Lenovo is restarting its Duet Chromebook with a 13.3-inch OLED screen

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Over a year after its unveiling, Lenovo’s category-defining Chromebook Duet is getting a sequel. The Chromebook Duet 5 (branded as IdeaPad Duet 5 Chromebook outside of North America) is a head-to-toe reimagining of the budget-oriented detachable Duet, with a higher price tag, a new processor, and most interestingly, a top-of-the-line OLED. 13.3 inch screen.

Lenovo says the Duet 5 is likely the first of multiple additions to the Duet line, in an ambitious effort to bring the detachable form factor to more price points. The company will continue to sell the 10.1-inch Duet (for now).

A Chrome OS 2-in-1 tablet with a detachable keyboard

The new OLED display covers 100% of the DCI-P3 color gamut, Lenovo says, and will emit 70% less blue light than an LCD panel, aiming to deliver incredible entertainment experiences. OLED has long been a symbol of luxury in the PC space and with a starting price of $ 429.99, the Duet 5 will undoubtedly be one of the most affordable laptops ever with this technology.

This Chromebook is part of a wave of thin and light OLED laptops recently introduced across the industry. Lenovo has also added Windows-based OLED models to its IdeaPad line, and Asus has equipped some of its consumer and business lines with this technology (including its budget-oriented VivoBook and ultra-portable ZenBook). The OLED craze doesn’t come out of nowhere; Samsung (the world’s largest OLED supplier) announced in January that it would start mass-producing 90Hz OLED screens for laptops this year.

Here it is in a blue abyss. Image: Lenovo

The Duet 5 Chromebook will be powered by the Qualcomms Snapdragon 7c Gen 2 computing platform, announced in May. This chip is designed for entry-level laptops and recently appeared in the $ 349 Samsung Galaxy Book Go. Reviewers found it’s a bit slow so far, but Chrome OS is less demanding to run than Windows.

The removable form factor, most commonly associated with Microsoft Surface Pro devices, has appeared on a variety of laptop lines this year. Asus now sells the Detachable CM3 Chromebook, a direct (albeit more expensive) competitor to the Duet with an integrated stylus garage and kickstand that folds both vertically and horizontally. At the other end of the price spectrum is the $ 1,629 HP Elite Folio, also powered by a Snapdragon processor (but with Windows and covered in leather). Earlier this year, Lenovo tested the form factor in an X-series ThinkPad with the X12 Detachable, with a more robust Intel Core i5.

The Duet 5 Chromebook will be powered by the Qualcomms Snapdragon 7c Gen 2 computing platform

However, much of what made the original Duet such an attractive purchase was the combination of its low price, portability, and exceptional battery life. (We got well over 11 hours of continuous work in our tests.) The Duet 5 is heavier than the smaller Duet and significantly more expensive. (The predecessor starts at $ 279.) The Duet 5 has a different processor than the Duet and a screen that is traditionally more power hungry, so battery life is a question mark. (Lenovo’s most recent attempt at a detachable OLED, the ThinkPad X1 Fold, had some … issues in that area.) A 13.3-inch OLED screen is certainly a good prospect, but if it’s a good value it will be another story.

The Duet 5 Chromebook is expected to be available in October.

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