Ask me for a laptop advice and I have over a dozen choices loaded and able to go primarily based in your wants; However inform me you need to spend lower than $500 and these choices are dwindling quick. Not that there is not something in this worth vary, however there are normally so many compromises that I discover it exhausting to let you know to not save a little extra to get one thing very nice.
That is why I was a little apprehensive when the $499 Lenovo Duet 5 Chromebook arrived on my desk for review, and why I’m so excited lower than a day later that when I requested for a laptop under $500 I all the time have it. There was a solution. This removable 13-inch 2-in-1 chromebook appears higher than it prices with its vivid OLED show, making it a super main or secondary laptop for a big selection of individuals.
Let’s take a have a look at what makes this my best laptop under $500.
(Picture credit score: Laptop Magazine / Sean Riley)
OLED or Bust!
There’s a lot to say about the Lenovo Duet 5 Chromebook, however the 13.3-inch OLED touchscreen show is the showstopper. The DCI-P3 delivers 85.2% of the coloration gamut (in comparison with the Chromebook common of 70%) and a wonderful 361 nits of brightness, which in flip crushes the Chromebook common of 270 nits.
The 16:9 panel makes watching movies a delight and even internet shopping a little extra vibrant. And in the event you’re a photographer, its 0.22 rating on the Delta-E coloration accuracy take a look at means it is a wonderful reference show for any Chromebook utilizing its Photoshop choices.
(Picture credit score: Laptop Magazine / Sean Riley)
Enjoyable with the 2-in-1
At 13.3 inches, the Duet 5 is a bit a lot of a pill, however the removable type issue makes it a wonderful moveable TV for use round the home or on an airplane when you take away the keyboard. The built-in kickstand on the again means that you can set it at simply the proper viewing angle, regardless of the place you need to watch it.
If you’re performed, the material keyboard snaps into place. Whereas not sturdy sufficient to make use of in your lap, the keyboard is glorious when positioned on a desk. I was simply in a position to sort at a velocity of 85 phrases per minute, which was just one phrase per minute lower than my regular velocity. The 4.2 x 2.4-inch touchpad helps you navigate the show when you do not really feel like utilizing the touchscreen.
(Picture credit score: Laptop Magazine / Sean Riley)
battery life for days
The Lenovo Duet 5 Chromebook is available in proper behind our laptop, with a wonderful 13 hours and 31 minutes of battery life on a single cost. That is simply 35 minutes lower than the MacBook Air m2, which weighs an additional 0.7 kilos and prices $700 extra.
(Picture credit score: Laptop Magazine / Sean Riley)
So what’s the catch?
I awarded the Duet 5 Chromebook 4.5 out of 5 stars and an Editor’s Alternative, however that does not imply it is good, so what was that half level value? The efficiency is not excellent.
It is a Chromebook, so that you would not count on it to switch a gaming laptop (although the GeForce Now Final might be nice on it) or a content material creation laptop. Nonetheless, so long as your use case for a laptop is a pretty customary mixture of internet shopping, productiveness work, and content material consumption, the Duet 5 Chromebook is greater than as much as the job. I may simply juggle a few Google Chrome tabs with two taking part in 1080p YouTube movies whereas working in Google Docs at the identical time, and there was no stuttering or slowing down.
(Picture credit score: Laptop Magazine / Sean Riley)
closing ideas
As I stated at the starting, if you wish to spend lower than $500 on a laptop, you must make some compromises. The important thing to the Lenovo Duet 5 Chromebook for me is that it strikes the proper compromises whereas delivering glorious worth in different areas.
The show and battery life are nice, simply akin to laptops twice the worth. I love the 2-in-1 type issue and the material cowl feels nice and provides it a distinctive look. That Lenovo has managed to make such a slim keyboard cowl so nicely, it is equally puzzling.
Except you propose on enhancing video, stepping into tech, or gaming natively on the Duet 5 Chromebook, this laptop ought to be capable of meet your wants with out breaking the financial institution. If you’re wanting for a laptop under $500, then congratulations, your search is over.
At the moment’s best offers on the Lenovo IdeaPad Duet 5 Chromebook
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