Lenovo Chromebook Duet 11" (2024) Review: Watch Your Expectations

[@malcontent_1]

It's important to note that those 10 years of ChromeOS updates are released ~monthly, not annually. Google makes _constant_ bug fixes and feature updates, comparable to Pixel Drops.

[@AndroidDigest]

Exactly. That's a massive deal

[@farishanafiah8461]

Even the 2018 Pixel Slate is still being supported until 2027. That is still a good three years time.

[@Peanut-Butter-Banana-Rama]

Maybe it should be every year. Googles bug fixing is terrible. As the owner of a first gen duet I can tell from experience.

[@malcontent_1]

@@Peanut-Butter-Banana-Rama as a _long_ time owner of Asus Flip C302 (used from released all the way through EOL), now my current Acer Chromebook Plus 714, I had a different experience. I can't speak for prior ChromeOS detachable tablets, but there seems to be much tighter collaboration between Google, SOC manufacturers & the hardware OEMs (according to both Chrome Unboxed & About Chromebooks).

[@newfnshow031]

I haven't gotten an update on my pixel 8a in months and my call screening doesn't work😂

[@TheMufasa714]

I've been using the duet for college for the past couple years and I always recommend for students who are just starting . Almost all GE class can be completed on it .

[@asmrfan0304]

I've said this before, but I'm a big fan of your channel. Keep up the good work!

[@jonahplayz7151]

Great review! I think you needed to talk about the stylist more, but other than that, very informative

[@AndroidDigest]

I hear you. But it's pretty simple. It draws. It works. Only a 60hz display so a slight delay compared to 90hz or 120hz displays. But the pen is fine. But yeah could have given it a little more time

[@jonahplayz7151]

@@AndroidDigest Thanks

[@sloppynyuszi]

@@AndroidDigestWatch the pen tests art channels do, Brad Colbow and Teoh on tech have pen tests you can do. They easy and you don’t need to be an artist to do them, but it tells a lot to people who buy these things for art and sketching purposes. As good as those channels are they don’t test every tablet, so it would be good if non art tech reviewers who review tablets would do these tests. Basically it’s slow diagonal lines to see how easy it is to control line works when making line related art, pressure start to see how lightly the pen can leave a mark, and fast lines to see how they taper.

[@sergiodasilva]

Nice review. You barely mentioned the stylus though. What about the stylus perfomance for occasional note taking purposes?

[@farishanafiah8461]

It shouldn't have any problem for such a thing. But personally speaking, it's best for you to experience it by yourself.

[@SpasovskiN]

I still use my Duet first generation on a daily basis. Battery is still a beast. Duets are excellent Chromebooks if you don't expect a lot from them. I use mine for watching TV shows on Netflix, watching KZbin videos, checking an email, surfing the net. It's from 2020 and has 8 years of updates so I'm good for another 3-4 years.

[@AndroidDigest]

Great for that type of work. People who are okay just waiting a second here or there. It's great for the basics

[@farishanafiah8461]

As of this writing, I'm surprised to see only you, Chrome Unboxed, and LON TV made a review of this new ChromeOS tablet. I know most tech reviewers don't care much about ChromeOS, but this tablets needs some real attention, at least in the right hands.

[@AndroidDigest]

Crazy too because it was sent to a lot of people

[@KCTalksEV]

Great review and very comprehensive. I used to have the original Duet and swapped to a Surface Go for some remote meetings that I used to need to do. The Duet just didn't have the power and versatility. However, I'm pretty much solely in the GSuite space for a lot of my work now, so the Duet 3 seems like a great contender. I assume that performance, build and pen is better compared to the OG Duet by now?

[@matteventu]

OG Duet is now barely usable, due to the RAM *and* underpowered CPU. The CPU in the newer Duet 3 and this new "Duet 11in Gen9" is objectively underpowered too, but at least if you get them with 8GB of RAM they run mostly fine. In terms of build quality and design, the OG Duet was the best IMHO.

[@PTBoehlke]

All-new Duet has the new MediaTek chip that appears to have much better performance. Get the variant with 8 gigs of ram

[@davemorris9368]

I'll keep an eye out for it to go on sale, I got the duet 3 8GB for a good price at the end of 2022. I don't see this as enough of an upgrade to switch though. I don't expect to ever see an i3/5 version at this price level but a snapdragon 8 or equivalent would be nice.

