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Lenovo Chromebook Duet: Everything You Need To Know

The Lenovo IdeaPad Duet Chromebook (Lenovo Chromebook Duet) is easily one of the most intriguing 2-in-1 laptops on the market.

Though there are some issues, the shortcoming of the Duet cannot detract from its usefulness, portability, or longevity, making it one of the most acceptable Chromebooks we’ve ever used. If you’re a Chrome skeptic, this may be the device that converts you.

Overall Short review

The Lenovo IdeaPad Duet Chromebook is the most recent 2-in-1 laptop hybrid to be released. Still, while others lack software support or sacrifice mobility by packing more hefty hardware, the Duet manages to achieve an ideal balance between usefulness, portability, longevity, and – perhaps most significantly – price.

The Duet is one of the greatest 2-in-1 laptops we’ve ever seen for its price, taking Google’s Chrome OS and cramming it into a 10-inch keyboard-enabled tablet. There’s even a case to be made that it’s one of the year’s most acceptable Chromebooks.

The Lenovo Duet lasted almost a whole day of looped HD video on a fully-charged battery, which is about 10 hours for most Chromebooks.

We’re talking about a genuine, totally-rotate-the-entire-frickin’-planet on its axis kind of day here. And not the 9-to-5 workday plus commute that most people mean when they say their battery lasts all day – we’re talking about an actual, fully comprehensive day.

We tried to kill it, but we were worn down in the end. So when the battery gave up the last of its charge 21 hours and 29 minutes after we began our test, it could have been out of compassion.

All of this battery life gives you a greater chance to fully take advantage of the Lenovo Duet’s access to the entire Android app ecosystem in addition to all of Chrome OS’ Google applications.

Duet’s software is already well ahead of the competition, but it has, even more, to offer on the software side. For example, Chromebooks now include a downloadable beta version of a Linux virtual machine so that you can access all of your Linux applications through a virtual terminal interface.

Simply defined, you won’t find a tablet with this strong of an operating system. Not until just now have we seen something like this.

Finally, it costs less than $300 to put everything together. This is the most excellent value for a portable computer of its kind, hands down. It’s the computer that failed to live up to expectations in the previous decade but managed to achieve what netbooks promised.

Lenovo’s Duet is an intelligent, well-designed machine that comes up short in certain areas. The keyboard, for example, is the actual representation of a touchscreen’s tiny, virtual keyboard; as a result, it takes some time to master.

Unfortunately, for nearly everyone accustomed to full-size keyboards, this will be extremely tough. For some people, it may be impossible to type effectively using a phone keyboard.

The trackpad is inconvenient, to say the least. It’s slow and difficult to use because it lacks tactile feedback like a typical laptop touchpad. As a result, the trackpad’s difficulties become increasingly apparent.

Another significant disadvantage of the Lenovo Duet is its magnetic kickstand cover and keyboard are fastened to the tablet. The two are secured solely by magnets, so they will occasionally separate from each other during typical use when you least expect it.

However, unlike the Microsoft Surface Go 2, Lenovo provides a kickstand cover and keyboard as part of the package, unlike Asus.

The sound quality is about what you’d expect from a tablet, which means you’ll likely want to use headphones to get decent music.

Since the Lenovo Duet has just one USB-C port and no additional interfaces, you’ll need the included USB-C adapter to connect standard headphones.

Unfortunately, this means you can’t charge the device while listening to music simultaneously, which might be a dealbreaker for some people. Still, given the Lenovo Duet’s long battery life, it should be a rare occurrence.

Overall, none of these were deal breakers for us, but there are several significant issues with the keyboard and trackpad. Unfortunately, because we can’t suggest the Lenovo Duet to everyone, we had to deduct a few points off its final score because of the keyboard and trackpad problems.

Otherwise, for most individuals searching for an ultra-portable 2-in-1 laptop, we strongly suggest the Lenovo Duet Chromebook.

LENOVO CHROMEBOOK DUET SPECS

  • MediaTek Helio P60T CPU
  • ARM G72 MP3 GPU
  • 4GB RAM
  • 64GB eMMC Storage
  • 10.1-inch, 1920×1200 Display
  • 12:46 Hour Battery Life
  • 2 pounds Weight

PROS

  • Includes keyboard at this price point
  • Handy tablet gestures
  • Android phone integration
  • Excellent cameras
  • Extended battery life

CONS

  • Average performance
  • There’s only one USB port and no headphone jack.
  • Keyboard with a restricted number of keys
  • There is no memory card slot.

