Michael Crider
We were impressed with Lenovo’s Chromebook Duet tablet when we saw it at CES, even more so when we got our hands on the finished product. Lenovo’s expanding that “Duet” branding into its primary IdeaPad line of Windows machines. Today the company announced the IdeaPad Duet 7i and Duet 3i, clearly competitors for the Surface Pro and Surface Go, respectively.
The IdeaPad Duet 7i is a 13-inch tablet packing full-power processors, 10th-gen Core i3, i5, or i7 depending on your configuration. RAM and storage are likewise configurable, with 4-16GB and 128GB-1TB capacities listed as options in the spec sheets. That screen is impressive, with a 450-nit IPS panel packing 2160×1350 resolution. The all-metal design comes with a heavy-duty kickstand and an included Bluetooth metal keyboard—one up on the Surface Pro, which still requires you to buy it separately.
Other interesting features include Windows Hello compatibility on the camera, optional stylus (sold separately) and LTE wireless support, and three, count ’em, three USB-C ports. The fetching tablet-and-keyboard combo comes in slate grey or a more eye-catching “orchid” (deep purple) color.
The IdeaPad Duet 3i uses the same tablet-kickstand form factor, but its lower specs make it much more of a budget device. The screen is only 10.3 inches with 1920×1200 resolution, and it’s a bit darker at 330 nits. Memory and storage are curtailed with 4GB/8GB and a maximum of 128GB on the SSD. Processors are decidedly low-power, with only Pentium and Celeron chips available. The cheaper Duet uses only two USB-C ports, but still keeps the Bluetooth keyboard in the box and has optional LTE.
Prices for the Duet 7i will start at €1199 ($a hair over $1300 US), with the Duet 3i landing at €429 ($470) when they launch in June. Lenovo’s EMEA (Europe, Middle East, and Asia) division has announced the availability, but there’s no indication of a US launch time or price at the moment.
Source: Lenovo via Liliputing
