‘Sapphire’ isn’t just an ‘Aluminium’ flagship: it is actually the first Chromebook Plus tablet

We have spent a lot of time talking about ‘Sapphire’ in the last few months. We know it is a Lenovo-built device, we know it packs the powerful MediaTek Kompanio Ultra chip, and we know it features a very Pixel-esque light bar. But amidst all the excitement about the ‘Aluminium’ project kernel unification and premium hardware, there is one massive detail that often gets overlooked: ‘Sapphire’ is actually poised to be the world’s first Chromebook Plus detachable.

That might sound surprising given how popular devices in the Lenovo Chromebook Duet series have been. They are fantastic machines that have defined the category over the years, but if you look at the strict hardware requirements Google laid out for the “Chromebook Plus” designation, none of them made the cut.

They either lacked the raw processing power or the necessary camera specs to wear the badge. This has left a glaring hole in the ecosystem, meaning you can buy a Chromebook Plus clamshell or convertible, but if you want a pure tablet that runs the enhanced OS features, you have been out of luck.

Breaking the tablet performance barrier

‘Sapphire’ changes that equation entirely. By utilizing the MediaTek Kompanio Ultra under the hood, this device finally brings enough horsepower to the table to satisfy the Chromebook Plus performance requirements. This means for the first time, users will get the full suite of AI features like Magic Editor in Google Photos, Live Caption, and the new Gemini integration on a device that is primarily a tablet.

Until now, choosing a ChromeOS tablet meant accepting a bit of a compromise in performance. You picked the form factor for portability and media consumption, but you generally didn’t expect it to handle heavy multitasking or Linux apps with the same grace as a full laptop. ‘Sapphire’ should erase that compromise, offering a 13-inch canvas that is just as capable as its clamshell brethren.

A true premium experience

Beyond the internal specs, the move to Plus status aligns perfectly with the external hardware we have uncovered in the Chromium repositories. A 13-inch display puts it in direct competition with the iPad Pro and Surface Pro, while the inclusion of a wirelessly charging USI pen (a feature we haven’t seen since the HP Chromebook x2 11) suggests this is a device meant for serious creators, not just casual browsers.

When you combine that performance tier with the signature four-color light bar and the build quality we expect from Lenovo’s high-end manufacturing, ‘Sapphire’ isn’t just checking boxes for the sake of the ‘Aluminium’ project. It is finally delivering a true Pixel Slate successor that should be incredible. We are still waiting for a concrete release window, but one thing is certain: when ‘Sapphire’ lands, the bar for ChromeOS tablets will be raised significantly.