You are reading the article Lenovo Ideapad Chromebook Duet 5 Review: Less Than The Sum Of Its Parts updated in December 2023 on the website Minhminhbmm.com. We hope that the information we have shared is helpful to you. If you find the content interesting and meaningful, please share it with your friends and continue to follow and support us for the latest updates. Suggested January 2024 Lenovo Ideapad Chromebook Duet 5 Review: Less Than The Sum Of Its Parts
Pros
Gorgeous screen
Amazing battery life
Good price
Cons
Awkward aspect ratio
No fingerprint or face scanning
Our VerdictIn terms of hardware the Duet 5 is an almost perfect upgrade to the original budget design. But its big, wide screen make it awkward as a tablet, and it’s only so-so as a laptop alternative.
Best Prices Today: Lenovo IdeaPad Chromebook Duet 5Retailer
Price
$369.00
View Deal
When the Lenovo IdeaPad Chromebeook Duet released, it was the best Chrome-powered tablet on the market (with apologies to my long-suffering Pixel Slate). Between the stylish design and affordable price point, it had a lot to offer. As ideal as it was to service the budget market, many (including myself) have been waiting for a slightly more premium version that offers a few extra features.
Enter the IdeaPad Chromebook Duet 5. It’s packing more power and memory, and the screen is big and vibrant. Although it appears to be the perfect sequel device at first glance, there were a few shortcomings that knocked it down a few pegs.
Michael Crider/IDG
Unfortunately, there were a couple of things that kept this otherwise excellent machine from reaching the near-perfect status of its predecessor. With a larger price comes higher expectations, so the sacrifices count for a lot more.
While the Duet 5 outshines its predecessor at laptop-style tasks, especially video, its design changes make it less effective as a tablet. At this price range, it’s hard to recommend over a conventional Chromebook. Unless you really need that gorgeous OLED screen, there are more practical choices out there.
Upgrades a-plentyThe Lenovo IdeaPad Duet 5 is a Chrome OS-powered tablet with a full keyboard and trackpad attachment plus a detachable kickstand. It’s the same setup as the original Duet, super-sized from ten inches to 13.3, approximately the same size as a Surface Pro. But at about half the price and including a keyboard in the box, it’s a much better bargain.
The screen isn’t just bigger, it’s much better. While the resolution is actually a small step down at 1920×1080, it’s been changed from a standard LCD to a brilliant OLED panel, the same kind of vibrant tech you’ll see on smartphones and high-end media laptops. That makes every pixel pop with amazing contrast and color.
Dual USB-C ports, nice!
Michael Crider/IDG
The Duet 5 improves in a couple of other vital areas, too. The new Snapdragon SC7180 is a big improvement over the MediaTek chip on the original and it’s now offered with up to 8GB of memory. I’d heartily recommend that upgrade for almost any Chromebook. On the review unit, it makes the OS pop and snap with a lot more smoothness. It also has a boosted 128GB of storage, though for Chrome OS, that’s not especially important.
The keyboard and trackpad are notably better on this model. The extra width gives it more of a full laptop feel and the extra space for your fingers makes it easier to get around the UI. I also appreciate that there’s a USB-C port on both sides, which makes charging the tablet up on the go much more convenient. And that low-power ARM hardware means it can juice up — albeit slowly — on as little as ten watts from a mobile USB-C charger.
Both the keyboard and the fabric-covered kickstand can be removed for a minimal tablet setup.
Michael Crider/IDG
I’d have liked to have seen a stylus included in the package and perhaps a fingerprint sensor for easy logins — I know it’s an easy addition on that Qualcomm chip. But for this price, what you get is still a bargain. There are a few Chrome OS annoyances that haven’t been fixed, like a weird bug that forced me to log in with a full password instead of a PIN several times, but I’m laying those squarely at the feet of Google.
Great as a laptop…There are a few tasks that the Duet 5 excels at and does better than the original. First, it’s absolutely fantastic at video. Even though 1080p resolution isn’t anything special, the OLED panel is, as it makes any kind of fullscreen video look great. This also means it’s a good lightweight, low-cost option for game streaming on Xbox Game Pass, Stadia, or GeForce Now.
Michael Crider/IDG
The Duet 5 is also good at conventional laptop stuff: email, word processing, web browsing, you know the drill. Anything you’d sit down for an extended time to do on a laptop, the Duet 5 can handle. Its keyboard isn’t quite as good as Microsoft’s pricey Surface add-ons or a scissor-switch, but it’s more than adequate enough to pound out a thousand words or two.
Battery life is impressive, too. I was able to go for more than two workdays on a single charge. This thing could stream the entire Lord of the Rings trilogy with a Hobbit movie thrown in for good measure. That Snapdragon hardware and Chrome OS software combines for a marathon travel machine.
…Not great as a tabletThe Duet 5 isn’t effective as a tablet. The larger 13-inch screen and tiny bezels make it difficult to hold comfortably, even though it’s a light tablet for its size.
The 13-inch Duet dwarfs the 8-inch iPad Mini 6.
Michael Crider/IDG
The 16:9 aspect ratio is pretty bad for holding, making it too wide or too tall for basic browsing. Games from the Play Store that would work fine on a phone are cumbersome to play in this form factor. Ditto for tasks like reading a book — after trying to use the Kindle app for a few minutes I reached for my phone instead, welcoming the option to use it with just one hand even on a relatively tiny screen.
The 13-inch Duet 5 compared to the iPad Mini 6 and Pixel 5. It’s freakin’ huge!
Michael Crider/IDG
I suspect that Lenovo is saving money by repurposing a laptop OLED panel for this tablet design — the aspect ratio and resolution is a dead giveaway. Combined with the thin bezels that make it cumbersome to hold, these design choices push the Duet 5 much closer to laptop territory than, say, an iPad Pro or a Surface Go. This is a real bummer because the need to use a kickstand for “real work” with the keyboard limits its utility. While the folding, removable kickstand is fine at what it does, it makes the whole thing far less comfy to use on a couch or a bench.
Bottom LineThe Chromebook Duet 5 is almost exactly what I asked for in a sequel to the original Duet. But, as it turns out, it’s not what I wanted. It’s still an excellent tablet, especially if you’re looking for something that will outlast an intercontinental flight in terms of battery life. It will also play videos like a champion.
