Lenovo C330 Review: A Chromebook With Excellent Battery Life

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By Omoyeni Araokanmi

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Itechguides' Take on Lenovo C330

Summary

The Lenovo C330 is a very portable 11-inch 2-in-1 Chromebook. Despite not being the best in terms of performance and design, this Chromebook offers good value for its price. It comes with a compact and quality build with good battery life.

Overall
3.9

Pros

  • Affordable
  • Very Portable
  • Good battery life
  • HDMI port
  • Nice design

Cons

  • Very thick bezels
  • Poor display and brightness

Need a low-cost Chromebook for minor tasks? If yes, this Lenovo Chromebook C330 review will serve as your buying guide.

To get started, I will provide in-depth information about the laptop’s design, CPU, GPU, storage, memory, and battery life. In addition to that, I will also present the performance tests using benchmarks of some of these specifications.

Making comparisons with competing brands is also what we do in our reviews. These comparisons help you weigh your options with other brands.

At the end of this Lenovo Chromebook C330 review, you will have enough information and expert critique on whether or not this device is for you.

My Initial Thoughts

Lenovo C330 Review: My Initial Thoughts

Over the years, Chromebooks have been gaining popularity among users and Lenovo has joined this trend.

The Lenovo Chromebook C330 is not the best of performances nor the cheapest in price but it serves a good purpose.

Speaking of price, the Lenovo Chromebook C330 had a starting price of $230 when we published this review in September 2021. This is cheaper than the likes of HP Chromebook X2 and Acer Chromebook 314.

Lenovo released this Chromebook in 2018 with two models to choose from. There’s the 2-in-1 model and the regular laptop.

In this review, I will be providing information about the 2-in-1 model. Read on to see the upside and downsides of this device.

Lenovo C330 Design, Dimensions & Weight Review

To start with, low-end laptops are mostly built with plastic and this Lenovo product is not an exception. The Lenovo Chromebook C330 is a plastic chassis laptop.

Regardless of its plastic build, it still has an attractive design and a good build quality. This 11-inch device is super portable.

Its 0.8 inches thickness can fit into a file bag on the go.

To be exact, this laptop weighs 1200 g and has a dimension of 292 x 215.3 x 19.6 mm. The Lenovo Chromebook C330 beats the Dell Chromebook 11 which is heavier at 1320 g.

However, Lenovo Chromebook C330 is slightly heavier than the Acer Chromebook 11 which weighs 1088 g. Regardless, the weight of Lenovo’s Chromebook isn’t burdensome in any way.

On the laptop’s surface, you’ll notice the “Lenovo” text logo on the lower right edge of the laptop’s lid. Also joining that is the “chrome” text logo alongside the cyclical colorful chrome logo beside it.

Speaking of logos, these logo details tend to stand out especially because of the laptop’s color design. The Lenovo Chromebook C330 comes in only one color variant; blizzard white.

On opening the laptop’s lid, you get an 11.6 inch (1366 x 768) HD resolution display. On powering on the screen, you will immediately notice the super thick bezels of this laptop.

In fact, the lower bezel is as thick as a desk ruler. Not like I was expecting slim bezels on a laptop with such a price tag but these bezels are too thick for the small screen.

Just above the bezel is a 720p HD webcam. If you can, avoid using this webcam for video calls because its picture quality won’t serve you well.

This laptop has an IPS display which is something we don’t see often on such devices of its price range.

However, the screen is low in resolution (1,366 by 768 pixels) and dim. Its 220 nits of maximum brightness make colors appear fairly accurate and vibrant.

As for its use in direct sunlight, this Chromebook has an anti-glare feature. Despite that, the Lenovo C330 doesn’t have a good display when used outdoors.

The unfriendly outdoor use of this Chromebook is a down point. This is because Chromebooks are more advantageous when it is ideal for outdoor use.

If you would still love to use this device outside, I would advise you do so in a shady spot.

Generally, for this display, don’t keep your hopes up, it’s neither sharp nor bright but then what can we expect for $224!

Still on its design, this laptop has 360° hinges. The 360° hinges mean that this Chromebook can be flipped around to be used in tablet, laptop, or tent mode.

In addition to that, the rigidity of the hinges should not be so questionable. Notably, the hinges are not made of plastic like other parts of the laptop so flipping it all day will not be a problem.

As for the touchscreen, this is a 10-point multitouch panel screen. This means that the screen has the ability to recognize and respond to ten simultaneous finger points of contact.

Unfortunately, Lenovo doesn’t offer a stylus pen for this touchscreen. Then again, you might not need it anyway because this Chromebook’s touchscreen is quite responsive.

