Lenovo Chromebook Duet vs. ASUS Chromebook Flip C214: Which should you buy?

Lenovo Chromebook Duet Couch
Lenovo Chromebook Duet Couch (Image credit: Ara Wagoner / Android Central)

Lenovo Chromebook Duet

Lenovo Chromebook Duet with keyboard and kickstand

Lenovo finally did what Google could not: They gave us a worthwhile Chrome OS tablet experience that came with everything in the box and actually works well. So long as you don't absolutely need the mil-spec durability of the C214, the Duet is better in literally every way.

Lenovo Chromebook Duet

Best of both worlds

Tablet with detachable keyboard
Better screen
More storage
8 years of updates
Less stable for lap-typing
Quiet speakers

ASUS Chromebook Flip C214

ASUS Chromebook Flip C214

It may be getting long in the tooth, but the ASUS Chromebook Flip C214 is still the best Chromebook for Students because it's durable enough to take a hit and keep on trucking. It's only got five years of support left on it, but that'll be long enough for your kid to learn how to treat computers responsibly.

ASUS Chromebook Flip C214

Built tough for kids

Ruggedized body
Drop-tested and spill-resistant
2-in-1 laptop format
Two years old
Shorter support life
More expensive

Chromebooks are amazing computers for most people who do all their work in the browser and a few apps, but they've been especially beloved in the education sector because they're hard to break both software- and hardware-wise and they perform well even on budget-oriented machines. Among the best Chromebooks for students, the ASUS Chromebook Flip C214 is still king, but for older kids and adults, the Lenovo Chromebook Duet is the better buy from both a feature and price perspective.

How well do you trust your kids?

I'd love to get into subtle nuances between these two Chromebooks, but if you're a bottom-liner, the choice between the Duet and the C214 boils down to one question: Do you trust your child not to drop it? If the answer to that question is yes — or you're looking at this device for a teen or adult — then click on the Duet above and get on with your day.

The Lenovo Chromebook Duet has a better feature set, it's more widely available, and it's going to last years longer than the C214. This was the first Chrome OS tablet to actually offer up a complete experience in both tablet and laptop modes, in part because you didn't have to spend an extra $100 on a kickstand and keyboard the way you did with the already-expensive Google Pixel Slate. The 10.1-inch size makes it easy to hold up in bed while you're lazing away your Saturday morning.

I love having the magnetic kickstand and keyboards as separate accessories provided in the box, because it means I can ditch the keyboard when I'm just swiping through comics on the couch. I wish the keyboard magnetized to the screen when closed the way most do, but at least it's easy to type on, if a little cramped if your hands aren't slim and small. Despite its compact size, the battery can last for days on lighter use — reading and social media — and it will last the whole day while working.

Swipe to scroll horizontally
CategoryLenovo Chromebook DuetASUS Chromebook Flip C214
Display10.1-inch touchscreen1920x1200px400 nits11.6-inch touchscreen1366x768px250 nits
ProcessorMediatek Helio P60TIntel Celeron N4000
Memory4GB LPDDR4x4GB-8GB LPDDR3
Storage64-128GB eMMc32GB-64GB eMMc
Ports1x USB-C (USB 2.0 + DP)2x USB-C USB 3.1 Type-C Gen 11x USB-A USB 3.1 Gen 1
Peripheral featuresPre-bundled with keyboard and kickstandUSI Stylus supportMIL-STD-810G testedSpill-resistant keyboardRubber edge bumpers
Audio2x Dolby Audio speakers2W stereo speakersHeadphone / microphone combo jack
Battery7000mAhUp to 13 hoursLi-Ion 50WhUp to 11 hours
Dimensions239.8x159.8x7.35mm9.44"x6.29"x0.29"292x199x19.5mm11.49"x7.83"x0.77"
Weight430g / 0.94 lb (tablet only)920g / 2.03 lbs (with cover & keyboard)1.1 lbs / 0.50kg
AUE DateJune 2028June 2026

Lenovo Chromebook Duet vs. ASUS C214: Built to last

The ASUS Chromebook Flip C214 has a larger 11.6-inch screen, but it's a lower resolution, dimmer panel, and the bezels around it are huge. This in itself isn't a problem considering that the C214 is designed to be a rugged, reliable Chromebook for the classroom, but the Chromebook market has grown in some important ways since early 2019.

Best Chromebooks for Students

Source: Ara Wagoner / Android Central (Image credit: Source: Ara Wagoner / Android Central)

Most importantly, the expiration dates that all Chromebooks come with have gotten longer and longer with each generation. June 2025 wasn't a shabby AUE date when the C214 launched — and it was extended to June 2026 last summer — but June 2028 for the Duet is significantly longer and that means that the Duet will last years longer while being less expensive.

Another advancement is that instead of using EMR or proprietary styli for Chromebooks, like the ASUS C214, Google mandated that stylus support going forward would be USI, meaning it's easier to buy a replacement Chromebook stylus and you don't have to spend the extra money upfront. This is a big improvement over the C214, where the stylus model is harder to find and has been price-gouged since March 2020 when distance learning started and parents scrambled to find Chromebooks for their kids.

Lenovo Chromebook Duet vs. ASUS C214: Which should you buy?

Styluses are cool

Source: Ara Wagoner / Android Central (Image credit: Source: Ara Wagoner / Android Central)

The C214 takes an edge in two categories: durability and stability when being used away from a desk. While the keyboard on the Duet is easy enough to type on, it's not exactly comfortable to use in your lap, since you need to prop up the kickstand while still having enough room on your lap to fold down the keyboard, so the classic 2-in-1 laptop form factor on the C214 comes in handy there. ASUS also decked out the C214 with all the Google Education standards for drop-testing, hinge-reinforcement, port-reinforcement, and the keyboard is spill-resistant.

If you need either of those things, the C214 might be worth paying extra for, but in all other instances the Duet will give you a more portable device with at least double the storage and a much better-looking screen for less money. That makes it the hands-down winner for the vast majority of users.

Ara Wagoner

Ara Wagoner was a staff writer at Android Central. She themes phones and pokes YouTube Music with a stick. When she's not writing about cases, Chromebooks, or customization, she's wandering around Walt Disney World. If you see her without headphones, RUN. You can follow her on Twitter at @arawagco.