Lenovo IdeaPad 14" 82XJ0026US 2024, MediaTek Kompanio 520, 4GB, 64GB SSD, Abyss Blue

The Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3 Chromebook is a lightweight, long-lasting budget machine for basic web tasks. Battery life and portability are the highlights, but 4GB of RAM and a weak HD display hold it back. Worth it at the low end of the price range, not at the high end.

The MediaTek Kompanio 520 sits near the bottom of our CPU rankings, and the integrated GPU is even lower. 4GB of RAM is the bare minimum for ChromeOS, so expect some stuttering if you're the type who keeps 15 tabs open. The 64GB SSD is tiny, but ChromeOS leans on cloud storage anyway. For basic tasks like Google Docs, email, and YouTube, it gets the job done. Just don't ask it to edit video or run anything demanding. The 14-inch HD display is also a weak spot, with a resolution that feels dated next to even budget Windows laptops.

Stacked against the Apple MacBook Pro or HP OmniBook X Flip, this Lenovo looks like a toy. But those machines cost three to five times as much. The real comparison is against other budget Chromebooks, and here the IdeaPad Slim 3 holds its own on battery life and portability. The ASUS Vivobook and Samsung Galaxy Book4 Edge offer better screens and more RAM, but they also cost significantly more. If you need Windows and real performance, skip this entirely. If you live in a browser, it's a reasonable pick.

Pricing is all over the place depending on where you shop. In the US, you can grab it for $248, which feels about right. In Europe, the spread is wider, from EUR 287 to EUR 383 across ES, FR, and IT listings. If you're in Europe, shop around. The cheapest EUR listing is your best bet, because at EUR 383 this thing starts to feel overpriced. For a basic Chromebook with all-day battery, the lower end of that range is fair. The higher end is not.

The Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3 Chromebook is a budget machine that knows exactly what it is. You get a 14-inch HD display, a MediaTek Kompanio 520 processor, 4GB of RAM, and 64GB of storage. That's about as entry-level as it gets in 2024, but for ChromeOS, it's often enough.

At 1.30kg, it's genuinely light and easy to toss in a bag. The 13.5-hour claimed battery life is the real selling point here. This isn't a laptop for heavy lifting. It's for browser tabs, docs, and streaming. And honestly, that's fine.

Skip this if you need real multitasking power. The 4GB of RAM and weak processor will drive you nuts if you're a tab hoarder or run anything beyond basic web apps. Also skip it if you care about screen quality, the HD panel is a letdown. And if you need Windows or macOS software, this isn't even in the conversation.

This is a student laptop or a secondary machine for light browsing. If you need something cheap, light, and long-lasting for writing papers, checking email, and streaming Netflix, it works. If you need to run demanding apps, edit photos, or keep dozens of tabs open, look elsewhere. The 4GB RAM ceiling is the biggest limitation, and it will frustrate you eventually.