If you buy the Lenovo Chromebook Duet, a 2-in-1 laptop with a detachable keyboard and kickstand cover, prepare to hear this exclamation: “Wait! I thought it was a notebook!”

The Lenovo Chromebook Duet (rated at $279) appears to be a harmless diary, but lift that cover, and it’s a tiny laptop with a bright 10.1-inch display.

The Lenovo Chromebook Duet’s ability to transform isn’t its only appealing feature — it outlasted the 10-hour average duration of Chrome OS devices on our battery test, which beats the 13-hour standard.

The Lenovo Chromebook Duet’s price is another central selling point. For under $300, you may buy a lightweight computer that can handle all of your heavy online multitasking. Because of the small digital footprint of this Chromebook, however, typing on its tiny keyboard might be difficult.

Despite its modest capabilities, this Lenovo Chromebook Duet has enough “oomph” to make it onto our best Chromebooks and best laptops under $300 lists.

The cost of the Lenovo Chromebook Duet and its features

The Lenovo IdeaPad Duet Chromebook is now available at major retailers for £225 and £405 ($245 to $545). Unfortunately, this entry-level model has only 64GB of storage space, so we recommend spending an extra $20 (about £16/AU$28) to increase that capacity to 128GB.

The keyboard and kickstand panel are already included with the tablet, so you’ll only have to make a one-time purchase to acquire the entire 2-in-1 laptop as planned.

It should not be a selling point for any gadget to tell you that you may export it in its entirety. Still, because you must purchase a keyboard and cover for the competing Surface Go 2 separately, Microsoft makes this a live issue.

We applaud Lenovo for being cautious enough to simply provide a 2-in-1 laptop with all the required components. As such, we commend them for doing the absolute bare necessary by including a 2-in-1 laptop.

Design of the Lenovo Chromebook Duet

Let’s start with the tablet, which is sold separately. The Lenovo Chromebook Duet is an average-looking tablet with thick, outdated bezels on its own.

On the back, you’ll see a two-toned color scheme of iron-gray and sky blue. An unassuming black Chrome logo is also present.

On the top-right corner, you’ll find an 8-megapixel rear camera with a hard-to-miss silver plate that reads “Lenovo.” Finally, in black on a tiny rectangular silver plate in the top-left corner, you’ll notice the words “Lenovo.”

The display features dual speakers and microphones on top and pogo pins for keyboard attachment on the bottom. The top bezel includes a 2MP front-facing camera.

The tablet’s fingerprint-magnet matte Surface makes it ideal for keeping the magnetic kickstand cover on to avoid fingerprints. The kickstand cover, too, has the appearance and feel of a twill business suit, adding to the Duet’s professional look.

The tablet’s thin metal stand can be used to support the device. Then, after attaching the edge-to-edge dark-gray keyboard, you’ve got yourself a tiny laptop.

You may fold the laptop into a book-like shape, and bystanders will be astonished to find that you’re not holding a tiny notebook.

The Lenovo Chromebook Duet is a light laptop that fits nicely in my travel tote’s tiny space. The entire package, including the stand cover and keyboard, weighs only 2 pounds. As a result, the Duet is less heavy than its rivals: Samsung Chromebook 3 (2.5 pounds) and HP Chromebook x360 12b (3 pounds).

The Lenovo Chromebook Duet’s keyboard and kickstand cover add 9.6 x 6.7 x 0.7 inches to the device’s overall dimensions, whereas the tablet alone is 9.4 x 6.3 x 0.3 inches in size.

The Samsung Chromebook 3 has a footprint of 11 x 8 x 0.7 inches, whereas the HP Chromebook X360 12b measures 11 x 9 x 0.7 inches on its own.

The following ports are found on the Lenovo Chromebook Duet:

So, you’ve discovered Duet’s ports and want to know what they’re for? To begin with, I’d remove the “s,” as this Chromebook only has one USB Type-C port that can charge power, transmit data, connect to a DisplayPort display, and transfer data from a USB thumb drive.

The USB Type-C connection is the only port that has been retained. However, a USB Type-C to 3.5 mm headphone jack adapter was included with the Duet.

Let’s Talk About Lenovo Chromebook Duet display.

The Lenovo Chromebook Duet has a 10.1-inch 1920 x 1200 incredibly bright display. On the other hand, the tablet’s screen features chunky bezels that might turn you off if you’re looking for a more modern look.

However, the Duet is a low-cost Chromebook, so I can accept the lack of narrow bezels as a fair compromise.

