Review Lenovo Duet Chromebook

Light, cheap and surprising. There's so much to love about this 2-in-1 chromebook.

Evaluation: 8/10

Strength

1. Small, light, lots of ports
2. Cheap but good finishing
3. The keyboard fits unexpectedly with the size of the device
4. Long battery
5. The display is bright and sharp
6. Perfect web surfing tablet function

Weakness

1. Key hinges with uncertain screen
2. No external SD card support
3. The small screen and the Chrome OS operating system make operation difficult
4. There is no headphone jack

While most laptops today are just bland plastic or metal pieces, Lenovo's Duet Chromebook proves itself to be an innovative and exciting machine. In fact, the price of this device is relatively cheap compared to the quality it brings.

Not everyone likes this Lenovo Duet. This is a Chromebook device, which means there are certain software limitations. But it's not so bad. For those who can work on Chromebooks, and want a slim and light device with good battery life, this Lenovo PC is made for them.

Tablet devices are promising

Lenovo Duet is a bit smaller than the first-generation iPad, while its experience is almost identical to the Microsoft Surface Go. It has a 10-inch screen and detachable keyboard plus a case.

You can easily hold Duet like any regular Lenovo tablet. It is the perfect size to hold in bed or on a chair. However, turning off the automatic rotation of the screen on Duet is a bit difficult, unlike on Android tablets or regular iPads. This is not Lenovo's fault, because Chrome OS is still 'inactive' on tablet devices.

Review Lenovo Duet Chromebook Picture 1 Close up of Lenovo Duet Chromebook

The good news is that Google is already working on making Chrome OS more tablet-friendly. Earlier this year, there were new enhancements supported for tablet mode, which allowed users to perform some basic operations like on Android phones.

Swipe from the bottom of the screen you will have a combination of frequently used applications. Doing the same thing, but lasting longer and faster will get you back to the main screen. Continue with that operation, but stop at the end you will see the newly used applications. While using Chrome Web, you can swipe left to return to the previous page (although it may not work perfectly).

Lenovo Duet will automatically switch to the new tablet mode when you attach the keyboard, and this is a great way to surf the web. The screen size is 1920x1200, 16:10 aspect ratio, which is the right size for reading text on a computer. 400 nit brightness is just enough when used in the sun, even though sometimes a little blinding. However, this device is still suitable for outdoor activities without causing too much eye damage.

It is worth mentioning that the experience of Android applications through Chrome OS is still not really good, whether in tablet mode or not. Especially the Slack application, which works extremely badly. It was constantly pushed out, causing the Duet to lock, and refusing to send messages. The Android Zoom application is also not much better, but it can work normally on the web version.

Ultra slim keyboard

Lenovo Duet keyboard is extremely thin and light, easy to carry around.

This Duet keyboard fits the screen thanks to the strong suction system, though it still feels a bit loose because the metal piece between the two parts is a bit fragile. Fortunately, the back cover (also attached by magnets) helps the device stand on a flat surface, such as a desk top. That thin piece of metal is the only problem if you want to put the computer on your lap.

Review Lenovo Duet Chromebook Picture 2 Removable keyboard by Lenovo Duet Chromebook

The keyboard matches exactly the size of the Duet. To keep all the standard keys, Lenovo combed the numeric keypad on the right hand side. This does not matter much unless you have a habit of using those keys. It will take a short time for you to get used to this new keyboard, especially for those who switch from a traditional keyboard. The trackpad is also designed to be very convenient, when typing keys never get entangled.

A minor problem is about the ports on this device. It only has a single USB-C port for charging or when you want to connect your Chromebook to an external device. Or you have to equip a different set of ports if you want to work easily. The tablet also does not have a headphone jack, like on Surface Go or iPad. This is really inconvenient, you have to depend on the switch port or the use of wireless headsets.

Review Lenovo Duet Chromebook Picture 3 The device's unique USB-C connection port

Just enough power

Some operations will be difficult to perform on Duet's 10-inch screen, but for most basic applications there is no problem. One charge can work all day. All of that is thanks to its powerful processor - MediaTek Helio P60T and 4GB of RAM.

When working on websites such as email, texting, and devices with fast response speed, even when opening light image editors such as Gimp running through Linux and other basic tasks. . Only when opening about 15-20 Chrome tabs at the same time with half a dozen Android apps, the device starts to show signs of slowing down.

Review Lenovo Duet Chromebook Picture 4 The display of Lenovo Duet Chromebook

If you intend to buy this Chromebook, the 128GB version is a much smarter choice than the 64GB version, because as mentioned above, Lenovo Duet does not have an SD port that supports external memory cards.

All in all, that's all Duet has done - and that's probably the most worth $ 300 you've ever spent.