The market for pure, Google Android-based tablets is not exactly thriving, and since Google ChromeOS can run applications for Android, pretty much all interest in non-Apple (or non-Windows) tablets has followed. To that end, at this week’s CES Lenovo rolled out its IdeaPad Duet Chromebook, an inexpensive 2-in-1 that is as light as a tablet.
The IdeaPad Duet Chromebook is equipped with a 10.1-inch display featuring a 1920×1200 resolution and 400 nit maximum brightness, which is rather typical for a tablet. At the heart of the system is the Mediatek Helio P60T SoC (4x Arm Cortex-A73 at 2.0 GHz and Arm Mali G72-MP3), which is paired with 4 GB of LPDDR4X memory as well as a 128 GB eMMC solid-state storage.
Just like all modern tablets, the IdeaPad Duet Chromebook has a front and rear camera, speakers, microphones, Wi-Fi, and a USB Type-C connector. A key component of the product — which is why Lenovo defines it as a Chromebook — is its detachable keyboard with a trackpad, which has an 18 mm key pitch with 1.3 mm of key travel. The device also has a kickstand.
Given dimensions (the 10.1-inch slate is 7.3 mm thick) and a weight of 430 grams, the IdeaPad Duet Chromebook is well suited to serve as a tablet. However the detachable keyboard just as quickly transforms the device into an ultraportable laptop. While 2-in-1 Chromebooks are nothing new, those that are made by well-known OEMs are usually expensive, whereas Lenovo plans to sell its IdeaPad Duet Chromebook for $279.99, which is in line with cheap laptops running Google’s OS. It remains to be seen whether target audience of Chromebooks will actually bite a 10.1-inch detachable, but for people looking for an Android tablet, Lenovo’s offering may look attractive.
Lenovo plans to start sales of the IdeaPad Duet Chromebook in April.
Source: Lenovo