Moving on to the keyboard, this is not a backlit keyboard which is expected but it has well-spaced keys. The smooth surface beside the keyboard layout and 1.2mm key travel make it a comfortable device to type with.

Below the keyboard is the touchpad. This touchpad is also made with solid plastic but doesn’t feel that way, instead, it has a more glass-like feel.

As for responsiveness, this touchpad is very responsive. Also, gestures on this touchpad work fine and will get the job done.

In terms of ports and connectivity, the Lenovo Chromebook C330 offers the best value for money. On the right are the Kensington lock slot, the power button, the volume rocker, and a headphone jack.

While on the left is a USB type C port which is a full-service port. More precisely, a full-service port means that it is used for charging the laptop and also for connecting to other USB Type-C devices.

Still on the left is an HDMI port, 1 USB 3.1 gen 1, and a full SD card reader. Notably, the HDMI port is an uncommon feature for Chromebooks which makes it an impressive addition by Lenovo.

Despite its thick bezels and dim brightness, it offers good value for a 2-in-1 device at its price. So, I will be rating it an eight out of ten in this design review section.

Lenovo C330 Processor (CPU) Performance Review

Lenovo C330 Processor (CPU) Performance Review

As we often see in Chromebooks of its range, the Lenovo C330 has a MediaTek processor. The MediaTek MTK 8173C processor on this laptop is a quad-core processor.

In terms of processor speed, it has a 1.70 GHz base frequency and a 2.11 GHz boost frequency. The MediaTek processor on this laptop is different from the Intel Celeron processor we commonly get on Chromebooks.

To figure out the performance of this processor, I made use of Geekbench 4. For clarity, Geekbench 4 is a benchmark test used to measure a laptop’s hardware power.

At the end of this test, Lenovo Chromebook C330 scored 2934 points. In terms of competitors, the Dell Chromebook 5190 had a score of 4193.

While the Acer Chromebook 11 was way lesser with 1366 points.

The following test results place Lenovo C330 as a mid-level performance laptop. This isn’t great especially since the Dell Chromebook 5190 is also around the same price point but promises better performance.

For that reason, I will be rating it a six.

Lenovo C330 Memory (RAM) Performance Review

This 11-inch Chromebook has a 4 GB LPDDR3 memory. This memory has a speed of 1866 MHz, which is the amount of time it takes for a computer’s RAM to receive requests from the CPU, process the request, and write the data.

Unfortunately, the memory of the Lenovo C330 cannot be upgraded. This is because the 4 GB memory is embedded in the laptop’s motherboard which makes it impossible to be replaced.

Moving from its specifications, I did a multitasking test on the Lenovo C330. For this test, this device handled 10 web tabs on Chrome and document editing on MS WORD at the same time.

On one of these tabs, I was downloading six images of around 12MB. The Chromebook handled all these tasks smoothly.

To further test what this memory is capable of, I used the PC Mark test. The PC Mark is a benchmark test tool that scores the laptop based on how well it can multitask.

In this test, the Lenovo C330 hit a score of 5478 points. The Acer Chromebook 11 came close with a score of 5234 points.

Overall, the memory performance of the Lenovo C330 is good and enough to handle tasks. All things considered, I will be rating it an eight in this section.

Lenovo C330 Storage Options & Performance Review

Lenovo C330 Storage Options & Performance Review

In the aspect of storage, the Lenovo C330 has 64 GB of eMMC storage. As I earlier stated, there are two models of this Chromebook, the other model comes with 32 GB storage.

Lenovo also features a full SD card slot for expanding your storage. However, this full SD may not be so suitable.

That is because it doesn’t go in fully, instead, you see half of the card sticking out. Based on this limitation, I strongly the model with the 64 GB storage.

Still on storage options, I was expecting a secondary storage option like Google drive cloud storage. We saw such an option with the HP Chromebook 14 I reviewed sometime in the past.

More precisely, the HP Chromebook 14 comes with 100 GB Google Drive cloud storage. This means that files can be saved on cloud storage without having them saved on the eMMC storage of the Chromebook.

Unfortunately, the Lenovo C330 does not have this feature. However, you will still have access to the 5 GB free Google Drive storage to save your files on Google Cloud.

However, Google apps needed on this device are not large and will not require so much storage space. The 64 GB should function well depending on what you intend to save on this device.

Its storage options are quite low and for that reason, I will be rating it a six.

Lenovo C330 Graphics Card Performance Review

The graphics card feature on the Lenovo Chromebook C330 has a PowerVR GX6250 Graphics card. This integrated graphics card has a 700 MHz base frequency

For its performance test, we couldn’t get the usual 3D Mark benchmark test on this laptop.

