Not every new Chromebook coming this year is going to cost $1000 and up. Case in point: Lenovo’s new Chromebook Duet 2-in-1 tablet has a starting price of $280, and the company’s new IdeaPad Flex 5 Chromebook convertible notebook with a 13 inch display will sell for $359 and up when it goes on sale in June.
While that doesn’t exactly make the Flex 5 the cheapest game in town, that’s not a bad price for a convertible laptop with a full HD display, a Thunderbolt 3 port, pen support, and PCIe solid state storage.
Lenovo hasn’t shared specs for the entry-level model (or prices for a version with maxed out specs), but the company says the Flex 5 Chromebook will be available with up to:
- 10th-gen Intel Core i5 Comet Lake processor
- 8GB of RAM
- 128GB of solid state storage.
The convertible laptop has a 360-degree hinge that lets you use the computer in tablet, tent, stand, or notebook modes. It has a Thunderbolt 3 port, WiFi 6, a 720p webcam, and stereo speakers.
The display supports up to 300-nits of brightness, and the notebook features a spill-resistant keyboard.
I like that that bezels aren’t like two inches wide. I’d be happy to see if the base model comes out with something decent that isn’t too expensive. The Google Pixelbook at $650 is edging too close to other laptop options in that price range — I’d hate to see this do that too.