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Best holiday hybrids

Should you get a laptop or a tablet? Why choose when you can have both?

Dan Ackerman
Dan Ackerman leads CNET's coverage of computers and gaming hardware. A New York native and former radio DJ, he's also a regular TV talking head and the author of "The Tetris Effect" (Hachette/PublicAffairs), a non-fiction gaming and business history book that has earned rave reviews from the New York Times, Fortune, LA Review of Books, and many other publications. "Upends the standard Silicon Valley, Steve Jobs/Mark Zuckerberg technology-creation myth... the story shines." -- The New York Times
Scott Stein Editor at Large
I started with CNET reviewing laptops in 2009. Now I explore wearable tech, VR/AR, tablets, gaming and future/emerging trends in our changing world. Other obsessions include magic, immersive theater, puzzles, board games, cooking, improv and the New York Jets. My background includes an MFA in theater which I apply to thinking about immersive experiences of the future.
Expertise VR and AR, gaming, metaverse technologies, wearable tech, tablets Credentials
  • Nearly 20 years writing about tech, and over a decade reviewing wearable tech, VR, and AR products and apps
Dan Ackerman
Scott Stein
Lenovo17.jpg
1 of 5 CNET/Sarah Tew

Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga 2 Pro

If there's a singular system that personifies the hybrid laptop/tablet concept promoted by Windows 8, it's the Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga. Its 360-degree folding screen allows it to work as a laptop, kiosk, or tablet. The new 2.0 model features a major upgrade -- an ultra-high-res 13.3-inch display with a native resolution of 3,200x1,800 pixels. That puts the Yoga 2 in territory similar to the Toshiba Kirabook or Retina MacBook Pro.
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2 of 5

Sony Vaio Tap 11

This is a slim, sharp-looking 11.6-inch slate, powered by (in our review configuration) a fourth-gen Intel Core i5 CPU, a 128GB solid-state drive (SSD), and 4GB of RAM. It has a larger screen than the Surface Pro 2, but is thinner and lighter. While the Surface has a keyboard that snaps on magnetically to create a laptoplike vibe, the Tap 11 keyboard has a Bluetooth connection and can sit anywhere nearby, and only snaps on (again via a magnetic connection) for travel.
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3 of 5 Josh Miller/CNET

HP Spectre 13 X2

This hybrid builds off of HP's excellent high-end Spectre ultrabook line, with a clean, aluminum design and a full 1x920x1,080 screen. It's also the first fanless design for a hybrid with a full Intel Core i-series processor.
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4 of 5

Microsoft Surface Pro 2

The Surface Pro 2 packs in some internal improvements compared to the first-generation Surface Pro. A new Intel fourth-generation Core i5 processor -- along with some internal system tweaking by Microsoft -- has delivered notably improved battery life, and the Surface's ingenious detachable keyboard cover (available in flat Touch and real-key Type versions, both now with a handy backlight), which remains miles ahead of anything else available for slate computing.
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5 of 5

Dell XPS 11

Dell claims its new XPS 11 is the thinnest hybrid yet. At 2.5 pounds, with a 0.6-inch thickness, this laptop/tablet probably won't have trouble living up to that claim, even though the 11.6-inch screen features a sharp 2,560x1,440 pixel resolution. We haven't reviewed the XPS 11 yet, but our initial hands-on impressions are positive.

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