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New Lenovo IdeaPads look like the Chromebooks to beat

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Mobile World Congress 2024
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Lenovo unveiled a number of new Chromebooks as part of the Mobile World Congress event. The devices include the IdeaPad Flex 5i and 3i and the IdeaPad Duet 3.

The IdeaPad 5i and 3i have 14-inch and 15-inch displays, respectively. They both have a FHD IPS panel with 400-nit peak brightness. Both of these Chromebooks are 2-in-1 convertibles. Aside from that and the screen quality, though, the two devices are actually quite different.

The Lenovo IdeaPad 5i with the lid open.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

The IdeaPad 5i is the more premium of the two, but both devices are on the higher end in terms of screen quality on Chromebooks, which tend to be lower resolution and often have TN panels. The 5i can run an Intel Pentium 8505, an Intel Core i3-1215U, or an Intel Core i5-1235U.

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The 5i can also be equipped with 4GB/8GB LPDDR4X memory and a 256/512GB SSD, and it includes two USB-C ports, a USB-A port, a microSD slot, and a Kensington Nano Security slot.

The Lenovo IdeaPad 3i laid out flat.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

The IdeaPad 3i is notably less powerful and clearly aimed at students or younger users. It will run an Intel Celeron N4500 or Pentium N6000 with 4/8GB LPDDR4X memory. The 3i is limited to eMMC storage, and you can get from 32GB all the way to 128GB. It only has one USB-C port and one USB-A port, but switches out the Kensington slot for an HDMI port.

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The IdeaPad Flex 3i will start at $399 and will be available in May. The IdeaPad Flex 5i with an Intel processor will retail starting at $499 and launch in June.

The front and back of the Lenovo IdeaPad Duet 3 tablet.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Lenovo also unveiled the IdeaPad Duet 3. This is the latest in the Duet lineup, which regularly appeared on our list of the best Chromebooks you can buy. The Duet 5 earned our Recommended Product award when we reviewed it. The new 2-in-1 will be powered by a Snapdragon 7c and have 4/8GB of RAM. Its eMMC flash storage starts at 64GB and maxes out at 256GB.

It has an impressive 11-inch 2K display with touch and stylus support. The keyboard is also detachable, making it a tablet and Chromebook in one.

The IdeaPad Duet 3 starts at $399 and will be available in May.

These Chromebooks are just a sliver of the bevy of announcements Lenovo made at the MWC.

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Caleb Clark
Caleb Clark
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Caleb Clark is a full-time writer that primarily covers consumer tech and gaming. He also writes frequently on Medium about…
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