The Tenet trailer looked nice, and the display was fine. On the leading actor’s forehead, I could see perspiration beads and bulging veins on his temples.

Pores were visible on the protagonist’s forehead in close-up shots of his face. In addition, a bright, vibrant yellow ship sailed by on stormy seas during the Duet.

The Duet’s display had a more extensive color range than its rivals, with a 106 percent coverage of the sRGB color gamut.

Samsung’s Chromebook 3 had the narrowest color palette (63%), followed by HP’s Chromebook x360 12b (79%). The colorful display on the Duet exceeded the industry average (78%).

The Lenovo Chromebook Duet has a near-perfect 0.2 Delta-E accuracy rating (closer to 0 is best). The Samsung Chromebook 3’s 0.2 Delta-E ratings are comparable to the HP Chromebook x360 12b’s, but the Duet outperforms them by a mile.

The Duet also comprehensively surpassed the color fidelity of the typical laptop (12.61), compared to an average of 6.4 for laptops in general (19 percent difference) according to CNET reviews toward marketing claims made about their product on the Amazon website that it had “the most accurate display.” -> According to CNET reviews, against marketing claims made about their product on the Amazon website that it had “the most accurate display,” the Lenovo Chromebook

The Lenovo Chromebook Duet doesn’t have the brightest screen among its competitors. It has a brightness of 372 nits, but it outperformed them all.

The Samsung Chromebook 3 only generates 259 lumens, while the HP Chromebook x360 12b offers 216 brightness. The display on the Duet outshone that of other Chrome OS devices (270 nits).

With the most recent Chrome 81 upgrade, Google added several new touchscreen gestures that I could apply on the Lenovo Chromebook Duet, including swiping and holding to start the split-screen mode.

Touchscreen and touchpad for the Lenovo Chromebook Duet

The Lenovo Chromebook Duet’s edge-to-edge, the iron-black detachable keyboard has a bone to pick with me. But first, let’s go over the benefits. The magnetic keyboard snap into position was simple as pie, and the keys gave a satisfying and clicky tactile response.

Now comes the part where I get full. On the 10FastFingers typing test, I managed to type at only 65 words per minute on the Duet, which is far below my typical 87 wpm speed.

The cause of my decreased word rate? Because Lenovo trimmed down some keys, I had difficulties adjusting to the Duet’s cramped keyboard layout.

I just couldn’t envision myself using this laptop as a productive device — the cramped keyboard isn’t ideal for me. Instead, I see the Duet as a traveling companion.

However, I could picture myself taking this tiny Chromebook to the airport. In addition, I could connect to some of my work from the cloud without having to carry a bigger-footprint laptop.

The touchpad, which has a size of 3.4 x 1.9 inches, handled Chrome gestures well, such as a two-finger swipe to return to a previous page and a three-finger downward slide to close all windows.

Audio on the Lenovo Chromebook Duet

For a low-cost Chromebook, the audio on the Duet is precisely what I expected: they’re adequate. The dual speakers — positioned on top of the tablet — provided well-balanced sound with good audio quality.

On Spotify, I checked out Sam Fischer’s “This City.” The song’s beautiful melody played softly on the speakers as Fischer sang his heart out. When I listened to music with powerful bass drops, though, it said somewhat distorted. Nonetheless, it didn’t ruin my enjoyment of the song.

The Duet’s two speakers filled my medium-sized, sociable-distance chamber — I mean room — without a problem. However, in a larger area, the speakers would most likely struggle to dominate the space.

How does the Lenovo Chromebook Duet perform?

The Chromebook Duet is powered by a Mediatek Helio P60T 2.0GHz octa-core CPU and 4GB of RAM, giving enough multitasking performance.

However, I was concerned about how poorly it would perform (since Mediatek CPUs have never inspired much confidence), so I started small, mixing a 1080p YouTube video of J. Kenji López-Alt cooking smash burgers with a few Chrome windows.

The Duet remained agile and responsive as I switched between tabs and scrolled up and down. Performance was consistent as I added more charges, including the Google Doc for this review.

However, when I had 11 open tabs alongside cooking videos, the Duet began to lag slightly. Tabs pause momentarily while loading as I move from one to the next. In addition, when watching YouTube, it took around 2.5 seconds for the video to resize, which was a significant annoyance for me.

