GoKawiilDeveloper revives Lenovo IdeaPad Duet Chromebook with custom Ubuntu build
A hobbyist documents replacing ChromeOS on a Lenovo IdeaPad Duet tablet, first with postmarketOS and later with a custom Ubuntu build after postmarketOS broke unexpectedly. The process involved entering ChromeOS 'developer mode,' booting from a USB image, and installing a full Linux distribution with a GNOME desktop onto the device's eMMC storage.
GoKawiil's interpretation of the reporting above, not reported fact.
This tinkering illustrates the ongoing effort by enthusiasts to extend the life of ARM-based Chromebooks beyond their locked-down ChromeOS ecosystem by porting mainstream Linux distributions. It also highlights persistent firmware and driver challenges on ARM64 devices that make running standard desktop Linux distributions like Ubuntu far more complex than on x86 hardware.
- The Lenovo IdeaPad Duet uses a MediaTek MT8183 ARM64 chip with 4GB RAM, originally running ChromeOS.
- postmarketOS previously ran well on the device but broke, prompting the switch to Ubuntu via firmware hacking.
- ChromeOS's 'developer mode' menu enables booting alternative OS images from USB for installation to internal storage.
Lenovo IdeaPad Duet Chromebook — This is the exact ARM64 2-in-1 tablet the article uses for its Ubuntu/postmarketOS firmware experiments, making it a perfect budget-friendly platform for Linux tinkering. Its detachable keyboard and compact 10.1-inch form factor make it great both for portability and for hacking on alternative OSes.
See Lenovo IdeaPad Duet Chromebook on Amazon → Affiliate link — we may earn a commission on purchases, at no extra cost to you. Product picked by AI based on this article; it is not a tested recommendation.Source: vhaudiquet.fr, 2026-09-14
Published there as: “Running Ubuntu on the Lenovo IdeaPad Duet”
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