Upcoming Chromebook tablet ‘Ciri’ being tested with a QHD display

It’s been a little bit since we last talked about the new Chromebook tablets on the way that are built around the yet-unannounced MediaTek MT8188 SoC, but make no mistake – they are still in the works. And today, we have some new features to talk about for at least one version of this Chromebook that is hopefully set to make a debut at CES 2024 in January.

A quick catch up on ‘Geralt’ and ‘Ciri’

In case you are new to all of this, let me get you quickly caught up. Back in February, we found evidence that new Chromebook tablets were in the works. Centered around a development board code named ‘Geralt’, we were able to find a handful of details about these devices in relatively quick order.

First up, the SoC powering these devices will be the MediaTek MT8188 that slots itself between the high-end Kompanio 1380 and the mid-range Kompanio 828. The cores in this chip are all the same as the faster Kompanio 1380, but the configuration is a bit different with only 2 large Cortex-A78 cores (versus 4 in the 1380) and 6 smaller Cortex-A55 cores (versus the 4 in the 1380). It means battery life should be better and performance not quite on par with the Kompanio 1380. Quite literally perfect for a Chromebook tablet.

Not too long ago, we found ‘Ciri’ – an offshoot of ‘Geralt’ that will likely be the first actual device base board in development. Other details have been found as well, including tests with the same OLED screen we see in the current Lenovo Duet 5 and a screen similar to that in the existing Duet 3. Along with this, we’ve also found battery info that points to Lenovo being involved with ‘Ciri’ and whatever device this board ends up becoming. But there’s always more to uncover before we get an official reveal.

‘Ciri’ being tested with a QHD screen

And that brings us to today’s news. Currently, we’re seeing references to ‘Ciri’ being tested with a QHD screen from HiMax. While neither the Duet 5 nor the Duet 3 have this sort of resolution, it wouldn’t be a first in a Chromebook tablet. Remember the HP x2 11 Chromebook tablet? Though QHD was a poor choice for the Snapdragon 7c Gen 1 in that device, it did come equipped with a 3:2 QHD panel that ended up being a bit of overkill.

As we can see from this code change for ‘Ciri’ in the Chromium Repositories, the Himax HX83102J touchscreen is being added. As you would assume, after seeing this I immediately did some digging to find out what this panel is, and Himax’s website made it perfectly clear.

As we can see from this spec sheet, the HX83102-J is an RGB display that comes in at a max resolution of 2560×1600 – or QHD at a 16:10 aspect ratio. While we’ve yet to see a Lenovo Chromebook Duet with QHD resolution, we’ve definitely seen a few with 16:10 aspect ratios. Both the original Duet and the Duet 3 utilize this taller aspect ratio, and it seems at least one Duet in the future may do the same.

Dreams and realities

Immediately, my mind goes to the Duet 5 successor. Imagine a similar 13-inch device with a 16:10 aspect ratio and QHD resolution. That would be amazing! And with all those pixels, it has to be the larger Duet that we’re looking at with ‘Ciri’, right? Well, not so fast.

Remember the HP x2 11 I mentioned above? That device was QHD, but it was also only an 11-inch tablet. That means if Lenovo really wanted to, they could cram all those pixels into the smaller Duet 3-style footprint. But as I said before, it’s a performance tax on a device that has no real upside. QHD starts making sense at 14-inches and above, not below.

For smaller screens, those extra pixels are just there for vanity’s sake and don’t really change the overall perception at all. Instead, they just tax the processor a bit more for no good reason, and this is precisely why I’m hopeful that Lenovo is saving this Himax QHD screen for a larger form factor. Give us a proper Duet 5 sequel with a taller aspect ratio, sharper screen, and the same build quality it already has and we’re in business. With the MT8188 under the hood, this ‘Ciri’ Chromebook could finally be the detachable tablet that becomes the ultimate all-in-one device for both work and consumption, and I cannot wait to finally get my hands on one. Fingers crossed for a CES 2024 reveal!