![]() It’s responsive to your touch, gestures are smooth and easy to use. In all the ways that matter, the Duet delivers. Benchmarks aren’t everythingīenchmark wise, the Lenovo isn’t going to win any awards, but if there was ever a perfect example of why people argue benchmarks don’t tell the whole story, this is it. Given the flexible nature of the keyboard and stand, it probably won’t work too well when on an actual lap, but on a table or desk it’s solid with a non-slip surface on the underside of the keyboard keeping it firmly anchored. It supports Chrome OS gestures, which in tablet mode now mimics an Android device for even greater familiarity. It won’t take long for muscle memory to help you remember the positions.Įven the trackpad is responsive and smooth, offering a firm click when pressed. The keys are surprisingly good, with a nice curvature on each one, and even the narrower keys on the right-hand side (this is a 10.1-inch screen after all) are manageable. With the included keyboard and stand, you’ll come to see this as a fully functional laptop that can be stripped down and used as a tablet on occasion. But it can do a whole lot more too.Ĭhrome OS is a better environment for running Android apps, and the windowed nature and easy split-screen management of multiple apps is far better than an Android tablet. With a boot up time of 8 seconds, and instant on when in standby (just like your phone), it serves both purposes brilliantly. Given its price and specification, it’s understandable that most people would see this as a secondary device to get online quickly when crashed out on the sofa, or to watch a movie on a train journey or flight. Secondary specification, primary performance However you look at it, Lenovo has created something at an excellent price that is almost within ‘impulse purchase’ territory, like buying something like an Amazon Fire tablet (which, believe me, offers a far inferior display and performance). Well, actually, even then it seems impossibly cheap.Īn 8th generation ‘entry level’ Apple iPad is going to be more powerful, but with the iPad itself costing £329, and the smart keyboard costing £159 on top, that’s going to set you back over £200 more.Īpple will also charge you £89 for an Apple Pencil, which I mention because the Duet is one of the new generation of Chromebooks that will work with any USI stylus, making the Duet an option for notetaking and drawing. It also helps you understand why this can be sold for as little as £280, including the cover and keyboard. There’s not even a memory card slot, so if you need more storage you’ll need a USB-C flash drive.Īll of this might seem like a rather negative start to a review that’s supposing to be extolling the many virtues of this device – but there is a good reason not to raise expectations too high. There’s a last-gen MediaTek P60T octa-core chipset, 4GB of RAM and just 64GB or 128GB fixed storage. Indeed, it starts from the base of being a tablet that can run Android apps (with an ARM based chipset, it does this well compared to Intel ones), to having the additional benefit of working within the Chrome OS ecosystem. When he isn't working on a computer or DIY project, he is most likely to be found camping, backpacking, or canoeing.In the case of the Duet Chromebook, it isn’t trying to be a powerful alternative to a PC or Mac. He has designed crossovers for homemade speakers all the way from the basic design to the PCB. He regularly repairs and repurposes old computers and hardware for whatever new project is at hand. He enjoys DIY projects, especially if they involve technology. He also uses Proxmox to self-host a variety of services, including a Jellyfin Media Server, an Airsonic music server, a handful of game servers, NextCloud, and two Windows virtual machines. ![]() He has been running video game servers from home for more than 10 years using Windows, Ubuntu, or Raspberry Pi OS. Nick's love of tinkering with computers extends beyond work. In college, Nick made extensive use of Fortran while pursuing a physics degree. ![]() Before How-To Geek, he used Python and C++ as a freelance programmer. He has been using computers for 20 years - tinkering with everything from the UI to the Windows registry to device firmware. Nick Lewis is a staff writer for How-To Geek. ![]()
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