But the laptop-focused design — and that awkwardly wide screen in particular — means that the Duet 5 loses major convenience points as a tablet. If you’re okay with using it like a laptop most of the time and accepting its shortcomings, it’s still a fantastic deal for the hardware you get. But, for most users looking for something in this form factor and price range, I’d recommend a conventional Chromebook instead.
You're reading Lenovo Ideapad Chromebook Duet 5 Review: Less Than The Sum Of Its Parts
The 8 Parts Of Speech
A part of speech (also called a word class) is a category that describes the role a word plays in a sentence. Understanding the different parts of speech can help you analyze how words function in a sentence and improve your writing.
Many words can function as different parts of speech depending on how they are used. For example, “laugh” can be a noun (e.g., “I like your laugh”) or a verb (e.g., “don’t laugh”).
NounsA noun is a word that refers to a person, concept, place, or thing. Nouns can act as the subject of a sentence (i.e., the person or thing performing the action) or as the object of a verb (i.e., the person or thing affected by the action).
There are numerous types of nouns, including common nouns (used to refer to nonspecific people, concepts, places, or things), proper nouns (used to refer to specific people, concepts, places, or things), and collective nouns (used to refer to a group of people or things).
Examples: Nouns in a sentenceI’ve never read that
book
.
Ella lives in France.
The band played only new songs.
Other types of nouns include countable and uncountable nouns, concrete nouns, abstract nouns, and gerunds.
NoteProper nouns (e.g., “New York”) are always capitalized. Common nouns (e.g., “city”) are only capitalized when they’re used at the start of a sentence.
PronounsA pronoun is a word used in place of a noun. Pronouns typically refer back to an antecedent (a previously mentioned noun) and must demonstrate correct pronoun-antecedent agreement. Like nouns, pronouns can refer to people, places, concepts, and things.
There are numerous types of pronouns, including personal pronouns (used in place of the proper name of a person), demonstrative pronouns (used to refer to specific things and indicate their relative position), and interrogative pronouns (used to introduce questions about things, people, and ownership).
Examples: Pronouns in a sentenceI don’t really know
her
.
That is a horrible painting!
Who owns the nice car?
VerbsA verb is a word that describes an action (e.g., “jump”), occurrence (e.g., “become”), or state of being (e.g., “exist”). Verbs indicate what the subject of a sentence is doing. Every complete sentence must contain at least one verb.
Verbs can change form depending on subject (e.g., first person singular), tense (e.g., past simple), mood (e.g., interrogative), and voice (e.g., passive voice).
Regular verbs are verbs whose simple past and past participle are formed by adding“-ed” to the end of the word (or “-d” if the word already ends in “e”). Irregular verbs are verbs whose simple past and past participles are formed in some other way.
Examples: Regular and irregular verbs“Will you
check
if this book is in stock?”
“I’ve already checked twice.”
“I heard that you used to sing.”
“Yes! I sang in a choir for 10 years.”
Other types of verbs include auxiliary verbs, linking verbs, modal verbs, and phrasal verbs.
AdjectivesAn adjective is a word that describes a noun or pronoun. Adjectives can be attributive, appearing before a noun (e.g., “a red hat”), or predicative, appearing after a noun with the use of a linking verb like “to be” (e.g., “the hat is red”).
Adjectives can also have a comparative function. Comparative adjectives compare two or more things. Superlative adjectives describe something as having the most or least of a specific characteristic.
Examples: Adjectives in a sentenceThe dog is
bigger
than the cat.
He is the laziest person I know
Other types of adjectives include coordinate adjectives, participial adjectives, and denominal adjectives.
AdverbsExamples: Adverbs in a sentenceRay acted
rudely
.
Talia writes quite quickly.
Let’s go outside!
PrepositionsA preposition is a word (e.g., “at”) or phrase (e.g., “on top of”) used to show the relationship between the different parts of a sentence. Prepositions can be used to indicate aspects such as time, place, and direction.
Examples: Prepositions in a sentenceHasan is coming for dinner
at
6 p.m.
I left the cup on the kitchen counter.
Carey walked to the shop.
NoteA single preposition can often describe many different relationships, depending upon how it’s used. For example, “in” can indicate time (“in January”), location (“in the garage”), purpose (“in reply”), and so on.
ConjunctionsA conjunction is a word used to connect different parts of a sentence (e.g., words, phrases, or clauses).
The main types of conjunctions are coordinating conjunctions (used to connect items that are grammatically equal), subordinating conjunctions (used to introduce a dependent clause), and correlative conjunctions (used in pairs to join grammatically equal parts of a sentence).
Examples: Conjunctions in a sentenceDaria likes swimming
and
hiking.
You can choose what movie we watch because I chose the last time.
We can either go out for dinner or go to the theater.
InterjectionsAn interjection is a word or phrase used to express a feeling, give a command, or greet someone. Interjections are a grammatically independent part of speech, so they can often be excluded from a sentence without affecting the meaning.
Types of interjections include volitive interjections (used to make a demand or request), emotive interjections (used to express a feeling or reaction), cognitive interjections (used to indicate thoughts), and greetings and parting words (used at the beginning and end of a conversation).
Examples: Interjections in a sentence
Psst
. What time is it?
Ouch! I hurt my arm.
I’m, um, not sure.
Hey! How are you doing?
Other parts of speechThe traditional classification of English words into eight parts of speech is by no means the only one or the objective truth. Grammarians have often divided them into more or fewer classes. Other commonly mentioned parts of speech include determiners and articles.
DeterminersA determiner is a word that describes a noun by indicating quantity, possession, or relative position.
Common types of determiners include demonstrative determiners (used to indicate the relative position of a noun), possessive determiners (used to describe ownership), and quantifiers (used to indicate the quantity of a noun).
Examples: Determiners in a sentence
This
chair is more comfortable than
that
one.
My brother is selling his old car.
Many friends of mine have part-time jobs.
Other types of determiners include distributive determiners, determiners of difference, and numbers.
