Lenovo Chromebook Flex 3- Work, Play; All with Ease
This little IdeaPad also has a number of pleasant surprises up its sleeve. There are even a few areas where it gives significantly more expensive devices a run for their money. The Flex 3 offers a more modern port selection than what one would usually expect from a device in this price range. There are two USB 3.1 Type-C Gen 1 ports and two USB 3.1 Type-A Gen 1 ports (one on each side, which is really handy for charging and connecting accessories), as well as a microSD reader, an audio combo jack, and a lock slot. There’s a 720p webcam that works decently well if you’re not in low light. There’s even a microSD card reader, a key feature for Chromebook users who need extra local storage. Most Chromebooks have cramped internal drives, and the 64GB of eMMC flash storage in the Flex 3 is no exception. 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’s edges are further evidence of its clever design. It includes a power button on the right edge in lieu of one in the keyboard, which is handy for waking up the laptop when its keyboard is lying face-down on the desk. 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.
And the touchpad is surprisingly sturdy. Again at this price rate, the devices usually come with keyboards that feel very plastic but this one here is different.
The Flex even comes with a Google Security H1 chip, which encrypts sensitive on-device data. There are two major features that according to me are the most dominant features and are added here with the motive to impress and it does its job pretty well. First would be the keyboard. The keys have a slightly rough texture which believe it or not increases the typing speed and also has enough room for the movement of the fingers while typing and the keys do not feel very closed to each other, in other words very enclosed.
The second impressive feature of this Chromebook would be its audio. The balance and volume that these 2W stereo speakers deliver are on par with those of any number of more expensive Chromebooks. They easily beat the Spin 713, which sounds tinny and thin. There are caveats, of course: There’s very little bass, percussion is weak. But the Flex is great for video conferences and regular music-listening, and certainly beats those Windows laptops that are over $1,000.
This Lenovo Chromebook Flex 3 comes powered by a MediaTek chipset which has surprisingly enough become the kind of go-to chipsets for all kinds of major brands and Lenovo does not stand behind and rather steps on to the bandwagon and choose the Mediatek chipset to keep the steady performance up and running.
Flex 3 sports the usual Chromebook layout, which is a bit different from that found on Windows PCs and Macs. 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. Clicks are precise, and there’s little unwanted flex in the corners.
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. It can even be used as a tablet PC of sorts, with its keyboard folded completely underneath the screen. Google has made significant changes in the past few years to make the Chrome operating system work better with touch screens in tablets and 2-in-1s, making the added versatility of the Flex 3 well worth it for some buyers.
Chromebooks don’t need a ton of computing horsepower, since there are very few resource-intensive apps available for Chrome OS. The system also boots up quickly, in 10 seconds or less making this a good option for all the interested buyers.
