Lenovo Duet Gen 9: What Real Users Actually Think

Terrific review! I'm still on the OG Duet and the performance improvements make me jealous.

Went for it too! Had the original Duet w/P60T, then the Snapdragon 7c model. Both of those with 4G. When I saw this model with the 8G of RAM had to jump on it. Only down spec from last gen seems to be the screen resolution. We'll see how it is when it arrives.

Am I the only one that prefers the soft grey plastic of the keyboard and kickstand to the fabric of the Duet 3? The fabric picked up stains so easily, and I have had no problems with the plastic doing so.

I am so happy that they got rid of the fabric. Can't stand it when my devices pick up stains that easily.

I wish they made a pro version with a faster CPU, more storage, biometrics, and a backlit keyboard. I'd buy that for $600.

I personally don't love this, as it presents several drawbacks compared to the previous model (Duet 3). Namely: DSP cut-off noise coming from speakers — extremely annoying, almost deal breaker. It's uglier. What the heck is that huge glossy rectangle around the camera!? Literally a useless fingerprint magnet. Keyboard attachment flex coming from the front which results in a 'lifted' keyboard that makes typing abs(olutely frustrating).

That's a nice price. If it's the 8GB version then it's a steal!

I was sold on it before, even more now. I had the first version, but eventually got rid of it because it was just too slow, and only 4GB of RAM. But man, did I love the screen and that battery life. The keyboard was not too bad, either. Pen input was not the best at the time, glad to see that's improved.

You definitely need a table to use it, it doesn't work on your lap. For 150 it is a good price. It is actually faster than the Kompanio 514 so you are getting a better deal in a way. The UK version comes with a pen and the 45w charger in addition to the keyboard cover. The keyboard is a little bit tight, but you get used to it.

I made sure to get the 8gb model because my 4gb duet 3 got painful to use. From what I've seen the memory was the main thing holding back my duet 3. If I had just got the 8gb version of that, I probably wouldn't have upgraded to the Duet Gen 9.

I have the 4gb version and it is terribly slow. Crashes on me often. Keyboard is just okay for typing, and the touchpad is atrocious. Display is really nice, and the battery should be sufficient.

I'm switching from Duet 5 to Gen 9. The Duet 5 has a gorgeous OLED screen. If watching movies, browsing photos, or enjoying vibrant colors is a priority, the Duet 5 wins. However, the Duet Gen 9 has a higher resolution (2K) on a smaller screen, meaning sharper text, which is great for reading or working on documents. The Duet Gen 9 will likely have a performance edge for everyday tasks. Newer processors generally mean smoother multitasking and faster app loading.

I have the first gen duet, waiting on the new one to release in europe. Linux apps do work, provided there's ARM support. A lot are a little sluggish on the original one, but the entire chromebook is at this point, so no surprises there. Hoping that's improved in the new one, and from reading people's reactions, it has. Lightweight programs like remmina (virtual desktop client) run great, even on 4gb of ram this original one has.

I have the same model. I use a mix of android apps and the linux (crostini) system. I actually use firefox and betterbird as browser and email client. Use a variety of other linux apps as well. Generally works well but they still have some crostini / wayland issues to iron out. Battery life is as the poster describes. Lightweight so good for travel and working almost anywhere. Performance is generally good.

I have the same model. It is great for travel - fits easily into a small carry-on bag. Essentially a tablet with a real operating system (at least, good enough). The keyboard is OK, but the touchpad could be better. I found it useful to add a bluetooth mouse. A pleasant discovery on the crostini side was that Xwayland works out of the box for remote X connections (not a common use case but I need it.)

I picked one recently and as my first Chromebook I've been surprised at how good it is. My only issue is that I've found scrolling in some Android apps to be buggy. For instance I'm running the Android version of YouTube (prefer it to the web version) but there are visual glitches and screen tearing on the left side when I scroll. That is probably more to do with running an unsupported side loaded app.

I picked up the 8 GB Duet 11 on Black Friday. The price was great, the screen quality and brightness is very good, the webcam is more than adequate, the pen is a nice plus, the keyboard is serviceable, and the computer is reasonably speedy with a decent battery life. My one complaint is I wish the screen were a bit taller so I could see more text. That said, the weight and size are really nice as this slips easily into a bag.

I have the 8gb version, which I recommend. I use it for work and it holds up well. I had a video call or two go wonky but I'm not sure it was on my end or theirs. Overall, a nice little device to play with.

I'm not a fan of it. It's obviously a better machine 'for actual use' than OG Duet, thanks to the more powerful SoC and twice the RAM, but unfortunately it's not better 'in every way'. Far from it. For instance, the DSP/speakers have an odd bug that creates a soft 'pop' sound every single time the device stops playing a sound. The new kickstand design is just plain awful: it's unstable, inconsistent, and flimsy.

I just got mine earlier today. I like it, use it for media consumption, messaging, forums, etc; I wanted something very light to travel with that fits into a Patagonia Atom Sling. My only complaint is that I'm accustomed to Android on Pixel phones so the OS feels a little unpolished.