NoteIn the traditional eight parts of speech, these words are usually classed as adjectives, or in some cases as pronouns.
ArticlesAn article is a word that modifies a noun by indicating whether it is specific or general.
The definite article the is used to refer to a specific version of a noun. The can be used with all countable and uncountable nouns (e.g., “the door,” “the energy,” “the mountains”).
The indefinite articles a and an refer to general or unspecific nouns. The indefinite articles can only be used with singular countable nouns (e.g., “a poster,” “an engine”).
Examples: Definite and indefinite articles in a sentenceI live just outside of the town.
There’s a concert this weekend.
Karl made an offensive gesture.
NoteWhile articles are often considered their own part of speech, they are also frequently classed as a type of determiner (or, in some grammars, as a type of adjective).
Interesting language articlesIf you want to know more about nouns, pronouns, verbs, and other parts of speech, make sure to check out some of our language articles with explanations and examples.
Frequently asked questionsAlt Code Shortcuts For Less Than And Greater Than Symbols – Webnots
Do you know that there are more than 100 less than and greater than symbols available? Though most of these symbols are in mathematical context, there are many symbols we can use for normal context. For example, there are symbols for much less than ≪ and very much less than ⋘. Good part is that you can type all these less than and greater than symbols using keyboard shortcut.
Alt Code Shortcuts for Less Than and Greater Than SymbolsBelow is the complete list of decimal and hexadecimal codes for less than and greater than symbols.
SymbolNameDecimal CodeHex Code
Less-Than SignAlt + 0060003C
≤Less-Than Or Equal ToAlt + 88042264
≦Less-Than Over Equal ToAlt + 88062266
≨Less-Than But Not Equal ToAlt + 88082268
≪Much Less-ThanAlt + 8810226A
≮Not Less-ThanAlt + 8814226E
≰Neither Less-Than Nor Equal ToAlt + 88162270
≲Less-Than Or Equivalent ToAlt + 88182272
≴Neither Less-Than Nor Equivalent ToAlt + 88202374
≶Less-Than Or Greater-ThanAlt + 88222276
≷Greater-Than Or Less-ThanAlt + 88232277
≸Neither Less-Than Nor Greater-ThanAlt + 88242278
≹Neither Greater-Than Nor Less-ThanAlt + 88252279
⋖Less-Than With DotAlt + 891822D6
⋘Very Much Less-ThanAlt + 892023D8
⋚Less-Than Equal To Or Greater-ThanAlt + 892222DA
⋛Greater-Than Equal To Or Less-ThanAlt + 892322DB
⋜Equal To Or Less-ThanAlt + 88042264
⋦Less-Than But Not Equivalent ToAlt + 893422E6
⥶Less-Than Above Leftwards ArrowAlt + 106142976
⥷Leftwards Arrow Through Less-ThanAlt + 106152977
⦓Left Arc Less-Than BracketAlt + 106432993
⦖Double Right Arc Less-Than BracketAlt + 106462996
⧀Circled Less-ThanAlt + 1068829C0
⩹Less-Than With Circle InsideAlt + 108732A79
⩻Less-Than With Question Mark AboveAlt + 108752A7B
⩽Less-Than Or Slanted Equal ToAlt + 108772A7D
⩿Less-Than Or Slanted Equal To With Dot InsideAlt + 108792A7F
⪁Less-Than Or Slanted Equal To With Dot AboveAlt + 108812A81
⪃Less-Than Or Slanted Equal To With Dot Above RightAlt + 108832A83
⪅Less-Than Or ApproximateAlt + 108852A85
⪇Less-Than And Single-Line Not Equal ToAlt + 108872A87
⪉Less-Than And Not ApproximateAlt + 108892A89
⪋Less-Than Above Double-Line Equal Above Greater-ThanAlt + 108912A8B
⪌Greater-Than Above Double-Line Equal Above Less-ThanAlt + 108922A8C
⪍Less-Than Above Similar Or EqualAlt + 108932A8D
⪏Less-Than Above Similar Above Greater-ThanAlt + 108952A8F
⪐Greater-Than Above Similar Above Less-ThanAlt + 108962A90
⪑Less-Than Above Greater-Than Above Double-Line EqualAlt + 108972A91
⪒Greater-Than Above Less-Than Above Double-Line EqualAlt + 108982A92
⪓Less-Than Above Slanted Equal Above Greater-Than Above Slanted EqualAlt + 108992A93
⪔Greater-Than Above Slanted Equal Above Less-Than Above Slanted EqualAlt + 109002A94
⪕Slanted Equal To Or Less-ThanAlt + 109012A95
⪗Slanted Equal To Or Less-Than With Dot InsideAlt + 109032A97
⪙Double-Line Equal To Or Less-ThanAlt + 109052A99
⪛Double-Line Slanted Equal To Or Less-ThanAlt + 109072A9B
⪝Similar Or Less-ThanAlt + 109092A9D
⪟Similar Above Less-Than Above Equals SignAlt + 109112A9F
⪡Double Nested Less-ThanAlt + 109132AA1
⪣Double Nested Less-Than With UnderbarAlt + 109152AA3
⪤Greater-Than Overlapping Less-ThanAlt + 109162AA4
⪥Greater-Than Beside Less-ThanAlt + 109172AA5
⪦Less-Than Closed By CurveAlt + 109182AA6
⪨Less-Than Closed By Curve Above Slanted EqualAlt + 109202AA8
⫷Triple Nested Less-ThanAlt + 109992AF7
⫹Double-Line Slanted Less-Than Or Equal ToAlt + 110012AF9
＜Fullwidth Less-Than SignAlt + 65308FF1C
≥Greater-Than Or Equal ToAlt + 88052265
≧Greater-Than Over Equal ToAlt + 88072267
≩Greater-Than But Not Equal ToAlt + 88092269
≫Much Greater-ThanAlt + 8811226B
≯Not Greater-ThanAlt + 8815226F
≱Neither Greater-Than Nor Equal ToAlt + 88172271
≳Greater-Than Or Equivalent ToAlt + 88192273
≵Neither Greater-Than Nor Equivalent ToAlt + 88212275
≶Less-Than Or Greater-ThanAlt + 88222276
≷Greater-Than Or Less-ThanAlt + 88232277
≸Neither Less-Than Nor Greater-ThanAlt + 88242278
≹Neither Greater-Than Nor Less-ThanAlt + 88252279
⋗Greater-Than With DotAlt + 891922D7
⋙Very Much Greater-ThanAlt + 892122D9
⋚Less-Than Equal To Or Greater-ThanAlt + 892222DA
⋛Greater-Than Equal To Or Less-ThanAlt + 892322DB
⋝Equal To Or Greater-ThanAlt + 892522DD
⋧Greater-Than But Not Equivalent ToAlt + 893522E7
⥸Greater-Than Above Rightwards ArrowAlt + 106162978
⦔Right Arc Greater-Than BracketAlt + 106442994
