Lenovo Chromebook 3 14 Review: Perfect for Basic Tasks

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Lenovo Chromebook 3 14: At First Glance

Chromebooks are fast becoming the choice for students and small business owners. This is because they offer affordability and adequate specs for performing basic computing tasks.

One of the Chromebooks that have been making waves since its release is the Lenovo Chromebook 3 14. Impressively, with a starting price under $200, this Lenovo Chromebook has a sleek design and reasonable battery life.

In fact, this laptop offers an optional touchscreen display, which is pretty impressive. However, this Chromebook features some drawbacks, as with other Chromebooks out there.

To know more about this laptop and its drawbacks, check out the other sections below.

Lenovo Chromebook 3 14: Design, Display, Ports, and Connectivity

You may expect the Lenovo Chromebook 3 14 to have a cheap look because it costs below $200, but that’s not the case. Although the laptop is entirely made out of plastic, it features a premium design and feels sturdy.

Furthermore, the laptop offers two color options – dark blue and platinum grey. With either of these color options, the Lenovo Chromebook 3 14 should look unique and sleek.

Besides, Lenovo included a “Lenovo” inscription at the upper left corner of the laptop’s lid to add more style to its design. In addition to this inscription, you will also find a colorful Chrome logo alongside a “Chrome” inscription on the lid’s top right corner.

This Chrome logo gives potential buyers firsthand information about the operating system that the Lenovo Chromebook 3 14 uses – Chrome OS. That being said, this laptop’s lid is connected to the base of the laptop by a plastic hinge.

Impressively, this hinge is flexible enough and allows users to open the lid with one hand. However, the hinge isn’t strong enough to prevent the lid from flexing when nudged.

Upon opening the Lenovo Chromebook 3 14’s lid, you will be greeted by a beautiful 14-inch display. Lenovo offers two resolution options for this display – HD (1366 x 768) and FHD (1920 x 1080).

Interestingly, with the FHD resolution option, the laptop’s display can either be touchscreen or non-touchscreen. However, you can only get a non-touchscreen display with the HD resolution option.

Notably, this review focuses on the Lenovo Chromebook 3 14 with an FHD non-touchscreen 14-inch display. This display option renders a decent picture quality and accurate colors for an ideal viewing experience.

However, the display isn’t bright enough, offering a maximum brightness of 220 nits. Thus, using the laptop in well-lit areas or outdoors can be bothersome as you might not clearly see the content on the laptop’s display.

Nonetheless, the display is bright enough for usage in moderately-lit environments. Besides, the Lenovo Chromebook 3 14’s display features an anti-glare coating that aids in preventing reflection and sun glares.

That said, this laptop’s display is surrounded by averagely-thick plastic bezels with a matte-black finish. As most people might expect, the top bezel features a 720p HD webcam in the center.

Although this webcam isn’t excellent for taking selfies, it works well during video conference calls.

Moving on, the Lenovo Chromebook 3 14 features an impressive keyboard with well-spaced keys. This keyboard’s keys are also spacious enough to support all finger types.

Additionally, the keys are responsive and offer adequate feedback for a comfortable typing experience. However, this laptop’s keyboard isn’t backlit.

Nonetheless, that is understandable, considering the price tag of the laptop. Below the Lenovo Chromebook 3 14’s keyboard is a sizable touchpad with a plastic surface.

This touchpad’s surface feels smooth and responsive, thereby allowing for seamless navigation and finger gliding. Moreover, the touchpad has two integrated click buttons that are clicky and also responsive.

In terms of ports, the Lenovo Chromebook 3 14 offers a decent amount of ports but lacks a few essential ports. Particularly, on the left side, the laptop features two USB 3.2 Type-C ports and an SD card reader.

Meanwhile, on the right side, you’ll find two USB 3.2 Type-A ports, a 3.5mm audio jack, and a Kensington lock. Thus, the laptop lacks a Thunderbolt, HDMI port, and Ethernet port.

On a positive note, the Lenovo Chromebook 3 14 features Bluetooth 4.2 and 802.11ac (2 × 2) Wi-Fi for wireless connectivity.

