Lenovo Ideapad 3i Chromebook Review after 1 monthWith COVID-19 raging on, one surprising beneficiary of the pandemic seems to be the Chrome OS platform. Upon lifting the lid, you’re met with a swift startup and an uncomplicated setup process, leading you to the Chrome OS home screen.
The essence of contemporary Chromebooks is centered around the Android Google Play Store. This enables the lightweight operating system to offer users all the necessary applications for virtually any task.
The divergence occurs from one Chromebook to another in terms of performance. Naturally, this is dictated by the type of processor that powers the laptop. In the case of the IdeaPad 3, Lenovo chose to employ an Intel Celeron N4020 chipset, a common feature in budget Chromebooks. It may seem odd for me to express this, but I’d prefer an ARM chip processor on budget Chrome OS devices, as Android apps appear to react more favorably to them. Lenovo Ideapad 3i
Lenovo Ideapad 3i
Browsing the web on the IdeaPad 3 is quite a pleasant experience, with minimal to no lag when switching between three to five tabs. Any more than that typically slows down the loading times. In terms of applications, I’ve been fairly impressed with how well it has managed on its own. Games such as Pokémon Quest and Bloon Adventure Time run seamlessly as if you were operating on one of the top-tier Android smartphones. There were no issues with frame drops in games of that caliber. Lenovo Ideapad 3i However, certain high-graphic games like War Robots wouldn’t even launch on this laptop. This is pretty much in line with what I’ve anticipated from Intel Celeron processors on Chrome OS.
One feature this Chromebook retains, which many newer models are moving away from, is the presence of multiple ports. Although the inclusion of ports contributes to the device’s thickness, numerous situations necessitate the use of plugged-in accessories.
The IdeaPad 3 equips you with two USB-C ports, two USB-A ports, a headphone jack, and a microSD card reader. This should be more than sufficient for any student to complete their homework. Lenovo Ideapad 3i The addition of a microSD card slot also helps to compensate for the scant 32 gigabytes of built-in storage this laptop offers. It’s also a bonus that this laptop can be charged via USB-C. Despite the rapid increase in adoption rates over the past few years, some budget devices are still clinging to micro USB. It’s certainly refreshing to see a USB-C on a laptop priced at $250.
On the topic of charging, this device offers robust battery life. If you use this strictly for web browsing on Chrome OS, as it was designed for, you’ll go days before needing a recharge. However, if you use this laptop for entertainment, I managed to get approximately 4-5 hours of continuous gaming without plugging in. That’s not too shabby.
Undeniably, the TN display is the weak link here. I was under the impression that TN displays were a thing of the past once the ASUS Chromebook Flip hit the market. It demonstrated to the world that a budget-friendly price tag could still offer a screen that’s genuinely enjoyable to view. Yet, here we are in 2020, and I’m faced with the same visual nuisance that marred my sight in the early 2010s. Of course, I’m being somewhat facetious here, but the scary part is that I’m not entirely joking. This is far from a top-tier display. At $250,
you can’t really anticipate being wowed, but I can at least aspire to enjoy looking at a laptop, right? I find it unbearable to keep my gaze on this TN panel for more than a few minutes at a time. Lenovo Ideapad 3i Discussing viewing angles is pointless when there are no comfortable viewing angles to begin with.
I can’t even count the number of times I’ve instinctively reached for the hinge to adjust the display’s viewing angle while reading a single article. The one saving grace is that you can lay the display completely flat on the table—though it doesn’t really make much of a difference.
Indeed, the 14.1-inch size is impressive for the price. I must admit that the basic HD resolution of 1366 by 768p doesn’t bother me, especially when I remember that it’s only $250. However, what I can’t shake off is the comparison with another Lenovo Chromebook. We recently evaluated the Chromebook Duet. Granted, the form factor and intended applications are different, but for an additional $20 or so, the visual experience on that device was significantly superior.
Lenovo Ideapad 3i It’s hard to articulate the stark contrast—it’s like comparing night and day, literally. The absence of screen glare might be the only commendable aspect of TN panels on Chromebooks. Don’t misunderstand me, I don’t despise TN panels. In fact, I use them daily in the lab where I work. My issue is with low-resolution TN panels on laptops. They simply have to be phased out. Lenovo Ideapad 3i
It’s made from plastic and surprisingly large. I say surprisingly because from afar, it could easily be mistaken for a much slimmer device. Lenovo concentrated most of the components towards the back before tapering it down to the edge. It’s definitely plastic, but it appears to be well-assembled. I also appreciate the typing experience here, owing to a spacious and comfortable key arrangement.