Benchmarks revealed that the somewhat more expensive rivals outperform the Chromebook Duet. For example, on Geekbench 4’s general performance benchmark (via Google Play emulation), the Duet scored a 5,526, which was below but comparable to the 6,815 of the Surface Go 2 (Intel 8th Gen Core m3 CPU with 8GB of RAM) and 3,613 of Samsung’s Chromebook 4 (Intel Celeron 3000N processor with 4GB of RAM).

On the JetStream 2 benchmark, which measures web browser application performance, the Chromebook Duet scored 31.9.

That’s less than the Samsung Chromebook 4’s 49 and the Surface Go 2’s 74.9, as well as a fraction of the iPad’s 91.9 (79). The HTML5 and JavaScript-based WebXPRT 3 test gave the Chromebook Duet a score of 58. The iPad (92) and Surface Go 2 (139) had far superior scores (138).

To put it to the test, I downloaded two Android games: Alto’s Adventure, a cartoonish and more-realistic Asphalt 9 racing game. Unfortunately, even in the opening credits of Asphalt 9, the latter ran with a bit of stutter.

Battery life on the Lenovo Chromebook Duet?

Lenovo said that the Chromebook Duet has a battery life of 10 hours, which I expected to be a bit overestimated (see my Laptop Battery Life Estimates Are Rarely Accurate article for more information). Still, the Duet’s battery endurance was undersold.

The Samsung Chromebook 3 and the HP Chromebook x360 12b couldn’t match the Lenovo Chromebook Duet’s battery life, measured over 24 hours.

The rivals of the tiny laptop, including the Samsung Chromebook 3 and HP Chromebook x360 12b, couldn’t beat it with battery durations of 9 hours and 44 minutes and 8 hours and 6 minutes, respectively. The Lenovo Chromebook Duet also outlasted the typical battery duration of laptops, 10 hours and 19 minutes.

Lenovo Chromebook Duet camera review

Tablets are not great cameras, and the Lenovo Chromebook Duet isn’t much better. Even in the age of working from home, a 2-megapixel front-facing camera is considered insufficient.

The selfies I took on the slate, on the other hand, demonstrate that while you’ll appear recognizable, there won’t be too much detail; don’t expect this to be your video capture device.

The rear-mounted 8MP camera on the Duet also isn’t up to snuff, especially when sunlight shines onto its pixels.

When I took it for a short walk in downtown Manhattan, all of my photographs were washed out or blown out if the blue sky was included. Only close-ups of flowers looked acceptable, yet they had poor detail and a fuzzy appearance.

The Lenovo Chromebook Duet software and warranty

The Lenovo Chromebook Duet, of course, is powered by Chrome OS and features a taskbar with easy access to Chrome, Google Docs, and the Google Play Store.

You may download all of your favorite applications from the Google Play Store, including Netflix, YouTube, and Disney+, as well as some entertaining games like Asphalt 9.

The Lenovo Chromebook Duet has automatic updates that run in the background every six weeks, allowing the device to keep up with the most recent features without interrupting you. This is covered by a warranty of up to 8 years.

The Lenovo Chromebook Duet comes with a one-year limited warranty. Also, see how Lenovo competed in our annual special reports, including Tech Support Showdown and Best and Worst Brands, to get an idea of how long the manufacturer stands by its products.

Lenovo Chromebook Duet review: ChromeOS for tablets evolves

With Google Play access, Chrome OS’ initial significant shift was to Android apps. Following that, the Lenovo Chromebook Duet represents the platform’s migration to touch. You’ll only notice when the keyboard is detached with tablet mode improvements.

The new tabs interface in Chrome is my favorite of these features. Tap the number box (a one inside a box, if you have no tabs), and a row of tabs will appear at the top of the screen with a big + button for new tabs. It’s a fantastic method to make use of the big tablet display.

Edge gestures (backward and forward swipes) aren’t anything new, but I am relieved to see that Chrome web apps behave similarly to their mobile counterparts.

Take YouTube, for example: swiping left and right on the screen rewinds and fast forwards it. This is still something I want Desktop Chrome to have.

While you may split the ChromeOS screen between two windows, they’ve added a brand-new drag and drop approach to the mix. To see all of your open windows, swipe down from the bottom of the screen first. Then, move windows around on the net by dragging them to either side.

The Google Assistant is still capable of cutting it in ChromeOS. The Chromebook Duet’s pair of far-field microphones makes it easier to set up by saying “OK, Google” and issuing verbal directives.

When I asked about my weekly calendar appointments for the rest of the week, it got a little flirtatious, remarking, “At 6 pm tomorrow, you have yoga, namaste.”

