5 Windows 10 hybrids that rival the Microsoft Surface Book

The new dynaPad from Toshiba has a keyboard dock that turns the tablet into a full laptop. The tablet is only 0.27 inches thick and lightweight at just 1.25 lbs. That’s highly portable for a 12-inch tablet, and with the keyboard dock attached it’s not much heavier (2.2 lbs).

The dynaPad ships with a Wacom pen (TruePen) and software to facilitate taking notes. Toshiba’s goal was to make the new device as versatile as Windows 10 and it looks like it succeeded.

The Toshiba dynaPad will be available soon in Japan and in the US and Europe early next year.

Specs:

- CPU: Intel Atom x5-Z8300

- Display: 12-inch, 1920 x 1080

- Memory / storage: 4GB / 128GB

- Starting price: TBD

Dell is leveraging its long history making laptops with the XPS 12. The new XPS 12 looks to be a solid laptop with a detachable screen for tablet use. It features a full keyboard dock making it a real laptop when needed. It has a 12.5-inch display that attaches magnetically to the dock.

The XPS 12 is a reasonable alternative to the Surface Book given the price and battery life of 12 hours.

The Dell XPS 12 will be available November 5, 2015.

Specs:

- CPU: Intel Core M

- Display: 12.5-inch, 1920 x 1080, optional 4K version available ($300)

- Memory / storage: 8GB / 128GB

- Starting price: $999

HP has been making tablet PCs longer than anyone and the experience shows in the Envy x2. This 2-in-1 is a tablet with kickstand and a Surface-like keyboard cover with backlit keys. The 13.3-inch display may be too big for some folks but is as large as that on the Surface Book.

The HP Envy x2 has battery life of 7.5 hours and is a business-class device, making it a decent alternative to the Surface Book.

Specs:

- CPU: Intel Core M

- Display: 13.3-inch, 1920 x 1080

- Memory / storage: 8GB / 256GB

- Starting price: $989

If the Surface Book is the platinum standard in the 2-in-1 space, the newly refreshed Surface Pro 4 is golden. The tablet is light at 1.69 lbs and the new Type Cover doesn’t add much weight to the package. The Surface Pro 4 is a good tablet that becomes a laptop replacement with the Type Cover. Unlike other hybrids in this collection the keyboard cover is a $130 extra cost. Note that the Type Cover 2 for the Surface Pro 4 is compatible with the Pro 3 for those not wanting an expensive upgrade to that Surface.

The Surface Pro 4 is a versatile alternative to the Surface Book that is configurable to meet the price and performance needs of the individual. It has a 9 hour battery life for long work days.

Specs:

- CPU: Intel Core M (Core i5, i7 available)

- Display: 12.3-inch, 2736 x 1824

- Memory / storage: 4GB / 128GB (8GB, 16GB memory available, 256GB, 512GB, 1TB storage available)

- Starting price: $899

This 2-in-1 from Acer is not the most powerful device but it packs a punch for the price. The smallest option in this collection, the 10.1-inch display is highly portable and a reasonable size for tablet use. It comes with a full keyboard dock in the box that turns the tablet into a solid laptop.

In our testing we found the Aspire Switch 10 to be a decent tablet and good laptop. It is a great value for the low price and worth consideration.

Specs:

- CPU: Intel Atom 3735F, 1.33 GHz, quad-core

- Display: 10.1-inch, 1280 x 800

- Memory / storage: 2GB / 64GB

- Starting price: $349.99

See the review on ZDNet