The keycaps don’t exhibit that squishy sensation that many Lenovo Ideapad 3i budget laptops from the past are notorious for. I’m quite pleased with the tactile feedback and feel of this non-illuminated keyboard. The lack of backlighting is a drawback for using this laptop in various situations, but I tend to overlook this in such devices due to their affordable price tag.
On the contrary, the trackpad doesn’t offer much to commend. Given the relatively large size of this laptop, there’s ample space for the trackpad. Although its size is reasonable, I’ve encountered much smaller laptops Lenovo Ideapad 3i with roughly the same trackpad footprint. I believe Lenovo could have slightly increased its size.
The issue with the trackpad is its lack of precision, making it unreliable for use. I noticed that I had to subconsciously focus more on my targets when clicking, more than usual. I wouldn’t go as far as labeling it as having a slow response time, but I would describe the sensation as airy as if the cursor you’re manipulating lacked substance.
Lenovo Ideapad 3i
To complete the hardware aspect of the IdeaPad 3, you might be curious about the location of the speakers. Similar to numerous older Chromebook models, there are dual speakers situated on the laptop’s bottom panel. Downward-facing speakers on a budget laptop— they’re never impressive, and this pattern persists here. The sound emanating from the IdeaPad 3 is muffled and somewhat antiquated.
It’s evident that Lenovo didn’t invest heavily in the audio quality here, and part of me is actually okay with that. I’m skeptical that many individuals seeking an entertainment device would consider this laptop initially. Lenovo, however, did provide users with a headphone jack.
Additionally, don’t anticipate much from the 720p webcam. You’ll need to depend on your own charm to make an impression on your colleagues or classmates, rather than relying on the performance of this camera. Lenovo Ideapad 3i
Ultimately, when contemplating the IdeaPad 3, two factors come into play: the laptop’s intended usage and your budget. Although the Chromebook Duet is a markedly different device compared to a conventional laptop like this, unless you’re unable to stretch your budget by an additional $25, I strongly suggest considering that option. If your budget is strictly limited to $250 and not a penny more, the IdeaPad 3 is far from the worst choice.
While it may not be the perfect computing device, it is certainly a functional one—you’ll just need to tolerate its appearance. Lenovo Ideapad 3iYou know what you should do? Hit that subscribe button because by the time this video is out, something better is probably going to come out.
So you’re going to have to come back to our channel and watch the review of something better anyway. So be sure to check that Lenovo Ideapad 3i video out in the future.
Here on the table in front of me is a gray, kind of nondescript Chromebook, and you’d be forgiven for looking at it and just thinking, “Man, look, that’s another gray Chromebook.” But I’m telling you, this one has something special—not just under the hood, but on the outside as well. I have a hunch about why I think this one might end up being one of, hopefully, many Chromebook Plus models that are coming. Let me explain.
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So, a quick bit about Chromebook Plus. You may have read about it or heard about it, like Chromebook X. It’s been going around for a few months at this point, and the whole idea—like, we’ve talked about this on the podcast a lot, it’s been on the website a lot, so check those things out if you haven’t already—but the whole idea is Google basically creating a sub-brand, almost, of Chromebooks that allows them to say, “Okay if you’re going to get the Chromebook Plus,” which I think that it’s going to just end up being like a plus next to it.
Lenovo Ideapad 3i Joe actually kind of came up with that idea there, and I think that’s probably what it’s going to be. There’s probably just going to be a plus logo of some sort. I don’t know whenever this all rolls out, and that will kind of signify that these devices are a little better generally in use than a standard Chromebook.
Now, that doesn’t mean that they’re going to have just the highest-end specs or that they’re going to have wild screens or these crazy new features. I don’t think it’s going to be about that at all. From what we can tell, really, it’s going to be more about the end-user experience and then keeping it to a decent price category. Lenovo Ideapad 3i
Think about things like the Pixelbook Go. That’s a perfect example of a device that would be a perfect Chromebook Plus device because that device was a Lenovo Ideapad 3i little more affordable than the other Google-made Chromebooks.
It just had something about it that made you want to pick it up and use it. And for years, I think people have used them. I mean, I think Joe just stopped using the Pixelbook Go daily with the introduction of the HP Dragonfly Pro, and that’s an expensive Chromebook that does all kinds of stuff, right?
We’ve talked about it—we love that Chromebook. Lenovo Ideapad 3i It’s really awesome, and it’s great to use, but it’s expensive. It’s a thousand dollars. And so, from what we can gather, Google has kind of figured out, “Look, there is a whole swath of people that want affordable Chromebooks, but there are things that we can do to help manufacturers make them a little nicer to pick up and use.” Lenovo Ideapad 3i
And this device kind of flew under the radar. I don’t even know how long this one’s been available. I found it on Lenovo a couple of weeks ago on Lenovo’s website, and when I did, I saw the markings and stuff. It’s called The Slim 3i—so “i,” meaning like Intel.
