For the most part, the Lenovo 100S Chromebook, like other devices of its type, are terminals to access the Internet and its seemingly infinite content. This device strips away all the essentials and you are left with just the access of what the great World Wide Web can bestow upon you. With the 100S, this affordability has reached new levels. However, its low price also comes with a cut in its performance.
The Lenovo 100S Chromebook is Very Affordable But Has a Lot of Tradeoffs
Looking at its design, the Lenovo 100S Chromebook brings the barest when it comes to essentials to the laptop experience. There is a chiclet keyboard that is not backlit, and the numbers, symbols, and letters on the keys are adhered to rather than printed on. This means that they have a chance to fade out, or even be removed over time.
There is a bezel around the 11.6-inch display, which is also surprisingly large for a compact device. It gives the recent laptop trend of the amazing, shrinking bezel a mere thought rather than an actual reality (which is in fact, real).
The 100S Chromebook makes up for appealing visually with its aluminum palm rest. This part of the device makes for a solid feel under the wrists. This makes a big difference in keeping the 100S from feeling like that of cheap plastic. Overall, there is nothing offensive, nor is there anything truly impressive with the laptop’s design.
As for the display itself, it offers 1,366 x 768 resolution which is just right for its size. Everything is scaled down well to fit the tiny screen. Color reproduction, however, is a bit on the muddy side. Just about everything on the screen looks something dull as the colors seem washed out rather than popping out.
The device’s matte-finish screen does a good job of avoiding reflections. This makes it easier to use the 100S outdoors, particularly during an overcast day. The screen’s brightness can be adjusted to a point that will allow it to be too bright for anything to be seen. While this may prove to be somewhat negative, it does allow the decent use for the laptop on a particularly sunny day.
Even though the Lenovo 100S Chromebook should do well even for basic tasks, when opening a web-browser, it struggles when multiple tabs are open. The compact device also suffers from poor sound quality, and the exterior is a fingerprint magnet. But if you’re looking for something that is incredibly cheap and want to use a laptop rather than a tablet when you’re outdoors, then this may be your thing if you only want to surf the Internet from time to time.