Google has recently attempted to move Chromebooks a little more upmarket with its Chromebook Plus initiative, which specifies the use of Intel or AMD processors that provide greater performance than previous generations of Chromebooks.

Lenovo’s new 2-in-1, the IdeaPad Duet 3, isn’t quite in the ‘Plus’ category, as it still uses a more traditional Qualcomm Snapdragon processor, and arrives with a very competitive $419/£399 price tag. It doesn’t cut too many corners, though, with a classy design and an attractive 11-inch touch-screen display, not to mention build quality that can give more expensive rivals such as Apple’s iPad Air or the Microsoft Surface Go a run for their money.

With a keyboard included in the price, along with a stylus as well – accessories that Apple and Microsoft charge quite a bit extra for – this looks to be a pretty impressive package for its price. How does it perform? Read on for my full review.

Pricing and options

The IdeaPad Duet 3 is something of a take-it-or-leave it proposition, with very few upgrade or customisation options. The model I tested costs $419/£399 and is powered by an 8-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 7c Gen 2 processor, along with 8GB of memory and 128GB solid-state storage.

The 11-inch display – which is actually 10.95-inches to be precise – is driven by the Snapdragon’s integrated Adreno graphics, and as mentioned, that price also includes the folio keyboard and Lenovo’s Digital Pen stylus.

Lenovo’s website in the US does allow you to downgrade to 4GB of memory, for $379, although that’s probably a false economy if you plan to do any real work with the tablet. That option doesn’t seem to be available outside the US, either, where Lenovo currently sells the IdeaPad Duet 3 mainly through online retailers, such as John Lewis in the UK.

Design

Smart and sturdy

The Duet 3 is a convertible device, consisting of an 11-inch tablet section, along with a separate folio keyboard, so you can use it as a lightweight tablet for web browsing or streaming video, and then attach the keyboard if you need to tap out a few emails occasionally.

Despite its low price, the IdeaPad Duet 3 gets all the basics right and avoids the occasionally flimsy, lightweight designs found in many Chromebooks. The tablet section weighs 520g, which is slightly heavier than my 11-inch iPad Air (460g), but it does feel very sturdy and is still light enough to hold in one hand quite easily.

It’s good to see that the folio keyboard is included in the price, along with the stylus, and it also feels well-built, with a smart fabric cover. I’m less keen on the three-piece design, though, as the keyboard panel and the stand that supports the screen are two separate pieces. This means that you have three parts to carry around with you – the tablet, the keyboard and the stand – and having to remove and re-attach the stand on a regular basis becomes rather irritating at times.

However, I do like the fact that the Duet 3 manages to include two USB-C ports, so you can charge it and attach other accessories at the same time. It’s a little disappointing to find that the Duet 3 only supports Wi-Fi 5, along with Bluetooth 5.1, but that’s still fast enough for streaming music and video, so it’s an acceptable compromise for such a low-cost device.

Looks good, sounds terrible

The Duet 3 bets the farm on its attractive 10.95-inch display, and this certainly works very well with a variety of apps and tasks. The 2000 x 1200 resolution is good for any kind of tablet at this price, especially as it also boasts a healthy 400 nits brightness levels. That’s better than some expensive Windows laptops that I’ve seen recently, and is well suited for viewing photos, video, web browsing, and a spot of casual gaming action too.

There are two cameras, with 5MP resolution for the front camera and 8MP for the back when taking photos, while both cameras record video at 1080p. The front camera is a little prone to glare in video mode, so you’ll have to be careful about the lighting when making video calls, but the image is clear and sharp enough for chatting with friends or even business calls if you’re working from home.

The only disappointment was the sound quality. The stereo speakers provide just 1W output each and are virtually inaudible at any level below 50 per cent. The sound is very thin even at maximum volume – it’s acceptable if you’re just listening to some podcasts or TikTok videos, but it’s not very good for listening to music or long movies.

There’s no 3.5mm headphone connector on the tablet either, but the USB-C ports do provide audio output, and Lenovo even throws in a 3.5mm adaptor for wired headphones as well. And, of course, there’s Bluetooth for headphones and speakers too.

Performance and battery

Modest but perfectly manageable for the price

Some of the new Chromebook Plus models focus on performance, using Intel or AMD chips to provide some extra productivity-boosting power. But, as I’ve mentioned, the Duet 3 spends most of its budget on that high-res display, and its Qualcomm Snapdragon processor proves a relatively modest performer.

It scores just 789 for single-core performance when running GeekBench 6, and 1,720 for multi-core performance, which are much more modest than the Intel i3 processor used in more powerful models, such as Acer’s Chromebook Plus 515 at 1,745 and 5,092 respectively. We saw similar results when running Speedometer 2.0 and MotionMark 1.2, so the Duet 3 is clearly not a heavyweight performer.

Even so, it feels smooth and responsive while I’m browsing the web and switching between multiple apps, and it’s more than fast enough to handle streaming video or viewing photos. I was even able to indulge in some Plants V. Zombies action as well, so the Duet 3 can handle some casual 2D gaming if it needs to (just don’t ask it to do 3D graphics, as the 3DMark Wildlife test reported a score of only 5.5fps here).

The Qualcomm processor provides respectable battery life too. Lenovo actually quotes battery life at 10 to 12 hours, depending on where you look, but I got eight hours and 20 minutes out of the Duet 3 when streaming video over Wi-Fi. That’s still plenty respectable and will easily last all day long when you’re out and about.

Verdict

The IdeaPad Duet 3 isn’t perfect – it provides fairly modest performance, while its speakers are sadly underpowered, and the detachable stand proves quite irritating at times. Even so, it still serves up good value for money, thanks to its bright, colourful high-res display, which works a treat for streaming video, viewing photos and web browsing.

The folio keyboard could be more elegantly designed, but it’s good to see that the stylus and keyboard are included in the price – perfect for if you simply want a low-cost, reliable tablet for productivity, web browsing and entertainment.