[@AndroidDigest]

I hear ya. It's a nice update but probably not worth it if you're happy with your Duet 3. At least not until you find a really good sale

[@lawrencegt2229]

Can it extend to 2 external displays?

[@FAT8893]

I'm just curious if we can see some benchmark scores between the Snapdragon 7c Gen 2 and Kompanio 838. I know benchmark scores aren't everything, but it can give some idea of how fast the new chipset is.

[@matteventu]

I have Duet 3 and I'm receiving the new Duet on Friday. Are you on Reddit?

[@FAT8893]

@matteventu I certainly do.

[@newfnshow031]

in the future maybe u can include an Amazon link. I only shop there so that would be helpful.

[@RELubber]

For someone migrating from the Apple ecosystem, this is a great video! Question: I see the tablet can be connected to an external monitor, but does it support dual external monitors?

[@davidmochrie8946]

when is this available outside the USA?

[@Ashwekar]

What do you think about the stylus for writing/annotation of something like pdfs? Might even use the stylus as an on the go replacement of the keyboard. If you could offer a comparison with something like an iPad and the apple pencil it'll be really helpful. Thanks!

[@lucasbrown7338]

Hearing a lot about the Chromebook Duet EDU G2. Wow, the Duet EDU G2 is built tough! The MIL-STD 810H certification means it can handle classroom chaos, all while powered by the efficient Kompanio 838 chipset.

[@malcontent_1]

I really hope Lenovo releases a ~12.6" 16x10 version w/ a _full-sized_ keyboard

[@AndroidDigest]

With a better processor!

[@DSmooth]

Dang your spot on man, I've been looking for a Chromebook that can replace my pixel slate. I really enjoy the backlit keyboard and don't want Samsung with all their own apps. I'm a pixel user and would like an ecosystem similar to iphone/ipad😢

[@UnexpectedTokens]

no micro sd is what concerns me... puts a lot of load on the eMMC

[@charmingyu5243]

What I want for a chromebook is that new chip snapdragon 8 gene 4, the chip used for phones.

[@AndroidDigest]

That would be insane

[@renepereyra2047]

I'm in the market for a tablet that can handle the CapCut Desktop app for content creation. This Chromebook seems like it can handle it however I'd like to hear your take on it.

[@robertw5827]

Any confirmation of support for dual QHD external monitors? Ideally via MST...

[@jimmyhsu720]

Damn...still 4g ram in late 2024...

[@AndroidDigest]

Yeah I'd avoid that model. At least for most people

[@farishanafiah8461]

Even the recently-launched Apple iPad mini 7 no longer has 4GB RAM. 8GB RAM should be the bare minimum nowadays.

[@six-bobcats]

Disappointing. Apple offers plenty of 8GB in their base models of MacBook Air.

[@michaelcorcoran8768]

​@@six-bobcatswhy would you compare with the Apple. this is 350 with pen and keyboard. And Chrome OS doesn't need nearly as much RAM as Mac OS. Apple is putting 8 GB of RAM in 1200 devices which is ridiculous.

[@anthonycruciani939]

Was thinking of getting this but with Google's plan to merge ChromeOS into Android not sure getting a Chromebook makes sense.

[@AndroidDigest]

If they do merge I'd still expect them to keep the chrome os elements in. I'm guessing it would just mean bringing more chrome os to Android. But we'll see

[@jans8304]

Is the resulution capped on the duet11? or can i connect it to a wqhd 21:9 monitor 3440x1440?

[@holoduck.1]

On the lenovo website it states that you can connect it to a 4k monitor. According to Mediatek the cpu (mediatek kompanio 838) can handle two 4k displays, 4k@60hz and 4k@30hz

[@dave_w8476]

I question the value of a 10 year support period. I bought the first Duet in 2020 and it now runs like an old dog with 3 legs. It's supported until 2030 but it will be recycled long before that.

[@AndroidDigest]

Well that's pretty much every device. But yeah it's way more noticeable on slower devices

[@dave_w8476]

@@AndroidDigest Thanks for the review. When it becomes available in the UK I'll be replacing my original duet with this one.

[@Unan1mouz]

Does it have full support for Android apps? Like can we download videos for the KZbin app for example. Would this tablet be good if we want to use it as an "Android" tablet? I just want the desktop capabilities. lol

[@AndroidDigest]

Yes. But you should expect it to be a slightly worse Android tablet and then the s9fe for example. It's a little bit better than the A9 plus. Just to set expectations

[@whereweregoingwedontneedey4374]

It supports android apps, but not all apps are compatible with it.