⦕Double Left Arc Greater-Than BracketAlt + 106452995
⧁Circled Greater-ThanAlt + 1068929C1
⩺Greater-Than With Circle InsideAlt + 108742A7A
⩼Greater-Than With Question Mark AboveAlt + 108762A7C
⩾Greater-Than Or Slanted Equal ToAlt + 108782A7E
⪀Greater-Than Or Slanted Equal To With Dot InsideAlt + 108802A80
⪂Greater-Than Or Slanted Equal To With Dot AboveAlt + 108822A82
⪄Greater-Than Or Slanted Equal To With Dot Above LeftAlt + 108842A84
⪆Greater-Than Or ApproximateAlt + 108862A86
⪈Greater-Than And Single-Line Not Equal ToAlt + 108882A88
⪊Greater-Than And Not ApproximateAlt + 108902A8A
⪋Less-Than Above Double-Line Equal Above Greater-ThanAlt + 108912A8B
⪌Greater-Than Above Double-Line Equal Above Less-ThanAlt + 108922A8C
⪎Greater-Than Above Similar Or EqualAlt + 108942A8E
⪏Less-Than Above Similar Above Greater-ThanAlt + 108952A8F
⪐Greater-Than Above Similar Above Less-ThanAlt + 108962A90
⪑Less-Than Above Greater-Than Above Double-Line EqualAlt + 108972A91
⪒Greater-Than Above Less-Than Above Double-Line EqualAlt + 108982A92
⪓Less-Than Above Slanted Equal Above Greater-Than Above Slanted EqualAlt + 108992A93
⪔Greater-Than Above Slanted Equal Above Less-Than Above Slanted EqualAlt + 109002A94
⪖Slanted Equal To Or Greater-ThanAlt + 109022A96
⪘Slanted Equal To Or Greater-Than With Dot InsideAlt + 109042A98
⪚Double-Line Equal To Or Greater-ThanAlt + 109062A9A
⪜Double-Line Slanted Equal To Or Greater-ThanAlt + 109082A9C
⪞Similar Or Greater-ThanAlt + 109102A9E
⪠Similar Above Greater-Than Above Equals SignAlt + 109122AA0
⪢Double Nested Greater-ThanAlt + 109142AA2
⪤Greater-Than Overlapping Less-ThanAlt + 109162AA4
⪥Greater-Than Beside Less-ThanAlt + 109172AA5
⪧Greater-Than Closed By CurveAlt + 109192AA7
⪩Greater-Than Closed By Curve Above Slanted EqualAlt + 109212AA9
⫸Triple Nested Greater-ThanAlt + 110002AF8
⫺Double-Line Slanted Greater-Than Or Equal ToAlt + 110022AFA
⭃Rightwards Arrow Through Greater-ThanAlt + 110752B43
﹥Small Greater-Than SignAlt + 65125FE65
＞Fullwidth Greater-Than SignAlt + 65310FF1E
How to Type in Windows?There are many ways to insert less than and greater than symbols in Windows based applications.
Using Alt Decimal CodeHold one of the alt keys on your keyboard and type the decimal code from the above table. For example, alt + 8805 will make greater than or equal to symbol like ≥. However, you need to type the code using number pad on your keyboard and not with regular number keys.
Using Hex Code Shortcut
If decimal codes are not working then you can try hexadecimal code as given in the above table. Type the hex code and press alt + x keys to make the symbol. For example, 2A7D alt + x will make less than or slanted equal to symbol like ⩽. However, this method will only work on Microsoft Word documents in Windows computer.
How to Type in Mac?Similar to Windows PC, you have couple of options in Mac as well.
Alt Code for Mac
Hold one of the option or alt code on your keyboard and type the hex code. This will make the required symbol on your documents and other applications. For example, option + 2A89 less than and not approximate symbol like ⪉. However, you should first switch the keyboard source to Unicode Hex Input for this method to work. You can easily toggle the input method from the top menu bar icon.
Character Viewer in MacThe easiest method to insert less than and greater than symbols in Mac is to use the Character Viewer app.
Search for less or greater and find relevant symbols.
Search Less Than and Greater Than Symbols in Mac
How to Type in HTML Documents?You can use either decimal or hexadecimal code to insert the symbols in HTML documents. Use the below format and change the code for the corresponding symbol.
Making The Grade: Is Macos Really Less Stable Than It Used To Be?
I’ve been managing macOS in an enterprise environment since 2009, so I was around during the “stable” periods of Snow Leopard, as well as what others would call unstable periods. One of the common themes I’ve heard in my technology circles over the past few years is that macOS has become less stable. I manage 100s of Mac laptops at the moment, and I would estimate I’ve been responsible for 1,000+ devices over the past ten years. So, I think I’m qualified to discuss the current state of macOS stability.
Apple has been on the yearly upgrade cycle for macOS for a few years now, so it feels like by the time we get the X.4 revision of a new version of macOS, we are getting ready to kick off a summer of running betas (for IT to prepare for compatibility) and then kick off a fall season of updates and 1.0 bugs.
What’s the current state of macOS stability?While I don’t have data to quantify it internally, I do know that I spend a lot less time on laptop support than I used to. A lot of my time is spent managing SaaS products instead. Some of it could be that our users are savvier than they used to be, but I generally think macOS is as stable today as it was back in the Snow Leopard days. I know that is not the common perception, though. If you stop and think about how our technology world was in the “stable” days of macOS, there was no iPad, no iCloud, no iMessage, no iCloud Photos, no Apple Music, and no Apple Watch. We had an iPhone, a laptop, and we used a cable to sync them together. Our world was a lot less in flux. Now, we’ve got 4K videos we are syncing over iCloud Photos while countless GIFs transfer over iMessage. We are more complex, and that creates a lot of opportunities for things to be out of sync.