If you see a Lenovo Chromebook with “i” in there, it means it’s an Intel device. So we’ve had a whole review and stuff on the Slim 3, so I just kind of thought it was maybe an Intel-based Slim 3, like nothing really had changed. And that device is fine.
Lenovo Ideapad 3i
I’m not going to go through the whole process of how I got my hands on one of these, but we have it in the office. Yes, and I was kind of so excited when it came in and wanted to see what this thing was bringing to the table that I went and busted it open and logged in. Instead of doing an unboxing,
we’re doing this video because I really do think this might be one of the devices—I didn’t say this in the opening, but this might be one of the devices that end up being made into a Chromebook Plus device. Now, they’re going to retrofit some devices that are already on the market with this branding. I think this would be one of the ones. Lenovo Ideapad 3i
Now, in our post about this, we talked about some devices that had leaked—basically, some code names that leaked. Well, it just so happens this is one of those. This is one of the devices that’s on that list, so I feel pretty confident about that. And then, after using it for just a couple of days,
if the code name and the internal specs and the price—it’s on sale for like 419 bucks right now—if all that didn’t clue us into the fact that this could be a Chromebook Plus model, using it and handling it for the last couple of days has completely solidified this fact.
And I really do think this is going to be one of those devices. Instead of going through all the specs and stuff on this, I just want to show you some of the things and tell you some of the things about this device that I feel make it kind of unique.
Okay, so from the outside, there’s nothing that would denote that this is something special or different. It actually looks pretty standard. It’s not the thinnest thing in the world, even though it’s called a Slim.
It’s kind of weird, but over the Slim 3, they added some ports. So now you’ve got a USB-C, USB-A, headphone/microphone jack—I don’t want to fall into this, I’m not trying to do an unboxing here—but USB-A over here, full-size HDMI, and Kensington.
Now you’ve got downward-firing speakers and some fan ports. That small core N305 processor Lenovo Ideapad 3i still utilizes fans, even though I don’t think I’ve ever heard them kick on in this. But here’s what’s more important. As soon as I picked
Lenovo Ideapad 3i this thing up, got it out of the box, I was like, “Oh, there’s something just substantial—not heavy, but rigid.” And that’s true of a lot of Chromebooks when you first have them. You know, they’re closed up, and you pick them up.
But I don’t know, there’s just something about the bottom of it. So anyway, I moved on, and popped it open. When I did so, Lenovo Ideapad 3i I went through the setup process, Lenovo Ideapad 3i, and what I realized immediately was, “Man, that keyframe feels great, and it sounds great.” You can kind of hear that. It’s backlit as well, so you can kind of see the backlighting on the keys there. Let me hide the light there. And so I was like, “Wow, really, really good backlit keyboard.”
And then I immediately picked it up and realized part of that is the entire bottom of this chassis is absolutely rigid—like Pixelbook Go, HP Dragonfly Pro rigid. You pick this thing up, there’s no bend, no creak, no anything. I mean, this thing feels amazing, and it’s all plastic. So manufacturers out there, you can make all Lenovo Ideapad 3i plastic bottom chassis and not have them creaking and moving and bending all over the place.
This is a perfect example of a device that is made of plastic and does not feel like it. Like, it just is so rigid. I love the way this Chromebook feels. And so, because of that, you don’t get a lot of movement on the top portion up here. Lenovo Ideapad 3i When I’m putting good pressure on it, you can see a little bit of movement there,
Lenovo Ideapad 3i and then that just kind of frames up the keyframe really nicely to work very, very well. So, just a beautiful keyboard on this thing.
But then it goes down to the trackpad as well. The trackpad is perfectly seated. It’s definitely mylar, it’s not glass. Not once have I felt the need to wipe it off in a couple of days of using it. The click is sure and comfortable, and using it is just great. Again, proof that you don’t have to have the highest dollar Lenovo Ideapad 3i Gorilla Glass trackpad to have a really nice trackpad on your device. And then we come up to this screen up here.
Lenovo Ideapad 3i It’s a standard 14-inch, 1080p screen, but—and I can’t turn it up all the way—the brightness gets up to what I tested about 350 nits. The colors look amazing. So, it’s an anti-glare touchscreen, but anti-glare. And so, it’s held up. You know, I’ve had it in coffee shops and stuff like that. I took it outside a little bit.
