Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3 Chromebook 14 (14M868) review

Full review

Not everyone needs a powerful laptop. For a primary school child doing homework in Google Classroom, or a grandparent who wants email, video calls and the news, this small Lenovo Chromebook covers the basics for much less than anything else on this page. It is light at 1.3 kg, has no fan, so it is completely silent, and ChromeOS keeps it secure with automatic updates that Google promises until 2033.

You do need to go in with realistic expectations. The MediaTek Kompanio 520 is a phone-class processor, and with 4GB of memory and slow eMMC storage it struggles once you open more than a handful of tabs. Some versions use a TN panel, which has poor viewing angles so colours shift if you tilt the screen. Others use a better IPS panel, so check the listing.

There is a USB-C port for charging and video, one USB-A and a microSD reader, but no HDMI, and the keyboard is not backlit. If you can stretch your budget, the Acer Chromebook Plus 514 above is far quicker and will feel better for longer. If you cannot, this Lenovo is a perfectly usable first laptop.