Lenovo Chromebook C340 review - You get what you pay for - Android

Update December 24: Lenovo has temporarily lowered the price of the Chromebook C340 from $299 to $249. At that price, this machine is an absolute steal. It’s not clear how long the prioce will remain at this new, lower price point.

Chromebooks are available at prices high and low. The $300 Lenovo Chromebook C340 sits in the sweet spot, balancing affordability with features and functionality. You’ll be hard-pressed to find as much bang for the buck as in the Chromebook C340, but Lenovo made a few choices that threaten to sink the entire experience.

Find out what they are in the Android Authority Lenovo Chromebook C340 review.

What is the Lenovo Chromebook C340?

The C340 is a two-in-one convertible that works as a laptop or a tablet thanks to a hinge that swings 360 degrees. The 11-inch display means the C340 is compact, lightweight, and highly portable. Though Lenovo isn’t necessarily pitching it to the education market, I can see it serving as an effective machine for school-aged kids thanks to the size and weight.

A metal panel covers the Chromebook’s lid. It’s available in either Sand Pink or Platinum Grey. I like the matte, granular look of both finishes. The Chrome and Lenovo logos are embedded in the metal. Lenovo used plastic for the lower half of the Chromebook. Despite the differences inherent in metal and plastic, the color is uniform across both materials.

The hinge is strong and sturdy throughout the range of motion.

The overall shape is somewhat wedge-like. Both sides are tapered a bit from the rear hinge toward the front edge. The lid has what I’d call an angular overbite that forms a distinct profile for the Chromebook when it is closed.

Like many 360-degree hinges, the C340’s consists of two rotating hubs that allow the lid to swing all the way around and lay flat on the bottom. The hinge is strong and sturdy throughout the range of motion, and I felt confident setting the display at any angle. I particularly like to stand two-in-ones such as the C340 like a tent so I can watch YouTube or Netflix.

These are the Chromebook C340’s basic features.

How does the Chromebook C340 perform?

Pay for Celeron silicon, get Celeron speed — or the lack thereof. Only a single processor option is available to the C340, and that’s an Intel Celeron N4000 clocked at 1.1GHz with a 4MB cache and burst speeds of up to 2.6GHz. Other specs that play a role in performance include the Intel UHD Graphics 600 and 4GB of LPDDR4 RAM at 2.4GHz. Two storage variants are available: 32GB and 64GB, with only $20 separating the two options.

The N4000 marked its debut in 2017 and since then at least two generations of N4xxx chips from Intel have reached the market. It’s a low-cost processor for low-cost machines. I wish Lenovo had opted for a newer variant of the N4xxx line.

The C340 isn’t slow, per se, but it’s certainly not zippy. I found performance slowed noticeably once I reached the dozen-open-tabs mark in Chrome. Toss in some Androids apps running in the background and you’ll see responsiveness tumble. The C340 struggled to run Adobe Lightroom, for example, but Netflix, Spotify, and Google Docs all did fine. In other words, this is a light-duty machine, not a performant powerhouse.

9.5 hours of battery life is enough for a work or school day, but only if you're shutting down at 6PM.

That goes for the battery, too. The three-cell, 42Wh battery takes several hours to recharge via the included 45Wh charger and will then run for up to 10 hours, according to Lenovo. Attaining that battery life depends on factors such as screen brightness and whether or not you’re blasting media through the speakers. Most days I tested the C340 it put up numbers between 9:12 and 9:28 — not quite 10, but enough for a work day or school day if you’re shutting down at 6PM.