The Lenovo Chromebook Duet 5 (2021) is a 2-in-1 convertible laptop with a detachable keyboard and a kickstand built into the back cover. It's thin and lightweight, making it easy to carry around, and its battery lasts easily over ten hours of light productivity and seven hours of video playback. Its 13.3 inch screen is sharp and colorful, and like all OLEDs, it displays deep, inky blacks. The speakers get reasonably loud, but they lack bass and sound slightly unnatural. The webcam's video quality is excellent, though, and the microphone sounds loud and clear with only a bit of static in the background. Unfortunately, the keyboard feels cramped, and the touchpad doesn't track all that well. Also, it only has two USB-C ports and no 3.5mm headphone jack. Its ARM-based Qualcomm Snapdragon SoC (System on a Chip) can handle simple tasks like web browsing and text formatting; however, it isn't ideal for heavy workloads like photo or video editing.
Our Lenovo Chromebook Duet 5 has a Qualcomm Snapdragon SC7180 SoC, Qualcomm Adreno 618 integrated graphics, 4GB of memory, and 64GB of storage. The SoC isn't configurable. 4GB of RAM is enough if you only perform light tasks like media consumption and web browsing, but if you tend to have many tabs or applications running simultaneously, it's best to get 8GB for the extra headroom.
Our Verdict
The Lenovo Chromebook Duet 5 is decent for school. It has a thin and light design that makes it very portable, and its battery lasts over ten hours of light productivity, enough to get you through a typical school day with charge to spare. Unfortunately, the keyboard feels cramped, and the touchpad doesn't respond to some actions at times. Its ARM-based SoC can handle simple tasks like web browsing and text formatting, but it isn't powerful enough for demanding workloads like graphic design or 3D rendering. It also runs Chrome OS, so it might not be the best choice if you need to install x86 applications.
- Very portable thanks to thin and light design.
- Battery lasts over ten hours of light productivity.
- Excellent webcam video quality.
- Supports pen input for taking notes.
- Keyboard feels cramped.
- Touchpad doesn't respond well to some actions.
- Screen doesn't get bright enough for outdoor use.
- ARM-based SoC and integrated graphics can't handle heavy workloads.
The Lenovo Chromebook Duet 5 is bad for gaming. It's only available with an ARM-based SoC and integrated graphics, which aren't powerful enough to handle graphically demanding games. Also, you can't install any DirectX games, so you're limited to titles from the Google Play Store, and the display is limited to a 60Hz refresh rate with no VRR support.
- No fan noise under load due to fanless design.
- No user-replaceable parts.
- ARM-based SoC and integrated graphics can't handle heavy workloads.
- Slow storage drive.
- Can't run DirectX games.
The Lenovo Chromebook Duet 5 is great for media consumption. It's a very portable device, and its battery lasts well over seven hours of video playback, enough to get through a couple of full-length movies. It has an OLED panel that displays a sharp image with deep, inky blacks, making it a fantastic choice for dark room viewing. The speakers get reasonably loud, but they sound a bit unnatural. Unfortunately, there's no 3.5mm headphone jack, and there isn't a USB-C audio adapter in the box, so you have to use wireless headphones or a third-party adapter. Also, it can't play any HDR content even though it has wide gamut support.
- OLED panel displays inky blacks.
- Very portable thanks to thin and light design.
- Battery lasts over seven hours of video playback.
- Perfect black uniformity is great dark room viewing.
- Speakers sound slightly unnatural.
- No 3.5mm headphone jack.
- Can't play HDR content.
The Lenovo Chromebook Duet 5 is bad as a workstation. Its ARM-based SoC isn't powerful enough to handle demanding workloads like video editing or 3D rendering, and since it runs Chrome OS, you can't install any x86 applications. The storage drive is extremely slow, so it takes a long time to transfer large files, and it only has two USB-C ports, which means you'll likely need a dock or dongles for your wired peripherals.
- No fan noise under load due to fanless design.
- No user-replaceable parts.
- ARM-based SoC and integrated graphics can't handle heavy workloads.
- Slow storage drive.
- Can't install x86 applications.
- Only has two USB-C ports.
