We haven’t seen any new models in a while but if you’re looking for one of the best ChromeOS tablets, this gem from late 2021 is on sale. It’s the Lenovo IdeaPad Duet 5 Chromebook, normally priced at $499, available this week right here for $369.
When I reviewed the Lenovo IdeaPad Duet 5 Chromebook, I actually felt it was better as a Chromebook than a tablet. This device is all screen and comes with an attachable keyboard. Using it with the keyboard kept me productive, either at a desk or sitting with the Duet 5 on my lap. The 13.3-inch 1920 x 1080 OLED touch display with up to 400 nits of brightness is easy on my eyes. In fact, this screen is fantastic for content consumption, with vivid colors and fantastic contrast.
That’s where the tablet use case comes in and this is one of the best ChromeOS tablets for that scenario. My only gripe is that this is a large tablet with a widescreen aspect ratio. That’s similar to what you see on many laptops. And it works well on laptops because you use those with the display in a horizontal position.
If you want to use the Lenovo IdeaPad Duet 5 Chromebook as a portrait tablet, it’s a bit unwieldy. Or at least for me and my small hands it is. It’s just a very tall tablet to manage at that point.
If you’re reading eBooks or taking digital notes with an optional USI stylus, then this tall portrait design will work for you. I just had a difficult time using this ChromeOS Tablet for anything else in portrait mode.
The Lenovo IdeaPad Duet 5 Chromebook runs on a second generation Qualcomm Snapdragon 7c chipset. This is an ARM chip, like the kind used in most phones and tablets these days. Performance wise, it’s adequate for typical, mainstream usage, as I noted in my review:
if you’re in the market for high-end performance, this isn’t the device for you. It’s fine for browsing with a dozen or so tabs, using web services, and running a few Android apps. Put another way: I could get my work done on the Duet 5 with no problem; it just takes a little longer than I’m used to from time to time.
Chipset aside, Lenovo stuffed 8 GB of memory and 128 GB of eMMC storage inside this ChromeOS tablet. There’s also a pair of USB Type-C ports, one on each side, and usable but not great cameras (5 MP for video calls and 8 MP for other photos). I do appreciate the webcam above the display in landscape mode, suggesting this is more laptop than tablet.
Overall, this is an excellent ChromeOS tablet that can double as a Chromebook. And although it’s not a recently released model, it will get ChromeOS automatic updates through June 2029. Sure, I wish that was longer too, but for $369 with a large OLED display and 11 – 12 hours of battery life? I think it’s a good deal.