In my opinion, it’s not that the stability of macOS has changed, but rather that we expect so much more from our software than we ever have. If we went back to only features and services available in 2009, I think we’d find that all modern computing platforms are “stable” by those measurements.
Why does restarting a computer fix most things?I had not thought about this before a recent episode of Reconcilable Differences. Merlin Mann made a great point: restarting a computer puts everything back to a known state. The problem with our current technology stack is there is no way to reboot “the cloud”. A lot of people have 4+ devices that access the same amount of data, and there are countless ways for things to not work. In fact, when I realize how many devices I have accessing my Wi-Fi and/or iCloud Data, I am surprised it even works half the time.
Wrap-upStability was a key feature in iOS 12 and macOS Mojave. Both operating systems launched to much fanfare among people who were craving a year with fewer features and more bug fixes. It would be wise for Apple to repeat that process every couple of years. It would give their engineering teams time to breathe and work on long-range plans.
FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.
Google Pixel 6A Review: Less Is More
Pros
Top drawer performance
Smaller size
Outstanding camera
Solid battery life
Guaranteed software updates
Cons
Rear plastic scratches easily
Charges slow and hot
Only 60Hz display
Our VerdictA superlative mid-range phone and one of the best value Android phones you can buy, the Pixel 6a crams in the best bits from the more expensive Pixel 6 and 6 Pro at a very attractive price, but you might be tempted by the newer Pixel 7a.
Best Prices Today: Google Pixel 6aUpdated on 17 May 2023: Google has lowered the price of the Pixel 6a to $349/£349/€409.
Phones aren’t as small as they used to be but the Google Pixel 6a is about as compact an Android phone as you can get these days. This is one of the best things about it, along with its excellent performance, camera, and its affordable price.
The Pixel 6a is Google’s cheaper version of its Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro phones. The 6a keeps some of those devices’ more expensive features but ditches others to drive the price right down to a very palatable $349/£349/€409 – a permanent price drop so it’s now cheaper than when it launched in 2023.
A few corners have been cut and there are other mid-range phones out there that offer higher specs, but having used the Pixel 6a daily as my main phone, I think it’s one of the best phones you can buy for the money – and the Pixel most people should buy instead of the Pixel 6 or 6 Pro.
As of May 2023, there is also now the newer Pixel 7a to consider. It has some neat upgrades, but it’s more expensive than the Pixel 6a, which is now sold for less than it launched at.
Design & Build
Two-tone colour options
Plastic back easily scratches
Solid premium feel
IP67
If it’s the smallest phone available that you want, the 6a isn’t it. At 152.2mm (to be precise) it’s taller than the 138.4mm iPhone SE 2023 and the 131.5mm iPhone 13 mini.
Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry
The 6a is still a large phone, it’s just not as large as most other slab smartphones out there, especially the gigantic Pixel 6 Pro. Its angular and boxy design still feels good to hold thanks to rounded aluminium edges, but I still can’t reach the top of the screen with a thumb when using one-handed (I do have quite small hands, but still).
The screen is flat rather than curve edged, and my black review unit is largely unremarkable save for that camera ‘bar’ design on the back just like the Pixel 6 and 6 Pro. It protrudes much less than its bigger brothers, which is a relief.
The difference on the 6a is the two camera sensors are housed in a small pill-shaped blob on the left of the black bar that’s camouflaged by also being black, with a circular flash on the right. On the other Pixel 6 models, the lenses are spread out across the length of the bar.
You can pick from three colour options that have two-tone designs with the small strip above the camera a different colour to the larger section below. I reviewed the charcoal colour which is dark grey on the bottom and lighter grey on the top.
A big downside to the 6a is the durability of the rear panel, which is made of a composite plastic rather than durable glass. My charcoal unit picked up an enormous number of scratches after less than a week. Two weeks in and the thing looked more battered than phones I’ve had for over a year, and I am especially careful with my phones. I imagine the green (Google calls it sage) colour will also show scratches, but maybe the white (chalk) would hide them better. The white would also better hide fingerprints and smears, which the charcoal does not.
I wasn’t sent a case initially, so I used the phone without one in London and on holiday abroad. Google says there’s Gorilla Glass 3 on the display and this got no scratches, but the back looks a bit of a mess. It’s also very hard to photograph this to show you:
Henry Burrell / Foundry
The phone scratching easily is a minor niggle with what is otherwise a very well-built phone that feels more premium than it costs and packs in IP67 dust and water resistance.
I then used Google’s official case for a while, and while I like the feel of the surprisingly sturdy plastic design, it remains to be seen if it eventually discolours like the cases for the 6 and 6 pro reportedly have.
Screen & Speakers
6.1in AMOLED
Only 60Hz refresh rate
Excellent colour and brightness
Stereo speakers
The screen is a 6.1in AMOLED, putting this phone in the ‘small’ phone camp – not actually small like phones used to be, but more compact than most modern Android slabs.
That screen unfortunately only has a 60Hz refresh rate. Other phones at this price have higher refresh rates that make content scroll smoother, such as the £399 Nothing Phone (1) with 120Hz and the £369 OnePlus Nord 2T with 90Hz. Google could surely have stretched to this but probably wants to upsell buyers after such a feature to its 90Hz-toting Pixel 6.
Thankfully the display of the 6a is excellent with very good brightness, with things only hard to see in the harshest direct sunlight. I missed a higher refresh rate at first, but I soon forgot that it was a 60Hz screen. It’s a very good panel with excellent colour reproduction and sharpness that’s miles better than the 720p display on the $429/£419/€529 iPhone SE 2023.
Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry
There’s a black bezel all the way around the flat panel with a touch more to the chin than the top of the phone, and a selfie cut-out camera in the centre at the top of the screen.
The stereo speakers can play audio at a decent clarity and volume and are good enough for podcasts in the kitchen or making video calls.
