Comparison: Lenovo Duet Chromebook vs. ASUS Chromebook CM3

With the ASUS Chromebook CM3 Detachable and Lenovo Duet Chromebook, you can choose between two 10-inch Chrome OS tablets right now. At first sight, they’re quite similar but there are some important differences. So, which is better for who? That’s what you’ll learn in this comparison.

Let’s start with the biggest difference which is their pricing. While the Lenovo Duet Chromebook used to cost 279 US Dollars, often you can get it at around 190 Dollars now. The keyboard is included at that price but you’ve got to buy a USI stylus separately. Usually, it costs around 40 Dollars. The ASUS Chromebook CM3 costs 370 Dollars and because it’s so new, there are no discounts yet. Here, the keyboard and the pen are included.

Built Quality: Almost Identical

Both tablets have a similar good design and built quality. With both, we get a mostly metal body but the Lenovo has a bit more plastic. While the Duet Chromebook is just 7.3mm thin and weighs 450g, the ASUS is a bit thicker with 8mm and weighs 510g.

Fingerprint scanners and microSD card slots are missing on both but we do get a USB C port on each. The CM3 is the only one with a standard headphone jack.

On the top, we get stereo speakers and the sound quality is very similar. Just okay and a bit too silent so I won’t recommend either as a media tablet.

Keyboard Cover: Which is better?

I love that the keyboard cover is included with both. The basic design is almost the same. There’s a back cover separate from the keyboard so that you can use it just as a stand as well. The keyboards get attached magnetically. Folded up they protect the back and the screen but the sides are exposed.

The back covers look almost identical and are connected using magnets. I noticed that the magnets from Lenovo are much stronger. Here, I feel comfortable when holding the tablet by the kickstand when walking around from my office to the living room or so. But since the ASUS magnets are much weaker, I wouldn’t risk it because they’re just not strong enough.

I guess the reason for that is an extra and super interesting feature that ASUS built-in. The back cover of the CM3 can be folded so that it acts as a stand in portrait orientation too. I’ve never seen this design before and I love that it’s possible.

Both are 10-inch tablets so the keyboards are much smaller than a standard laptop one. However, I felt comfortable typing on both and wrote longer texts with each. I’m used to working with tablets so you might have to get used to the smaller space first.

The Lenovo keyboard feels a bit higher-end. Both are plastic but the one from ASUS feels more like cheap plastic. On a positive note, the Chromebook CM3 keyboard is a bit bigger and can be used at an angle thanks to a magnetic bar. So, overall, I think the ASUS is a bit better.

Display & Pen

Let’s check out their screens. While the Lenovo Duet Chromebook has a standard 10.1-inch display, the ASUS is a bit bigger at 10.5 inches. You can clearly see that size difference when comparing them side by side, but in real life, it’s not noticeable. Both have exactly the same resolution of 1920 x 1200 pixels and since the Lenovo is smaller, it’s a bit sharper on paper. But the difference is too small, both look equally sharp.

We get IPS screens with wide viewing angles and colors look good. With 320 Nits, the Chromebook CM3000 is darker than the 400 Nits Duet Chromebook. And in this case, that difference is clearly noticeable. So, if you like to work outside, better go with the Lenovo.

Both tablets support USI pens. The ASUS comes with such a stylus which is hidden inside the body of the tablet. That’s great because you won’t lose it that easily and it’s charged while inside the body. You’ve got to buy the pen for the Lenovo separate. It can be any USI stylus, doesn’t matter who makes it. The one from ASUS is supported too because it’s the same technology.

Read: The Best Tablets With A Stylus

I think these pens are nice additional features but I can’t recommend them specifically for their pens. Both tablets with both USI pens don’t work as well as Samsung’s S Pen or the Apple Pencil do. Especially handwriting does not look as precise as with the competition.

Sure, they work. But regarding pens, handwriting, and drawing, I think Android tablets from Samsung or iPads are a better choice. So if the pen is an important feature for you, I wouldn’t get a Chrome OS device.

Hardware & Performance

Inside the ASUS Chromebook CM3 sits a MediaTek 8183 processor with 4GB RAM and 64GB or 128GB of internal storage. The Lenovo Duet Chromebook features a MediaTek Helio P60T processor with 4GB of RAM and the same 64GB or 128GB storage options. MicroSD card slots and 4G options are missing on both.

Benchmarks like Geekbench 4 and 5 show that the ASUS CM3 is a bit faster than the Lenovo Duet Chromebook. The differences are not huge but certainly measurable in benchmarks.

In real life, it’s not so easy to notice a difference. Sometimes I feel like the ASUS is faster and games load quicker. But it’s nothing major and with most tasks, it’s hard to see a difference. The system, Chrome, and Android apps run well on both.

Read: The Best Gaming Tablets

That goes for gaming as well. PUBG Mobile runs great when graphics are set to HD or HDR but you can’t select UltraHD graphics with either. Other games like Asphalt 9 perform well too. The graphics don’t look great here and loading times are longer. But it’s playable.

They’re running the same version of Chrome OS and are supposed to get updates until 2028. So no differences here.

Battery Life

In my standard battery test, they got the same result of 4 hours and 30 minutes. That’s pretty bad since most Android tablets last much longer when streaming YouTube at maximum brightness.

Final Verdict: ASUS or Lenovo?

So, is the ASUS Chromebook CM3 better than the Lenovo Duet Chromebook and is it worth it to spend much over 100, almost 200 Dollars?

Well, that depends on what you’re looking for. If you want to use a stylus, it makes sense to go with the ASUS tablet. I love that the pen fits inside the body here and is charged while being stored too. Other USI pens have to be charged separately. And when you factor in the pen, the price difference gets smaller. And remember, the screen is a bit bigger, the keyboard is larger too, and the performance is a bit better.

If you don’t want a pen, the Lenovo offers a much better value, of course. I think the Duet Chromebook is kind of a secret tip when you’re looking for an affordable tablet with a keyboard. Sure, the ASUS one is a bit better but it doesn’t justify its much higher price. Well, unless you want to use the pen.

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ASUS Chromebook Detachable CM3

Read now: Our ASUS Chromebook Detachable CM3 Review

The ASUS Chromebook CM3 CM3000 Detachable is one of few Chrome OS tablets - and it's a pretty good one. It offers a solid built quality, a good 10.5-inch screen with USI stylus support, and a good-enough performance. I love that it'll get updates for years to come. The keyboard cover and active pen are included, which is a nice bonus, and the desktop-class Chrome browser is its biggest highlight. Sadly, it's a bit too expensive.

Positive

• Solid built
• Good screen
• USI pen included
• Great keyboard
• Long updates
• Chrome browser

Negative

• A bit pricy
• Performance okay only
• Short battery life
• Pen just okay

Buy on* Amazon

Articles about this tablet

• Comparison: Lenovo Duet Chromebook vs. ASUS Chromebook CM3
• ASUS Chromebook CM3 Review: Chrome OS with Keyboard & Pen