MAY 2021 • TECH ADVISOR 47CONNECTIVITY
As you might suspect
from the price tag,
the Duet maxes out at
Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac) and
Bluetooth 4.2. For most
people this will be fine,
although in the lesser
served areas of my house
the Duet did struggle
to maintain a steady
connection,suggesting
thatit doesn’thavethe
mostpowerfulantenna.
CAMERAS
Usually,I’llbemoanthepoorqualityof
thecamerasin cheapdeviceslikethis,
buttheDuetsurprisedmebyoffering
reasonablevideoforZoomcallson
eitherthefrontorthebacklenses.
Youwon’tbewinningany
photographycompetitionswiththese
optics,butatleastyou’lllookhuman
andin a roomthathassomelights
whenon that next video meeting.
DISPLAY
The 10.1in IPS display boasts a
1,920x1,200 resolution which is a big
step up from a lot of Chromebooks in
the price bracket. It can also get very
bright, with my test unit measuring 495
nits, which is more than enough for most
uses. Colours look equally as vibrant,
with graphics and text sharp and clear.
Touch responses were quick and
reliable throughout my time with the
Duet, with the added bonus that when
I’d finished working on a document, I
could remove the keyboard then use
the device as either a Netflix streaming
platform while cooking the dinner or as a
games machine on the sofa, making full
use of the Google Play Pass.
The latter is due to Chromebooks
being compatible with Android apps,
and the Duet’s true tablet nature making
it the ideal platform for titles like Stardew
Valley and Game Dev Tycoon. Yes, you
can use it for PUBG, but it handles the
more sedate games a little better due to
its size and processing power.The Duet’s display is a big step up from a lot of Chromebooks
in its price bracket.