Our Experts CNET’s expert staff reviews and rates dozens of new products and services each month, building on more than a quarter century of expertise. What to consider Price Statistically, you’ll hold onto your next laptop for at least three years. The current sweet spot for a reliable laptop to handle average work, home office or school tasks is between $700 and $800 and a reasonable model for creative work or gaming is upwards of about $1,000.
The key is to look for discounts on models in all price ranges to get the best configuration you can for your money. Operating system For a two-in-one, you have a choice between Microsoft Windows and Google’s ChromeOS. The majority of two-in-ones feature Windows 11, but if you are on a tight budget, consider a convertible Chromebook after learning about its limitations.
Size With a two-in-one, you have to find the balance between being big enough to be useful in laptop mode and compact enough to be manageable in tablet mode. A 16-inch model that might be attractive as a laptop, for example, could feel unwieldy to you as a tablet. Size is primarily determined by the display, which in turn factors into battery size, laptop thickness and weight.
Screen Do you want a larger laptop with a bigger screen on which to work or play? Or is having a thinner and lighter and more portable laptop more important? Higher resolutions are better for fitting more on a screen and look for a dot pitch of at least 100 pixels per inch (ppi) as a rule .
