On the top-left corner, you’ll find the words “Lenovo” printed in black on a small, rectangular silver plate. Scoring 5,526 on the Geekbench 4 overall performance benchmark, the Duet crushed two competitors: the HP Chromebook x360 12b (3,400), which is equipped with an Intel Celeron N400 and 4GB of RAM, and the HP Chromebook 14 (2,733), which is powered by an Intel Celeron N3350 CPU and 4GB of RAM. RAM: 4GB Size: 9.6 x 6.7 x 0.7 The Lenovo Chromebook Duet is also highly color accurate with a near-perfect 0.2 Delta-E rating (closer to 0 is best). This test measures responsiveness in web apps by adding, removing, and checking off items in a to-do list. But this device’s transformative capability isn’t its only alluring feature — the Lenovo Chromebook Duet lasted almost 13 hours on our battery test, which beats the 10-hour average runtime for Chromebooks. This Chromebook is a great laptop for students who want to keep their expenses down, or indeed anyone who fancies a really … The Lenovo Chromebook Duet with the keyboard and kickstand cover has the dimensions of 9.6 x 6.7 x 0.7 inches while the tablet alone is 9.4 x 6.3 x 0.3 inches. The miniature Chrome OS laptop is smaller than its rivals: the Samsung Chromebook 3’s footprint is 11 x 8 x 0.7 inches while the HP Chromebook x360 12b takes up 11 x 9 x 0.7 inches. The whole package, stand cover and keyboard included, weighs only 2 pounds. It should be able to last through a school day's worth of remote learning without issue. Battery life is a bit of a letdown as well, lasting 8 hours and 47 minutes in CrXPRT 2's battery rundown test. You won't notice it much on light backgrounds, but it becomes obvious in dark scenes during video playback. The Lenovo Chromebook Duet, of course, runs Chrome OS and features a taskbar with quick access to Chrome, Google Docs and the Google Play Store. Using the Google Play Store, you can download all of your favorite apps, including Netflix, YouTube and Disney+.You can also enjoy some light gaming with entertaining apps such as Asphalt 9. This image, taken of a black background in the dark, helps illustrate the light bleed on the Flex 5, particularly in the top-right corner of the screen. See how Lenovo fared in our annual special reports, including Tech Support Showdown and Best and Worst Brands. I have a bone to pick with the Lenovo Chromebook Duet’s edge-to-edge, iron-black detachable keyboard. The Duet’s colorful display also outperformed the category average (78%). The Lenovo Chromebook Duet doesn’t have the most brilliant screen, reaching 372 nits of brightness, but this mini 2-in-1 shined brighter than its rivals; The Samsung Chromebook 3 only output 259 nits of brightness while the HP Chromebook x360 12b is even dimmer with 216 nits of brightness. Finally, to test a Chromebook's battery life, we loop a locally stored video with screen brightness set at 50 percent, audio volume at 100 percent, and Wi-Fi disabled until the system quits. To stop Assistant from listening, you'll have to dig into the Flex 5's settings menu. But in a bigger space, the speakers will likely struggle to take over the room. I’d prefer the Duet as a travel companion. If you're still having trouble after trying these steps, contact your Chromebook manufacturer. HP, Lenovo, Dell, Google Chromebook sales are on fire. I’d remove the “s” — this Chromebook only has one USB Type-C port that supports power charging, data transfer, DisplayPort and USB on-the-go. The Duet was also defeated by the category average of 98.8. Admittedly, the Lenovo Chromebook Duet is still an amazing bang-for-your-buck product that’s a total star in the 2-in-1 Chromebook space. However, before we get to talk about the actual Chromebooks, I want you to be absolutely sure that a Chromebook is the right pick for you, so keep these aspects in mind (scroll past this section if you’re already familiar with Chromebooks): 1. Lenovo Chromebook Duet review: Best small 2-in-1 Chromebook around. While the top cover is made from aluminum, the bottom portion uses ABS plastic. These are pretty much the ideal tech specs for a Chromebook. Even with an Core i3 processor and 4GB of RAM, you probably won't notice any slowdowns while bouncing among browser tabs, nor should you have any trouble with Android apps like Microsoft Word. It's a tolerable trackpad experience overall, but not a great one. For intensive productivity that requires hours and hours of typing, however, the