Lenovo N23 Chromebook: At First Glance
Having a Chromebook isn’t something special but having one that can run Windows 10 Pro seems remarkable. Interestingly, the Lenovo N23 Chromebook does not offer only a Chrome OS.
Precisely, there are also other models of this Chromebook that runs Windows 10 OS. This is a remarkable feat for the Lenovo N23 Chromebook considering that the Chrome OS has limited capability.
Although the Lenovo N23 Chromebook was released in 2017, it is still very much in demand in 2022. Meanwhile, despite the fact that this Chromebook does a lot of things better than competing Chromebooks, it still goes for a budget-friendly price.
Speaking of the price, in February 2022 when this article was written, the Lenovo N23 Chromebook sells for as low as $64.99. Now that you know the price of this laptop, follow me through the remaining sections of this review to learn about its performance.
Lenovo N23 Chromebook: Design, Dimension, and Weight
Simply put, the build material for the Lenovo N23 Chromebook is plastic. This smooth-textured plastic is available in either black or gray color.
Other than a Chrome logo and a Lenovo logo on the lid of this laptop, there isn’t much else to talk about the lid of this laptop.
Nevertheless, the first thing that makes this Chromebook unique is its built-in handle at the back. With this handle, students can easily carry the Lenovo N23 Chromebook around like a briefcase.
Still, this Chromebook has more features to showcase when you open the lid.
On opening the lid of this laptop, you’ll see an 11.6″ HD (1366 x 768) display. Impressive enough, the Lenovo N23 Chromebook’s display supports touchscreen though, it’s an optional feature.
Also, this Chromebook has two display options – an IPS or a TN display.
For clarity, an IPS (In-Plane Switching) display maintains its color quality when viewed even from a critical angle. This feature will be very useful on the Chromebook since it is a convertible laptop.
On the other hand, a TN (Twisted Nematic) display is cheaper than the IPS type. Despite having a poorer viewing angle, a TN display supports a refresh rate of up to 240 Hz which is better than the IPS type.
Interestingly, the IPS display type gives you the benefit of its multi-touch support in addition to the common antiglare feature. By antiglare feature, I mean a screen with a coating that reduces light reflection.
With this feature, you’ll be able to use the Lenovo N23 Chromebook even when you’re sitting near open windows or outdoors.
Moving on to the other display features of the Lenovo N23 Chromebook, it has a maximum brightness of 250 nits. Thankfully, this screen brightness is okay for an 11-inch Chromebook.
However, this Chromebook falls short when compared to the Samsung Chromebook Plus which has a maximum brightness of 400 nits.
For the display bezels, the Lenovo N23 Chromebook’s display is surrounded by relatively thin bezels. Thankfully, on the top bezel, Lenovo came up with something unique and creative.
It might interest you to know that this Chromebook features a 720p resolution webcam on its top bezel. Well, that might not interest you enough since webcams are common features.
However, there is something uncommon about this webcam – it can be rotated 180 degrees to face the back. Therefore, you can easily take pictures of your friend on this laptop without turning the laptop on itself.
As we all know, an HD webcam will be okay for a zoom meeting. However, HD cameras may not be the best choice when it comes to taking pictures due to their poor picture quality.
As a convertible laptop, the hinges on the Lenovo N23 Chromebook can turn 180 degrees backward. Thus, you can use this Chromebook in laptop mode, tablet mode, or tent mode.
Impressively, the two hinges on the Lenovo N23 Chromebook are drop-resistant. What I mean is that if this laptop accidentally falls from a height of up to 70 cm, the hinges can withstand the shock.
Befittingly, a height of 70 cm is almost or just the height of a classroom desk. Thus, the Lenovo N23 Chromebook is indeed a classroom laptop.
When you check the base of this Chromebook, you’ll see a water-resistant keyboard. The keys on this keyboard have enough spaces between them, thereby making typing on them feel better than you can imagine.
In addition to that, these keys have an anti-peel feature that prevents them from getting peeled off by your finger. This implies that the keys will still be intact even after students’ heavy typing sessions over a long period of time.
Moreover, this Chromebook also has a very broad touchpad with a smooth surface. This touchpad occupies about one-third of the entire space below the keyboard.
Meanwhile, the Lenovo N23 Chromebook’s touchpad comes with integrated click buttons instead of dedicated buttons.
For connectivity, both sides of the Lenovo N23 Chromebook houses just a few ports. Probably, that’s because this laptop is an education-centered laptop.
Specifically, the left-hand side of this laptop’s base houses a USB 3.0 port, an HDMI port, and a charging connector. Also, on the same side, you will get a headset jack, a 2-in-1 SD card slot for both SD cards and MMC.
Over to the right-hand side of this laptop, you will only see one USB 3.0. At least, these few ports should be enough for such a small-sized Chromebook as the Lenovo N23.
