Inside, the Flex 3 is available with just one set of computing components, and they’re pretty much exactly what we expect from a Chromebook at this price point. The display of third-party trademarks and trade names on this site does not necessarily indicate any affiliation or the endorsement of PCMag. Chromebooks don't need a ton of computing horsepower, since there are very few resource-intensive apps available for Chrome OS. How to Free Up Space on Your iPhone or iPad, How to Save Money on Your Cell Phone Bill, How to Find Free Tools to Optimize Your Small Business, How to Get Started With Project Management, Testing the Flex 3: Average Chromebook Performance, A Slate of Strengths...and One Key Weakness, Read Lenovo Chromebook 3 (11-Inch) Review. Apple MacBook Pro vs. Microsoft Surface Laptop 3: Which 13-Inch Premium Laptop Is Tops? The latter will come in handy for adding some extra local storage capacity if you need more than what the Chromebook 3's cramped flash-memory-based boot drive can give. If you’re doing typical Chromebook activities like watching videos or browsing the web, things for which the screen is the most important component, the Chromebook 3 is clearly deficient. There's even a volume rocker on the right edge, and Lenovo has replaced the traditional Chromebook power button in the upper right with a key that locks the screen. Our expert industry analysis and practical solutions help you make better buying decisions and get more from technology. On our theoretical benchmarks, the Flex 3 performs about as expected for an entry to midrange Chromebook. You may unsubscribe from the newsletters at any time. It feels cramped, partly due to its small size and partly because of the large plastic borders surrounding it, which make the panel appear even smaller. https://www.pcmag.com/reviews/lenovo-chromebook-3-11-inch, Decent build quality and keyboard for the money, Low-quality, low-res screen with big bezels. If you can overlook this—perhaps you plan to keep your Flex 3 connected to an external monitor most of the time—it's worth a close look. A headphone jack and a receptacle for a physical lock to prevent someone from stealing the laptop round out the port selection. The Flex 3 has a handsome almond-colored metal exterior, reasonably long battery life, and even an SD card reader to let you easily supplement its 64GB of internal storage. This newsletter may contain advertising, deals, or affiliate links. 2020 Apple MacBook Air vs. MacBook Pro: Which Mac Laptop to Buy? It suffers from ho-hum performance, but it does include a complementing keyboard in the box. PCMag, PCMag.com and PC Magazine are among the federally registered trademarks of Ziff Davis, LLC and may not be used by third parties without explicit permission. This two-tone color scheme would look tacky on an expensive laptop, but here I think it works quite well. If you plan to use your laptop like a 21st-century typewriter, with a single Google Docs window displayed on the screen all day long as you write the next great American novel, the Chromebook 3 is actually an appropriate tool for the job. The non-Flex version of the IdeaPad 3 Chromebook is priced similarly, while the Lenovo Chromebook 3 and the Lenovo Chromebook Duet are cheaper. The 11.6-inch convertible is a sturdy, low-cost option for a student Chromebook. The display of third-party trademarks and trade names on this site does not necessarily indicate any affiliation or the endorsement of PCMag. There are extra-large Ctrl and Alt keys to make up for the lack of Windows or Command keys, and the top function row contains dedicated buttons for navigating back and forth between pages in the Chrome web browser. The Chromebook 3’s 11.6-inch screen is by far its weakest feature. Clicks are precise, and there's little unwanted flex in the corners. Most Chromebooks have cramped internal drives, and the 64GB of eMMC flash storage in the Flex 3 is no exception. Otherwise, the iPad is a better fit for the types of tasks for which people usually use bargain-basement Chromebooks. On top of that, it's fairly safe to say that Acer Chromebook R 11 is a more popular laptop, based on its 2,000+ reviews. The 11-inch-class Lenovo Chromebook 3 ($169.99) is proof that you can buy a well-built laptop with a long-lasting battery for less than $200. Follow him on Twitter @branttom. Slick