For dimension and weight, this Lenovo laptop measures 328.9 x 234.35 x 18.8 mm (W x D x H) and weighs 1400 g. With this dimension and weight, this laptop is lightweight and compact enough to be carried around with ease.

However, it is heavier and thicker than one of its closest competitors, the ASUS Chromebook C423NA. Precisely, the ASUS Chromebook C423NA weighs 1340 g and measures 322.6 x 228 x 16.1 mm (W x D x H).

In conclusion, the Lenovo Chromebook 3 14 offers decent build quality, an impressive keyboard, and an impeccable design. However, the laptop lacks some essential ports.

Thus, I will rate the Lenovo Chromebook 3 14 an eight out of ten in this design review section.

Lenovo Chromebook 3 14: Processor (CPU) Performance

Lenovo equipped the Lenovo Chromebook 3 14 with a dual-core Intel Celeron N4020 processor that features a 4 MB cache memory. This processor also has a base frequency of 1.10 GHz and a maximum frequency of 2.80 GHz.

Moreover, the Intel Celeron N4020 processor is an entry-level processor best suited for handling basic computing tasks like web browsing and video streaming. Hence, considering the fact that this Lenovo Chromebook is designed for basic tasks, this processor is ideal.

Besides, unlike Windows OS, Chrome OS is light and doesn’t necessarily need the most powerful processors to execute tasks effectively. Having said that, let us now consider the laptop’s Cinebench R15 test results to assess its processor’s performance further.

For your information, Cinebench R15 evaluates a computer’s processor performance by stressing its CPU cores. As a result, the benchmark test involves two different tests – the single-core performance test and the multi-core performance test.

As the name suggests, the single-core test assesses the processor’s performance when one of its CPU cores is in use. Similarly, the multi-core test assesses the performance of the processor when all its cores are in use.

Notably, the higher the scores on these Cinebench R15 tests, the greater the processor performance of the computer. On that note, the Lenovo Chromebook 3 14 scored 78.9 points on the single-core test and 141.1 points on the multi-core test.

Impressively, this laptop has a greater processor performance compared to the ASUS Chromebook C423NA with an Intel Celeron N3350 CPU. Specifically, this ASUS laptop scored 50 points on the single-core test and 103 points on the multi-core test.

Therefore, the Lenovo Chromebook 3 14 deserves a rating of eight out of ten in the processor review section.

Lenovo Chromebook 3 14: Memory (RAM) Performance

The Lenovo Chromebook 3 14 comes standard with an onboard 4 GB LPDDR4 2400 MHz RAM. As an onboard memory, this laptop’s RAM is soldered directly to its motherboard.

Thus, it cannot be removed or upgraded. Before you get disappointed, you should know that there is another version of the Lenovo Chromebook 3 14 that offers an onboard 8 GB LPDDR4 2400 MHz RAM.

However, that version of the laptop would cost more than the standard version with 4 GB RAM. Nonetheless, with the standard 4 GB RAM, the Lenovo Chromebook 3 14 should be able to handle day-to-day computing tasks effectively.

Also, it should be able to multitask adequately. For instance, the laptop should be able to run about 13 Chrome tabs all at once without lagging.

Having said that, we will now consider the laptop’s PCMark for Android test result to further determine how well it can perform with 4 GB RAM. PCMark for Android is a test that benchmarks the overall performance of a device by simulating various productivity tasks.

Additionally, a high score on the test represents good performance. Hence, according to the PCMark for Android test results, the Lenovo Chromebook 3 14 scored 7233 points.

Compared with another Lenovo Chromebook (Lenovo Chromebook C330), this laptop performed better. Specifically, the Lenovo Chromebook C330 scored 5478 points on the PCMark for Android test.

Considering all that, I will rate the Lenovo Chromebook 3 14 a seven out of ten in this section.

Lenovo Chromebook 3 14: Storage Options and Performance

As with most Chromebooks, Lenovo equipped the Lenovo Chromebook 3 14 with an eMMC storage type. Sadly, the laptop only supports a maximum storage capacity of 128 GB, which I believe will be insufficient for most users.

