Still, the large borders and the rather unimpressive display that they frame are really the only truly disappointing parts of this otherwise excellent Chromebook. They give the laptop a decidedly early-2000s aesthetic when it's open, since most modern laptops have extremely thin bezels that are sometimes difficult to see at all. The Flex 3's screen is also flanked by enormous black borders or bezels.
Yes, you can touch it, but with a brightness of just 250 nits and a resolution below the 1080p (full HD) that we consider adequate for budget laptops, it's not all that pleasing a panel to look at. The Flex 3's most significant compromise is its cramped, dim 11.6-inch HD display. But.a Cramped, Dim ScreenĪlas, if you think that Lenovo has stumbled upon some hidden exception to the rules of physics and economics to fit such high-end features into a tiny enclosure at a palatable asking price, think again. The Pixelbook, for instance, is 0.4 by 11.4 by 8.7 inches and weighs 2.4 pounds. The entire laptop measures 0.7 by 11.4 by 8.2 inches (HWD) and weighs just 2.64 pounds, dimensions which make it competitive with 13-inch ultraportable laptops that cost $1,000 or more. Not only is the Flex 3 sturdy and good-looking, but it’s also without unnecessary heft and size. Lenovo painted the metal finish with an almond color, which helps the Flex 3 stand out in a sea of plastic and occasional gray-aluminum chassis that typically make up the budget-laptop set. Sub-$350 laptops are rarely this pleasing to hold in your hand.
The laptop's chassis is also sturdy, with no flex anywhere on the base and a display lid that feels eminently sturdy. The hinge is sturdy, with very little bouncing when you tap the screen. Lenovo pioneered the 2-in-1 concept, and some of the excellent design from its more expensive models is apparent on the Flex 3. 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. It can even be used as a tablet PC of sorts, with its keyboard folded completely underneath the screen. A Touch Screen on TapĪs 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. The only thing holding it back from excellence is the lack of a high-quality display-buyers on extreme budgets can't have everything.
The Flex 3 has a handsome almond-colored metal exterior, reasonably long battery life, and even an SD card reader to let you easily supplement its 64GB of internal storage. With excellent build quality and a 360-degree hinge, the Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 3 Chromebook ($339) is proof that capable, well-designed 2-in-1 Chromebooks don't have to be expensive (looking at you, $999 Google Pixelbook).
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