During MWC 2022 back in early March of this year, we had the opportunity to spend some time with a pre-production version of the Lenovo Chromebook Duet 3, and we came away pretty impressed. With all the things the original Duet got right, Lenovo simply needed to show up with a version that corrected a few mistakes, and they’ve done so.
The device we have in-hand for this video is a final unit ready for sale, so we can fully evaluate the Duet 3 this time around and intend to do so. For this unboxing, we really just wanted to see what Lenovo plans to include in the retail packaging and see if there were any tweaks to the overall device since our time with it back in March.
For the box, things are similar to what we saw with the previous Duet and the newer Duet 5. The packaging is pleasant and clean, making the initial introduction of the device a bit nicer than your average Chromebook. You get a 30W charging block with an included USB Type C cable just like we see in the Duet 5 box. Additionally, Lenovo included the rubber pen holder as well that attaches to the back kickstand plate: something we’ve been interested in for months at this point but never had a chance to try. It’s an inelegant solution to a pen holder, but at least it is included. The pen is not.
Like other Duet products, the kickstand back plate and keyboard are included in the box and this version we have (with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of eMMC storage) has already been marked down from the $369 MSRP a few times. As we were filming the video, Lenovo had it on sale for $259, but it has since returned to $299 for the time being. This is the sort of thing we expect from devices like the Duet, however, and I’d imagine we’ll continue to see discounts from here on out.
I’m really hopeful that as outlets like Best Buy begin stocking this device, they’ll choose to go with the higher-end model with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. That’s what happened with the original and we know there is a model that will be available in that spec, so our fingers are crossed that lightning strikes twice and the price bump for the better internals isn’t too hefty.
With those specs we get the now-familiar Snapdragon 7c Gen 2 processor, a bright, vibrant 1920×1200 11-inch IPS display, and a form factor that feels great in one hand and still has enough screen real estate to get some work done. The side-firing speakers aren’t terrible, but they aren’t great, either in our early tests. The same goes for the cameras – a 5MP front and 8MP rear – and they perform as you’d expect. Still, extra megapixels for video calls is never a bad thing, and I think those sorts of activities will be a bright spot for this Chromebook.
We still have quite a bit of evaluation to do on this device, for sure, but we wanted to show everyone the initial impressions of the final version of this latest tablet from Lenovo. With solid performance, USI support, regular updates until June of 2029, a satisfying keyboard, better speakers, dual USB Type C ports and very good screen, I’d say Lenovo addressed most of the gripes we had with the original Duet. The thin kickstand and better build quality already make me like this tablet far better than its predecessor, but now the testing begins to see what this little Chromebook is made of.
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