Gladly, this Chromebook comes with a microSD card reader that allows for storage expansion. Besides, the Lenovo Chromebook 3 14 offers a default 15 GB of Google Drive cloud storage.

Also, it offers an optional 100 GB of Google Drive cloud storage, which is free for two years. To learn how to activate this free 100 GB cloud storage on your Chromebook, read How To Activate 100 GB Free Google One Storage.

As with most of our reviews, I am supposed to include the Lenovo Chromebook 3 14’s CrystalDiskMark test result to evaluate its storage performance. Sadly, the CrystalDiskMark tool isn’t supported by Chrome OS, which all Chromebooks use.

Thus, I won’t be able to share the CystalDiskMark test result of the Lenovo Chromebook 3 14. Due to this, I will rate the laptop based on the storage options that it offers.

Therefore, I believe the Lenovo Chromebook 3 14 deserves an eight out of ten rating in this storage options and performance review.

Lenovo Chromebook 3 14: Graphics Card Performance

In the aspect of graphics, the Lenovo Chromebook 3 14 ships with an integrated Intel UHD Graphics 600 graphics card. This graphics card has a base frequency of 200 MHz and a boost frequency of 650 MHz.

Unfortunately, as an integrated graphics card, the GPU is embedded into the laptop’s processor. Hence, it lacks a dedicated VRAM and depends on the system memory to execute graphics-related tasks.

As a result, don’t expect the Lenovo Chromebook 3 14 to be able to execute graphics-demanding tasks like video editing effectively. Also, the laptop won’t be able to run high-end games or title AAA games.

However, it should be able to play most Android games available on the Google Play Store, such as Candy Crush and Asphalt 8. Additionally, the Lenovo Chromebook 3 14 is able to run a few outdated games without any major issues.

For example, while playing StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm in low graphics settings, the laptop should deliver a playable frame rate of 50 – 70 fps.

For more insights into the Lenovo Chromebook 3 14’s graphics performance, let us talk about its 3DMark 11 test result. Briefly, 3DMark 11 is a third-party benchmark tool used to measure the graphics rendering abilities of a computer’s GPU.

Also, a high score on this test equates to good graphics performance. Thus, according to the test results, the Lenovo Chromebook 3 14 scored 503 points.

Compared to the Chuwi UBook CWI509 with the same type of GPU, this Chromebook performed better. Specifically, the Chuwi UBook CWI509 scored 482 points on the 3DMark 11 test.

All in all, I will rate the Lenovo Chromebook 3 14 a seven out of ten in this GPU review section.

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Lenovo Chromebook 3 14: Battery Life and Performance

The Lenovo Chromebook 3 14 features a 3-cell, 42 WHr Li-ion battery. Lenovo says this laptop should last about 10 hours with this battery.

To verify if that’s true, I will now highlight the laptop’s result on a battery rundown test. This test involves setting the laptop’s brightness to 50%.

Then, continuously surf the internet over a Wi-Fi network until the laptop dies. At the end of this test, the Lenovo Chromebook 3 14 delivered a battery life of 7 hours, which is about 3 hours less than Lenovo’s claim.

Nonetheless, this battery life is decent and should last almost a full workday. However, compared to the HP Chromebook 14, the Lenovo Chromebook 3 14’s battery life is kind of short.

Specifically, this HP Chromebook lasted for about 9 hours on the same battery rundown test.

Regardless, the Lenovo Chromebook 3 14 deserves an eight out of ten rating in this section for its decent battery life.

Frequently Asked Questions

Conclusion

Undoubtedly, the Lenovo Chromebook 3 14 is among the best entry-level Chromebooks available in the market. This laptop offers some impressive features like a solid build, an optional touchscreen display, and a premium design.

Besides, the laptop comes with decent battery life. It also offers an adequate processor and an inexpensive starting price tag.

However, the Lenovo Chromebook 3 14 lacks some essential ports, such as Thunderbolt and Ethernet ports. Nonetheless, if you need an entry-level Chromebook for basic computing tasks or school work, this Lenovo Chromebook is totally recommended.

I hope you found this Lenovo Chromebook 3 14 review helpful. If you found this Chromebook review helpful, click on “Yes” beside the “Was this page helpful” question below.

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

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