Lenovo IdeaPad Duet 3i initial review: A design with form and function

Lenovo announced a number of devices at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, including a couple of additions to its IdeaPad portfolio.

One of the additions comes in the form of the IdeaPad Slim 3 Chromebook, while the other is a 2-in-1 device running Windows 11, called the IdeaPad Duet 3i.

Here are our first impressions of the IdeaPad Duet 3i. Can it take on the Microsoft Surface?

Design

271.3 x 172 x 8.95mm
697g Tablet, 450g Folio Case
Optional Digital Pen

The Lenovo IdeaPad Duet 3i is a slim and slender tablet that comes with an optional Folio Case and keyboard, making it more useful for productivity.

The tablet alone measures 271.3 x 172 x 8.95mm so it’s definitely portable, and while it’s not the lightest at 697g, which is around the same as the iPad Pro 12.9-inch, it doesn’t feel heavy. Add the weight of the Folio Case to that though – which comes in at 450g – and you’ve got yourself a device that is only a little lighter than a MacBook Air.

The design of the IdeaPad Duet 3i is lovely and neat though, with uniformed bezels surrounding the 11.5-inch display – more on that in a minute.

The aluminium build delivers the kind of premium finish we have come to expect from 2-in-1 devices like the Microsoft Surface and the Apple iPad Pro models.

The IdeaPad Duet 3i does move in a slightly different direction to the norm though, offering a dual textured finish on the rear, which adds a bit of character, and the Folio Case has been designed around this too.

Rather than fold in on itself to create a stand for the IdeaPad Duet 3i, the Folio Case slides down from the top, revealing the textured finished, and making it easy to create the kickstand and show off the design. The Folio Case also has a dedicated slot for easy access to the optional Digital Pen.

The keyboard is slim with shallow keys but it was nice to type on based on our brief experience, while the trackpad below the keys appeared responsive.

On the back of the IdeaPad Duet 3i, there’s a single camera sensor in the top right corner that sits flush with the rest of the body, making for a simple and fuss free approach, whilst also making it easy for the Folio Case to slide over it. The front camera meanwhile is positioned in a landscape orientation – like Apple switched to on the iPad (10th generation), making it perfect for video calls.

There are speakers centralised at either end of the Duet 3i, which means the ports are off centre. The right edge offers a 3.5mm audio jack below the speaker grilles, while the volume rocker and power button sit above. This power button also has a fingerprint sensor built into it, like the iPad (10th generation also offers).

Meanwhile, the other end of the Duet 3i has two USB Type-C ports below the speaker grille, though one is only for power and data, while the other is full functioning, so you can only hook up an external monitor with one of them for example.

Display

11.5-inch IPS LCD display
2K resolution, P3 colour gamut
400nits

The Lenovo Duet 3i has a 11.5-inch display, as we previously mentioned. It’s a 2K IPS LCD touch display, with a 2000 x 1200 pixel resolution, delivering a pixel density of 203ppi.

Colours appeared punchy and vibrant based on our initial experience and there’s a DCI-P3 colour gamut on board here.

The Duet 3i’s display offered decent viewing angles from what we could tell, and there’s a decent amount of brightness at 400nits. This is pretty standard for tablets, though you’ll get some laptops that offer higher. Typically this is for viewing HDR content though rather than them offering the ability to crank up brightness to 1600nits for example.

Unlike the Slim 3 Chromebook, which has an optional touch display, the Duet 3i has no option – not that we would want one here. It wouldn’t be a tablet without a touchscreen now would it? The touchscreen was responsive from our initial use with it, though we will of course test its capabilities more when we come to review this device in full.

Overall though, based on our initial impressions, the Lenovo IdeaPad Duet 3i offers a decent display for its price, that is more than capable of its job.

Hardware and performance

Intel Processor N200/N100
Intel Integrated Graphics
4GB/8GB RAM, 128/256GB SSD

Moving to under the hood, the Lenovo Duet 3i runs on a choice of the Intel Processor N200 or the Intel Processor N100, both of which offer Intel Integrated Graphics. There is either 4GB or 8GB of LPDDR5 RAM on board and storage options are offered in 128GB or 256GB.

There’s Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.1 on board – so not the latest standards – while the software running the show is Windows 11 Home/Pro.

Elsewhere on the hardware front, you’ll find two 2W speakers with Dolby Audio, a dual microphone and the rear camera is an 8-megapixel snapper with auto focus, while the front camera is a 5-megapixel fixed focus sensor.

In terms of battery capacity, the Lenovo Duet 3i has a 35.6Whr polymer cell with Rapid Charge. It’s claimed to have up to 8.5 hours of 1080p video playback.

We of course couldn’t test the hardware of the Lenovo Duet 3i during our short period of time with it, nor the battery capabilities or the camera and speakers. We will be sure to do this when we review it in full though.

First impressions

The Lenovo IdeaPad Duet 3i is a slim and sleek 2-in-1 device that offers plenty of potential. It’s not the highest spec 2-in-1 device out there, but it delivers a lovely design with some handy convenience features from the Folio Case, while Windows 11 offers plenty of benefits too.

The Abyss Blue colour looks great in the flesh, and the IdeaPad Duet 3i tablet is slim and premium, making for what appears to be a solid option if you’re considering a 2-in-1 device.

We will update this initial review with how the IdeaPad Duet 3i performs when we come to review it in full. For now though, we are fans of this one.