[@Unan1mouz]

@@whereweregoingwedontneedey4374 My qn remains. Can the KZbin app save offline videos?

[@creole75]

This or pixel tablet with a keyboard? Or even the ideapad flex 5i??

[@AndroidDigest]

I guess it depends on what you need. For basic android use, pixel tablet. If you need to use chrome more and do more web work, I like the flexibility of the Lenovo. For productivity. But I lean pixel tablet for more basic use if the same price

[@creole75]

@AndroidDigest thanks! And I guess with the uncertainty in the future of ChromeOS and its migration with Android a tablet may be better.

[@ahmedal-maamari3305]

Does it support linux apps

[@AndroidDigest]

Yes it does. You have to use commands to download them. But yes. You just enable it in the settings

[@richardc1872]

How does this compare to the Snapdragon in the previous duet?

[@matteventu]

Slightly better, but not by much. CPU changes only the two "large" cores, from A76 to A78, and the "small" six remaining cores are the same (A55). GPU is different but raw power is roughly the same. NPU is actually slightly less powerful than the one in the Snapdragon 7c/Gen2 of the Duet 3/5.

[@AndroidDigest]

It's a decent upgrade but not the upgrade we're looking for. Good. But still not the power I'd want

[@whereweregoingwedontneedey4374]

Is this worth the upgrade from Duet 3?

[@AndroidDigest]

It's a minor upgrade. I'd probably wait for a more powerful tablet to come along. But it's still a nice upgrade

[@whereweregoingwedontneedey4374]

@@AndroidDigest Thanks. Perhaps wait for the next one then.

[@curbsidetech]

I have the Duet 5 im hoping for a Duet 5 gen 2 plus model.

[@AndroidDigest]

I'm wanting that too! With an m3 or i3 processor. Or a REALLY nice arm processor

[@mschmackle]

Has anyone played the game "Wild Rift" on the 8GB Ram version of the device?

[@marqessanzcora4089]

The first bad thing is for me, the small screen ..

[@jason454ss]

To me that's the first purpose. There are larger Android tablets and Chromebooks so offering something smaller is a selling point. Makes it nice for travel or using an external monitor without taking too much room on a desk.

[@AndroidDigest]

Yeah hopefully we get a bigger Duet 5. Eventually

[@Unizuka]

if only it had a snapdragon 8 (gen 1 plus and above are all great )

[@AndroidDigest]

I agree with you! I with it had just a little more power

[@farishanafiah8461]

That's up to Qualcomm to give ChromeOS support for their desktop chip. We used to have it with the Snapdragon 7c Gen 2, but that's about it. I'd love to see ChromeOS support on the Snapdragon X Plus.

[@fahadfaruqi3827]

fair warning guys .. i have the chromebook duet and the oled version ... BOTH have gotten impossibly slow to the point they are unusable

[@bjperez9076]

Just curious if a power wash helped them any?

[@fahadfaruqi3827]

@@bjperez9076 tried it. Even jail broke one to install arm linux that had other problems. Was told this has to do with the android runtime called ARC so i broke the running processes and it didnt give me any speed so i just gave up on them. Have a cheap chinese Android tablet with a folio keyboard that works

[@Peanut-Butter-Banana-Rama]

Yeah not even 8 GB of RAM is enough these days. First gen duet owners know this pain far too well.

[@AndroidDigest]

I disagree. I think it's more than enough for the basics on Google Chrome and on Chromebooks. BUT I think the processor has always been the bottleneck slowing down the Duets. The 7c was very slow

[@UnkemptBushell]

I’ve had the original Duet, and it was buggy as hell. I’ve had a few Chromebooks since, and none have been good experiences. This would be perfect for my use if it’s reliable.🤞🏻

[@mp29940]

What's wrong with that finger? Holy smokes

[@AndroidDigest]

Yeah. Just born with crazy fingers

[@jojorumbles8749]

It still has ChromeOS which is an automatic failure IMO. Its one of the worst operating systems in existence. And to those who like ChromeOS, who hurt you?

[@AndroidDigest]

It's definitely not for everyone, that's for sure! 😂 Apparently not for you