Every modern gadget seems to come with a touchscreen whether it needs one or not, but somehow finding the best laptop with touchscreen has always been a little tricky. Like many hybridized technologies, adding this new input tech to devices that already have several others to choose from hasn't always resulted in the best laptops. Sometimes this is down to the operating systems not having touchscreen-friendly UIs; Others suffer because of poor sensitivity and lack of support for pressure-sensitive pens.
But now, the best laptop with touchscreen is a true hybrid - both in software design and form factor. The technology has finally come of age, and now even some budget laptops have touchscreens that can flip backwards to become a tablet. But what are the benefits of a touchscreen laptop, and which one is right for you?
Best laptop with touchscreen of 2023 at a glance
• Best overall touchscreen laptop: ASUS ZenBook Duo UX482EG - View at Amazon
• Best budget touchscreen laptop: ASUS Chromebook Flip CX1400FKA - View at Amazon
• Best touchscreen laptop for business: HUAWEI Matebook 16s EVO - View at Amazon
• Best touchscreen laptop for designers: Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio - View at Amazon
Well, it's worth mentioning that if you're looking for the best laptop deals, opting for a touchscreen will reduce your choice a little. Touchscreens - at least, the reliable type - don't come cheap, but they can still be affordable. There's a lot more choice out there the higher your budget, with some seriously powerful laptop hardware behind them. Essentially, there are many great reasons to buy one of these - from productivity enhancements to being able to fold it into a tablet to take notes on. Thankfully, we're here to help you narrow things down- with our expert buyer's guide and more at the end of the article.
We've found touchscreen laptops for under £1000 as well as a few that tip the scales at almost £3000. If you need all that power and have deep enough pockets, some could even rival many desktop machines. So, fingertips and stylus pens at the ready - here are our picks for the best laptop with touchscreen of the year.
Best laptop with touchscreen of 2023
Best overall touchscreen laptop
This machine from ASUS is a little bit special. The ZenBook Duo is clearly aimed at those who need to max out their productivity on a clear 14-inch touchscreen running at a smooth 120hz. But, there's no doubt that the star of the show is the ZenBook Duo's excellent extra secondary touchscreen. It's going to quickly become indispensable to most users, as it handily supports Adobe tool panels too. That makes it a productivity goldmine for creatives, content creators, video conferencing while you work on the main screen and more.
For those looking for a laptop for video editing, the clear benefits to your workflow make investing in this laptop a no-brainer. Spec-wise, we're happy to report that, for a machine under £1000, this has a ton of power when it comes to its internals - with 16 GB of RAM and 512 GB of SSD storage. There's a dedicated Nvidia graphics card to top off the well-rounded credentials on offer here. If you're a heavy file user, definitely invest in an external SSD for more storage. That aside, the best laptop with touchscreen (technically, two touchscreens) is right here.
Pros
- Incredible secondary touchscreen
- Excellent amount of RAM
- Dedicated Nvidia graphics
- Stylus and case included
- Backlit keyboard
- i7 CPU
Cons
- Small-ish storage - creatives should buy an external SSD
Best budget touchscreen laptop
Not everyone needs or wants the extra weight of a full-specced Windows laptop to lug around. So, along comes the ASUS Chromebook Flip CX1400FKA. This is a super-thin Chromebook with a 14-inch screen. The inclusion of the famously lightweight Chrome OS makes it a perfect choice for someone who just needs a laptop that can deliver simplicity and reliability in a highly flexible, portable package.
Powered by an Intel Celeron N4500 processor and with 4GB of RAM, this isn't going to break any records for computing power. However, that is rather the point of this device. It's perfect for Chrome, and that in turn is perfectly adequate for any number of basic tasks and light use. Now, on to the excellent design that supports various modes of use. The bright 14-inch Full HD touchscreen has a 360-degree hinge which means it can transform from laptop mode to a tablet to a tent-like position. You'll also get a healthy 12 hours out of the battery too. So, do you need something to throw into your bag on a day out for browsing, email, and light productivity applications? Then this Chromebook Flip is your flexible ever-ready travel companion.