Ultraportables Face Off: 2020 Apple MacBook Air vs. Microsoft Surface Laptop 3, High-End Mac Showdown: Apple iMac vs. Apple MacBook Pro, Tablet, Chromebook Demand Soars as Pandemic Prompts Need for Affordable Computers, Early Benchmarks Show Apple's ARM-Based Macs Reign Supreme, New Beta of Microsoft's Office 2019 Is Compatible with ARM-Based Macs, Amid New Macs, Apple Brings Back John Hodgman to Ridicule Windows PCs, Apple MacBook Pro 13-Inch (M1, Late 2020) Review. In our test, which involves playing a locally stored video with Wi-Fi turned off and the screen at 50 percent brightness, the laptop managed to stay powered up for nearly 19 hours. You’ll need to step up to the level of the Samsung Galaxy Chromebook (starting at a grand) or the Google Pixelbook Go (starting at $649) for this level of quality. They’re platforms for consuming content on the modern internet, from video conferencing to playing games to taking advantage of the extensive Google and Apple app ecosystems. The lower chin, in particular, is enormous. The Best Laptops for College Students in 2020. And the iPad’s 10.2-inch Retina display is far more than twice as good, with a much higher 2,160-by-1,620-pixel resolution and only slightly less surface area than the Chromebook 3’s screen. Lenovo Chromebook C340-11 review: Budget-friendly 2-in-1 for school basics. If you click an affiliate link and buy a product or service, we may be paid a fee by that merchant. The 11-inch-class Lenovo Chromebook 3 ($169.99) is proof that you can buy a well-built laptop with a long-lasting battery for less than $200. The Flex 3's most significant compromise is its cramped, dim 11.6-inch HD display. (See how we test laptops and Chromebooks.). If you've got less than $200 to spend on a laptop for a child or as a secondary machine, Lenovo's Chromebook 3 is an acceptable option, though its small, low-quality display leaves much to be desired. Before that, he worked for PCMag's sister site, Computer Shopper, where he occasionally dunked waterproof hard drives in glasses of water. The Lenovo Flex 11 Chromebook is a durable 2-in-1 with enough processing power to handle multitasking for homework and research. Other than the aforementioned lock key, the Flex 3 sports the usual Chromebook layout, which is a bit different from that found on Windows PCs and Macs. Lenovo painted the metal finish with an almond color, which helps the Flex 3 stand out in a sea of plastic and occasional gray-aluminum chassis that typically make up the budget-laptop set. Find out in the full review. Sign up for What's New Now to get our top stories delivered to your inbox every morning. The entire laptop measures 0.7 by 11.4 by 8.2 inches (HWD) and weighs just 2.64 pounds, dimensions which make it competitive with 13-inch ultraportable laptops that cost $1,000 or more. Comparing the Chromebook 3 with other Chromebooks on browser-based benchmarks like WebXPRT and JetStream helps illustrate performance differences. Read honest and unbiased product reviews from our users. As a 2-in-1 convertible, the Flex 3 can be used as a conventional laptop, and it can also be propped up on a desk like an easel or tent. Audio output is also marginal, with the Chromebook 3’s downward-firing speakers offering a decent top level of volume but megaphone-like quality. He previously covered the consumer tech beat as a news reporter for PCMag in San Francisco and Silicon Valley, where he rode in several self-driving cars and witnessed the rise and fall of many startups. As a hardware analyst, Tom tests and reviews laptops, peripherals, and much more at PC Labs in New York City. Luckily, the Chromebook 3 is equipped with plenty of ports for you to connect a wired external mouse and headphones. While the iPad lasts for only about 7 hours, we used a significantly more demanding test for it (streaming high-resolution video at full screen brightness), so the results aren’t comparable. That said, that Celeron is not nearly as powerful as an Intel Core i3 or Core i5 processor, the classes of chip found in many Chromebooks that cost $500 and up. The Chromebook 3 weighs just 2.42 pounds, less than many premium ultraportable Chromebooks. It’s more straightforward to compare the Chromebook 3 to another budget Chromebook that has a higher-quality screen.
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