Support our independent tech coverage. Chrome Unboxed is written by real people, for real people—not search algorithms. Join Chrome Unboxed Plus for just $2 a month to get an ad-free experience, access to our private Discord, and more. Learn more about membership here.
START FREE TRIAL (MONTHLY)START FREE TRIAL (ANNUAL)
Last week, Lenovo quietly rolled out a refresh to the 14″ Chromebook S340. Dubbed the Chromebook 3, the 14″ 180-degree fold-flat Chromebook featured a newer Gemini Lake-R processor but not much else to write home about. Priced at $249, the Lenovo Chromebook 3(14) features the same, unforgivably dismal TN display found on my MediaTek-powered S330. I get that it’s a budget device but it’s tough to recommend picking up a Chromebook like this one when Lenovo’s Flex 5 is only $409 and comes with just about everything you look for in a premium device.
That said, Lenovo just took the wraps off of an 11.6″ version of the Chromebook 3 and it’s actually worth taking a look. The Lenovo Chromebook 3 (11) is only $30 cheaper than the 14″ model but it offers some upgrades that make it actually worth its price tag. For starters, the HD display is rated at 250 nits as opposed to the 220 nits on the 14″ model. As bad as the latter is, most of Lenovo’s 11.6″ devices have panels that aren’t painful to stare at for any length of time. In my humble opinion, these washed-out TN panels need to go away post-haste but that’s a conversation for another article.
In addition to the better display, the 11.6″ Chromebook 3 comes with twice the storage at 64GB. For many users, 32GB is probably good enough if you are diligent about keeping your stuff in the cloud. Still, if this Chromebook is going to be given to the kiddos, the extra storage comes in handy. Both of my children have the Lenovo Chromebook 10e tablet and I can tell you that Android apps will eat up 32GB in no time. Around the outside, the 11.6 Chromebook 3 offers the same I/O as its larger sibling. You’ll get 2 x USB-C, 2 X USB-A, MicroSD card reader and 3.5mm audio jack. Here’s a breakdown of what the Lenovo Chromebook 3 (11) brings to the table:
- Chrome OS
- Intel Gemini Lake-R N4020 Celeron processor
- 4GB LPDDR4 RAM
- 64GB eMMC storage
- 11.6″ HD 1366×768 display at 250 nits
- 2 x USB-C (Gen 1, USB 3.1)
- 2 x USB 3.1 (Gen 1)
- Headphone / mic combo
- MicroSD card reader
- 2.47 lbs
- Android and Linux app support
- Auto Update: June 2026
One last thing to note about the Chromebook 3 is the unique look that Lenovo chose for this device. At first glance, it looks like any other carbon/charcoal laptop that the company is known for but a closer look reveals a subtle, two-tone lid with a textured Onyx Black finish. It’s a minor detail but I feel it gives the Chromebook a unique and appealing look. If you’re looking for a smaller device and aren’t interested in a 2-in-1, Lenovo’s Chromebook 3 (11) is likely a good choice and you can grab it for only $219 when you use the promo code “EXTRAFIVE” at checkout. That’s about as cheap as it gets and you actually getting a Chromebook that’s worth having. We’ll get our hands on one of these an bring you a full review. In the meantime, you can check out the new Chromebook 3 at the link below.
