UK pricing aside, the increased price of the Duet 5 Chromebook isn't unexpected given its larger size and improve hardware. We'll update this review if we hear back from the company. We're hoping that this is only a temporary issue, and we've reached out to Lenovo for some context for the extraordinary price differential in the UK. Unfortunately, the UK is in for a tough time as Duet 5 Chromebook starts at an eye-popping £899 (opens in new tab). This year's Duet 5 Chromebook is more expensive, starting at $429 ($499 as tested) (opens in new tab), and AU$799 in Australia (opens in new tab). Starting at $279 / £279 / AU$424, the smaller Duet Chromebook was a fantastic value for the price. Speaking of costs, one of the best things about last year's Duet Chromebook was its price. The magnetized backplate on Duet 5 Chromebook also has a small cutaway for a Lenovo Active Pen stylus to clip to the back, but the stylus isn't bundled with the device by default, and even when it is included it will cost extra.

The other accessibility criticism we had of last year's Duet Chromebook – that the magnetic kickstand could be a pain to extend at times – still remains.Ī pullable tab or lanyard here could easily fix this deficiency, but it looks like we might have to wait until next year for a better design here (or, you can pick up Microsoft's Surface Adaptive Kit, which will work with any device, not just the Microsoft Surface Pro 8). Our fingers encountering enough friction to give us some uneven swiping and gesturing, but it's not bad enough that you can't get used to it and adjust the amount of pressure you're applying appropriately. The keys on the Duet 5 Chromebook keyboard aren't backlit, like its predecessor, and the keyboard itself is still pretty flimsy, also like its predecessor.

This is in contrast to last year's 10.1-inch, 16:10 ratio model, which was a better tablet than a laptop, owing to the cramped keyboard. At this size and with a 16:9 screen ratio, though, this is much more of a laptop that can operate as a tablet, as it is a bit unwieldy.

Lenovo ideapad duet chromebook pen