Microsoft’s Floor Professional 9 represents the most recent model of what’s grow to be the trade customary for detachable tablet 2-in-1s. It’s additionally one of many best laptops, interval. In the meantime, Lenovo’s IdeaPad Duet 5i is an audacious new competitor, going up towards a longtime machine.
There’s one main issue differentiating the 2: the worth. The IdeaPad Duet 5i is considerably inexpensive (and configurable) than the Floor Professional 9. Does that give it sufficient of a leg to face on?
Specs and configurations
Lenovo IdeaPad Duet 5i | Microsoft Floor Professional 9 | |
Dimensions | 11.35 inches x 7.49 inches x 0.37 inches | 11.3 inches by 8.2 inches by 0.37 inches |
Weight | 1.85 kilos | 1.94 kilos |
Processor | As much as Core i7-1255U | Intel Core i5-1235U Intel Core i7-1255U Microsoft SQ 3 (5G fashions) |
Graphics | As much as Intel Iris Xe | Intel Iris Xe Microsoft SQ 3 Adreno (5G fashions) |
RAM | As much as 16GB LPDDR4x | 8GB to 32GB LPDDR5 8GB or 16GB LPDDR4x (5G mannequin) |
Show | 12.4-inch 16:10 2.5K (2560 x 1600) IPS | 13-inch 3:2 PixelSense 2,880 x 1,920 IPS as much as 120Hz |
Storage | As much as 512GB PCIe SSD | 128GB to 1TB detachable PCIe SSD 128GB to 512GB detachable PCIe SSD (5G fashions) |
Contact | Sure | Sure |
Ports | 2 x USB-C 3.2 Gen 1 1 x 3.5mm audio jack |
2 x USB-C with Thunderbolt 4 1 x Floor Join port 1 x Floor Keyboard port 1 x nano SIM (5G fashions) 2 x USB-C 3.2 (5G fashions) |
Wi-fi | Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.1 | Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.1 Non-compulsory 5GB WWAN |
Webcam | 5MP front-facing with IR digital camera for Home windows 11 Howdy 5MP rear-facing |
1080p with infrared digital camera for Home windows 11 Howdy 10MP rear-facing |
Working system | Home windows 11 | Home windows 11 |
Battery | 50 watt-hours | 60 watt-hour |
Value | $790+ | $1,000+ |
Score | 3.5 out of 5 | 3.5 out of 5 |
Even a few weeks after its launch, there’s nonetheless only one configuration of the IdeaPad Duet 5i, a $790 mannequin with a Core i3-1215U, 8GB of RAM, a 128GB SSD, and the included keyboard folio. The Lively Pen is a $30 additional. That’s a cheap machine, but it surely’s additionally restricted in space for storing, with no choice to extend it.
The Floor Professional 9 begins at $1,000 for a Core i5-1235U, 8GB of RAM, and a 128GB SSD. The Signature Kind Cowl and Floor Slim Pen 2 add $280 to the worth. You may spend as a lot as $2,600 on a Core i7-1255U, 32GB of RAM, and a 1TB SSD. The 5G mannequin operating a Microsoft SQ 3 ARM CPU ranges from $1,300 to $1,900.
Design
- 1.
Lenovo IdeaPad Duet 5i - 2.
Microsoft Floor Professional 9
The IdeaPad Duet 5i and Floor Professional 9 are related slates in some ways. They each sport rounded edges, have related show bezels, and are constructed of aluminum. The IdeaPad is available in two colours, Storm Grey and Stone Blue, whereas the Floor Professional 9 is available in Platinum, Slate, Sapphire, and Forest (with the 5G model coming solely in Slate). They’re each 0.37 inches thick, and the IdeaPad is barely lighter. Even with its barely smaller show, the IdeaPad Duet 5i is as large as Microsoft’s pill and a couple of half-inch shallower.
Each tablets have a kickstand that extends out from the middle of the pill again, and it really works effectively on each and holds the tablets at a variety of angles. They’re each easy in operation and inflexible, to go along with solidly constructed chassis that resist bending and flexing. From an general design perspective, neither pill has an enormous benefit.
The IdeaPad Duet 5i comes with a folio keyboard with snappy switches and loads of key spacing, making for snug typing. Its touchpad is giant sufficient and responsive. The Microsoft Kind Cowl keyboard can also be well-made, with snappy, exact switches and a great touchpad. Its benefit, although, is that it props up at an angle. That reduces stress on the wrists and makes for a extra ergonomic typing expertise.
The Floor Professional 9 does include an additional port, the Floor Join port, which permits charging with out utilizing one of many treasured USB-C (with Thunderbolt 4 on the Floor Professional 9 Intel model) ports. Neither have SD card readers, and each have Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.1. The ARM-based Floor Professional 9 helps 4G/5G WWAN for always-connected web.
The IdeaPad Duet 5i has 5MP entrance and rear cameras, whereas the Floor Professional 9 has a 1080p entrance digital camera and 10MB rear digital camera. Each have infrared cameras for Home windows 11 Howdy passwordless assist.
Efficiency