Specs & Performance
Same Tensor chip as Pixel 6
Superbly fast
6GB/128GB only
Where the Pixel 6a shine is in performance. That’s because Google decided to cram its Tensor processor into it, the same chip used in the Pixel 6 and 6 Pro.
Paired with 6GB RAM, the 6a absolutely flies through everything and is a mid-range phone with genuine flagship performance. It’s the first time Google has opted to put the chip from its main phones into its A series model the same generation, and it’s worth the trade-off in other places, such as in the 60Hz screen.
Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry
There’s only one model available with 6GB RAM and 128GB storage. This is plenty enough for my usage but there’s no microSD slot for expandable storage should you ever fill it up. As with every other Pixel, this is also only a single SIM phone, which is a downside – so many Android phones have dual SIM slots and so should Pixels. That said, there is an option to add a second line as an eSIM, which is halfway there if you do want or need two numbers.
We usually run benchmark tests on all phones we review at Tech Advisor using apps such as Geekbench 5, but the Pixel 6a unit I received would not download them. In the Play Store, they showed as not compatible.
Google told me it had blocked benchmarking apps on the review units ahead of launch “to avoid benchmark and device spec leaks”. A spokesperson said I was free to sideload the apps instead, which I did for Geekbench 5 and GFXBench, which measure CPU and general performance respectively. The below chart shows how the Pixel 6a stacks up against phones of a similar price.
A lovely upgrade from the Pixel 6 and 6 Pro is the in-screen fingerprint sensor, which I found to be far more responsive. It works every time without fail, and I didn’t have to retrain it with my thumbprint at all.
Battery Life & Charging
Charges hot
Limited to 18W
No wireless charging
The Pixel 6a has excellent battery life but charges quite slowly at a maximum of 18W. I say maximum because there’s no charger in the box, only a USB-C to C cable, so you’ll have to buy a charging brick with a USB-C output, or use another charger (there’s no wireless charging). The Pixel 6 and 6 Pro also ship without chargers but have a maximum speed of 30W. From empty, the 6a charges to 22% in 15 minutes, 42% in 30 minutes, and to 100% in one hour and 50 minutes.
The OnePlus Nord 2T is cheaper than the Pixel 6a but comes with an 80W charger in the box that charges to 100% in 30 minutes, which makes Google look stingy on both included accessories and speed.
Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry
I juiced the 6a with various chargers and found it consistently charges quite hot. I don’t know if this is because some of the chargers could output more than 18W, but when a phone ships without a charger and with no instruction in the box or in the phone’s software about what kind of cable or brick to use, this is the experience most people will get when they grab the nearest (or cheapest) charger.
A phone shouldn’t be this hot when charging. Over time such heat could lead to battery degradation, but this is impossible to tell right now. At the moment, the 6a has solid, all-day battery life. Even roaming abroad on 4G all day while taking tons of photos never saw me dip below 20%.
Cameras & Video
12.2Mp main camera
12Mp ultrawide
Superb stills processing
While Google gave the Pixel 6a the Tensor chip from its premium phones, the same cannot be said of the camera. In fact, it’s the first time an A-series Pixel is not getting the same main sensor as the corresponding regular Pixels, and that is a shame – the 50Mp sensor on the Pixel 6 is outstanding.
Instead, the 6a has a 12.2Mp f/1.7 Sony IMX363 sensor with optical image stabilisation. This is the same sensor Google used from the Pixel 3 to Pixel 5 era.
Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry
I personally would have rather had the newer 50Mp lens and a lower-powered processor, but Google has changed its approach. The good news is the main camera on the 6a is still phenomenally good – it just isn’t quite as good as the Pixel 6 or 6 Pro in the detail it can capture, but Google’s post-processing in software is so good, that differences are barely noticeable.
In even more good news, the ultrawide 12Mp f/2.2 Sony IMX386 lens is the same one used in the pricier 6 models.
As expected, still photos are top drawer and easily compete with phones three or four times the price. I compared several similar shots I took on holiday with those taken on my wife’s iPhone 13, and I consistently preferred the daylight shots of the Pixel. They sport the contrasty processing Pixels are known for where the iPhone has leant more recently into natural shades, sometimes to a fault.
In low light, the iPhone was much better than the Pixel, better at handling difficult sunset scenes and rendering detail better. The Pixel’s Night Sight for pitch black photos is still good, but it’s a few generations behind the iPhone now, particularly on the 6a with the older main sensor.
But the iPhone 13 costs a lot more than the Pixel 6a. I would happily use the 6a as my only camera on a day-to-day basis – it’s that good. Add to that the very capable ultrawide that doesn’t fish-eye scenes like cheaper phones do, and it’s a very capable setup for a mid-range smartphone (miles better than the iPhone SE 2023).
There’s no zoom lens, so you have to rely on digital zoom from the main sensor but that’s standard for mid-range phones. Google’s Super Res Zoom feature can zoom in up to 7x, but results are quite blotchy and grainy on inspection as all digital zoom tends to be, but the 2x zoom is solid and passable for social media shots.
The 8Mp f/2.0 selfie camera has a decent 84 degree field of view and takes solid selfies, though the portrait mode struggles to pick up strands of hair and doesn’t seem to be as consistent with results as it is from the main rear camera.
Aside from basic still photo shooting (which, let’s face it, is 99% of all mobile photography for 99% of people) the 6a also has every single camera software feature from the Pixel 6 except for the long exposure motion mode.
Magic Eraser can cleverly erase people or things from photos even if it does require a little patience as sometimes it gets it wrong. It’s best to have a plain background or the smarts get confused and blur the wrong colours together, but it’s still impressive on the whole.
A new feature is Camouflage, which rather than deleting things from images instead changes their colour to better blend into a scene. Big orange beach ball distracting from smiling faces on the beach? Turn it the colour of sand. It’s a slightly weird feature but it does work well.
Built in too are very good features like Face Deblur, which does exactly what it says very well. The camera works by taking several shots either side of when you actually tap the shutter button. If your subject moves their head a little resulting in blur, the phone can tell this and automatically uses all the image data to correct it.
