You Can Use a Pencil to Write on the Lenovo 300e Chromebook’s Display

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If you’ve ever looked at Lenovo’s Chromebooks and wished they weren’t only available for education, then you’ll be glad to know that the Lenovo 300e and 500e Chromebooks are now available for everyone to buy, and the 100e will be available in March.

Not everyone needs a full-fledged Windows laptop. Some people prefer using the laptop form factor, but they just need a reliable device for comfortably browsing the web, checking email, and writing documents. If that sounds like you, then a Chromebook might be a good choice.

But why think of Lenovo when you’re considering a Chromebook? Well, to start, the 100e, 300e, and the 500e are built to be able to handle whatever you might (literally) throw at them; they sport rubber bumpers, reinforced ports and hinges, spill-resistant keyboards, and reinforced keys.

While these Chromebooks were previously focused on classroom use, they are great to use out of the classroom, too.

The entry model Lenovo 100e has a traditional laptop design, but the 300e and 500e have the 360º Yoga hinge, so the Chromebooks can switch between laptop or tablet mode depending upon your needs at any given time. All three are drop-resistant up to 29.5”; you can even spill a drink on them, and they’ll be fine!

Let’s take a look at the three models.

Lenovo 100e Chromebook

From left to right: Lenovo 100e, 300e, 500e

At $219, the 100e is priced at less than a hipster’s favorite pair of jeans. It has up to an Intel Celeron N3350 processor with Intel integrated graphics. Weighing just 2.75 pounds, the 100e has an 11.6“ HD anti-glare display (1366×768), and it gets up to 10 hours of battery life. Whether you are considering one for your favorite student or yourself, the 100e is priced so that it won’t do much damage to your wallet.

Lenovo 300e Chromebook

The $279 Lenovo 300e Chromebook comes running on a MediaTek MTK 8173C processor with MediaTek Integrated graphics. It weighs just under 3 pounds, and it has an 11.6″ HD 10pt multi-touch display (1366×768); it can get up to 10 hours of battery life. The 300e has Lenovo’s Enhanced Touch, which allows you to use your finger or a graphite pencil to manipulate, draw, or trace on the screen. That’s a feature you won’t find on any others Chromebook. Plus, you get that sweet 2-in-1 laptop-to-tablet action.

Lenovo 500e Chromebook

The $349 Lenovo 500e Chromebook weighs just about 3 pounds, and it has an 11.6″HD 10pt multi-touch display (1366×768), runs on an Intel Celeron N3450 processor, and Intel Integrated graphics. Battery life is reported to be up to 10 hours, so it will get you through a full day. If you like drawing on your screen, you’ll enjoy the included “pressure-sensitive EMR pen with near lag-free performance”. When you aren’t using the pen, you can store it in the 500e’s built-in compartment. The pen requires no charging or pairing, so it’s ready to go when you need it.

Writing and sketching on this system feels very, very natural as the line of the screen is appearing exactly where your brain thinks it should. With previous digital stylus technology, there was always an uneasy feeling as the line on the screen played catch up with the tip of the pen. Google has effectively closed the gap.

 

Our MWC 2018 coverage is brought to you by Lenovo. All thoughts and opinions are 100% our own.

 

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About the Author

Judie Lipsett Stanford
Judie is the co-owner and Editor-in-Chief of Gear Diary, which she founded in September 2006. She started in 1999 writing software reviews at the now-defunct smaller.com; from mid-2000 through 2006, she wrote hardware reviews for and co-edited at The Gadgeteer. A recipient of the Sigma Kappa Colby Award for Technology, Judie is best known for her device-agnostic approach, deep-dive reviews, and enjoyment of exploring the latest tech, gadgets, and gear.