Lenovo’s Chromebook C330 is a budget-oriented Chrome OS 2-in-1 that aims to provide Google Play support and media consumption convenience at a low price. It succeeds in those objectives and lasts long on a charge, but its very poor performance hold it back.
Don’t want to spend a lot of money on a new notebook? Just want an extra machine for web browsing and the occasional YouTube video? If so, then you might very well be considering a Chromebook, a platform that which offers some low-cost options even as it moves upscale. Lenovo’s Chromebook C330 is one of the newer budget Chrome OS machines to hit the market, and it’s a 360-degree convertible 2-in-1 to boot.
We put the entry-level Chromebook C330, configured with a MediaTek MTK 8173C processor, 4GB of RAM, 32GB of eMMC storage, and an 11.6-inch IPS display at a 1,366 x 768 resolution. That model will set you back $280, and you can spend another $20 to upgrade to 64GB of storage.
That’s a bargain-basement price, for sure, which sounds appealing for a 2-in-1 that’s not going to weigh you down. But does the Chromebook C330 bring enough performance and convenience?
The Chromebook C330 sits at just about the opposite end of the size spectrum from the Acer Chromebook Spin 15. In short, where Acer’s 2-in-1 is comically large, Lenovo’s option seems so small it almost borders on cute. In fact, it’s reminiscent of the netbook given its white color scheme, a failed initiative from a few years ago to make low-cost notebooks good enough for web browsing and not much more.
Of course, we say it “ almost borders on cute” because it has very large bezels for such a small notebook. Unfortunately, the 11.6-inch display seems to float in a sea of bezel, and that combined with the all-plastic build makes the Chromebook C330 one of the few we’ve reviewed that feels like it’s a budget machine. The flexing in the chassis and keyboard deck do nothing to change that impression.
Interestingly, the Chromebook C330 isn’t the thickest (0.77 inches) or the heaviest (2.6 pounds) 2-in-1 in its class. The best comparison machine, the Acer Chromebook Spin 11, is slightly thicker at 0.77 inches and slightly heavier at 2.76 pounds. But the Acer also feels a lot more robust than the Lenovo, and it manages to look more modern despite its almost equally large bezels.
We do need to keep in mind that the Chromebook C330 is an inexpensive Chrome OS 2-in-1. It’s slightly less expensive than the Chromebook Spin 11, and it’s much less expensive than the much thinner and more robustly built HP Chromebook x2 that comes in at $600. The low price doesn’t completely mitigate our concerns, but it does allow for some leeway.
The Chromebook C330’s connectivity is definitely in its favor. There’s a single USB-C 3.0 port, a USB-A 3.0 port, a full-size HDMI connection and a DisplayPort port for connecting external displays, a full-size SD card reader, and a combo audio jack. That’s a good selection of ports for connecting both legacy and more modern peripherals. Unsurprisingly, given the low price and CPU, there’s no Thunderbolt 3 port.
The Chromebook C330’s keyboard is the usual island version with black chiclet keys and white lettering, and it’s a nice surprise.
