idea about its functionality as a laptop. From what I've seen it only really functions in tablet form.

[halbaradkenafin]

Yeah, I was quite interested in the Lenovo Yoga 2 Pro because of the dinky little projector it has built in... but I have no idea about its functionality as a laptop. From what I've seen it only really functions in tablet form.

 

Perhaps worth using your position to some personal benefit? Inquire with a few suppliers about getting one device you're interested in as a demo for a week or two, if the school could be buying a class set of some laptop or similar device in the "near future" then you'll need to evaluate what's best for the school to purchase. If you don't like it after a week or mixed use at work and home then try a different device, obviously problematic if you're time scale is a lot shorter but if you can wait a month or so then you should be able to try 2 or 3 different devices.

 

And if you actually get a good idea of what would be a good device for the school to purchase when the time comes to get some laptops/tablets/hybrids then it was a useful exercise.

[witch]

We have 70 yogas and they function just fine as laptops. In fact they are used more for this than anything else