Lenovo’s IdeaPad Duet takes the two-in-one method to the Chromebook: the display screen area can be made use of as a standalone tablet, or you can connect the keyboard and kickstand, and kind away. Running Chrome OS and with support for Android apps, this diminutive 10-inch multi-modal gadget, whose commencing selling price is just £279.ninety nine (inc. VAT) in the UK, or $249.ninety nine in the US, appears like excellent price. Let us uncover out how it shapes up.
There are three IdeaPad Duet Chromebook products out there on Lenovo’s Uk web-site. All are driven by a MediaTek P60T processor with an integrated ARM Mali-G72 GPU and operate on Chrome OS. Also common throughout the board is 4GB of RAM, 802.11ac wi-fi, Bluetooth 4.two, a 10.one-inch one,920-by-one,two hundred IPS display screen with 400 nits brightness, a 7000mAh battery and a pair of cameras (2MP front, 8MP again).
My entry-stage £279.ninety nine overview device had 64GB of inner storage, of which eighteen.8GB was made use of out of the box, leaving 45.2GB for apps and knowledge. The mid-vary £269.ninety nine design doubles the storage to 128GB, although the top rated-finish £319.ninety nine design provides a stylus.
Lenovo’s IdeaPad Duet Chromebook has a 10.one-inch IPS touchscreen, a keyboard and kickstand that connect magnetically, and is driven by MediaTek’s P60T processor with 4GB of RAM. Our entry-stage overview device had 64GB of inner storage.
Illustrations or photos: Sandra Vogel / ZDNet
The 10.one-inch display screen sits in fairly significant bezels, so the tablet is a very little more substantial than you may count on. However, it really is by no signifies unwieldy at 239.8mm huge by 159.8mm deep by seven.35mm thick and 450g. With the keyboard and kickstand, the dimensions and fat are 244.87mm x 169.31mm x eighteen.2mm, and 920g.
That fat isn’t far beneath the very lightest of laptops, but it is unfair to make that comparison, so I will never give any laptop computer illustrations right here. What is actually noteworthy is that the total kit is compact more than enough to stow away in the tiniest of backpacks it even dropped neatly into the top rated pocket of a rucksack I use regularly.
A blue panel at the top rated provides a distinctive touch.
Picture: Sandra Vogel / ZDNet
The tablet is designed of plastic somewhat than metallic, and may be prone to drops — whilst, that reported, it felt durable more than enough in the hand. It can be properly made with a mid-blue area at the top rated lending a distinctive physical appearance.
There is just a solitary USB-C port on the tablet, and that’s made use of for charging as well as for attaching a wired headset. Lenovo bundles a USB-C adapter for a 3.5mm headset jack, which is a wonderful touch.
The kickstand, which attaches to the again by way of very strong magnets, feels good. It will never maintain the tablet upright in portrait method, nevertheless – it really is strictly for use in landscape orientation. This two-piece kickstand-centered style and design signifies the IdeaPad Duet Chromebook is only suitable for desk-centered work with the keyboard connected. Not like a clamshell laptop computer, it really is near impossible to work sitting down on an armchair or lounging on a couch.
The fabric-coated kickstand device gives some defense to the tablet area.
Picture: Sandra Vogel / ZDNet
The kickstand has a properly tactile fabric again, and feels challenging more than enough to deliver excellent defense for the gadget when it really is sitting down in a drawer or on a desk, and possibly even in transit – so prolonged as people magnets maintain.
The keyboard also attaches to the tablet utilizing magnets, and has pogo-pins for knowledge sharing. The magnets are strong more than enough underneath regular conditions, but slippage in transit is a potential be concerned. On harmony, I would want to use a sleeve when travelling.
The 10.one-inch IPS touchscreen gives 400 nits of brightness and addresses 70{36a394957233d72e39ae9c6059652940c987f134ee85c6741bc5f1e7246491e6} of the NTSC color gamut. This, alongside with a pair of stereo speakers, makes video catchup a completely feasible use situation. Using equally Chrome OS and Android apps was a enjoyable more than enough experience, and any one with an Android handset will instantly feel at ease with the use of gesture controls to get close to. The number of shortcut keys for application handle on the keyboard’s top rated row also improve usability.
The display screen is on the compact facet for many productiveness tasks, nevertheless. There isn’t more than enough place for major spreadsheet work, and it really is impossible to have two documents open up facet by facet — in viewability terms at any charge. If you just need to have one functioning window you should get by Okay, until you might be functioning with a commented document, in which situation the real producing area is distinctly cramped.
In spite of becoming squeezed into a compact place, the IdeaPad Duet’s keyboard gives a responsive motion.
Picture: Sandra Vogel / ZDNet
The keyboard will be complicated for many people mainly because it really is packed into an area just 244mm huge. With the exception of the arrow keys, the place bar and top rated row, the keys have Lenovo’s attribute pot-bellied style and design. The QWERTY and selection keys are fairly sized, but the punctuation keys on the proper are somewhat slender. If the keyboard sizing isn’t a dilemma, then typing is a worthwhile experience thanks to the bouncy and responsive keys.
The touchpad is very compact and appears like it will be cramped in use, but it really is in fact significant more than enough to get the cursor throughout the display screen in one sweep. However, for many may want to prod at the touchscreen.
The MediaTek P60T processor with 4GB of RAM is not made to tackle significant workloads. I observed functioning into world wide web apps, viewing video and searching world wide web pages all completely high-quality. But even flicking a YouTube stream into total-display screen method entails a wait around although the command is executed. Essential productiveness tasks should be high-quality, but this is not the Chromebook for you if anything at all extra demanding is needed.
Battery existence is acceptable. In one common session with a compact pop-out streaming window sitting down together with a world wide web application the battery went from a hundred{36a394957233d72e39ae9c6059652940c987f134ee85c6741bc5f1e7246491e6} to seventy one{36a394957233d72e39ae9c6059652940c987f134ee85c6741bc5f1e7246491e6} in three hours. That’s really a lot in line with Lenovo’s assert of 10 hours for the IdeaPad Duet Chromebook.
Picture: Lenovo
Conclusions
Lenovo’s IdeaPad Duet Chromebook is neat, portable, and functional. The keyboard is worthwhile to use presented your palms are compact more than enough, and battery existence is excellent. The fabric kickstand shields the tablet properly.
The processor will complain if you test to do extra than just the essentials, and it really is advisable to choose for the mid-vary gadget, mainly because for just a compact uplift in price tag you get a good deal extra storage (128GB vs . 64GB). In general, this is a good very little two-in-one Chromebook that does double responsibility as a standalone tablet. Thinking of the keyboard and kickstand are bundled, it gives very excellent price for funds.
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