[Update: ‘Coming soon’] Lenovo’s $299 IdeaPad Duet with Chrome OS goes up for pre-order

Kyle Bradshaw | Apr 30 2020 - 10:55 am PT

Of the many, many things we got to preview at CES 2020 back in January, there were two clear winners, the Samsung Galaxy Chromebook which ended up being underwhelming for an overwhelming price, and an affordable Chrome OS tablet from Lenovo. The latter device, the IdeaPad Duet, has now appeared for pre-order at one retailer, possibly revealing its release date.

As we all find ourselves staying at home as much as possible, some of us are looking for ways to wile away the time with things like binge-watching and long gaming sessions, perhaps on Google Stadia. If you’ve been looking for a great portable device to boost your bingeing habits without breaking the bank, Lenovo’s IdeaPad Duet has the makings of a great device.

We’ve been hotly anticipating this device since we first got our hands on it at CES, with its tablet form factor — still something of a rarity in the world of Chrome OS — and included keyboard and kickstand, all at an affordable price. Now, thanks to the vigilant folks at Chrome Unboxed, we finally have a tangible idea of when we’ll finally get our hands on the Lenovo IdeaPad Duet.

This afternoon, Best Buy listed the 128GB model of IdeaPad Duet for pre-order, for the slightly higher than base model price of $299. According to the listing, the IdeaPad Duet will launch on May 6th, and Chrome Unboxed notes, from having successfully completed a pre-order, that Best Buy expects to actually ship the tablet to its customers on May 11th.

Update 4/30 10:50am: As of late this morning, Best Buy has removed the ability to place a pre-order for the IdeaPad Duet. The listing is still live though, with the original May 6th release date still in place. According to Robby at Chrome Unboxed, his pre-order is still showing as valid and is still set to ship on May 11th.

Given that Lenovo hasn’t formally announced this release date, it’s possible that Best Buy could still pull this listing and potentially even cancel any placed pre-orders. Either way, considering the surprise flop that the Galaxy Chromebook turned out to be, it might just be better to wait until we’ve been able to do a proper review.