Even after three years, the Lenovo IdeaPad Duet 5 Chromebook is still among the greatest laptops—if not the best Chromebook—that money can buy. It still provides a high-end experience that many Chromebooks just cannot match, in large part because of its stunning OLED display, which easily outshines laptops with higher prices.
Lenovo IdeaPad Duet 5 Chromebook
Chromebooks age slower than Windows 11 laptops because they require less power to operate. This is particularly true of the Lenovo IdeaPad Duet 5 Chromebook, which debuted with extraordinarily powerful specifications for a Chromebook, such as 8GB of RAM, a Qualcomm Snapdragon 7c Gen2 chip, and support for Wi-Fi 6. This contributed to its great performance upon launch in 2021 and continues to do so now.
The Duet 5 Chromebook boasts a lot more comfortable keyboard than its predecessor, the Lenovo IdeaPad Duet 5 Chromebook, measuring 13.3 inches diagonally. Ultrabooks, on the other hand, still feature rather cramped keyboards but are still far more accessible.
However, because of its bulk and 16:9 screen ratio, this is more of a laptop that doubles as a tablet than anything else. In comparison, the 10.1-inch, 16:10 ratio model from the previous year was more of a tablet than a laptop because of its small keyboard.
Similar to its predecessor, the Lenovo IdeaPad Duet 5 Chromebook keyboard’s keys lack backlighting, and the keyboard itself is still very fragile.
Also, the trackpad might be improved. There is enough friction on our fingertips to cause some uneven swiping and gestures, but not so much that it prevents you from becoming accustomed to it and adjusting the pressure you apply accordingly.
The magnetic kickstand on the Lenovo IdeaPad Duet 5 Chromebook from last year still needs work, which is the other accessibility complaint we had.
This flaw may be readily fixed with a pullable tab or lanyard, but it appears that we may have to wait until the following year for an improved design (or, alternatively, you can purchase Microsoft’s Surface Adaptive Kit, which is compatible with all devices, not just the Microsoft Surface Pro 8).
The Lenovo Active Pen stylus can clip to the back of the Lenovo IdeaPad Duet 5 Chromebook magnetized backplate through a small cutaway, although the pen isn’t included by default and will cost extra even if it is.
In relation to expenses, the Lenovo IdeaPad Duet 5 Chromebook from the previous year was quite favorable in terms of cost. With a starting price of $279 / £279 / AU$424, the smaller Duet Chromebook was an excellent deal.
The Lenovo IdeaPad Duet 5 Chromebook from this year costs more, with a starting price of $429 ($499 as tested) and AU$799 in Australia. Sadly, the UK is going to have a difficult time because the Duet 5 Chromebook starts at a startling £899.
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We’re hoping that this is only a short-term problem, and we’ve gotten in touch with Lenovo to get more information about the unusual price difference in the UK. If we receive a response from the business, we’ll update this review. With the exception of UK pricing, the Duet 5 Chromebook’s higher price is to be expected considering its larger size and improved hardware.
The display is where we need to start when it comes to better hardware. The 1,920 x 1,200 LCD IPS screen on the Duet Chromebook from last year was exceptional for a 10.1-inch screen.
The resolution of the Lenovo IdeaPad Duet 5 Chromebook is reduced to 1,920 x 1,080, but the improved OLED panel makes the screen remarkably vivid and bright. Even if the brightness ratings for both Duets are 400 nits, there is no comparison to what an OLED display can do.
The OLED display alone more than makes up for the price increase, and this is an incredible offer considering that it only starts at $429 in the US. It’s practically unheard of to obtain a 13.3-inch 2-in-1 Chromebook with a 1080p OLED display for under $500, and it’s well worth the extra $499 for the 8GB RAM option.
Not only has the display been improved this year, but the Duet 5 Chromebook now has a Qualcomm Snapdragon 7c Gen2 processor instead of the MediaTek P60T chip seen in the Duet Chromebook from last year.
Since both of these are high-efficiency ARM-based processors, none will have the same level of raw performance as some of the more robust Chromebooks, which come with Intel Core i3 processors.
Even said, the Snapdragon 7c Gen2 remains a significant upgrade over the MediaTek P60T. The MediaTek P60T took 3,940ms to complete the Kraken JavaScript test, whereas the Snapdragon 7c Gen2 took 1,845ms. That is about twice as quick as the Duet Chromebook from the previous year.
Although the Snapdragon 7c Gen2 is still not as fast as other Chromebooks in benchmark tests, it felt rather quick in real use. Therefore, speed lag is unlikely to occur with the Duet 5 Chromebook—though it will still exist—unless you’re specifically comparing it to the Asus Chromebook Flip C536, Google Pixelbook, or the Acer Chromebook Spin 713.