YOU AGREE TO CONTINUE: LENOVO CHROMEBOOK DUET

Before using any modern technology, you must accept a string of terms and conditions — contracts that no one reads.

We can’t read and evaluate every single one of these agreements. However, because these are contracts most people don’t read and can’t negotiate, we’ve started counting how many times you have to click “agree” while reviewing them.

To use the Lenovo Chromebook Duet, you have to agree to:

  • Connect to Wi-Fi
  • Chrome OS terms of service
  • Chrome sync (porting over history, bookmarks, passwords, and other settings from your Google account)
  • Personalized Google services
  • Google Play terms of services

The following agreements are optional:

  • Send diagnostic and usage data to Google
  • A Google account
  • Back up to Google Drive
  • Allow apps and services with location permission to use your device’s location
  • Google Assistant voice match
  • Let Assistant show you information related to what’s on your screen
  • Connect to an Android phone

Final tally: five mandatory agreements and seven optional ones

Conclusion

The Lenovo Chromebook Duet seems like the Microsoft Surface Go with its small design, foldable stand, and detachable keyboard. The Duet’s $279 price tag is still more reasonable, though — plus, the keyboard is included in the kit.

The Duet includes a color touchscreen display, as well. It outperforms all of its Chromebook competitors in terms of performance, battery life, and brightness. I’m willing to overlook the Duet’s thick bezels and missing headphone jack because of its excellent low price.

The Duet, however, has one major disadvantage: its cramped keyboard. As a result, I’d advocate the Duet for travelers who want a secondary, super-small device that adds little Weight to their luggage as they move from airport to airport.

It’s so tiny that passengers may prop up the Duet on the plane tray table and do some light work before returning home to a larger workstation. The Duet is also ideal for children who wish an attractive 2-in-1 notebook with gaming capabilities, YouTube access, Netflix capability, and web surfing functionality.

However, the keyboard on the Duet is a disappointment for intensive productivity that needs hours and hours of typing. For this purpose, I’d recommend the HP Chromebook x360 12b — it’s within the same price range as the Duet and has a dreamy keyboard.

If you’re a frequent flier or a busy bee looking for a smaller, secondary display, consider the Duet. I’d recommend the device in a heartbeat if you’re an ardent Chrome OS user or are searching for another way to get work done on the move. However, the Lenovo Chromebook Duet is still an excellent value buy that shines in the 2-in-1 Chromebook market.

What is the average life of a Lenovo Chromebook duet?

The Lenovo Duet Chromebook has a battery life of up to 12 hours, in line with Lenovo’s claims. In Real Life Use, You Will give 10 hours and 19 minutes of Support.

Is there Bluetooth on the Lenovo Chromebook Duet?

Yes, Bluetooth 4.2 wireless connectivity.

What colors are available for the Lenovo Chromebook duo?

Ice Blue + Iron Gray is a gray hue.

Is the Lenovo Duet water-resistant?

There is no waterproofing material.

Is it possible to run Android apps on the Lenovo Chromebook duo?

The Duet comes with Android app support, as do many other Chrome OS devices. Some apps are compatible with the whole screen, while others are limited to a phone-sized window.

Is there Fast charging on the Lenovo duet?

The ports on this charger each have a charging speed of 18W, and the best news is that the maximum output is 36W, allowing you to charge two gadgets at once. So you may charge your Chromebook Duet at 18 watts while simultaneously charging your smartphone at 18 watts.

Is there a touch screen on the Lenovo IdeaPad duet Chromebook?

Yes, the Lenovo IdeaPad Duet Chromebook features a 10.1-inch IPS touch screen display.

The Lenovo Chromebook Duet is a fantastic laptop that will work for the family. It has a 13-inch touchscreen display and comes with 2 USB ports, an HDMI port, and a headphone jack. The battery life lasts up to 12 hours on one charge! This is perfect for traveling or just using at home. You can use it in either tablet or laptop mode depending on what you need from it currently. There are lots of apps available so you’ll never get bored with this great device!

Lenovo Chromebook Duet
Best Laptops Deal Cover | Lenovo Chromebook Duet: Everything You Need To Know

10.1" WUXGA (1920 x 1200) Display, MediaTek Helio P60T, 4GB LPDDR4X RAM, 128GB eMCP SSD, Integrated ARM G72 MP3 Graphics, Chrome OS, ZA6F0031US, Ice Blue + Iron Grey

Product Brand: Lenovo

Product Currency: USD

Product Price: $249.00

Product In-Stock: InStock

Editor's Rating:
4.4

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