Duet’s keyboard is a letdown. Please refresh the page and try again. Note: When you purchase something after clicking links in our articles, we may earn a small commission. Read our, Learn more about PCWorld's Digital Editions, 13-inch, 1080p IPS touchscreen with 360-degree hinge, Left side: USB-C 3.1 Gen 1, USB-A 3.1 Gen 1, headphone jack, MicroSD card slot, Right side: USB-C 3.1 Gen 1, Kensington Lock, Weight: 2.97 pounds (3.6 pounds with power brick). This is guaranteed for up to 8 years. After snapping on the edge-to-edge, dark-gray keyboard, you’ve got yourself a miniature laptop. Using web apps like Gmail or Google Docs should pose no problems for the Flex 5. Copyright © 2020 IDG Communications, Inc. Tapping away on the Duet’s cramped keyboard, I typed at an abysmal 65 words per minute on the 10FastFingers.com test, which is far below my typical 87 wpm average. The Flex 5's battery life isn't bad, but other Chromebooks can last a lot longer. And while the Flex 5 technically supports stylus input, Lenovo doesn't include one in the box, nor does the laptop provide a convenient place to put it. In Speedometer it holds up even next to higher-end machines. I thought that was a notebook!”. A headphone jack is notably absent, however, Lenovo was considerate enough to include a USB Type-C-to-3.5 mm headphone jack adapter with the Duet. And because of its spectacular low price, I’m willing to overlook the Duet’s thick bezels and absent headphone jack. The kickstand cover has the look and feel of a twill business suit, which gives the Duet a professional aesthetic. OVERVIEW: It's time to un-laptop and go with the Lenovo Chromebook Duet This sleek and light 2-in-1 Chromebook switches from business to fun as easily as it switches from laptop to tablet mode Simply … The Lenovo Chromebook Duet comes with automatic updates that run in the background every six weeks, so the device will sport the latest software without interrupting you. The backlit keys barely make a sound when you depress them (though the space bar's a bit louder than the rest), and they provide a nice little bump as you press down. Lenovo halved the size of some keys, so I had difficulties adjusting to the Duet’s confined keyboard design. The Duet also scored higher than the average Chromebook, which has an overall-performance score of 5,293. However, there’s one major setback with the Duet: its cramped keyboard. Basemark Web 3.0 was more of an issue for the Flex 5, which isn't a huge surprise as it tests graphically-intense applications alongside JavaScript calculations. Demanding graphics aren't going to be a strong suit for the Lenovo Flex 5. With just a $20 difference between the two configurations, you should opt for the upgrade. This review is part of our ongoing roundup of the best laptops. In … Storage: 64GB eMMC Get instant access to breaking news, the hottest reviews, great deals and helpful tips. But first, let’s start with the pros. The camera does, however, include a physical privacy shutter that you can slide over the lens. On its own, without the kickstand cover and detachable keyboard, the Lenovo Chromebook Duet is an unassuming tablet with thick, obsolete bezels. Lenovo Chromebook S330: everything you need to know. For under $300, you can own a lightweight machine that can endure all your intensive web multitasking. Today's best Lenovo Chromebook S340 deals, We check over 130 million products every day for the best prices, Galaxy S21 image leak brings the divisive new design into focus, Google Pixel 4a 5G phone lands all-time low price in holiday phone deal, Hurry! Budget-strapped consumers and students with light computing needs will be captivated by Lenovo's Chromebook Duet, a detachable 2-in-1 that tops better-known 2-in-1 … The reason for my wpm rate drop? PCWorld helps you navigate the PC ecosystem to find the products you want and the advice you need to get the job done. The Flex 5 can fold into a tablet, but you'll need to supply your own stylus for drawing. … Lenovo claimed that the Chromebook Duet has a battery runtime of 10 hours, which I expected to be a slight exaggeration (check out my Laptop battery life estimates are rarely accurate article), but as it turns out, Lenovo actually undersold the Duet’s battery longevity. Display: 10.1-inch, 1920x1200 > Notebook Test, Laptop Test und News > Externe Tests > Lenovo Chromebook S330-81JW0008MH Autor: Stefan Hinum (Update: 21.04.2019) Tests , News , Prozessoren (CPUs) , Grafikkarten (GPUs) , … Snapping the magnetic keyboard into place was easy as pie, and the keys have a satisfying and clicky tactile response. Battery life is a bit of a letdown as well, lasting 8 hours and 47 minutes in CrXPRT 2's battery rundown test. CPU:  MediaTek Helio P60T Sponsored by NordVPN. Lenovo's IdeaPad Flex 3 Chromebook proves that as long as you're willing to overlook a small, dim display, you can have an otherwise excellent 2-in-1 convertible Chromebook for less than … Our benchmark testing turned up some surprisingly solid results even compared to some Core i5-based models. The Duet weighs less than its competitors: the Samsung Chromebook 3 (2.5 pounds) and the HP Chromebook x360 12b (3 pounds). I wasn’t able to install Fortnite. Finally, to test a Chromebook's battery life, we loop a locally stored video with screen brightness set at 50 percent, audio volume set at 100 percent, and Wi-Fi disabled until the laptop conks … © Personally, I couldn’t see myself using this laptop as a productivity machine — the cramped keyboard just doesn’t cut it for me. For this use case, I’d recommend the HP Chromebook x360 12b — it’s within the same price range as the Duet and the keyboard is a dream. Like many other Lenovo laptops, the Flex 5 has a privacy shutter for the webcam. PS5 restock is happening at PlayStation Direct — get in line now! Jared Newman covers personal technology from his remote Cincinnati outpost. Battery: 12:46 He also publishes two newsletters, Advisorator for tech advice and Cord Cutter Weekly for help with ditching cable or satellite TV. However, the Lenovo Chromebook Duet faltered on the JetStream Javascript benchmark, which tests the speediness of web-page loading. HP Chromebook x360 14c. Apply too much pressure, and your finger will skip across the trackpad as you try to move the cursor around. The first fix for the Lenovo webcam not working is within the Lenovo app itself. I could visualize myself using this miniature Chromebook at the airport where I can access some of my work on the cloud without having to carry a laptop with a larger footprint. Personally, I’d recommend the Duet for on-the-go travelers seeking a secondary, super-small device that adds very little weight to their luggage as they hop from airport to airport. Despite the low price point of the Duet, the webcams weren’t as tragic as I thought they would be. While the 13-inch touchscreen can flip around 360 degrees into tablet mode, brightness maxes out at 250 nits, which isn't ideal for use outdoors or in direct sunlight. For a budget Chromebook, the audio on the Duet is exactly what I expected: they’re simply OK. The combination of a 13-inch full HD screen, 10th-generation Core i3 processor and 4GB of RAM is just enough to handle basic productivity workloads while staying will under the $500 mark. First, check that: The charger or adapter cables are completely plugged in, both to your Chromebook … The Lenovo Chromebook Duet is a low-priced 2-in-1 with nearly 13 hours of battery life, but it has a cramped detachable keyboard. The Lenovo Flex 5 is a good example of a Chromebook that knows what it's for. December 2020. Credit: Hewlett-Packard. At first glance, The Lenovo Chromebook Duet (reviewed at $279) looks like an innocuous journal, but open that bad boy up, and it’s a small laptop with a colorful 10.1-inch display. The Lenovo Flex 5 did come in behind other Chromebooks with faster chips and more RAM, such as Asus' Chromebook Flip C436, but not by much. The back of the tablet has a two-tone color scheme of iron-gray and light blue. But if you’re a Chrome OS-loving frequent traveler or a busy bee seeking a smaller, secondary display, I’d suggest the Duet in a heartbeat. Go there for information on competing products and how we tested them. Let’s start with the tablet. Chromebooks in general are not easy to find at their actual retail prices right now, but the Lenovo Flex 5 is one that justifies even a slightly inflated asking price. Anecdotally, I ran into no frustrations using web apps in actual use, and the benchmark test validates that experience. Is it good at either or both? Its 10th-generation Intel Core i3-10110U processor is, however, a cut above the Pentium- and Celeron-powered machines that sell in the $200 to $300 range. Chromebooks don’t run Windows or Mac Os and none of the software designed for these platforms (at least for now, but that might change with Campfire