There’s no question that Chromebooks are a must have for most school-aged kids these days. Many schools have adopted their use and there are many different models to choose from. Typically, they come in a laptop style format with 11.6- to 15.6-inch screens. Every once in awhile, a slightly different Chromebook comes along.
Our Lenovo Chromebook Duet review takes a look at a Chromebook that has a smaller screen, detachable keyboard, and doubles as a tablet. Read on for our full review!
Specifications
The Lenovo Chromebook Duet has the following features and specifications:
- Use as a tablet or laptop – unique design with detachable French or English language keyboard you can take anywhere
- Mobile & convenient 10 inch FHD IPS touchscreen
- Boots in under 10 seconds & runs automatic updates in background
- Unique dual-tone Ice Blue & Iron Grey design & sophisticated fabric texture on the stand cover
- Free 12 month Google One membership that includes 100 GB of storage
| Model | Lenovo CT-X636F |
| Processor | MediaTek™ Helio P60T Processor (2.00 GHz, 8 Cores, 8 Threads) |
| Operating System | Chrome OS |
| Display | 10.1″ FHD (1920 x 1200) IPS, glossy, touchscreen, 400 nits |
| Graphics | ARM G72 MP3 800GHz |
| Battery | 7,000mAh (Up to 10 hours) |
| Memory | 4 GB LPDDR4X (Soldered) |
| Storage | 64 GB eMMC |
| Integrated Cameras | • Rear: 8 MP auto-focus • Front: 2 MP fixed-focus with LED indicator |
| Pen | Sold Separately |
| Controls & Ports | • USB-C (Gen 2) • Volume control • Power button •5-point pogo pins |
| Connectivity | 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, MIMO, 2×2, 2.4GHz/5GHz dual band Wi-Fi • Bluetooth® 4.2 |
| Audio | • 2x Dolby Audio™ speakers • Smart amp |
| Dimensions (H x W x D) | • Tablet Only: 239.8mm x 159.8mm x 7.35mm / 9.44″ x 6.29″ x 0.29″ • Tablet + Full Keyboard Pack: 244.87mm x 169.31mm x 18.2mm / 9.64″ x 6.66″ x 0.71″ |
| Weight | • Tablet Only: 450g / 0.99lbs • Tablet + Full Keyboard Pack: 920g / 2.03lbs |
| Colours | • Tablet: Ice Blue + Iron Grey dual tone • Stand Cover: Grey |
| Included Apps | Calculator, Chrome Browser, Chrome Canvas, Files, Google Docs, Google Drive, Google Keep, Google Play Movies, Google Play Music, Google Play Store, Google Sheets, Google Slides |
What’s in the box
- Lenovo Chromebook Duet
- Stand Cover
- Detachable Keyboard
- 10W Adapter
- USB-C to 3.5mm Adapter
- Safety, Warranty, & Quick Start Guide
Design
The Lenovo Chromebook Duet comes with three components: the Chromebook in tablet form, a stand cover, and a detachable keyboard. When held in landscape mode, the tablet is just under 9 1/2-inches wide, just over 6 1/4-inches high, and just over 1/4-inch thick. The tablet itself has a sturdy aluminum alloy body. The back of the tablet is mostly dark grey with the top 1/4 or so finished in what Lenovo calls Ice Blue. It does give it a distinctive look. The rear camera is in the upper right corner when looking at the back. The Chrome logo is centered on the bottom with the Lenovo logo in a silver plate on the upper left.
The left edge of the Chromebook is bare while the top has two single row speaker grilles and two microphone holes. The right side of the table is where you’ll find the volume toggle, power button, and USB Type-C port. Finally, the bottom edge of the tablet is where you’ll find the pogo pin receptors for connecting to the included keyboard.
The stand cover is a nice mottled grey and white fabric. Roughly the same width and height as the tablet, it has a cutout for the camera. The side which attaches to the tablet magnetically is finished with a soft felt material. There are two cutouts near the bottom of the cover. By placing your fingers here, you can push out slightly and the bottom half of the cover will angle out at various angles so you can use it as a stand.
The keyboard is the roughly same width and height as the Lenovo Chromebook Duet as well. The hinge strip has five pogo connectors. The strip also attaches to the Chromebook magnetically. As for the keyboard itself, it has low, laptop-style chiclet keys. There are five full-sized rows with a half-height function row above it. Some of the other keys are smaller as well to accommodate the smaller size. A 3 1/2-inch by 2-inch trackpad is centered on the bottom. The Lenovo logo is on the lower right corner of the keyboard. Finally, the underside of the keyboard is a solid soft, rubber-like material that adds grip for when the Chromebook Duet is used on a flat surface.
Typing with the keyboard, which has a 1.3mm key travel worked well enough and was responsive as one would expect out of a keyboard. Characters seemed to register quickly on the screen after hitting the corresponding key. Typing did feel a bit soft but not overly and the keyboard provides a decent enough typing experience over all.
When all together, the Lenovo Chromebook Duet with the keyboard and cover stand weighs just over two pounds. It increases in size a little and is just over 9 1/2-inches wide, about 6 2/3-inches in height, and under 3/4-inch thick.
