Thoughts on convertible laptops ?

[Summilux]

My mother is going to need a new laptop.

She's mainly doing web browsing and typing, so she doesn't need anything powerful. (Keyboard isn't much of a concern to her, exit the need for a normal Thinkpad keyboard then ).

She also uses it to watch moview on Youtube when she's in her bed. For that part, she was thinking about switching to an Android tablet instead. But that can't be too comfy to use, as one has to either hold it or put it on some flimsy base.

So it got me thinking : why not a 360° styled, convertible laptop ? It should fulfill both her needs quite adequately.
In particular, for movie watching she could use it like a normal laptop, except the keyboard would be facing the bed, thus the screen would be closer to her head.

Has any of you guys used, or at least tried, such a laptop ? What do you think about them in general, and for the aforementionned uses ?
Review websites are one thing but I'd like to have your opinions too

[Thinkpad4by3]

I have a TP Yoga. Its nice, but it is a median compromise. It is an OK laptop and an OK tablet. My X240 beat the living hell out of it for being a laptop and my HP Touchpad beat the living hell out of it as a tablet. Its stylus is pretty neat though a bit gimmicky for me. If your mother is looking at something like that, it probably will suit her just fine.

[madicetea]

My mother is going to need a new laptop.

She's mainly doing web browsing and typing, so she doesn't need anything powerful. (Keyboard isn't much of a concern to her, exit the need for a normal Thinkpad keyboard then ).

She also uses it to watch moview on Youtube when she's in her bed. For that part, she was thinking about switching to an Android tablet instead. But that can't be too comfy to use, as one has to either hold it or put it on some flimsy base.

So it got me thinking : why not a 360° styled, convertible laptop ? It should fulfill both her needs quite adequately.
In particular, for movie watching she could use it like a normal laptop, except the keyboard would be facing the bed, thus the screen would be closer to her head.

Has any of you guys used, or at least tried, such a laptop ? What do you think about them in general, and for the aforementionned uses ?
Review websites are one thing but I'd like to have your opinions too

It might be worth noting that most every Thinkpad I use will bend back 180 degrees on its hinges no problem (Dells Acer etc do not do this, don't even try).

This has been good for me reading digital documents of school homework in bed sometimes. Hence, any x240 (as suggested elsewhere here, or x250/x200/x61 my previous daily drivers yet far) should be fine, sans tablet designation.

Of course, I can also do this on my Samsung Chromebook, and if one be exiting the need for any Windows programs (Chromebooks can use Android and web), these are less powerful machines with better battery life for a less monetary cost.

[Summilux]

Thank you for your feedbacks guys.

I mentionned the tablet because she'd use it for watching movies at home, especially in her bed. That's the only use she'd have for it. She wouldn't use her table on the go, outside her home.

My mother wouldn't have a need for a stylus either.

Opening one's TP screen completely flat, at 180°, this can be useful (did it a few times), but for the purpose watching a movie in one's bed for two hours, I can't imagine how that'd be comfy.

What I envision with a convertible laptop, and how it could well be superior to a tablet, is for media consumption whilst laid down. I imagine the convertible (positioned keyboard facing laps) would be more stable than a tablet, as it occupies a larger surface.
Thinkpad4by3, since you have a yoga, would you mind making a quick comparison ?

[TonyJZX]

I have a cheapo China 11" FHD Atom whatever tablet w/ kbd and I treat this as a holiday laptop. Enough to get hooked up to wifi or 3g LTE and control pcs back home. I use a BT mouse.

I think the big issue with mine is the very terrible kbd and the lack of Type A usb. These are rectified in say a Surface but I see them as compromises all round.

I do not beleive in the MS hype where you pay 1.5x or 2x what you would normally pay for a laptop PLUS a tabelt as it does both.

I personally could not work on one all day or even for any huge length of time.

I do however have no issue on say a T420 running a 16 x 9 screen.

As always buy knowing the limitations.

[TankPad]

Sounds like a decent Android tablet would be ideal for you. They're very well optimized for the kind of use you describe and can be very power efficient. A dedicated laptop sounds like it would be a lot more capable than you actually require and won't be as comfy to use while in bed etc without resting it on something (you could hold it in tablet mode but it'll be a lot heavier than most tablets).

The Lenovo Yoga Book seems like a nice option too. It's not quite a laptop or a tablet (somewhere in between) but It's very small and light, runs Windows etc. Not super powerful but that may not be an issue for you.

[Summilux]

Thank you for the additional inputs guys

The particular Yoga mentionned above is interesting and relatively cheap, but :
1) It's Lenovo-made
2) It doesn't feature a real keyboard, which will be an issue for intensive typing

So far I'm leaning towards an Asus ZenBook Flip.