The Penoval USI Pen 2.0 works and stows perfectly on the new Lenovo Duet 11″

The new Lenovo Chromebook Duet 11″ is a hit for certain. Building on an already-firm foundation of Duets that have gone before it, this latest iteration of Lenovo’s Chromebook Tablet takes all the good stuff from devices that came before and only makes changes for the better. Where we sometimes get sequels that fix issues only to cause new ones, the Duet 11″ excels at being one of the best iterations that I can think of.

One of my few gripes I have with the device is the fogginess around the USI 2.0 pen that is in the box for some SKUs and not in the box for others. As an accessory that likely doesn’t add too much to the bottom line, I don’t really understand why all the versions of this excellent Chromebook tablet wouldn’t come equipped with the handy, new pen from Lenovo.

Alas, that is the case, and it really is a bit of a bummer. The included pen works well with the tablet and has a great magnetic storage area around back that holds everything in place very nicely. Earlier Duets really missed the mark on this part of the tablet/pen experience, but this new one really nails it well. I’ve still yet to experience a single instance of the pen falling off accidentally.

Another option is out there

Regardless, if you buy the Duet 11″ from Best Buy, your device won’t come with the new Lenovo USI 2.0 Pen, and for now at least, you can’t even buy one; and that makes shipping these devices without the included pen doubly-frustrating. Isn’t the exclusion of the pen enough of a bummer without adding on top the reality that you can’t scoop one up if you want it?

Thankfully, we’ve recently discovered that one of the best-selling USI 2.0 pens on the market – the Penoval USI 2.0 – not only works perfectly with the Duet 11″; it actually fits in the magnetic slot for the pen on the back of the tablet as if it was made to do so.

And this isn’t just a case of it kinda fitting and making due; this pen fits on the Duet 11″ as if it was a first-party accessory made directly for this tablet. I’m sure there are growing standards for magnets in pens that both of these devices happen to adhere to, but I was still blown away by how well all of this worked together.

And you know what? You can easily buy the Penoval USI 2.0 pen right now for just $59.90 and have it in a matter of days. It’s rechargeable via USB Type-C and since we got it in the office many months ago, it’s been a solid performer on any USI device we’ve used it on. So, if you have the new Duet 11″ and didn’t get the pen, fear not: there’s a simple, affordable answer that works just as well as the first-party accessory that realistically should have been included in the first place.