Lenovo Ideapad 100S (11) Pro Reviews

The 100s-11 has more the feel of a small laptop than the netbooks it descended from. The price is extremely tempting, but 32GB of storage is frustratingly small for a Windows machine. Wait for the 64GB version unless your computing needs are light in the extreme.

The Lenovo 100S Chromebook delivers on the promise of adequate performance at a low price, but dirt-cheap Windows 10 machines have it beat there.

Spending less than $200 on a laptop is a surprisingly viable option right now, and for those who mainly use Gmail, Facebook, Netflix and Amazon (or your own list of mail, social media, streaming video and online shopping tools), a laptop with an Intel Atom processor, low-res screen and paltry 32GB of storage may very well be all you need. Of the current ultra-budget options, the overall design and build quality of the Lenovo Ideapad 100S is my favorite, but the dated, non-gesture-supporting touchpad can be a deal breaker if you plan to scroll through long online articles or Facebook feeds. If the next generation of 100S swaps in a modern touchpad, it would get my highest budget-laptop recommendation. As it is, my generally very positive impressions come with a large asterisk.

If you’re already a fan of Chromebooks, the eminently portable Ideapad 100S should be on your short list. (And if you’re new to the concept, the price and keyboard may make you a fan.)

The Lenovo 100S Chromebook is far from a perfect machine, but it does everything you would expect from a $180 laptop. In fact, strictly on price alone, the machine does more than it should. Given that the price is so low, you should consider buying one or two for your kids to kick around the house. The screen and speakers provide an experience well suited for watching pre-loaded movies on the road, and the long battery life means movie after movie, or song after song, can be enjoyed away from an outlet. The matte finish screen even holds its own outside, making this laptop a great choice for anyone looking to use it in a myriad of locations. Minor performance complaints aside, the Lenovo 100S is a competent, wholly adequate machine. It won't blow you away with its features, but neither will it disappoint by being severely underpowered or feeling like a child's plaything. For less than the price of a New Nintendo 3DS XL, you can have a laptop that does everything you would probably use a Chromebook for, anyway.

If you've used and like the Windows 10 version of the Ideapad 100S, you'll like the Chromebook version too, assuming you prefer using Chrome OS. It comes with the added benefit of being about $20 cheaper than the Windows 10 version, but of course Chrome OS isn't as robust of an operating system as Windows 10, so there's a tradeoff there. Whether the Ideapad 100S Chromebook will work for you is entirely dependent on your needs, but as far as Chromebooks in general go, the new Ideapad holds its own.