This is also part of the feature Top Shot, which records a short video to go along with your image if the phone reckons it’s worth it, autoplaying of which can be toggled off in the Photos app when looking through photos.
Real Tone is also a very good feature that better reproduces skin tones accurately thanks to Google’s work to tune its processing algorithms. Other phones overprocess some skin tones inaccurately, so the Pixel is a good choice in this regard.
Throw in 4K video recording at 60fps and it’s a well-featured camera app. There’s even a speech enhancement mode that isolates vocal audio and cuts out background noise, though only works on the selfie camera, so it’s a handy feature if you are recording a video message for someone at the side of a motorway. Or something.
Clean Android 12 (at launch)
Three years of Android updates
Five years of security updates
Google offers five years of security updates for the phone, so its final update will land in July 2027 in theory. There’s only three years of Android platform updates though, so the 6a will only get those until July 2025 – likely Android 15, as the 6a is launched with Android 12, not Android 13.
You will get new versions of Android before third-party manufacturers though.
Android 12 is a joy to use. It looks great and performs just as well as on a Pixel 6 Pro – no mean feat. The included new ‘Nature swept’ wallpapers are right up my street (see one in action below), and the colour picker that takes four colours from whatever wallpaper you have and lets you select it as the icon and accent colour for the whole OS is superb.
Henry Burrell / Foundry
It’s rolling out to more Google apps like Gmail too, so there’s a real unity to the whole aesthetic. I prefer running the phone in dark mode.
Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry
The always on display is my favourite of any phone, with simplicity the best thing about it. It shows time, date, and weather, with full notification banners if you so choose too. There’s also the excellent Now Playing feature that cleverly listens to whatever music is playing and displays the track and artist, all from an offline database stored on the phone. You can tap the song and start streaming it from several streaming services, not just Google’s own YouTube Music.
Google’s voice-to-text smarts and the Live Transcribe feature in its Recorder app are present and excellent in an area Google trumps Apple, which is playing catch up with its dictation feature in iOS 16.
Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry
Price & AvailabilityThe Pixel 6a costs $349/£349/€409 and is available to buy from Google in the US, UK, and Europe.
It’s also on sale unlocked in the US now at Best Buy and Amazon.
In the UK you can pick it up from Amazon, Carphone Warehouse, chúng tôi EE, Vodafone, and John Lewis.
Check out our full where to buy the Pixel 6a article for the US and UK.
I recommend it over the $429/£419/€529 iPhone SE 2023, which trumps the 6a with wireless charging and software OS update support but that’s about it. Everything about the Pixel is better – screen, camera, design.
Samsung’s Galaxy A53 5G is £399/$449/€449 but has terrible performance, while the £399/€469 Nothing Phone (1) has outstanding design but display issues and an inferior camera to the Pixel. It’s a crowded price bracket, but the Pixel comes out on top.
You might be tempted by the newer Pixel 7a, which is more expensive than the 6a but adds a new camera sensor, 90Hz display, and wireless charging.
Check out all your options in our best mid-range phones chart.
VerdictDespite the higher price than previous A-series Pixels, you’re only paying slightly more for the Pixel 6a, a superb mid-range phone with a flagship-level processor, truly outstanding main camera, 5G, the latest version of Android, five years of security support, and a more pocket-friendly design.
Downsides are the slow charging speeds on a phone that charges hot, the easily scratched rear plastic material, and the 60Hz display lagging behind similarly priced phones. Yet, this is a Pixel, which means it has a superlative Android experience and camera with a software polish and premium hardware feel you won’t find on other brands in this price range.
If you want a newer (but more expensive) phone you might consider the Pixel 7a.
Specs
Android 12
6.1in 60Hz gOLED display
Google Tensor chip
6GB RAM
128GB storage
Rear cameras:
12Mp IMX363 main lens with OIS
12Mp IMX386 ultrawide lens
8Mp IMX355 selfie camera
4400mAh battery
18W wired charging
5G
Stereo speakers
Wi-Fi 6
Bluetooth 5.2
NFC
IP67
Gorilla Glass 3 display
71.8 x 152.16 x 8.85mm
178g
Learn Why � Less’ Is Faster Than � More’ Command For Effective File Navigation
More is a command to view (but not modify) the contents of a text file, one screen at a time. It is available on Unix and Unix-like systems, DOS, OS/2, and Microsoft Windows. Programs of this sort are called pagers. More is a very basic pager, originally allowing only forward navigation through a file, though newer implementations which allows for limited backward movement.