It’s not going to hold up under direct sunlight, I don’t think, but being near windows and all that kind of stuff, everything’s just fine with that. So, the screen looks really great, too. Lenovo Ideapad 3i
So, sitting underneath my big Quad HD screen and hooked into that, pushing it at 120Hz, no problems whatsoever. So now, you’ve got the screen knocked out. It’s a great screen, it’s tough, so it does all the stuff that you want it to do. And the performance is strong enough with the eight gigs of RAM Lenovo Ideapad 3i in this N305 processor that even on my big display at 120Hz, I’m not running into any issues.
I haven’t run any benchmarks or anything on it, but I’ve not felt the need to. Like, it just is fast, and I can have all my stuff open that I would have on, you know, a Core i7 processor and have it all working just fine on this device, again, running a Quad HD 120Hz screen at the same time. Lenovo Ideapad 3i
And then you come to the camera, which is another key
But it’s a solid camera. Man, the colors look really good. I can turn it back there to the dark area of the room, you see Joe just fine. It’s not crushing shadows all over the place, so the camera is good. Lenovo Ideapad 3i
And it’s got a privacy shade up top too, so you can flip that thing open and closed. So you’re getting all the nice benefits here of higher-end Chromebooks. This thing, I think, is $499 normally. It’s on sale for like $420 at Lenovo’s site.
But I can’t express to you what it’s like to use this Chromebook—picking it up and taking it places, taking it home and using it on the couch, and then using it at work. Knowing that the performance isn’t a problem, knowing that the screen I look at all the time looks great and functions great.
Lenovo Ideapad 3i the keyboard experience feels awesome. I don’t have to get a dongle out to hook it up to anything. It’s still small enough and light enough to throw in my bag, but when Lenovo Ideapad 3i I pick it up, it doesn’t feel flimsy or poorly made. The lines are all lined up nicely, and everything feels considered. That’s the word that keeps coming to mind: this thing is considered.
And being a device that’s not crazy expensive or highly touted like the most powerful Chromebook ever made, it just delivers an experience that is one of the best ones I’ve had in a long time. I’m not kidding.
There’s a chance, I guess, with the way boards are, that this might not be a Chromebook Plus, but the chances are pretty slim. So what I feel like is that we are getting a kind of a glimpse at what we should expect down the road once Chromebook Plus rolls out, whenever that happens. We feel like it’s going to be in the fall or, you know, in the late part of the year. But this Chromebook is very exciting in that respect.
Now, without Chromebook Plus coming, I would still review this very, very highly. I would say all the same stuff about it. Man, it feels like, for whatever reason, Lenovo Ideapad 3i Lenovo chose to just be really considerate with the way that they built this thing. But I know that’s probably not just Lenovo.
I really do feel like part of this is Google saying, Lenovo Ideapad 3i “Look, if you’re going to have Plus on it, if it’s going to be a Chromebook Plus and get some of those extra software features that we think are coming, but mainly get this kind of badge of approval from Google, it’s gonna have to feel like this to use it.” Lenovo Ideapad 3i
And there’s no way I can give you a spec sheet of what it feels like to use this thing. You just have to trust me. I’ve handled a lot of Chromebooks, and if you’ve ever handled any of the Chromebooks that I saved, man, this thing feels considered. It feels well-made. The Dragonfly, the Pixelbook Go, the original Pixelbook—you know what I’m talking about. You know what it looks like, what it feels like to use a device that has just been thoughtfully put together. This is one of them. Lenovo Ideapad 3i
And the Lenovo Chromebook Slim 3i—I don’t know if I said the whole title at any point in this video—but that is a device that I really, really think you should consider. Unless you want to wait and see what some of these other Chromebook Plus devices end up being, I don’t know what they’re going to be yet.
I just know that if this is what we’re looking at, if this is what it’s going to be like, man, I’m excited for Chromebook Plus. And if you’re watching this and it’s the first time you’ve heard about Chromebook Plus, you should be excited about it too. Lenovo Ideapad 3i
But you can read more about it on the web at ChromeUnboxed.com. We’re talking about it as much as we can anytime we find new news about it. But I think it’s going to be an exciting time for Chromebooks in the coming weeks and months as Chromebook Plus begins to roll out. Lenovo Ideapad 3i
But guys, that’s it for this one. I definitely will be doing a review on this device because I love it. I just really do love it, and I can probably tell you the review is going to be kind of glowing. But if you like this video, give us a thumbs up. Head down there, hit that subscribe button, and be sure to ring the notification icon as well if you’d like to be alerted when we make future videos just like this one. Until next time, we’ll see you. Lenovo Ideapad 3i
Thank you.
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