Whether in tablet or laptop mode, the Chromebook Duet looks stylish and compact. It also feels sturdy and the cover and keyboard stay on quite well, even when moving it around in an open position.
Display
While 11.6-inches seems to be the “standard” for most entry-level Chromebooks, the display on the Lenovo Chromebook Duet is smaller at 10.1-inches.
The display itself has pretty thin 9.13mm (about 3/8-inch) bezels, an FHD (1920×1200) resolution, and 400 nits of brightness. As a result, it is pretty crisp and bright. Colours are nice and vibrant as well without being too vibrant which is great for graphics, videos, and even games.
It is a glossy screen but the brightness compensates for that and I had no problems using the Chromebook Duet outside in full sunlight either. It also adjusts down pretty low so in lower light conditions you aren’t blinded.
Ease of Use
The Lenovo Chromebook Duet is super easy to use in tablet or laptop mode. The stand cover and keyboard attach and remove easily and the system adapts to both seamlessly. Aside from that, it’s as simple as turning it on and signing in with your Google account.
Software
Like all Chromebooks, the Lenovo Chromebook Duet runs Google Chrome OS. As of the time of this review, it is running the latest Chrome OS release 85. As the operating system is developed to be, it is relatively lightweight and responsive. In addition, it comes with various Google apps like Google Chrome, Gmail, Google Docs, Google Play Music, and much more. You can also install other apps and games from the Google Play Store.
Chrome OS also has some new gestures that were released in Chrome OS release 81. These mimic the gesture navigation in Android phones, so you may be familiar with them already. When in tablet mode, you can perform a long swipe up from the bottom of the screen to go home, short swipe up to show pinned apps, and swipe up and hold to view currently open apps. You can also swipe left to go to the previous screen and split your screen by swiping up from the bottom, holding, then dragging a window to one side. During testing, the gestures worked as advertised.
You also have peace of mind for years to come as the Chromebook Duet comes with 8 years of updates (until June 2028).
Performance
The Chromebook Duet is powered by a MediaTek™ Helio P60T Processor (2.00 GHz, 8 Cores, 8 Threads) with 4GB of RAM and comes with 64GB of storage. First off, partly due to ChromeOS, it takes about 10 seconds for the Chromebook to turn on once you hit the power button. For basic browsing, text editing, and video streaming from Netflix or Disney+, the MediaTek Helio processor and 4GB of RAM performed just fine. I did keep it simple though with only two or three tabs open at once and only one or two apps running. I didn’t encounter any real unexpected lag with the system while plugged in or on battery power.
Of course, I had to try mobile gaming with the Lenovo Chromebook Duet in tablet mode. Not to go easy on the Chromebook, I installed Call of Duty: Mobile and fired it up. I was really impressed with the performance of the game on a 10.1-inch screen. It ran pretty smooth and I was able to handily win the two Battle Royale matches I ran and finished first and second in the two multiplayer battles I entered. Other games ran just fine as well and I rather liked having the tablet mode option for gaming. I also had to try Xbox cloud streaming and my quick session streaming DOOM Eternal from the cloud was pretty seamless and looked fantastic.
At any rate, whether it’s for basic editing and learning tasks to consuming media and even playing video games, I found the Chromebook Duet to be pretty decent when it came to performance.
Sound Quality
The Lenovo Chromebook Duet has dual Dolby speakers. They do sound best when the Chromebook is in landscape mode as they are on the top edge of the laptop. The speakers are pretty crisp and decently loud, but of course, seriously lacking in the bass department. When in portrait mode, the sound can be a bit offsetting as it is pushed out through the side.
As with most laptops or tablets, you’ll want a good headset for a better experience. On that note, the speakers on the Chromebook Duet will easily do in a pinch.
Camera
The Lenovo Chromebook Duet has a rear 8MP shooter and a front 2MP shooter. Neither has a flash so you can forget about pictures in darker lighting conditions. That being said, in normal lighting conditions, I was actually impressed with the photo quality. It’s not phone quality, but it is pretty decent nonetheless. While a tad unwieldy for taking photos with, it will do in a pinch. As for Zoom calls or other video apps, it works just fine as long as you have decent light around you.
Battery Life
Lenovo claims up to 10 hours of battery life on the Lenovo Chromebook Duet with its 7,000mAh battery. During our testing which comprised of a mix of web browsing, document editing, video watching, and playing games, we did get between 7-8 1/2 hours each time. Of course, your mileage may vary but it should easily get you through a full school or workday without having to plug it in.
Price/Value
The Lenovo Chromebook Duet retails starting at US$299.99/CA$414.99 for the 4GB/64GB version. If you want to save a few dollars, it’s currently as low as $270 on Amazon (US).
While it is more expensive than some standard format Chromebooks with larger screens, it is a lot more versatile and conveniently sized for work or school on the go.
Wrap-up
The Lenovo Chromebook Duet is a decent performing little Chromebook that doubles as a tablet. It runs office and school applications with ease and even performs well when relaxing with some games or videos.
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Last Updated on February 3, 2021.
