Ask me for a recommendation on a laptop and I'll have over a dozen options loaded and ready to go depending on your needs; but tell me you are looking to spend less than $500 and those options dwindle rapidly. It's not that there isn't anything available at that price range, but there are typically so many compromises that I have a hard time telling you not to just save up a little more to get something really good.
That's why I had some trepidation when the $499 Lenovo Duet 5 Chromebook crossed my desk for review and why I was so ecstatic after less than a day with it as I knew I now had a go-to answer anytime asked me for a laptop under $500. This 13-inch detachable 2-in-1 Chromebook with its dazzling OLED display is better than it has any right to be for its price, which makes it an ideal primary or secondary laptop for a wide range of people.