in the near future). It's still ultimately a low-performance machine geared toward basic productivity tasks. You can use the fancy kickstand cover to prop up the tablet. With its crispy 1920 x 1200 display and detachable keyboard, the … While Lenovo does offer configurations with a Core i5 processor and 8GB of RAM, that's probably going to be overkill unless you're a power user running some demanding Linux applications. The Duet scored 31.9, while the HP Chromebook x360 12b (49.7) and the HP Chromebook 14 (57.8) outpaced the miniature Chromebook. Hit the F8 key on your laptop keyboard, which will enable or disable the Lenovo … My review unit, priced at $279, packs a 2-GHz MediaTek Helio P60T octa-core processor, an ARM G72 MP3 GPU, 4GB of RAM and 64GB eMMC flash storage. The Lenovo Duet Chromebook gets decent results in my gaming test. There were a few negligible seconds of lag as the Duet loaded the new Chrome tab, but as I got into the flow of typing on Google Docs, I was surprised to see that there was no system slowdown — I wrote paragraph after paragraph without experiencing any lag. The screen's light bleed issues and audio quality are downers, but they're not going to get in the way of work or school. Clashing textures aside, the Flex 5 is fairly handsome for a cheap laptop, with sharp side edges and an angular front lip reminiscent of Lenovo's pricier C740 and C940 Yoga range. The Lenovo Chromebook Flex 5 strikes a beautiful three-part chord of premium specs, solid design, and very wallet-friendly pricing. The Duet’s dual speakers filled my medium-sized, social-distancing prison cell — er, I mean room —  just fine. New York, To reiterate, this is not a high-performance Chromebook. I listened to “This City” by Sam Fischer on Spotify, and the sentimental ballad sounded smooth and angelic on the speakers as Fischer crooned his heart out. You’ll also find an unpretentious, black Chrome logo. If the display does not turn on, verify the Chromebook has a charge, or is connected to a power source. Price: $279 There's always a catch, though, and in this case, it's the display. However, because of its small digital footprint, you may feel uncomfortable typing on this Chromebook’s miniature keyboard. The tablet is a fingerprint haven, so I’d recommend keeping the magnetic kickstand cover snapped on to thwart smudges. Thank you for signing up to Laptop Mag. On close-up scenes of the protagonist’s face, I could spot pores on his forehead. The Lenovo Chromebook Duet reminds me of the Microsoft Surface Go with its miniature design, convenient kickstand and detachable keyboard, but the Duet’s $279 pricing is more palatable — plus the keyboard actually comes with the package. Weight: 2 pounds, If you snag the Lenovo Chromebook Duet — a 2-in-1 laptop that comes with a detachable keyboard and kickstand cover — prepare to hear the following words spill out of admirers’ mouths as their jaws hit the floor: “Wait a minute! If you've got less than $200 to spend on a laptop for a child or as a secondary machine, Lenovo's Chromebook 3 is an acceptable option, though its small, low-quality display leaves much to … I watched the Tenet trailer and the display was satisfactory. The Lenovo Chromebook Duet also conquered the average battery runtime of Chromebooks, which is 10 hours and 19 minutes. The port selection is solid as well, other than the lack of an HDMI port for connecting an external display. Compared with its competitors, the Duet’s display emitted the widest range of colors with 106% coverage of the sRGB color gamut. But Call of Duty and PUBG Mobile can be played with graphics set to … But the Duet is a budget-friendly Chromebook, so I can concede the lack of slim bezels as a reasonable trade off. The top of the tablet features dual speakers and mics, and the bottom is equipped with pogo pins for keyboard attachment. Hardware problems. The Flex 5 fared even better in the Speedometer 2 benchmark, edging out the aforementioned Chromebook Flip. The trackpad, meanwhile, is as large as what you'd find on Lenovo's more expensive Yoga, but unfortunately it's not quite as smooth. Unfortunately, there's no microphone shutoff key for quickly disabling the Chromebook's Google Assistant features. They do at least offer some decent stereo separation. The Samsung Chromebook 3 had the most limited color range (63%) followed by the HP Chromebook x360 12b (79%). 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