Lenovo announced at the Mobile World Congress that the IdeaPad Duet Chromebook will be fully updated in 2022. The 10-inch IdeaPad Duet Chromebook was hugely popular when it was released in 2020 because of its small size, good performance, inexpensive price, and less than $300. The new version is full of improvements and addresses some of the shortcomings of the original version.
The Duet 3 became an 11-inch Chrome OS tablet with a display with 2K resolution. The once-questioned MediaTek processor has been replaced by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 7c Gen 2 computing platform, which should improve the performance of the original or even similarly sized HP Chromebook x2, which ran on the first generation of 7c computing platforms.
The Duet 3 Chromebook now comes with an 11-inch display.
Lenovo solved two of my biggest grievances about the first-generation model. One of them is that it has only one USB-C port. This may not seem like a big problem, but without a hub or adapter, charging and using the port to do anything else would be impossible. The new Duet 3 has USB-C ports on both sides, so you can charge and connect displays or memory at the same time.
There is also the problem with the keyboard, which is crowded and has some half-sized keys, which causes the typing experience to become very poor. The new version’s larger display size means Lenovo has left some extra space for keys and touchpads on the updated keyboard, and the key spacing is slightly better, at 1.4mm. Keyboards and open brackets are also included. This is in stark contrast to some Windows-based tablets, as they force you to buy the keyboard separately. Although, the Duet 3 Chromebook also supports handwriting, but this requires you to buy it separately.
The Duet 3 has an 8-megapixel rear camera and a 5-megapixel front-facing webcam.
The new keyboard is also better when you’re not using it. With the original, you really had to fully remove the keyboard to use the Duet as a tablet. Now, you can flip the keyboard around to the rear and it will magnetically snap to the display and simultaneously disable the keyboard and touchpad.
Of course, the improvement also means an upward price, with the expected starting price of the Duet 3 starting at $400 when it goes public in May.
The new Duet 5i is a Windows 11 detachable two-in-one.
Lenovo also expanded the Duet line beyond Chromebooks and will now use the Duet name for all of its two-in-ones with detachable keyboards, including the new IdeaPad Duet 5i coming in July.
Expected to start at $750, the Duet 5i is a 12-inch Windows 11 tablet with a detachable keyboard folio. Lenovo will also offer an optional backlit keyboard for the device, which will better adapt to dimly lit conference rooms and lecture halls. It will come with up to 12 generations of Intel Core i7, but the base model is the basic Pentium chip. Still, when fully loaded, it’s likely to be a great replacement for Microsoft’s Surface Pro. However, this is only speculation, and all the questions we will have to wait until the summer to find answers.
Lenovo has added new models to its IdeaPad Flex Chromebook and Windows 11 two-in-one convertible lineups as well. They feature the latest processors from AMD and Intel, brighter, higher-resolution display options, and redesigned hinges that lift the rear of the laptops when opened for better cooling and ergonomics. The new Flex 5 and 5i will be available in May in 14- and 16-inch sizes, with a choice of AMD or Intel processors starting as low as $620. The 14-inch Flex 5i Chromebook arrives in June and starts at $500. A 15-inch Flex 3i Chromebook will be available starting at $400.
If you’d prefer an Android tablet, Lenovo updated its Tab M10 Plus with a brighter 1080p 10.6-inch 2K LCD display, an octa-core processor, and up to 6GB of RAM and 128GB of storage, plus pen support. The tablet will have up to 12 hours of battery life as well. Look for it in June starting at $190.
With so much to do, lenovo is worth looking forward to this summer!
