The Duet 5 fabric has a stippled surface that looks more like denim to me, but critically, it still offers a much more comfortable feel than cold aluminum. It may be the dark “Abyss Blue” color, but it also lacks the stitched finish of the original Chromebook Duet or Detachable CM3, which was a big part of the charm to me. We were enamored with both in our reviews, comparing them to a notebook and a tweed journal, respectively.ĭespite its similar magnetized fabric back cover and keyboard, the Duet 5 doesn’t pull off the look quite as well.

Microsoft deserves a lot of credit for popularizing fabric-based designs with its Alcantara-wrapped Surface products, but last year’s Lenovo Chromebook Duet and the Asus Chromebook Detachable CM3 brought that look to a more affordable realm. While the Snapdragon processor upgrade isn’t significant, doubling the RAM and storage is worth the $70 price difference. The color carries through from the tablet’s aluminum chassis to the cloth back cover and snap-on keyboard.

The base model is Storm Grey, while the higher-end model only comes in Abyss Blue.

Lenovo ideapad duet 3 case