The Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 3i Chromebook is a 12.2-inch 2-in-1 laptop with a 360-degree hinge and full touchscreen. Chrome OS is the operating system, powered by an Intel N100 chipset with 4GB of RAM. The touchscreen supports laptop, tablet, tent, or stand mode depending on how the hinge is positioned. Battery life lasts up to 12 hours, and the laptop boots from cold in under 10 seconds.
A versatile laptop that’s perfect for either work or play at home or on the go
Google’s alternative to Microsoft Windows and Apple macOS, Chrome OS, uses the Chrome Browser instead of a single desktop experience. Most applications run as tabs within the browser, and all files are synced to Google Drive upon login. Offline versions of popular apps such as Netflix and Spotify can be downloaded from the Google Play Store.
Convertible mode uses a 360-degree flip hinge along the side of the display. When configured in laptop mode, the keyboard and screen face one another. Flipping the screen 180 degrees switches it to tent mode, with the display positioned above the keyboard. Tent mode is ideal for viewing video on an airplane tray table or a kitchen counter.
The display size is 12.2 inches diagonally with a resolution of 1920 by 1200 pixels in a 16:10 aspect ratio. The IPS panel delivers up to 300 nits of brightness and has earned TÜV Rheinland Low Blue Light certification, which helps reduce eye strain when using the laptop for extended periods. Inside this model is Intel’s N100 processor, which offers 4 cores and can operate at up to 3.4 GHz. Additionally, there is also 4GB of LPDDR5 memory.
Ports around the chassis include two USB-A 3.2, one USB-C 3.2 with Power Delivery and DisplayPort 1.4, HDMI, a microSD card reader, and a 3.5mm headphone jack. HDMI and USB-C both output up to 4K at 60Hz to an external monitor or TV. Wi-Fi 6 supports wireless networking, with Bluetooth 5.1 for peripherals and NFC for tap-to-pair audio. At 2.87 pounds and 0.72 inches thick, the whole laptop fits in a school backpack without extra space.
Chromebooks make up a large share of the education laptop market, and household adoption continues to grow for those whose computing happens mostly through a browser. The Flex 3i is Lenovo’s 12.2-inch model, above the 11-inch base but below the 14-inch Flex 5i Chromebook Plus. At $350, down from $650, the current sale takes $300 off the list price. For a first laptop, a shared family device, or a work-from-home backup, this fits at a below-flagship price.