Google invited me to New York to look at the newest Gemini AI tools going into Chromebooks. But I don’t want to talk about that, because it’s boring. Instead I want to talk about the new Chromebook models they showed me after: an updated version of Lenovo’s mega-popular Chromebook Duet, and a crazy-sleek design from Samsung on the Chromebook Plus platform.
The original Chromebook Duet was launched back in 2020, and it turned some heads. With a 10-inch tablet form factor plus a detachable keyboard and kickstand in the box, it was basically a perfect mix between Microsoft’s Surface form factor and an iPad’s ease of access. The fact that it started at under $300 didn’t hurt — Google told us this might be the best-selling Chromebook model ever. My colleague at the time called the Duet “The Basically Perfect Chrome OS Device.”
You can still find that tablet everywhere, especially after a mild refresh in 2022 (the Duet 3, sold alongside …