In addition to its sufficient ports, this Chromebook features Bluetooth 5.0 and an 802.11AC Wi-Fi card for wireless connection. With these, you can connect to a whole lot of wireless devices.
Coming to the dimension and weight, the Lenovo N23 Chromebook measures 292 x 208 x 21.8 mm (W x D x H). Meanwhile, it weighs just 1250 g.
Considering its dimension, the N23 Chromebook is more portable than most Chromebooks in its category. For example, it is smaller and lighter than the ASUS Chromebook C300.
Specifically, the ASUS Chromebook C300 measures 330.2 x 231.14 x 22.86 mm and weighs 1,397 g.
In conclusion, Lenovo really gave this N23 Chromebook all the needed design that makes it suitable for student’s use. It is very portable and has a unique handle for better carriage.
Therefore, I’ll conclude this design review section by rating the Lenovo N23 Chromebook an eight out of ten.
Lenovo N23 Chromebook: Processor (CPU) Performance
The processor that comes with the Lenovo N23 Chromebook is of two types. Firstly, there is a dual-core Intel Celeron N3060 processor and secondly, there is a quad-core Intel Celeron N3160 processor.
These two processors both have a cache memory of 2 MB and a base frequency of 1.60 GHz.
However, while the dual-core processor has a maximum frequency of 2.48 GHz, the quad-core processor offers a 2.24 GHz maximum frequency.
For clarity, a CPU core is like a person performing a task while the frequency is like how fast he does it. Thus, a higher number of CPU cores and CPU frequency contribute to the overall capacity of a processor.
Consequently, since both processor options of the Lenovo N23 Chromebook are Intel Celeron, the quad-core option will perform better.
Nevertheless, both the Intel Celeron N3060 and the Intel Celeron N3160 processors are meant for basic tasks. Hence, sending emails, browsing the web with a few tabs, or word processing shouldn’t be a problem for this laptop.
However, one shouldn’t expect a Chromebook at $69.99 to run programs that require more memory or CPU cycle. Specifically, resource-heavy programs like Adobe Photoshop will surely slow this CPU down.
For a better understanding of the processing power, I will now highlight the Lenovo N23 benchmark test result on Geekbench 4.0. Geekbench 4.0 test, is a benchmark that tests the capability of a processor in handling multitasking.
Therefore, a high score in this test indicates a better CPU performance. Note also that this test is based on the Lenovo N23 Chromebook with a dual-core Intel Celeron N3160 processor.
So, the Lenovo N23 Chromebook scored a total of 1834 points in this test. In comparison, this score is less than that of most other Chromebooks with multi-core CPUs from the Intel Celeron category.
For instance, the Samsung Chromebook 3 had a total of 2092 points in this same benchmark test. Also, the Acer Chromebook R11 (CB5-132T, C738T) had a total score of 3321 points.
Looking at the Lenovo N23 Chromebook’s CPU performance, you’ll agree with me that this laptop does not exhibit the best performance. Thus, it won’t be an underrating to give the Lenovo N23 Chromebook six out of ten points in this CPU performance review section.
Lenovo N23 Chromebook: Memory (RAM) Performance
The Lenovo N23 Chromebook comes with a standard memory of 2 GB LPDDR3 RAM in its single RAM slot.
If you’re wondering if this RAM is upgradable, yes, it is. This means that you can upgrade the Lenovo N23 Chromebook’s RAM but only to a maximum of 4 GB.
As we know, Chromebooks are mainly designed for handling basic computing tasks. Thus, 4 GB of RAM should be enough for most of the classroom or office works you may be doing with this laptop.
Besides classroom works, 4 GB of RAM together with the efficient Chrome OS are enough to handle light multitasking. In effect, you should be able to browse with up to ten Chrome tabs at a time on the Lenovo N23 Chromebook.
As we always do at www.itechguides.com, I’ll now share with you proof of the Lenovo N23 Chromebook’s RAM capability. The proof is based on this laptop’s performance in an Octane V2 benchmark test.
For more details, the Octane V2 test is a benchmark developed by Google which measures how fast a computer’s browser can load web pages. Thus, a higher score in this test indicates faster load time and therefore means better performance.
Unfortunately, the Lenovo N23 Chromebook scored 7735 points in the Octane V2 test. This score is so poor considering the fact that the category average score for this test is 7793 points.
On a good note, the N23 Chromebook did better in this test than the ASUS Chromebook C300 which had a score of 6606 points.
Based on this test result, I’ll then conclude this memory review section by rating the Lenovo N23 Chromebook a seven out of ten.
Lenovo N23 Chromebook: Storage Options and Performance
Coming to storage options, the Lenovo N23 Chromebook comes with 32 GB eMMC storage. This 32 GB is also the maximum storage size supported on this Chromebook.
It then means that you can’t upgrade this laptop storage to more than 32 GB. Definitely, this storage size is too small particularly for the Windows 10 variant of this Chromebook.