The basics of more command should be like this –
$ more chúng tôi sample output should be like this –2023-12-02 11:30:45 startup archives unpack 2023-12-02 11:30:45 status half-installed python-ptyprocess:all 0.5-1 2023-12-02 11:30:45 status unpacked python-ptyprocess:all 0.5-1 2023-12-02 11:30:45 status unpacked python-ptyprocess:all 0.5-1 2023-12-02 11:30:46 status half-installed python-pexpect:all 4.0.1-1 2023-12-02 11:30:46 status unpacked python-pexpect:all 4.0.1-1 2023-12-02 11:30:46 status unpacked python-pexpect:all 4.0.1-1 2023-12-02 11:30:46 status half-installed python-simplegeneric:all 0.8.1-1 2023-12-02 11:30:46 status unpacked python-simplegeneric:all 0.8.1-1 2023-12-02 11:30:46 status unpacked python-simplegeneric:all 0.8.1-1 2023-12-02 11:30:47 status half-installed ipython:all 2.4.1-1 2023-12-02 11:30:47 status triggers-pending man-db:amd64 2.7.5-1 2023-12-02 11:30:47 status triggers-pending hicolor-icon-theme:all 0.15-0ubuntu1 2023-12-02 11:30:47 status half-installed ipython:all 2.4.1-1 Mounting /boot/efi... [ OK ] Mounted /boot/efi. [ OK ] Reached target Local File Systems. Starting Clean up any mess left by 0dns-up... Starting Set console font and keymap... Starting LSB: AppArmor initialization... Starting Tell Plymouth To Write Out Runtime Data... Starting Create Volatile Files and Directories... [ OK ] Started Tell Plymouth To Write Out Runtime Data. [ OK ] Started Clean up any mess left by 0dns-up. Starting Nameserver information manager... [ OK ] Started Nameserver information manager. [ OK ] Started Set console font and keymap. [ OK ] Created slice system-getty.slice. [ OK ] Started Create Volatile Files and Directories. Starting Update UTMP about System Boot/Shutdown... Starting Network Time Synchronization... [ OK ] Started Update UTMP about System Boot/Shutdown. [ OK ] Started Network Time Synchronization. [ OK ] Reached target System Time Synchronized. [ OK ] Started LSB: AppArmor initialization. [ OK ] Reached target System Initialization.In order to navigate, press Enter key or press Spacebar key to navigate one page. To exit the command just press q key or CTRL+C chúng tôi set the number of lines a page should contain,use the following command –
$ more -5 chúng tôi above command shows only first 10 lines. The sample output should be like this –Dec 6 12:27:33 khushboo-HP-15-Notebook-PC kernel: [ 2941.623182] nouveau 0000:09:00.0: DRM: resuming kernel object tree… Dec 6 12:27:33 khushboo-HP-15-Notebook-PC kernel: [ 2941.740892] nouveau 0000:09:00.0: bus: MMIO write of 0000001f FAULT at 6013d4 [ IBUS ] Dec 6 12:27:33 khushboo-HP-15-Notebook-PC kernel: [ 2941.741404] nouveau 0000:0To get more information about more command, use the following command
$ more -hThe sample output should be like this –
more: unknown option -h Usage: more [options] ... A file perusal filter for CRT viewing. Options: -d display help instead of ringing bell -f count logical rather than screen lines -l suppress pause after form feed -c do not scroll, display text and clean line ends -p do not scroll, clean screen and display text -s squeeze multiple blank lines into one -u suppress underlining - the number of lines per screenful + display file beginning from line number +/ display file beginning from search string match -V display version information and exit For more details see more(1). Learn Linux ‘less’ CommandLess command allows you to view the contents of a file and navigate through file. The sample of less command should be like this –
$ less chúng tôi sample output should be like this –2023-12-02 11:30:48 status half-installed ipython:all 2.4.1-1 2023-12-02 11:30:48 status triggers-pending bamfdaemon:amd64 0.5.3~bzr0+16.04.20 160701-0ubuntu1 2023-12-02 11:30:48 status triggers-pending mime-support:all 3.59ubuntu1 2023-12-02 11:30:48 status unpacked ipython:all 2.4.1-1 2023-12-02 11:30:48 status unpacked ipython:all 2.4.1-1 2023-12-02 11:30:48 upgrade libmysqlclient20:i386 5.7.13-0ubuntu0.16.04.2 5.7.16-0ubuntu0.16.04.1 2023-12-02 11:30:48 status triggers-pending libc-bin:amd64 2.23-0ubuntu3 2023-12-02 11:30:48 status half-configured libmysqlclient20:i386 5.7.13-0ubuntu0.16.04.2 2023-12-02 11:30:48 status unpacked libmysqlclient20:i386 5.7.13-0ubuntu0.16.04.2By Enter key, You can navigate through the file line by line pressing. To get more information about less command, use the following command
$ less --helpThe sample output should be like this –
SUMMARY OF LESS COMMANDS Commands marked with * may be preceded by a number, N. Notes in parentheses indicate the behavior if N is given. A key preceded by a caret indicates the Ctrl key; thus ^K is ctrl-K. h H Display this help. q :q Q :Q ZZ Exit. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- MOVING e ^E j ^N CR * Forward one line (or N lines). y ^Y k ^K ^P * Backward one line (or N lines). f ^F ^V SPACE * Forward one window (or N lines). b ^B ESC-v * Backward one window (or N lines). z * Forward one window (and set window to N). w * Backward one window (and set window to N). ESC-SPACE * Forward one window, but don't stop at end-of-file. d ^D * Forward one half-window (and set half-window to N). u ^U * Backward one half-window (and set half-window to N). ESC-) RightArrow * Left one half screen width (or N positions).If you need to find the number of every line, use the -N option as shown below –
$ less -N chúng tôi sample output should be like this –1 2023-12-02 11:30:45 startup archives unpack 3 2023-12-02 11:30:45 status half-installed python-ptyprocess:all 0.5-1 4 2023-12-02 11:30:45 status unpacked python-ptyprocess:all 0.5-1 5 2023-12-02 11:30:45 status unpacked python-ptyprocess:all 0.5-1 7 2023-12-02 11:30:46 status half-installed python-pexpect:all 4.0.1-1 8 2023-12-02 11:30:46 status unpacked python-pexpect:all 4.0.1-1 9 2023-12-02 11:30:46 status unpacked python-pexpect:all 4.0.1-1 11 2023-12-02 11:30:46 status half-installed python-simplegeneric:all 0.8.1 11 -1 12 2023-12-02 11:30:46 status unpacked python-simplegeneric:all 0.8.1-1 13 2023-12-02 11:30:46 status unpacked python-simplegeneric:all 0.8.1-1 15 2023-12-02 11:30:47 status half-installed ipython:all 2.4.1-1 16 2023-12-02 11:30:47 status triggers-pending man-db:amd64 2.7.5-1 17 2023-12-02 11:30:47 status triggers-pending hicolor-icon-theme:all 0.15- 17 0ubuntu1 18 2023-12-02 11:30:47 status half-installed ipython:all 2.4.1-1 19 2023-12-02 11:30:47 status triggers-pending gnome-menus:amd64 3.13.3-6ub 19 untu3.1 20 2023-12-02 11:30:47 status triggers-pending desktop-file-utils:amd64 0.2To exit from the less command use q key or CTRL+C key. To change this behavior and automatically exit file when reaching the end of file use the following command
After this article, you will be able to understand – How to Use ‘less’ and ‘more’ Commands with Examples in Linux, we will come up with more Linux based tricks and tips. Keep reading!
Update the detailed information about Lenovo Ideapad Chromebook Duet 5 Review: Less Than The Sum Of Its Parts on the Minhminhbmm.com website. We hope the article's content will meet your needs, and we will regularly update the information to provide you with the fastest and most accurate information. Have a great day!