I had no problems using the Duet’s screen outdoors with its 561 nits. While Lenovo stated that the display can reach a peak brightness of 450 nits, we found that it was at least 100 nits brighter. Our display analysis tests using Datacolor's SpyderX colorimeter showed that the Duet exceeded Lenovo's display claims. For comparison, Apple’s latest 12.9-inch iPad Pro with Apple’s Liquid Retina XDA display can reach a peak brightness of up to 1,600 nits under certain conditions. The higher peak brightness means that this screen will still be readable in outdoor conditions, and the lower number means your retina won’t be scorched out if you’re trying to work at night in the dark. At 561 nits, not only can this display get brighter than the Surface Pro 8’s 441 nits of peak brightness, but it can go down to just 5.7 nits. The smooth trackpad is of a decent size, and it tracks accurately both in a “wired” connected mode and wireless over Bluetooth.Īnother area where the Duet excels is in screen brightness. Unfortunately, however, moving the cursor on the trackpad doesn’t reactivate the keyboard backlighting once it goes dark to save battery power, so you’ll have to hit a key on the keyboard. And unlike most laptops where the backlight remains on in dark ambient conditions, the backlight on the Duet’s keyboard cover automatically turns off after a few seconds of inactivity, though it will reactivate when you begin typing on the keyboard. You can set it so that the light automatically turns on in dimmer environments, or you can manually adjust it between three different levels – off, dim, or normal brightness. Unlike some cheaper laptops that I’ve recently tested, I didn’t experience a quick bottoming out experience, which adds to typing comfort.īacklighting is also supported on the keyboard. There isn’t any flexing when typing, and though you won’t get the premium typing experience found on Lenovo’s more premium ThinkPad keyboards, the keys here are comfortable to type on with decent key travel. The hard plastic shell is nice, as it not only reinforces the cover and helps to protect against screen damage when the keyboard is closed, but it also makes the keyboard feel sturdy when typing. On the inside, you get a hard plastic cover over the keyboard deck with keys arranged in an island-style layout. The choice of softer fabric is a bit concerning for a surface that would touch tabletops, especially for those who work in communal spaces like coffee shops, but I found that the cover has held up and there isn’t any staining or wearing after several weeks with the Duet. With Lenovo’s implementation, you get a color-matched fabric cover on the exterior that feels like twill. The keyboard, like the Type Cover on the Surface Pro, feels solid. Lenovo claimed that the battery inside the keyboard portion can last for 28.3 hours of continuous typing with no backlight enabled. This more ergonomic experience helps reduce neck strain and improves the ergonomics of using this tablet. My neck is definitely grateful to Lenovo for this implementation, as I can use a tablet stand when I am doing work at a coffee shop and type on the same keyboard instead of having to tote around a secondary Bluetooth keyboard. This nifty trick makes the folio keyboard far more useful, and I didn’t realize how much I would love this feature until I actually used it. ![]() ![]() I had hoped that with a less premium processor, Lenovo could have figured out a fan-less base model – after all, Apple’s now discontinued 12-inch MacBook was fanless as is the entire iPad lineup. The Duet uses fans for active cooling – even on our lower-end Core i3 configuration – though at about 35 to 40 dBa at ear level, the fans are quieter than most laptops we’ve tested. There are vents located on the top edge of the tablet in landscape orientation and also on the sides concealed just beneath the speaker cutouts. ![]() Magnets on the Duet’s screen will also help keep the keyboard attached to the screen when closed, which makes the entire package easier to travel with. Like the Surface, the keyboard will magnetically adhere to the slate when connected. POGO pins on the bottom and some cutouts help to connect the keyboard to the Duet. And since Lenovo didn’t put its own take on Microsoft’s proprietary magnetic connection, the downside is you don’t have the convenience of a magnetic connector for charging the Duet. And as there is no Surface Connect port on the Duet, you’ll either need to rely on USB-C for your docking needs if you want a single-cable connection to connect power, peripherals, and display to Lenovo’s slate.
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