The Lenovo Chromebook Duet 5 is sub-par for business use. It's a thin and light device that's easy to carry around, and its battery lasts easily over ten hours of light productivity. However, the keyboard feels cramped, and the touchpad doesn't track well. Also, it only has two USB-C ports, so you'll likely need to carry dongles or a dock. The webcam's video quality is excellent, though, and the microphone sounds loud and clear with just a bit of static in the background. Its ARM-based SoC can handle productivity tasks like text formatting, web browsing, spreadsheets, and presentations, but it isn't ideal for heavy multitasking or demanding workloads.
- Very portable thanks to thin and light design.
- Battery lasts over ten hours of light productivity.
- Excellent webcam video quality.
- No user-replaceable parts.
- Keyboard feels cramped.
- Touchpad doesn't respond well to some actions.
- ARM-based SoC and integrated graphics can't handle heavy workloads.
- Only has two USB-C ports.
Changelog
- Updated Jul 17, 2023: Added mention of the ASUS Chromebook Flip CX5 14 (2021) as an alternative with a better port selection in the Ports section.
- Updated Mar 01, 2023: Added mention of the Lenovo Chromebook Duet 3 (2022) as a more portable alternative in the Portability section.
- Updated Jan 27, 2022: Review published.
- Updated Jan 24, 2022: Early access published.
Differences Between Sizes And Variants
We tested the Lenovo Chromebook Duet 5 (model 82QS001DUS) with a Qualcomm Snapdragon SC7180 SoC, Qualcomm Adreno 618 integrated graphics, 4GB of RAM, and 256GB of storage. Only the memory and storage are configurable; you can see the available options in the table below.
Note: Lenovo refers to this laptop as the Lenovo IdeaPad Duet 5 Chromebook on their Product Specifications Reference page. Our review only applies to variants with a model number starting with '82QS'.
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Our display and performance results are only valid for the configuration we tested. If you come across a different configuration option not listed above, or you have a similar Lenovo Chromebook Duet 5 13 that doesn't correspond to our review, let us know, and we'll update it. Some tests, like black uniformity and color accuracy, may vary between individual units.
You can see our unit's label here.
Popular Laptop Comparisons
The Lenovo Chromebook Duet Gen 9 11 (2024) and the Lenovo Chromebook Duet 5 (2021) are very similar, as they're both 2-in-1 tablets with a detachable keyboard. The main difference is that the Duet 5 is a slightly higher-end model with a larger, nicer 13.3-inch OLED screen. Working on the Duet 5 feels more comfortable because of the larger display, but remember it has the same limitations when it comes to app compatibility since both devices run Chrome OS.
The Lenovo Chromebook Duet 5 (2021) and the Lenovo Chromebook Flex 5 (2020) are both 2-in-1 convertible Chrome OS devices. However, the Duet 5 is a tablet with a kickstand and detachable keyboard, while the Flex 5 is a more traditional clamshell laptop with a 360-degree hinge. The Duet 5 has a brighter and more colorful OLED panel, and its SoC performs better overall while being more power-efficient, resulting in longer battery life. On the other hand, the Flex 5 has a more comfortable keyboard, a larger and more responsive touchpad, and a wider port selection.
The Lenovo Chromebook Duet 5 (2021) and the HP Chromebook x360 12 (2021) are 2-in-1 convertible laptops. However, the Duet 5 is a tablet with a detachable keyboard, while the Chromebook x360 is a clamshell laptop with a 360-degree hinge. The Duet 5 has a larger, sharper, and more colorful screen, making it a better choice for media consumption. The Duet 5's screen also gets brighter to combat glare, and it displays much deeper blacks for a better dark room viewing experience. The Duet 5 has a much better webcam, its SoC can handle heavier workloads, and its battery lasts much longer. On the other hand, the Chromebook x360 has better-sounding speakers and a wider port selection.
The Lenovo Chromebook Duet 5 (2021) and the Microsoft Surface Go 2 (2020) are both tablets with a kickstand and detachable keyboard. However, the Duet 5 runs Chrome OS, while the Surface Go 2 runs Windows. The Duet 5 is larger but still very portable, and its battery lasts longer. Although the Duet 5's screen has a lower pixel density, it can display more colors thanks to its wider color gamut, and it delivers much deeper blacks because it's an OLED panel. If you plan on using the device for work, the Surface Go 2's keyboard provides a better typing experience, and its touchpad is more responsive.
Test Results
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