I have had mine for about a week now, and the battery life seems a little short to me. I am coming from a Duet 5. I use it for about 1-2 hours of local video consumption a day, along with a couple of hours of browsing, and reading. Nothing super taxing. Its at 100% brightness for the video consumption but down to around 50% for the rest of the time. With the Duet 5 I could go 2-3 days between charge, but I am finding that the new Duet is requiring daily charge as its below 30% almost every night.

Great worth biting at. I got this model at £297UK a few weeks ago. No regrets. Smart, handy device that fits in my inside coat pocket.

I got mine (128gb/4gb/no pen) from best buy at 279 in a recent sale, I would have preferred the 8gb ram version but at that price it was hard to pass. It replaced the original duet and it runs circles around it, great upgrade. My use case is more as a tablet so only 4gb ram is not really an issue.

If you already own HP X2 11, not quite worth upgrading. I have the HP and the difference isn't really able to drive me upgrading it. SoC is slightly faster, USB-C on both sides, ext. monitor output supports 4K60 (HP can only 4K30 but good for document work already), all these are nice to have but not a must.

I just picked one up for full price. Totally worth it. Only complaints are that it's unstable when using on your lap, which is pretty standard with the detachable 2-in-1 form factor, and that the touchpad isn't very good. But all in all, it's a great device and I'm happy with my purchase.

So my experiment with the Lenovo Duet 11 Gen 9 was a failure as it is not going to work for me, whilst I was able to get the stuff I needed to do done it was not comfortable to use and the stylus support was poor at best.

I just tried it. It won't be the fastest Lightroom experience but it will get the job done. You can easily do color correction on this device. I even tested some of the AI features and it runs on this device too but it takes longer to process.

For me I always loved the idea of the duet more than I actually enjoyed using one. For laptop usage the screen is simply too small (but the keyboard is great..) and the kickstand design requires a flat surface to rest on. It just super awkward to deploy when using it on the road or inside a car. For tablet use I don't see much utility beyond watching Netflix and YouTube.

The Lenovo Duet Gen 9 floppy case absolutely fucking sucks massively, it simply can't be used as a 'laptop' meaning on your lap unless you're reclined with your legs up, and even then it's unstable. If Lenovo had even included an optional rigid hinge attachment or anything remotely close to that, it'd be perfect and I'd be extremely happy. I'm still going to keep it since I love its portability but it definitely sucks.

Used the 2022 version with 4gb. 4gb is way too low especially for tablet mode. Hardly usable tbh.

I have been using the Duet Gen 9 for a few weeks. The tablet mode touches are hit and miss. The most frustrating part is when you try to swipe from the top of the screen to expose the other open tabs or even the URL field. Sometimes it takes multiple swipes to get the hidden top exposed.

This is my first Chromebook and I wonder if they're all like this. I'm most impressed with the integration with my Pixel phone. The lock screen function, turning on the phone's hotspot from the chromebook, that's the stuff I like most about it.

I love everything about it except the kickstand. Lenovo gave it this ridiculous angled alignment so it can prop vertically, but it limits the normal landscape support, because the angle makes it wobble at certain degrees. The tablet 2-in-1s are my favourite type of chromebook, and the Duets sport a 400nit brightness (many other CBs are only 250-300). I have the 2024 version that comes with 8GB, Kompanio 838, and the magnetic USI stylus. I've been able to stream games like Forza with Gamepass.

My third day with the Lenovo Duet 11 Kompanio 838, 4 GB RAM. I'm loving it so far, with no lag or issues. The Phone Hub works seamlessly. I got it for light use, such as browsing, watching some YouTube videos, etc. It hasn't let me down yet. I have a gaming desktop and laptop, so I'm not trying to replace my PC usage; rather, I needed something light and very portable with long battery life to use in the garden, on the sofa, and the like.

Duet has now become my main machine when traveling, replacing old netbooks from 10 and 15 years ago. Compact size (less than 7 inch width, in particular) makes it easy to throw into my bag. I use the Linux VM a lot and was pleased to see that it supports remote X connections, even though it is Wayland underneath. Display is plenty big enough. Bringing along a bluetooth mouse proved to be a good move - the trackpad is not the greatest.

72% NTSC color gamut is inexcusable these days. Still waiting for a proper replacement for my Pixel Slate.

I am really surprised that mediatek became such a company, really surprised with the performance, my earlier experience of the mediatek has been trash but this one is Apple smooth.

Several people have mentioned that an external 4K display is only working @ 30hz when using either a USB-C dock or directly connecting via a USB-C cable. In both cases, a 2 lane HBR3/DP1.4 connection would be necessary for 60hz to work since HBR2/DP1.2 caps out at 4K 30Hz.

If Lenovo fixed the speakers, I'd mostly love it as the stand is fine once you get it stable enough ish...as long as you never touch it again.

Definitely don't upgrade to the 2024 model if you have no issues with the Duet 3. I have both, and had touch issues with Duet 3. If it wasn't for those, I'd probably have sent the Duet 11 back.

Charging via USB-A to USB-C is far too slow at 2W. With a USB-C to USB-C connection, it emits audible coil whine at a blistering 24W. The OG Duet charges at a reasonable 9W (A2C) or 18W (C2C). Fast charging is nice in a pinch, but it'll cause increased battery degradation.