Pros
- Military-grade durability
- 360-degree hinged screen
- Excellent value for a renowned brand
- Built-in webcam and mic
- Chrome OS is fast and stable
Cons
- Minimum spec storage
- Keyboard not backlit
Best touchscreen laptop for students
The second Chromebook laptop on our list, the Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 3 has multiple features that make it one of the best student laptop options with a touchscreen. Once again, we have the lightweight Chrome OS, but this time paired with an internal spec that can compete with some dedicated tablets. 8GB of RAM and a 512GB SSD really does the trick here. In terms of design, there's a 360-degree hinge for flexible placement and positioning in various modes, and that means you can have an 11.6-inch touchscreen tablet and a laptop solution in one.
And, that Chrome OS not only means a cheaper machine than a Windows model, but Google has streamlined it's search integrations for a reliable and fast experience. You get a more than respectable 10-hour battery life too - perfect for a long day of lectures and more. To sum up, the Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 3 is perfect for students who need a reliable and simple note-taking and browsing device. For anyone who's deliberating between a tablet and a laptop but doesn't have the budget for both, the Flex 3 is top of the class.
Pros
- Excellent build quality
- 360-degree hinge for tablet-style operation
- Good connectivity
- Respectable battery life
Cons
- Display resolution and storage are fine for a lightweight device like this, but you'll find higher
- Keyboard not backlit
Best touchscreen laptop for designers
Microsoft Surface Laptops are clearly built and engineered as a premium product, so yes they tend to be on the pricey side. But, all that expense is for good reason. The Laptop Studio has a 14.4" Touchscreen that delivers 2400 x 1600 pixels - great for any creative work. And on the subject of touchscreens, the panel is a PixelSense Flow touch display running at a smooth 120Hz. PixelSense means you can use brushes, pens and fingertips at once- it's a multitouch screen.
Out of all of our laptops here, this is perhaps the most convincing when t comes to being both a laptop and a tablet once you switch between the modes. The screen neatly folds flat against the keyboard in 'Studio Mode', and this really comes to life with the addition of the Surface Pen. As a laptop, the 11th-generation Intel Core i7 processor and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Ti graphics card are right up there in terms of top-rank performance. A super-high 32GB of RAM and an equally humongous 2TB SSD make the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio absolutely ideal for professionals, creatives or anyone who needs both power and flexibility. The addition of extra nice-to-haves like Dolby Atmos and Dolby Vision makes this machine brilliant for entertainment once you've put down your stylus for the day.
Pros
- Extremely well-designed laptop with tablet functionality
- Gorgeous display
- One of the most highly specced laptops for RAM and storage
- Fingerprint sensor
- Thunderbolt 4 port for extra power and expansion
- Backlit keyboard
- Excellent Nvidia graphics card
- Huge battery life
Cons
- Could use a few more port options
Best touchscreen laptop for business
This HUAWEI MateBook 16s EVO is brilliant when it comes to integrating with other devices, such as compatible phones and file sharing. You can share apps from your compatible smartphone, with up the three on the laptop screen at once, and there's a built-in webcam for important meetings. Of course, the 16-inch display is a touchscreen, and that extra screen real estate is perfect for presentations. The 13th-generation Intel Core i9 processor has been joined by a massive 16GB of DDR5 RAM too. Any business owner or office worker who needs to work with power-hungry applications can keep on working at the pace they're used to on a machine of this spec.
All that said, we do wish the onboard graphics were replaced by a dedicated card to better support gaming and media production, but the existing setup should be fine for most other users. Security is well looked after too, thanks to an innovative combined power and fingerprint ID button. With its backlit keyboard, aluminium casing and responsive touchscreen, the Huawei Matebook 16s looks the business too.
