The Lenovo Chromebook C330 might just be the best budget laptop you’ve never heard of, and I’m here to tell you all about it.
With the rise of internet businesses and online jobs, more people are inclined to use laptops for portability. This gives them the true sense of freedom that they are looking for: “work anytime, anywhere.”
While others are still conflicted whether to get a windows laptop or a Chromebook, some have already fallen in love with Chromebooks. Chromebooks tend to be a lot cheaper than Windows laptops, and that itself is enough for most people to make the purchase.
Due to the rise of Chromebooks, expensive ones have been coming out of the market like Google Pixelbook. However, there are a lot of good budget Chromebooks on the market. In this article I will be focusing on one in this Lenovo Chromebook C330 Review. I consider it the best budget laptop in the market.
Lenovo Chromebook C330 Review
Design
The Lenovo Chromebook C330 is a unique 2-in-1 convertible laptop. Which basically means it can be used as a laptop and a tablet. You will see a large hinge in the middle of the laptop that allows it to rotate all the way to the back for the tablet functionality.
Once you flip the screen backward, all the apps running will automatically switch to fullscreen ready for tablet usage. Needless to say, the Lenovo Chromebook C330 has a touch screen display.
The C330 is completely made out of plastic, which is why it only weighs 2.6lbs. Even though its made from plastic, it feels very durable and very well made.
The spacing of the keyboard is very nice and moderate which will give you a very low learning curve. It’s very easy to use and adapt to, unlike other keyboards. Also, it has a nice travel to it every time you press each key.
All the ports of the laptop can be found on the sides of the laptop. On the left side, you will find a USB-C slot which can be used for charging the laptop. This slot also allows you to connect to a monitor for higher resolution display. Furthermore, an HDMI slot is also available for monitor connection. Keep in mind, there is no dual display functionality. You can only connect to one monitor at a time. Lastly, there’s also a USB-A slot and a MicroSD slot for external flash drives and micro SD cards.
On the right side of the laptop, there’s a Kensington lock slot for locking your laptop on a table if you prefer. Also, you will find the power button, the volume rocker and a headphone jack available all on that side.
Performance
The Lenovo Chromebook C330 is powered by a MediaTek MT8173C processor. It’s the same ARM-based processor that we last saw on an Acer Chromebook. However, unlike the Acer Chromebook, this has an IPS display which we don’t normally see on this price range.
Moreover, it is equipped with a 4GB LPDDR3 RAM and a storage of 32GB or 64GB. I would highly recommend that you invest in higher storage since the laptop itself is already cheap.
Battery life is quite impressive. After using this for a week, I average around 8 to 10 hours of battery life depending on how heavy your usage is. I would normally squeeze in 10 hours for just research, browsing and writing. However, if you are playing games on this thing, you will mostly end up on the 8-hour battery life.
When it comes to real life usage speed, adjust your expectations. Keep in mind, this is not the Lenovo Carbon X1. You will feel frame drops and slight lags especially when you are scrolling down using the touch screen. However, the C330 is very impressive on its price range and is considerably faster than most budget Chromebooks.
Lastly, it is also very important to note, that this device will not run Linux programs. If you are someone who uses a lot of Linux programs, then this device is clearly not for you.
Display
This convertible Chromebook features a 10-point touchscreen IPS display for easy viewing intent, tablet, stand, or laptop mode. It has a resolution of 1366×768 pixels over an 11.6 inch HD display.
Compared to more expensive laptops, the screen is not very bright. However, I find it sufficient for watching videos.
As for gaming, getting full screen on everything is ambitious. Just like the Samsung Galaxy S8 screen when it first came out, the new size ratio is not yet compatible with existing applications.
Audio
The Lenovo Chromebook C330 has 2 speakers. Sadly, they are located at the bottom of the laptop. That’s right, at the bottom! Which means, when you are using this on its laptop form, your audio quality will be quite muffled.
Lenovo intended for you to watch videos here on its tent mode. In this form, the speaker will be facing the screen itself and is firing towards you. Although, if you are on tablet mode, the speakers are once again trapped between the screen and the keyboard.
Nonetheless, the audio quality is surprisingly good. Most laptops at this price range tend to have weak speakers, but not this one.
Lenovo Chromebook C330 Review
Rating
8.5 out of 10
I don’t like its color, the blizzard white. This is very easy to stain and most of my devices are color black. Also, I don’t like the speaker placement on this thing, I just don’t get it.
Having said all that, the Lenovo Chromebook C330 is unbelievably cheap. Despite all its shortcomings, you can’t deny the value that you are getting from this device.
It’s a highly capable device for browsing, research and for watching videos. The only limitation would be hardcore gaming. However, emulators work very well in this device that will allow you to play old games from old consoles.
This is a perfect combination of portability and functionality all in a very cheap device. Truly, the best of both worlds right in your bag. You can purchase the Lenovo Chromebook C330 at Amazon.com.
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