
The Surface keyboard can be a touch flimsy, especially if you're using it on your lap rather than at a desk. The plastic keyboard deck feels a little cheaper than the Surface keyboard's, but the Lenovo keyboard isn't as thin. The exterior is fabric, which feels nice as you carry the tablet with the keyboard folded over the display. Microsoft has always followed the bad example of Apple's iPad by charging extra for its Surface keyboards, as Dell does for base models of the XPS 13 2-in-1, so the Duet 5i's price advantage is even bigger than it looks at first glance. Speaking of the detachable keyboard, Lenovo does the right thing by including it in the box. Once you prop the Lenovo tablet with the kickstand, it's perfectly stable. Like the Surface Pro, the IdeaPad has a kickstand built into the back plus a detachable keyboard, which I prefer over 2-in-1's whose kickstands are built into the keyboard because the latter are often a little finicky to set up and flimsier than a built-in stand. Of course, the main attraction is the convertibility between tablet and laptop operations. The Duet 5i isn't quite as sleek, but it's still extremely slim and portable at 0.35 by 11.22 by 7.36 inches (HWD) and 2.53 pounds. It's definitely a step above cheaper devices and not too far from the panache of the Surface Pro and XPS 13 2-in-1, each of which starts at $999. Considering its price, the tablet feels well-made and looks good the blue color is pleasant, and the chassis feels sturdy. Lenovo's design is pretty simple, but that's not a bad thing. If you're a Windows user who likes the tablet-plus-keyboard concept, and you don't need tons of power, the IdeaPad Duet 5i is a first-class value. Its modest storage and Core i3 processor are the only real knocks, but with no obvious design flaws, steady performance, and good pricing, it earns our Editors' Choice award for the budget category. Now Lenovo has brought the same concept to Microsoft's operating system with the IdeaPad Windows Duet 5i ($789.99 as low as $529.99 on sale), a fully functional Windows 11 portable with a keyboard included that undercuts premium models like the Microsoft Surface Pro 9 and the Dell XPS 13 2-in-1. When Lenovo's IdeaPad Duet 5 Chromebook and IdeaPad Duet 3 Chromebook came across our test bench in recent years, we were impressed by their affordable and versatile 2-in-1 laptop designs. Best Hosted Endpoint Protection and Security Software.
