Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3 CB 14M868 review – The MediaTek Kompanio 520 introductory Chromebook

We purchased our new test device during Black Friday on Amazon for an unbelievable US$110. Currently, the laptop’s prices range from US$200 to US$230 and it was the cheapest laptop of December 2023. In order to reach this low price, Lenovo has, as expected, had to make quite a few savings. Inside the Chromebook, you can find hardware usually known from smartphones, namely a MediaTek-ARM SoC, 4 GB RAM and 64 GB of slow eMMC flash storage. Thanks to its frugal ChromeOS, the hardware doesn’t have to be a dealbreaker.

Optionally, you can also get the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3 Chromebook (14″ MediaTek) with 128 GB eMMC and an IPS touchscreen. The IPS panel’s better viewing angles may prove to be a particularly big reason to upgrade from our test device’s TN touchscreen. However, in the region in which this laptop was tested (DACH region), this isn’t currently available. Instead, you can only find an Alder Lake-N-based model 14IAN8 with a Core i3-N305, 8 GB RAM and 256 GB flash storage. At over US$700, this is a whole other price range. Thankfully, you can find the model with an IPS panel in the United States. Here, this version retails for about US$270.

In the support area, Lenovo has also listed this device as the “IP Slim 3 Chrome 14M868 – Type 82XJ”.