Lenovo 100E 11.6″ HD Chromebook, 81QB000AUS
Black Lenovo 100E Chromebook (81QB000AUS) is a second generation lightweight and portable laptop with a student-friendly design, a rugged drop-resistant construction, a water-resistant keyboard and the entry level features for daily computing tasks like internet browsing, video streaming, word processing and playing Chrome games.
The MediaTek MT8173C at 2.1GHz speed was released in 2015 for Android tablets. So you’re not looking at a great deal of processing power, but more than adequate for simple Chrome OS tasks online and offline. Again the 16GB eMMC TLC SSD is not much in terms of local storage, but you’ll be using a lot of the Cloud based storage wherever you have internet access or add external storage via one of the USB ports.
4GB LPDDR3 RAM offers decent multitasking power for a computer at such a budget price. And you shouldn’t really experience any lagging or freezing when you have a few browsers and apps open in front of you. Operating system is the Chrome OS that feels a lot like using the Chrome browser with many Google apps to replace the Windows apps you may be used to. And the security updates run in the background automatically without you doing anything manually.
11.6-inch HD anti-glare non-touch display has the 1366 x 768 pixel resolution, which is good enough for a small screen and the picture quality is fine with good contrast and vivid colors. And the anti-glare function helps reduce the strain on eyes. PowerVR GX6250 is the built-in mobile graphics card and will let you play the Chrome games without dramas. There is a front-facing 720P HD webcam for still snapshots or live video chats. You can sign into the system with your Google ID and get straight to work on Chrome.
Black Lenovo 100E Chromebook is easy on the eyes, weighs only 2.7 pounds and measures 11.4 x 8 x 0.8 inches. The rubber bumpers as part of the drop-resistant (up to 29.5 inches) design are great for protection from drops or bumps. And the keys on the water-resistant keyboard (for spills up to 1.39 cups) are mechanically-anchored to stay put. You also have the reinforced ports and hinges for extra durability.
With a low TDP and a decent battery you can expect it to last up to ten hours on average use. Connectivity options include the 2×2 802.11AC Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.1, an HDMI output, a USB-C port, a USB 3.0 port and a 4-in-1 Media Card Reader. There is no optical drive and you can connect an external one via USB. It comes with one year limited warranty by Lenovo for the hardware OEM problems. You can’t upgrade the eMMC flash storage as it is soldered onto the board. It is designed as an everyday student learning tool, with the education apps and G Suite with the productivity tools for students to share and sync smoothly and safely. It appears to be very good value at this low price level.
