As a doctoral student, most of my dissertation work is being done in Google Docs so I can easily collaborate with my dissertation chair. With this in mind, I thought it might be a great idea to get a Chromebook after finally having enough of the infamous butterfly-style keyboard on the MacBook Air keyboard. After watching and reading a ton of reviews, I ended up choosing the Lenovo Chromebook Flex3. First, it was heavily discounted for a back-to-school sale on WalMart.com. Second, I know that Lenovos are often lauded for their keyboards, which was paramount with the immense typing that I do and will be doing for the next year.
I have only been using the Chromebook Flex3 for a few hours, but here is my initial take on it. I personally find the Almond color to be a classy alternative to the usual laptop colors. The Chromebook Flex 3 feels heavy for its size (versus the HP 11a Chromebook that I also picked up to test out) but I feel the relative heft adds to the feel of quality. It does not have the best screen but it is more than sufficient for typing papers, reading articles, browsing the web, and maybe a quick Zoom call here and there. The camera is not the best for Zoom, but for a quick call, it will suffice in proper lighting. I am happy to have two USB type-A ports and two USB-C ports and charging is via either of the USB-C ports. The trackpad works well and the keyboard did not disappoint with comfortable full-sized keys and nice key travel. The keyboard is actually quite good for such an affordable laptop. Overall, the unit feels well-built with strong hinges and no spots of flex in the keyboard.
So my initial impression of the Chromebook Flex 3: Great job Lenovo! For what I plan to use it for, I think this unit will be a great fit.