Lenovo IdeaPad Chromebook Duet Review UK 2026: Ultra-Portable Tablet-Laptop Tested

The Lenovo Chromebook Duet has been a favourite among students and mobile workers for years, and the 2026 edition promises to refine the formula with a MediaTek Kompanio 838 processor, AI features, and an impossibly light 510g chassis. After two weeks of testing this 2-in-1 across coffee shops, trains, and my home office, I’ve found a device that excels at portability but makes some compromises you need to understand before buying.

Lenovo IdeaPad Chromebook Duet | 11 Inch FHD+ 1200p Laptop | MediaTek Kompanio 838 | 4GB RAM | 128GB eMMC | Chrome OS | Luna Grey USI Pen 2 | Folio Stand + Folio Keyboard

★★★★★★★★★★ 4.1 (83 reviews)

£349.99

• Ultra-portable at 510g and 7.6mm, the Lenovo Chromebook Duet (11", 9) fits any adventure. Explore with a spill-proof chassis and up to 12 hours of battery life.
• Stream and create in style - The 10.95" WUXGA display sports narrow bezels for maximum screen as you binge-watch on YouTube or jam with booming clarity via SmartAMP with Waves Audio.
• Boost productivity with the efficient MediaTek Kompanio 838 processor, with 4GB memory, and NPU. Convert scanned documents into editable digital text. Experience effortless data transfer, smooth video chats, and the ability to connect to a 4K display powered by an advanced on-device AI solution.
• The 5MP front camera comes with a physical shutter to ensure your video calls capture every detail, while keeping your privacy at your fingertips.
• Unleash your creativity on Squid and organize your thoughts on Evernote with optional Lenovo USI Pen 2 that sketches and writes like a real pen. Protect your device with Folio Stand + Folio Keyboard.

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Price checked: 11 Jan 2026 | Affiliate link

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Specs Overview: What You’re Getting

The 2026 Duet ships with everything you need in the box: the tablet itself, a fabric folio stand that doubles as a rear cover, and a detachable keyboard. This is genuinely refreshing when most manufacturers charge extra for accessories. The MediaTek Kompanio 838 is an 8-core ARM processor with an integrated NPU for AI tasks, paired with 4GB of LPDDR4X RAM and 128GB of eMMC storage.

I need to be honest about that 4GB RAM figure. In 2026, it’s the bare minimum for ChromeOS, and you’ll feel it when you’ve got 15+ tabs open alongside a few Android apps. The 128GB storage is adequate for a cloud-focused device, but there’s no microSD slot for expansion, which is disappointing given the previous generation included one.

The spill-resistant chassis is a nice touch for a device likely to be used in cafes and lecture halls. Lenovo rates it for minor spills, though I wouldn’t recommend testing this deliberately. The 5MP front camera includes a physical privacy shutter, something I genuinely appreciate after years of using sticky notes to cover webcams.

Display: Bright and Sharp for the Size

The 10.95-inch WUXGA (1920×1200) display is one of the Duet’s strongest features. At 400 nits peak brightness, it’s genuinely usable outdoors, something I tested extensively during a sunny week in Brighton. The 16:10 aspect ratio provides more vertical space than traditional 16:9 screens, which makes a noticeable difference when scrolling through documents or web pages.

Colour accuracy is impressive for a budget device. I measured 95% sRGB coverage using a Spyder X colorimeter, with a Delta E of around 2.3 out of the box. That’s not professional-grade accuracy like you’d get from the Samsung Galaxy Book4 Pro 360, but it’s more than adequate for everyday use, photo viewing, and casual content creation.

The narrow bezels make the display feel larger than its 10.95-inch diagonal suggests. Lenovo has managed to keep the top bezel slim despite housing the 5MP webcam there. The touchscreen is responsive with good palm rejection, though I did notice occasional missed taps in the corners when using it in tablet mode.

My main criticism is the 60Hz refresh rate. In 2026, even budget devices are moving to 90Hz or 120Hz panels, and you can feel the difference when scrolling through web pages or using gesture navigation. It’s not a dealbreaker, but it does make the device feel slightly dated compared to modern tablets.

Performance: Adequate for ChromeOS, Nothing More

The MediaTek Kompanio 838 is an ARM-based processor designed for efficiency rather than raw power. In Geekbench 6, it scored 1,240 single-core and 2,840 multi-core, which puts it roughly on par with an Intel Celeron N4500. That’s adequate for ChromeOS’s lightweight nature, but you’ll notice slowdowns with heavy multitasking.

In real-world use, the Duet handles Google Docs, Sheets, and Gmail without issues. Web browsing is smooth with 5-8 tabs open, but push beyond 12 tabs and you’ll start seeing page reloads as the 4GB RAM struggles to keep everything in memory. I found myself closing tabs more frequently than I do on my main laptop, which has 16GB RAM.

The eMMC storage is the biggest performance bottleneck. Sequential read speeds top out at around 285MB/s, which is roughly 10 times slower than a modern NVMe SSD. You’ll notice this when installing large Android apps or loading multiple files simultaneously. App launches take an extra second or two compared to SSD-equipped devices.

Android app performance is hit-or-miss. Lightweight apps like Pocket, Evernote, and Squid run fine, but more demanding apps struggle. I tested a few games, and titles like Asphalt 9 were playable at low settings but far from smooth. The Mali GPU isn’t designed for gaming, and it shows.

The AI features powered by the NPU are interesting but limited. The document scanning OCR works well, converting photographed text to editable documents with good accuracy. However, most of the AI functionality relies on cloud processing rather than the on-device NPU, so you’ll need a stable internet connection for features like Google Assistant’s smarter responses.