The Core i3-1215U CPU within the IdeaPad Duet 5i is the one presently obtainable choice, and it’s a 15-watt Twelfth-gen Intel processor with six cores (two Efficiency and 4 Environment friendly) and eight threads. On paper, it’s significantly slower than the 15-watt, 10-core (two Efficiency and eight Environment friendly), 12-thread Core i7-1255U within the Floor Professional 9.
In our benchmarks, although, the IdeaPad Duet 5i was fast sufficient for productiveness duties. It fell behind the Floor Professional 9, however not by as a lot as we anticipated, with the largest distinction being within the intensive Cinebench R23 benchmark. Apparently, the IdeaPad was quicker within the PCMark 10 Full check of a mixture of productiveness, media consumption, and inventive duties.
General, each tablets are effective productiveness performers, however creators ought to look elsewhere.
Lenovo IdeaPad Duet 5i (Core i3-1215U) |
Microsoft Floor Professional 9 (Core i7-1255U) |
|
Geekbench 5 (single / multi) |
Bal: 1,513 / 5,676 Perf: 1,515 / 5,970 |
Bal: 1,170 / 6,518 Perf: 1,598 / 8,165 |
Handbrake (seconds) |
Bal: 251 Perf: 181 |
Bal: 166 Perf: 127 |
Cinebench R23 (single / multi) |
Bal: 1,488 / 4,087 Perf: 1,582 / 4,842 |
Bal: 1,124 / 7,537 Perf: N/A |
PCMark 10 Full (greater is best) |
4,578 | 4,045 |
Show

The IdeaPad Duet 5i’s 12.4-inch IPS show has a 16:10 side ratio and 2560 x 1600 decision, in comparison with the 13.0-inch IPS 3:2 2,880 x 1,920 on the Floor Professional 9. Microsoft’s pill advantages from a 120Hz refresh fee that makes Home windows 11 smoother and gives a greater inking expertise, notably given the Floor Slim 2 pen’s assist for haptic suggestions.
When it comes to high quality, although, the IdeaPad’s show was a lot brighter and loved wider colours and deeper distinction. The Floor Professional 9 had higher shade accuracy, although. Each are effective for productiveness and inking, though once more, the Floor Professional 9 is the higher digital writing and sketching platform.
Lenovo IdeaPad Due 5i (IPS) |
Microsoft Floor Professional 9 (IPS) |
|
Brightness (nits) |
605 | 409 |
AdobeRGB gamut | 90% | 80% |
sRGB gamut | 100% | 99% |
Accuracy (DeltaE, decrease is best) |
2.99 | 1.24 |
Distinction ratio | 1,670:1 | 1,050:1 |
Portability

As talked about above, the 2 tablets are related in measurement and equally transportable. They’re each a lot thicker and heavier with their keyboards hooked up.
The Floor Professional 9 has a bigger battery at 60 watt-hours, in comparison with the IdeaPad Duet 5i’s 50 watt-hours. Even so, that they had related battery life, lasting round eight hours in our internet looking check. Neither is prone to get you thru a full day’s work on a single cost, however their energy bricks are mild sufficient to hold round.
The IdeaPad Duet 5i holds its personal
There’s little question that the Floor Professional 9 is the extra superior laptop computer, with a 120Hz show, haptic suggestions in its Lively Pen, and an general extra refined expertise. And it may be configured with extra RAM and storage, at a considerably greater value.
However the IdeaPad Duet 5i is a extra reasonably priced machine, and it holds its personal by way of efficiency and battery life. What it comes right down to is that this: if a pill goes to be your solely laptop computer, then the Floor Professional 9 is definitely worth the value. However if you happen to’re including a pill to a secure of different gadgets, then the IdeaPad Duet 5i gives a finances choice that’s fairly interesting.
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