ZDNET’s key takeaways
- The Lenovo Chromebook Duet Gen 9 is obtainable now for $399.
- It is a versatile and highly-portable gadget that is as helpful at residence as within the workplace.
- Among the most buzzworthy options are tied to subscriptions, and the keyboard and trackpad are very small.
extra shopping for selections
The ninth-generation Lenovo Chromebook Duet is an 11-inch 2-in-1 laptop computer/pill that mixes a pleasant show, a flexible kind issue, and accessible {hardware} for an agreeable common value of $399. It is basically a pill that comes with a keyboard and a magnetized backing with a foldable kickstand for both panorama or portrait mode (suppose a extra inexpensive Microsoft Surface Pro).
We went hands-on with the previous version of the Duet again in 2022, and despite the fact that we praised it then for its versatility, this yr’s gadget is a bit more subtle, partially attributable to upgraded {hardware}, but in addition attributable to enhancements made to ChromeOS. Extra on that in a bit.
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The pill can stand by itself or hook up with the keyboard and kickstand, which is a great design that enables for a wide range of angles (though it may’t fairly assist a 90-degree angle). The keyboard is small and light-weight and connects to the pill/show with a (surprisingly robust) magnetized pin connector.
After I say this keyboard is small… that is not an overstatement. The keys could be laborious to make use of for anybody with large arms, and the trackpad is so small it is virtually toylike. I not too long ago went hands-on with the Duet for a few week, and I’ve to say that navigating the net or ChromeOS with this trackpad is just too small for me to make use of comfortably, however I am a mouse and keyboard type of man, anyway.
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The pill weighs 1.12 kilos, however the keyboard and backplate/kickstand brings the whole weight as much as 2.09 kilos. That is nonetheless fairly dang gentle, even for a Chromebook.
The magnetized backplate is thick and well-padded, including a level of durability that makes this an important gadget for youths or anybody who values sturdiness (whereas additionally offering a house for the stylus).
Talking of, the pen comes with the gadget (however the AAAA batteries it makes use of don’t). The Lenovo USI Pen 2 is practical, however there’s a little little bit of lag when writing with it on the Duet, though I say that as somebody who’s spoiled by my ReMarkable Paper Pro.
Google is absolutely leaning into advertising the Duet as a note-taking gadget, with palm-rejection software program on the display to forestall false inputs, to a newly-optimized expertise on ChromeOS with the Goodnotes app, which you can get for free for three months with the acquisition of a brand new Chromebook.
So what sort of {hardware} does a $399 Chromebook pill include? Below the hood, it is outfitted with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage, however there’s additionally an 8GB/128GB configuration that brings the worth up.
A MediaTek Kompanio 838 (2.60 GHz) chip powers the Duet, which is comparable in efficiency to different similarly-priced Android tablets. In my expertise with the gadget, it is well-suited for multitasking inside purpose, however when you’ve got a handful of various apps open together with a bunch of browsers, you may expertise some slowdown.
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This can be a Chromebook made for ease of use, to play media whereas propped up within the kitchen, on a airplane, or to convey to a espresso store to get some work carried out, and its ultraportable kind issue is what means that you can do all of these issues in settings the place a 16-inch laptop computer can be cumbersome or inconceivable.
By way of the gadget’s bodily ports and options, you get two USB-C ports and a headphone/mic combo port, together with a 5MP entrance digital camera with a bodily shutter and an 8MP rear digital camera. The pill additionally has two bodily buttons on the facet that enhance or lower quantity, making it simple to manage media with out having to fiddle with the UI.
The Eleventh-generation Duet comes on the scene simply as Google announced a host of new ChromeOS features, all of which combine properly with the Duet, strengthening the argument for this gadget as a nimble and versatile multitasker that may tackle sensible duties with ease.
For instance, the brand new Fast Insert operate feels proper at residence on the Duet (activated by hitting the Launcher key + F) which could be activated anyplace, citing a cell fast menu with steered actions. In case you’re in a Google Workspace app, it’s going to counsel latest paperwork. In case you’re within the Chrome browser, it’s going to counsel historical past, or recently-visited websites.
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The great thing about Fast Insert is that it is truly good at intuiting what you are attempting to do, making the solutions helpful and actionable. In the long run, it means fewer clicks, much less navigation, and extra environment friendly computing.
Whereas the gadget is in pill mode, it may tackle a brand new set of functionalities due to the gestures supported by ChromeOS. Swiping up from the underside of the display, for instance, brings up all of the home windows that you simply presently have open.
You can even navigate any component of the OS such as you would a browser, by swiping left to return to the earlier display. Activating Cut up Display screen is one other characteristic that Google implemented earlier this year, and I discover it useful when utilizing the pill within the kitchen with a YouTube video on one facet of the show and a recipe on the opposite.
Lastly, the battery life is sort of good. Lenovo advertises over 12 hours of use, however I received a little bit over 10 in my testing. The bodily measurement of the gadget goes to forestall the 29WHr battery from going a lot past the 10- to 12-hour mark.
ZDNET’s shopping for recommendation
The Lenovo Chromebook Duet 11-inch is an entire bundle: a self-supporting pill in addition to a laptop computer, all with Google’s light-weight working system. I might suggest it to anybody on the lookout for next-level portability and who expects to make use of it in all its completely different configurations: as a pill, as a laptop computer, and as a note-taking gadget. Many units can do all these issues, however the Duet can go locations a laptop computer cannot, and is well-priced for its vast versatility.