Thermal performance is excellent, which is the benefit of using an efficient ARM processor. The Duet never gets more than slightly warm to the touch, even during extended use. There’s no fan, so it’s completely silent. For a device you’ll often hold as a tablet, this is crucial.

Battery Life: All-Day and Then Some

Battery life is where the Duet absolutely shines. Lenovo claims up to 12 hours, and in my testing, that’s actually conservative. I routinely got 11 hours of web browsing with the screen at 60% brightness (around 240 nits), which is bright enough for indoor use.

For video playback, I streamed YouTube continuously at 1080p and got just over 12 hours before the battery warning appeared. This makes the Duet an excellent travel companion for long flights. The efficient MediaTek processor and relatively small display work together to sip power rather than gulp it.

My typical mixed-use workday (Google Docs, Gmail, Slack web app, YouTube Music in the background, and frequent web browsing) lasted about 9 hours. That’s genuinely impressive and means I could leave the charger at home for full workdays without anxiety. Compare this to the Microsoft Surface Pro Copilot+ PC, which manages around 7-8 hours under similar conditions despite costing three times as much.

Charging is adequate but not fast. The included 10W adapter takes about 2.5 hours to fully charge the 29Wh battery. If you have a 30W or higher USB-C charger, you can cut that time to around 90 minutes. The Duet supports USB Power Delivery, so any modern phone charger will work in a pinch.

Standby drain is minimal. I left the Duet in sleep mode over a weekend and it lost only 8% battery, which suggests ChromeOS’s power management is working well. This is crucial for a device that’s often grabbed quickly for short tasks.

Build Quality and Portability: Impressively Light

The Duet’s party trick is its weight. At 510g for just the tablet, it’s lighter than most hardback books and barely noticeable in a bag. Add the keyboard and folio stand, and you’re still only at 920g total, which is lighter than an iPad Air with Apple’s Magic Keyboard.

The tablet portion has an aluminium chassis that feels premium despite the budget price. There’s minimal flex, and the build quality inspires confidence. The fabric folio back cover attaches magnetically and provides decent protection against scratches. It’s available in several colours (mine was a pleasant grey-blue), and the fabric texture provides good grip when holding the device as a tablet.

The kickstand is integrated into the folio cover and offers a decent range of angles, though it’s not infinitely adjustable like the Surface Pro’s kickstand. I found the optimal typing angle to be around 65 degrees, but you can push it flatter for media viewing. The kickstand requires a flat surface, so lap use is awkward but possible if you brace it against your thighs.

Port selection is minimal: a single USB-C port on the left edge for charging and data, and a pogo pin connector on the bottom edge for the keyboard. There’s no headphone jack, which is annoying in 2026. You’ll need USB-C headphones or a dongle for wired audio, though Bluetooth works fine for wireless headphones.

The spill-resistant rating gives some peace of mind, though I didn’t deliberately test this. The keyboard connection is robust, and I never experienced accidental disconnections. However, the pogo pins are exposed when the keyboard is detached, so keep the device away from liquids when using it as a standalone tablet.

Keyboard and Trackpad: Compromised by Size

The keyboard is the Duet’s weakest link. At this size, compromises are inevitable, but the shallow 1.0mm key travel and cramped layout make extended typing sessions tiring. I managed about 1,200 words before my fingers started complaining, compared to 3,000+ words on a full-size laptop keyboard.

Key spacing is tight, and I frequently hit adjacent keys during my first few days of use. The Enter key is particularly small, and I often hit the backslash key instead. Touch typists will need a few days to adjust. The keys themselves are quiet and don’t wobble, which is appreciated in libraries and quiet offices.

There’s no backlighting, which is understandable at this price but frustrating when working in dimly lit environments. I found myself angling the screen to illuminate the keys, which isn’t ideal. The function row is present but requires using the Fn key to access media controls and brightness adjustment.

The trackpad is functional but cramped. At 65mm wide and 40mm tall, it’s one of the smallest trackpads I’ve used on a laptop-style device. Two-finger scrolling works reliably, and the click mechanism has decent feedback, but precise cursor control requires careful finger movements. I found myself reaching for the touchscreen more often than I would on a device with a larger trackpad.

For occasional typing and basic navigation, the keyboard and trackpad are adequate. For extended work sessions, I’d recommend pairing a Bluetooth keyboard and mouse. The beauty of ChromeOS is that any generic Bluetooth peripherals work without driver installation.

Alternatives: What Else Should You Consider?

The Acer Chromebook Spin 312 offers a larger 12-inch display and traditional laptop form factor for around £299. It’s less portable but provides a better typing experience with a full-size keyboard. However, the display resolution is lower, and the build quality doesn’t match the Duet’s premium feel.

If you’re considering iPadOS instead of ChromeOS, the iPad 10th generation with Apple’s keyboard case costs around £499 total. You get a faster processor, better app selection, and superior build quality, but you’re paying nearly double the price. The iPad also lacks a proper file system and desktop-class browser, which limits productivity compared to ChromeOS.

For those who need Windows, the Microsoft Surface Go 3 starts at around £399 for the tablet alone, with the keyboard costing an additional £100. That’s significantly more expensive than the Duet, and battery life is worse at around 7 hours. However, you get full Windows compatibility, which matters if you need specific desktop applications.

The Duet’s value proposition is strongest for students and casual users who primarily work in web browsers and don’t need Windows or macOS software. At £349.99 with the keyboard included, it undercuts most competitors by £100-200 while delivering comparable or better battery life.