The Lack of Good 2-in-1 Laptops for Trading, Research and Note-Taking

By Lawrence

lenovo_thinkpad_tabletI have been waiting for a good 2-in-1 laptop for a long time now. My primary requirements are simple – high resolution for charts and order entry, can work well as a tablet for note-taking, and most important of all, long battery life. It turns out such thing does not exist yet.

For most people, shopping for a new laptop for trading is quite simple – higher resolutions with at least 1920×1080 screen space and medium horse power will do the job. For me, however, I also do my research work and taking notes all the time on my laptop. It is quite troublesome to carry 2 laptops instead of one when I am travelling. Hence I need a laptop that fits the need for trading and my other usages.

My Lenovo X220T that I bought many years ago is still kicking. With Microsoft OneNote, this 2-in-1 laptop served me very well for years as I have converted into computer note-taking for both the convenience and the power to access all notes without carrying many notebooks around. You may not believe me but it can run NeoTicker, NinjaTrader and X-Trader at the same time smoothly. Of course, there is a problem with screen space because it is an older laptop, the screen resolution is low. Carrying around an extra portable LCD monitor can solve the problem but not ideal.

The Microsoft Surface Pro 3 so far is the closest thing to a perfect laptop for both trading and research. It has excellent screen resolution and that it is also a good tablet for note-taking. The only draw back though is the screen size is quite small for the very good graphic resolution it provides. It really puts a lot of stress on my eyes when the whole screen is utilized for quite a number of charts and order entry windows.

Hopefully, one day, a computer manufacturer will produce a decent sized 2-in-1 laptop for people like me. I am not asking for much – 15 inch screen size, HD resolution and the support of note-taking will do the job. Until then, I guess I am stuck with my old convertible tablet / laptop.

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Comments
  • Lawrence August 14, 2015 at 12:45 pm

    A reader emailed me that there is a 2nd contender that fits my requirement.

    It is HP Spectre x360, the top model. The specs do look great.

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