However, I made use of JetStream 1.1 which measures the performance of higher-end operations like graphics. At the end of this test, the Lenovo Chromebook C330 scored 54 points.

This score is higher than the ASUS Chromebook Flip C101PA which had a score of 49. On the contrary, Acer Chromebook 11 was a bit closer to the Lenovo C330 with a score of 53 points on the same test.

It is worth noting that Chromebooks are built for light loads. So gaming is not part of the deal.

Finally, my view is that the Lenovo C330 provides good graphics performance, so I will be rating it a nine in this section.

Lenovo C330 Battery Life & Performance Review

Lenovo C330 Battery Life & Performance Review

The Lenovo C330 is powered by a 3-cell 45 Wh, Li-Polymer battery. Lenovo advertised this Chromebook to last up to 10 hours.

I couldn’t take their word for it so I did a battery performance test. For this test, I had the laptop’s brightness set at 50% with WiFi on and the laptop fully charged at 100%.

More precisely, I had 13 web tabs open on Chrome. In addition to that, I was working with Google sheets on one of these tabs.

At the end of this test, the laptop lasted 11 hours 32 minutes. This is a lot more impressive than the Acer Chromebook 11 which lasted exactly 7 hours.

However, the Lenovo Flex 11 Chromebook outperformed both devices with a battery life of 12 hours 16 minutes.

Regardless, I find the battery life of the Lenovo C330 very impressive especially for the price tag. For that reason, I will be rating it a nine.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. When Was The Lenovo Chromebook C330 Released?

Lenovo Chromebook C330 was released in October 2018

2. Does Lenovo C330 Have Touch Screen?

Yes. This convertible model of this Chromebook has an IPS touch screen option.

3. Does Lenovo Chromebook C330 Have Windows 10?

No. Chromebooks do not support Windows OS. Instead, it uses the Chrome OS created by Google.

4. Does Lenovo Chromebook C330 Have HDMI Port?

Surprisingly, yes. The C330 has an HDMI port.

5. How Long Will Lenovo C330 Be Supported?

The Lenovo C330 current Auto Update Expiration (AUE) due date is 2025. This means that every Chrome device receives regular updates from Google until it reaches its AUE date.

When a device reaches AUE, automatic software updates from Google will no longer be provided.

Chrome devices that have not reached their AUE date will continue to receive OS updates. After the AUE date is reached, existing and future policies may not work as intended, and technical support will not be provided.

My Final Thoughts

Lenovo C330 Review: My Final Thoughts

On a final note, the Lenovo C330 is a good Chromebook that offers good value for money. Its battery life, sleek design, and affordability make it a good choice.

This Chromebook will serve you well if you need a backup tablet or laptop. It can be an option especially because of its impressive battery life.

Some examples of tasks you can do on this Chromebook are uploading videos and writing on the go. You can also purchase this if you feel the need to have android apps on the go with its touchscreen feature.

In addition to that kids will find this Chromebook useful – especially kids learning to use computers.

I hope you found this Lenovo C330 review helpful. If you found the review helpful, share your thoughts with our community platform at [discourse_topic_url].

You may also ask questions or make comments regarding this review at [discourse_topic_url]. Our team and other community members will respond to your questions or comments as soon as possible.

Finally, for more Chromebook reviews, visit our Chromebook Reviews page. You may also find our Laptop Specs page very helpful.

References And Further Reading

  1. Forbes.com – Lenovo Chromebook C330 Review – forbes.com
  2. Notebookcheck.net – Chromebook C330 Laptop Review
  3. Androidcentral.com – C330 review: My favorite run-and-gun Chromebook
  4. Cavemanreviews.co.uk – Lenovo C330 Chromebook
  5. Laptopmag.com – Lenovo Chromebook C330 review
  6. gadgetreview.com – Lenovo Chromebook C330 Review
  7. Androidauthority.com – Lenovo Chromebook C330 review: Is this really only $279?
  8. 9to5google.com – Lenovo Chromebook C330 brings back the budget Chromebook for well under $300
  9. Auto Update policy – Google Chrome Policy
  10. 10-point multitouch technology – intouchscreens.com
  11. [discourse_topic_url]
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About the Author

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Omoyeni Araokanmi

Omoyeni Araokanmi is a Content Writer at Itechguides.com. She has a B.Sc. in Sociology. Omoyeni loves everything tech. If she's not writing tech reviews, she's either reading, watching movies, or enjoying the outdoors. She writes product reviews and buying guides for itechguides.com

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