Fresh Lenovo Googlebook Duet 13 leak points to January launch with a new name

I have spent a good amount of time writing about Lenovo’s upcoming Googlebook detachable tablet over the last few year or so, tracking it from early board references (‘Sapphire’) all the way to the wireless Bluetooth keyboard deck clearing the FCC. But Evan Blass just dropped a fresh batch of leaked renders on X that finally clear up the remaining confusion around branding and design.

According to Blass (who has a pretty stellar track record with these things), the device we’ve been tracking as the ‘Duet m’ is officially arriving under a similar-but-familiar title instead: the Lenovo Googlebook Duet 13 that seems to be locked in for a launch this January.

What the new leak actually tells us

Today’s leak gives us three solid, concrete pieces of new information surrounding this highly-anticipated new tablet running Googlebook OS:

• The final branding: The device is officially set to arrive as the Googlebook Duet 13, falling more in line with the way the other Googlebooks are currently named.
• The diagonal hinge design is confirmed: The newly surfaced renders give us our best look yet at the back cover, confirming it uses a diagonal split and kickstand setup similar to what we’ve seen on the Lenovo Chromebook Duet 11.
• The launch window: Evan Blass confirms a targeted release in January, pointing squarely toward a major showcase at CES.

Everything else we know about this hardware – from the MediaTek Dimensity chip to the 16GB of LPDDR5X RAM to the clever dual-mode pogo-pin and Bluetooth keyboard and wirelessly-recharging USI pen – is stuff we’ve already tracked through FCC filings and firmware code over the last few months.

Why I’m glad they didn’t rush this to NYC in September

When we walked into Google’s hardware event in New York City back in September, I was honestly confused why this 13-inch OLED detachable stayed on the bench while the initial wave of clamshell Googlebooks took center stage. Now? I am deeply relieved Google and Lenovo held it back.

As I’ve written about in my brutally honest thoughts on Googlebook OS, the initial software rollout has had its fair share of growing pains. While traditional laptops can mask some of those missing desktop refinements, a flagship 13-inch tablet lives and dies by its fluidity. If the Duet 13 had launched alongside the first-wave clamshells in October, an incredible piece of hardware would have been completely overshadowed by a half-baked tablet mode and unfinished UI.

Giving the engineering team a few extra months to dial in a smooth switch from desktop to tablet modes means the Duet 13 could have a fighting chance to launch with a polished software experience right out of the gate. But January is just around the corner, and Googlebook OS needs some serious cleanup in the UI department before this device debuts. Here’s hoping those changes and updates keep coming in fast.