Pros
- Excellent and practical 16" touch display
- Top-of-the-line CPU
- Lots of connectivity options
- Respectable battery life
- Very slim and lightweight
- Solid and durable build
- Built-in webcam
Cons
- The refresh rate is not ideal for gamers
Best touchscreen laptop under £2000
For many, spending under £1000 isn't going to buy the speed and features required. For others, going over the £2000 mark is a step too far. Thankfully, the HP Envy x360 15-ed0007na combines the best of both budgetary worlds. Here we have a two-in-one touchscreen laptop that delivers power, long battery life and more. Plus, you're getting a highly attractive design, with the solid build you'd expect from a top-end HP machine.
Powered by an Intel Core i7-1065G7 processor, this is another touchscreen laptop with much more RAM than most people will need - 16GB. Storage-wise, the 512GB SSD is a good choice - once again, more than enough for most users without blowing the budget skyward. And, continuing the sensible approach, the 15.6-inch Full HD touchscreen is the ideal size for the average user, but HP has pushed the boat a little farther out with the inclusion of its HP Active Pen. So, creatives will be able to work design wonders on this excellent all-rounder too.
Pros
- Super-powerful processor
- A good amount of RAM
- Slim and sophisticated looks
- Various physical screen configurations
- Includes a PCM Stylus Pen
- Three speakers tuned by Bang & Olufsen
Cons
- No handy pen storage slot
- We would have liked more SSD storage for the price
Best touchscreen laptop with detachable keyboard
www.box.co.uk
When is a tablet not a tablet? When it's able to run Windows 11, that's when. Although this isn't going to be up to demanding computing tasks and apps that are hungry for RAM and CPU, it indeed does run Windows. And, bear in mind, it's doing this from the screen segment of this setup. Unlike laptops that house larger and more capable components underneath the keyboard, this is flipped on its head. And, of course, the beauty of doing things this way is that you can take the IdeaPad Duet 3 and get rid of the keyboard altogether.
In that sense alone, this is probably the most convincing tablet-style laptop here. For basic browsing, emails, and streaming content this has just enough power under the hood. 4GB or RAM is a minimum for Windows 11, and the onboard storage is minuscule - but that's the point. The Lenovo IdeaPad Duet 3 isn't a workhorse, it's a practical tablet that can do a fair impersonation of a Windows laptop for those who need that OS. Battery life is respectable, and that's partly down to the screen which is only 10.3 inches. Again, this is hugely portable and flexible, but crammed into a neat and economical package - just don't expect to play any AAA games on it.
Pros
- Very lightweight and portable
- Ultimate flexibility as a tablet or laptop
- Long battery life
- Very affordable for a Windows 11 laptop
- Dual webcams
Cons
- Hardware spec is on the low side, understandable for the price
- More like a tablet than a true laptop
Best touchscreen laptop of 2023: Buyer's guide
Consider your needs
If you're a digital creative working in media or photography, the best laptop with touchscreen is your best friend. Often bundled with a pressure-sensitive stylus or pen, having a screen you can work directly with in this way is a godsend, unleashing new types of creativity, Of course, underneath this is still a laptop rather than a souped-up tablet, so you should prioritise the graphics card and RAM. Yes, the best 17-inch laptops will give you a massive screen to work on, but touchscreens at this size are a bit of a rarity.
If you need to use your touchscreen laptop as a business productivity or study tool that will work well with Office 365, look at the CPU and keyboard. Casual users who like to do a bit of everything can afford to look for less high-end but more evenly-balanced specifications.
How to use a touchscreen laptop
So, you have a laptop that can turn into a (although slightly less slim) touchscreen tablet. But when is it time to use a laptop like a tablet and vice versa? Well, touchscreens are everywhere in all manner of devices these days - but that doesn't mean we should take them for granted.
Very specific uses for a touchscreen on a laptop are being able to interact fluidly with websites designed for mobile devices. And there are also various mobile games that work best with touchscreens. Plus, there's using the touchscreen as a handy extension of your existing control interfaces. For instance, photographers use pinch to zoom and designers take full advantage of the special pressure-sensitive pens that make drawing and design work direct and intuitive. Also, students can use the same accessories to take notes the old-fashioned way and convert that handwriting into editable text. Business people can utilise touchscreens for giving desk-based presentations, avoiding constant mouse or keyboard interactions.
