Lenovo Chromebook Duet 11″ Review [VIDEO]

Lenovo Chromebook Duet 11″

MSRP – $359 – $399

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Rating: 4.5 out of 5.

“I can say without question that this is the best Chromebook tablet you can buy right now. “

Pros

• Great build quality
• Gorgous, bright screen
• Super-portable
• Great battery life
• Usable speed for productivity
• Great cameras
• Kickstand, keyboard and pen in the box (on some SKUs)

Cons

• ChromeOS tablet mode is still just OK
• Not a powerhouse CPU
• Pretty small for longer work sessions

The new Lenovo Chromebook Duet is here, and much like its predecessor – the Duet 3 – this device upgrades a few things that were absolutely needed, but keeps much of the already-working formula in place. So lets take a look at what’s changed and why this latest Duet is without question the best overall Chromebook tablet yet.

I’ve said it before and I’ll keep saying it: I love the idea of a Chromebook tablet way more than the actual thing itself. That’s not a knock to this form factor, but more of a critique on my ability to wrap my head around what I would actually use a tablet for in the first place.

My phone screen is big – and massive if I’m using my Galaxy Z Fold 5 – so I don’t feel the need to grab a device with a larger screen unless it has a keyboard attached. At that point, I’m looking for something in more of the clamshell style, so even when I do have a good tablet around to use, I don’t tend to reach for it.

The latest Duet does little to change this for someone like me, but that shouldn’t bother any of you who already like tablets, use tablets, and would enjoy one that can actually be used at the desk to get some serious work done, too. The new Duet is 100% that device, and the upgrades Lenovo packed into this latest model easily make it the best Chromebook tablet I’ve ever used.

The good stuff they kept

First, let’s quickly cover what’s basically the same. The form factor, screen, and general utility on offer hasn’t changed much. You’re looking at an 11-inch screen that is 1920×1200, 16:10, IPS, and quite bright at 400 nits. It’s gorgeous much like the two smaller, prior Duets that came before.

And if you’ve handled the Duet 3 specifically, you know what we’re talking about, here. They feel quite similar in the hand, and that’s a good thing. I loved the bezels, chassis, and overall build quality on the Duet 3, and that all stays for the new Duet. You can hold it in one hand quite easily thanks to the 1.12 pound weight and the all-glass, all-metal body makes it feel secure and confident.

And just like last time, the keyboard and kickstand case come in the box, are well made, and securely lock into place via magnets all around the device. Both the keyboard and kickstand can be easily removed when you want to kick back with just the tablet, and this is a hardware equation that simply works: no need to change it up.

The Duet also comes with USI pen support that once again makes a ton of sense on a device this portable. I can see lots of people using it to jot down notes, sign PDFs or any number of things with the pen that is even included in some SKUs. Again, this was true of the last Duet, and having pen support at the core of this device makes a ton of sense.

What’s been upgraded

Now, let’s talk about upgrades. While the Duet 3 moved the needle a lot versus the first Duet, the new model feels more iterative. But it’s in all the right ways. First up, the kickstand has been completely re-thought: and it is genius. With the angle of the hinge, this tablet can be stood up in either landscape or portrait orientations. And it just looks really cool.

To go along with that new kickstand setup, Lenovo thoughtfully added a USB Type C port to both the side and top of the tablet, so either way you position it, you have a port sitting down low to connect peripherals to. It’s a nice touch.

The keyboard feels just as good – if not a bit better – than before, but now comes with spill resistance. As a device that is likely to find itself on tables in coffee shops with pretty good regularity, this is a thoughtful addition from Lenovo for sure.

And coming back around to the pen, Lenovo not only provides a new, updated USI 2.0 pen in some SKUs, but also a much better mechanism for keeping up with it. While the magnetic back won’t charge the pen, it keeps it incredibly secure and not once did it fall off when putting the Duet in and out of my backpack. The AAAA battery should last about a year, so I’m totally fine with having a convenient place to stow the pen without constantly worrying whether or not it is charged. It’s a big upgrade from the last few Duet pen holders for sure.

And right near that pen spot are the cameras – 5MP up front and 8MP around back – that are both stunning. The front camera makes you look fantastic for video calls and comes with a physical privacy shutter, while the back camera at 8MP is the first Chromebook camera I’d feel comfortable taking photos or videos with. While still not on the level of a modern smartphone, this camera is absolutely serviceable and, again, a huge upgrade over any that have come before it.

Finally, on both sides of this tablet are some notable speaker grills that house some very loud speakers. They don’t have a lot of deep tones, but they project a lot of volume that is great for video calls and watching some YouTube videos. I wouldn’t rely on them for longer, more-involved movies or shows, but they work just fine for the simpler stuff.

A needed boost in performance

But all of those upgrades would be useless if this thing was sluggish, right? Thankfully, the new MediaTek Kompanio 838 inside does a great job of juggling battery life and speed, giving me a tiny tablet that I can actually use at the desk to do everything a bigger Chromebook would do.

Keeping multiple desks open and pushing my QHD monitor at 120Hz, this tiny tablet barely broke a sweat. Out and about, I never had to worry whether or not it would keep up with anything I threw at it, either, and I’d happily work all day with this device and a USB Type-C monitor in the bag. With all-day battery life easily getting 10+ hours of use on a charge, this is an on-the-go warrior that you can throw in just about any bag you choose.

Our review model is the SKU with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage for $399, and it’s the one I’d nudge you towards if you are thinking of picking one up. With updates until June of 2034, you’ll appreciate the extra 4GB of RAM you get for that $40 upcharge, and I promise you won’t miss that money in a few months. I guarantee you’ll miss that extra RAM in a few years, though.

And that’s the new Lenovo Chromebook Duet in a nutshell. It’s improved in a bunch of small-yet-significant ways and I can say without question that this is the best Chromebook tablet you can buy right now. For those of you that love using tablets but still want that tablet to be usable for some pretty serious productivity tasks, or if you are just looking for a small, portable Chromebook with a great screen, solid performance, and great battery life – this Duet is going to be an absolute home run for you.