First Look: Lenovo’s Duet 3 Chromebook Gains a Bigger Display, Smarter Keyboard

Lenovo is refreshing one of its recent hit 2-in-1s with the cheap and lightweight IdeaPad Duet 3 Chromebook.

Like its predecessor, this small system is a detachable tablet running Chrome OS. It's an update to the $249 Chromebook Duet, which sold in droves during the pandemic as an affordable and portable device for light work, education, and play, sized well for kids. The new model joins the IdeaPad line (the older one was just a “Duet”), and brings a slightly larger screen alongside some other improvements.

The IdeaPad Duet 3 Chromebook will launch in May starting at $399.99. We were able to go hands-on with the device prior to its announcement. Check out the video below for the rundown.

A Refined Duet Design

First, the basics. Despite the physical changes I'll get to, this is in fact still a Chromebook device running Chrome OS. Its Duet 5i sibling, also announced today, is pivoting to Intel CPU and Windows 11 support, but the Duet 3 should appeal to the same audience as the original, just with an upgraded experience.

(Photo: Molly Flores)

A Qualcomm Snapdragon 7c Gen 2 processor is powering the device, and it can be equipped with 4GB or 8GB of memory, as well as 64GB, 128GB, or 256GB of storage.

As mentioned, the display is now larger than on the original, whose screen measures 10.1 inches diagonally. It's not a huge difference, but the display has been bumped to 11 inches to provide a bit more breathing room to your work or videos. The screen is a 2K native resolution in a 5:3 aspect ratio, and it features both touch-input and stylus support.

(Photo: Molly Flores)

Despite the larger screen, portability is still key. The tablet measures 0.31 by 10.2 by 6.5 inches (HWD) and weighs only 1.14 pounds. The folio stand and keyboard—which are removable but do come bundled with the device—add another 0.95 pound.

Folio Functionality

The folio part is a magnetic stand for the back side, which can snap flat or be extended, Microsoft Surface-style, as a leg to support the screen. You can pull it off, along with the detachable keyboard portion, and just use the Duet 3 is a straight-up tablet.

(Photo: Molly Flores)

The tablet comes in two colors, a dark Storm Gray and a much lighter Misty Blue.

One handy new feature, you might say, is anti-hand. If you rotate the keyboard back behind the device to hold it like a tablet, rather than pulling it off, the keys are automatically locked to prevent accidental presses. This is a nice inclusion for any user, but should be especially helpful to younger kids in educational settings.

(Photo: Molly Flores)

For connectivity, the Duet 3 comes with two USB Type-C ports, as well as support for Bluetooth 5.1 and Wi-Fi 5. Lenovo rates the Duet 3 for 12 hours of battery life, but of course we’ll have to test the system ourselves when available for review. This is a Qualcomm Snapdragon-based device, so we would not expect barn-burning performance for heavy multitasking, but for the single-focus types of use it will likely be subjected to (in schools, or for video watching and web browsing), it should suffice.

Check back when the IdeaPad Duet 3 Chromebook becomes available for our full analysis of what looks to be a nice upgrade to a budget Chrome tablet that was already an excellent value.