Lenovo Chromebook Duet 11 evaluate: a step backward

There are two fashions of the Chromebook Duet 11. The primarily based mannequin prices $360 with a MediaTek Kompanio 838 chipset, 4GB of RAM, 64GB of eMMC storage, and a 10.95-inch FHD+ (1920 x 1200) IPS show. For $400, you get 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. My evaluate unit has 4GB of RAM and 128GB of storage, however that configuration isn’t listed

The Chromebook Duet 11 is a sturdy little pill. It’s constructed of aluminum, so far as I can inform, and it’s sturdy and light-weight. That provides it a nice really feel in hand, principally equal to different tablets at any value. You received’t fear about its sturdiness if you toss it into a backpack, and also you’ll barely realize it’s there. It’s a bit bigger than the iPad regardless of having a related show dimension, but it surely’s not a lot that you just’ll discover it.

There’s not a lot to say in regards to the Chromebook Duet 11’s aesthetics. The entrance is the standard black slate and the again is a darkish grey with a lighter grey part on high. The iPad is available in completely different colours in case you’re into that, however personally, I believed Lenovo’s pill seems simply nice.

One benefit of the Chromebook Duet 11 is that a kickstand cowl is included, which attaches magnetically to the again of the pill and stays firmly in place. It provides thickness and weight, but it surely works nicely sufficient and is simple to pop on and off. The keyboard can also be included, however as you’ll see beneath, that’s probably not a good factor.

I didn’t precisely love the included removable keyboard on the older Chromebook Duet, given small keycaps and a cramped structure. But the switches on that one weren’t nice and I didn’t prefer it a lot. This time round, although, I admit that I flat-out struggled to make use of the keyboard. I don’t know if it’s completely different or if my tolerance acquired worse, however I merely couldn’t kind on it in any respect. The switches had been so free that I had a laborious time simply coming into my Google password when setting it up. It was so unhealthy that I didn’t even attempt to my ordinary apply of scripting this evaluate on the laptop computer itself. I received’t even hassle evaluating it — I’ll simply say as an alternative that virtually any keyboard you employ is prone to be a lot higher.

The touchpad was very small and simply OK. And the show supported contact simply nice throughout my testing. Lenovo didn’t embody the elective energetic pen, so I couldn’t check the drawing and handwriting side that makes the Chromebook Duet 11 enticing at these costs.

The earlier mannequin of the Chromebook Duet used a Qualcomm Snapdragon 7c Gen 2 chipset, which wasn’t significantly quick however saved issues shifting alongside nicely sufficient. Chrome OS doesn’t require a bunch of assets, and the Qualcomm chipset mated with 4GB (the identical in my evaluate unit) was adequate. Its Geekbench 5 scores weren’t nice, as you may see within the desk beneath, however once more — Chrome OS.

Lenovo switched to a MediaTek Kompanio 838 chipset this time round. That’s an 8-core half that ought to be a minimum of as able to the earlier mannequin’s Qualcomm, and it did across the identical in Geekbench 5 as its predecessors. It did worse in Speedometer 2.0, which supplies a tough concept of how fast a laptop computer is at working the net processes which can be constructed into Chrome OS. I noticed that as I used the pill, the place the brand new Chromebook Duet 11 didn’t really feel as quick. Even with simply Chrome open, there was a lot of stuttering and delays. It wasn’t a nice expertise.

It’s particularly disappointing since that is a new chip and system, evaluating with one thing from two years in the past. That’s not what you need.

I don’t know if it was right down to working a newer model of Chrome OS that may be extra feature-laden or simply the chip itself. The Acer Chromebook Plus 516 GE had a low-end Intel Core chipset, but it surely was loads speedy with zero slowdowns. But that chipset remains to be sooner than this MediaTek choice.

The backside line is that Lenovo has some work to do, if the efficiency points I skilled could be addressed by an replace. If not, then it’s laborious to advocate. Get the bottom iPad as an alternative, which might be a ton extra fluid. I ran a few video games on the Chromebook Duet 11, and it goes with out saying, however I wouldn’t advocate shopping for the Chromebook Duet 11 if even mild Android gaming is in any respect necessary to you.

The Chromebook Duet 11 has a 10.95-inch 16:10 FHD+ (1920 x 1200) IPS show. That’s loads sharp, and the 60Hz refresh price is to be anticipated for beneath $400. Subjectively, the show seemed adequate, with enough brightness in my dwelling workplace and doubtless sufficient for all however working exterior beneath the solar. The colours had been nice and appeared correct sufficient, and distinction was adequate that blacks didn’t fade into grey.

I can’t check the show utilizing my colorimeter, so I can’t present goal metrics. But I believe that the show might be greater than adequate for anybody who’s going to purchase the Chromebook Duet 11. Certainly, you may spend a lot extra and get a a lot larger decision, higher colours and distinction, larger brightness, and possibly even an OLED panel. And the iPad does have a higher-resolution show that’s significantly brighter, for not a lot more cash.

I needed to love the Chromebook Duet 11. I appreciated the older model fairly a bit, particularly when it dropped beneath $350. It was (simply) quick sufficient, acquired first rate battery life, and will function a first rate Chromebook for anybody with restricted computing wants. But I don’t really feel the identical means in regards to the latest model.

The line between quick sufficient and problematically gradual is skinny, and the brand new Chromebook Duet 11 falls on the problematic aspect. It’s been a whereas since I’ve examined a system with efficiency this poor. Lagging and hesitations even simply in Google Chrome will make utilizing the Chromebook Duet 11 a very disagreeable expertise, no matter how fundamental the use case is. Throw in an uncomfortable keyboard, and you’ve got one thing that’s not price shopping for — even at rock-bottom costs.