Protect that touchscreen
Don't forget that you'll need to protect that beautiful shiny touchscreen. A range of easy-to-apply adhesive glass screen protectors are available to suit all models. They will also allow the touchscreen to work as normal and protect it from light impacts and scratches. Make sure you have enough money left to keep it safe and secure too, with a laptop backpack, case or an impact-resistant bag.
Consider a VPN
Having the best laptop with touchscreen means it's much more usable in a number of settings. So, chances are you'll need to connect to public wifi at some point. While you should invest in security suite software such as Bitdefender or McAfee, what about your personal data and privacy? A VPN (Virtual Private Network) is a secure tunnel to the internet that hides your IP address from would-be hackers and snoopers. If privacy is your priority, we highly recommend an affordable VPN for that extra layer of security.
Best touchscreen laptop of 2023: Frequently asked questions
What's the best Windows laptop with touchscreen?
While it's generally safest to go for well-established brands, there are highs and lows in any product range. In our pick of the best laptop with touchscreen, we've looked at the internal specifications as well as the brand. Given that many of these come with Windows as standard, we think it's best to choose a touchscreen laptop that is running a full version of Windows 11 right out of the box. The cut-down 'S' mode is popular for less powerful tablets and laptops. The ASUS ZenBook Duo UX482EG above is our choice for the best overall specification in a Windows laptops with touchscreen.
Can you use a mouse with a touchscreen laptop?
Yes. Just because a laptop has a touchscreen doesn't mean you can't use it as a regular laptop. You can connect an external mouse, keyboard and more via Bluetooth or the available ports. While touchscreen laptops are great for creative work and tablet-style browsing, gamers (other than fans of mobile gaming) will prefer a mouse for their sessions. For hardcore players, a dedicated gaming laptop is the best option - but those are less likely to have a touchscreen.
Do touchscreen laptops come with MS Office?
Microsoft offers most of its products online via its 365 service. If the laptop doesn't come with it, you can get Microsoft 365 (with free antivirus) right now online.
Best touchscreen laptop of 2023: Jargon buster
Capacitive Touch
This is the key technology that makes a screen sensitive to touch from your finger or a stylus pen. They work by having a conductive material embedded between the layers of the screen. That layer is sensitive enough to detect minute changes in electrical charge caused by your fingertip touching the screen. The software relays that to the operating system as the same sort of coordinate-based input used by a standard mouse. Of course, a capacitive touchscreen can achieve more than a normal mouse, thanks to supporting multiple touchpoint gestures; such as using two fingers to pinch and zoom.
Solid State Drives (SSD)
SSD is a newer version of HDDs (Hard Disk Drives). You're more likely to find them inside the best laptop with touchscreen because they're slim, silent and fast. They use no moving parts: it's far quicker at data retrieval. They write and read using electronic flash memory, much like USB flash drives. Data is stored in grids and blocks, and though the process is more complicated than in HDD, the available space is utilised more efficiently thanks to a series of processes that go on behind the scenes.
CPU
A Central Processing Unit, or CPU, processes and executes instructions. They often consist of multiple cores. The higher the number of cores the more processes it can carry out, improving performance. CPUs have a 'clock speed' that is measured in GHz - the frequency of the number of operations. In theory, the higher the GHz number, the better and quicker a computer can operate.
RAM
Random Access Memory, or RAM, is short-term memory. It temporarily holds information for quick access by the CPU as it runs various programs and services. The more RAM available, the more quick-access information there is for the CPU, thereby improving computer performance.
GPU
A GPU is a Graphical Processing Unit - the central component of a graphics card. It handles the rendering of images to the computer screen. The best laptop with touchscreen is going to have a cut-down version of the much larger cards available for desktops.
Resolution
Resolution is the measurement of pixels on your screen, such as 1920 x 1080 (Full HD). Therefore, the higher the pixel count, the greater the resolution of your screen which means more detail. 4K screens are currently at the higher end of available PC and touchscreen laptop resolutions.
Chris Duffill is a Tech Product Writer for What's The Best. He specialises in audiovisual, computing, and gadgets. He also writes for Yours.
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