Maybe you’re wondering now what happens when you exhaust this 32 GB storage space. Well, the Lenovo N23 Chromebook still has a 2-in-1 card reader slot for storage expansion.
It is important to mention that Chromebooks are designed to store files on Google Drive instead of storing them locally – in this instance is its 32 GB eMMC drive.
In any case, the Chrome OS variant of this laptop will be on the safer side in terms of storage options. That’s because you’ll still get additional 100 GB of Google Drive storage space.
Therefore, by activating your Google Drive Space, you can freely save your documents in the cloud for 1 year.
At this point, it would have been nice to share with you the CrystalDiskMark benchmark test result for this laptop’s storage. Unfortunately, this test doesn’t support the eMMC storage type that comes with this laptop.
For this reason, I was unable to obtain the CrystalDisMark test result for the Lenovo N23 Chromebook.
Thus, I’ll be rating the Lenovo N23 Chromebook based on the number of storage options it offers. Therefore, I’ll rate this Chromebook a seven out of ten in this storage options and performance review section.
Lenovo N23 Chromebook: Graphics Card Performance
The Lenovo N23 Chromebook comes with an integrated Intel HD Graphics card. This GPU has no dedicated VRAM which in turn is a limitation to its graphics ability.
Being integrated means that this GPU is built into the processor and hence, shares the system memory with the CPU. To clarify, by “system memory” I mean the 2 GB or 4 GB RAM discussed in the memory section earlier.
Interestingly, you can increase the performance of this GPU yourself by GPU overclocking. To be more specific, you can boost the GPU’s frequency from the base 320 MHz to a maximum of 640 MHz.
With this GPU, the Lenovo N23 Chromebook should run most games on the Google Playstore with ease. However, resource-heavy games like Asphalt 9: Legends or the PUBG Mobile may not play smoothly unless you lower some graphics settings of the game.
At this point, it’ll be nice to share the Lenovo N23 Chromebook’s result in a 3DMark 11 test. 3DMark 11 is a benchmark that measures how well the GPU can emphasize particles and lighting while rendering 3D graphics.
Thus, the higher the score in this test, the better the performance of the GPU. From the test, the Lenovo N23 Chromebook scored a total of 390 points on average.
Comparatively, Acer Aspire ES1-131 scored a slightly higher 399 points in the same benchmark.
In conclusion, I will be rating this laptop based on its performance in the 3DMark 11 test. Thus, the Lenovo N23 Chromebook deserves eight out of ten points in this section.
Lenovo N23 Chromebook: Battery Life and Performance
Lenovo fortified the N23 Chromebook with a 3-cell, 45 Whr battery. According to Lenovo, this 4050mAh, Li-polymer battery should last up to 10 hours on a single charge.
Even at that, it’s always best to verify such claims by manufacturers before making a purchase. Hence, a battery run-down test will better prove this Chromebook’s battery capacity.
Moreover, Lenovo admits that this battery’s life may be less than the advertised rating based on the operational condition. Personally, I feel that it is good they mention that to avoid disappointing customers.
Eventually, in a battery test performed by notebookcheck.com, Lenovo N23 Chromebook lasted for 10 hours and 20 minutes. This test was all about browsing the web continuously using a WiFi connection until the battery finally drains.
In comparison, the N23 Chromebook’s battery lasted longer than that of the Samsung Chromebook Plus with 8 hours and 49 minutes.
With the above figure, one can expect a whole day of use from the Lenovo N23 Chromebook without having to plug it back to power. This is very impressive and it implies that students will have a full day of battery life for all their school activities.
Therefore, to conclude this battery review section, I will rate the Lenovo N23 Chromebook a nine out of ten.
Frequently Asked Questions
The Lenovo N23 Chromebook was released in 2017.
The Lenovo N23 Chromebook comes with a standard memory of 2 GB RAM on its single RAM slot. However, you can upgrade the RAM to a maximum of 4 GB.
Touchscreen functionality is an optional feature in most Chromebooks which comes at an additional cost. The Lenovo N23 Chromebook also has an optional touchscreen model.
Along with the Chrome OS model, Lenovo also released a model of the N23 Chromebook that runs on Windows 10 Pro. However, Chromebooks aren’t meant to run on Windows OS.
Therefore, installing Windows on Chromebooks by yourself is a bit difficult task and requires technical expertise.
Yes. The company started with the name “Legend Holdings” in China in 1984.
Later on, it became an incorporated company in Hong Kong in 1988. Then in 2004, this company changed its name to Lenovo.
Conclusion
Lenovo really had students and travelers in mind while building this portable but rugged 2-in-1 Chromebook. Thankfully, this laptop’s battery can last for a whole day without having to plug it which makes it even more suitable for these purposes.
Despite these features, the Lenovo N23 Chromebook is meant for basic computing tasks only.
Therefore, if you need a rugged, convertible Chromebook for the classroom, office, or for traveling, the Lenovo N23 Chromebook is a good choice.
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