When looking for a Chromebook on a very tight budget, you are often met with Chromebooks that are awful in one way or the other.
And while the Lenovo Chromebook C330 certainly suffers in some departments being a cheap laptop, it more than makes up for it in other departments by providing some features that are absent from the competition.
It’s quite clear that Lenovo tried to squeeze out as much value as it could while also keeping the price fairly low, which the competition has struggled to do so when making affordable Chromebooks.
Simply put, the Lenovo Chromebook C330 sets a great benchmark that the competition needs to look up to when making a cheap yet usable Chromebook.
Specs at Glance
CPU: 2.1Ghz MediaTek MT8173C | RAM: 4GB | Display: 11.6 inch 1366×786 IPS | Storage: 64GB eMMC | Battery: 45Wh | OS: Chrome OS
Design & Chassis
The Lenovo Chromebook C330 design is as basic as it gets. The simple white design is carried throughout its chassis, where the grey keys and the Chrome logo break the white theme continuity.
Though the chassis doesn’t feel fragile at first, and you may get the impression that the Lenovo C330 is built fine, that illusion breaks as soon as you accidentally drop the C330, where the chassis takes a bad hit and can easily break.
So you wouldn’t see the HP Chromebook 11A G8 level of durable chassis, and neither would you see the spillproof keyboard of Lenovo 14e.
The C330 is a bit heavier at 1.2kg (2.64lbs) and weighs a bit more than the Samsung Galaxy Book 2 Pro, which weighs around 1.11kg (2.44lbs).
This is a bit funny considering that Galaxy Book 2 Pro is 15 inches thin & light ultrabook with powerful hardware inside.
I/O Ports
The I/O ports on the Lenovo Chromebook C330 are one of the best things about the Chromebook C330 that helps it stand out from the competition.
Apart from the usual USB C and USB Type ports along with an audio combo jack, what is unusual here is the inclusion of an HDMI port and a full-size SD card reader.
It’s almost impossible to find an HDMI port on even a budget laptop, let alone an affordable laptop. Like it is the norm that if you are using a Chromebook, you would have to live the dongle life.
So if you want to do school presentations or connect an external monitor without compromising the USB C port, the Lenovo Chromebook C330 got you covered.
And though you can’t use the SD card slot to edit photos from your camera in Photoshop, you can use it to expand its limiting 64GB eMMC storage.
Keyboard & Touchpad
Keyboard
The keyboard is also where the Lenovo C330 shines. You can clearly see a bit of ThinkPad DNA in its keyboard, considering how it manages to be different from the competition.
Obviously, it doesn’t deliver the satisfying feedback of an actual ThinkPad keyboard, but the keys feel nice to type on. The travel in the keys is a bit shallow, but it’s just enough to allow you to type faster.
And unlike other 11-inch Chromebooks like the HP Chromebook 11A G8 Education, the keys are well spaced out, and it’s quite easy to hit every key without any issues.
Like with every Chromebook, my only problem with this keyboard is replacing the Caps lock button with a Search button. As a Windows user, I simply can’t get used to this weird placement, and you might face the same problem.
Touchpad
The touchpad is fine and works as expected. It tracks your movements accurately and registers all gestures perfectly. We have no complaints here.
Webcam and Speakers
Webcam
The webcam on the Chromebook C330 is usable, to say the least. It produces a grainy image that lacks in detail. However, I would say it will get the job done if you are using it to take an occasional zoom call.
Speakers
The sound is acceptable from the C330, considering its price tag. As you would expect, it only produces bland mids while lacking in the bass and the highs. They are passable and can be used to watch a youtube video or listen to a podcast.
Display
Considering it’s a convertible, it’s disappointing that we don’t see a stylus in the box. However, you can get an aftermarket one if you feel like it.
The display is as boring as it gets, and it’s not surprising to see this in the affordable laptop space.
First, what annoys me the most is the chunky bezels that take a significant chunk of the screen space. Secondly, as you might expect, the display does not have the greatest color reproduction.
The color feels bland and lacks detail. This is contributed by its poor coverage of the sRGB color gamut at around 75% while also having a lower resolution of 768p. It also struggles to get bright, where it maxes out at 250 nits which is disappointing to say the least.
All of this contributes to a bland and lacking color reproduction which makes this display bad for content consumption, we simply don’t recommend you use this laptop to watch movies on Netflix.
Performance
Don’t expect the Chromebook C330 to be a multitasking master. Unlike mid-range Chromebooks like the Asus C433, the C330 has a limited 4GB RAM.
This allows you to work in a tab or two without putting too much strain on its poor MediaTek processor. Also, if you try to play a video at a higher resolution, this poor thing might struggle and start to stutter.
The C330 is perfect for someone who works on one thing at a time and does not multitask or have multiple chrome tabs opened in the background for no real reason.
Battery
The weak CPU allows the Chromebook C330 to perform exceptionally well in providing a solid battery backup. It comfortably manages to last around 10 hours on a 45Wh battery.
And this is where the efficiency and power saving of Chromebooks can be seen. A windows laptop with a similar-sized battery would even last, at best, around 5 hours due to its relatively power-hungry hardware.
Though, when compared to other Chromebooks at a similar price point, this performance is not something to write home about. Almost every Chromebook in the market manages to provide a similar battery backup.
Conclusion
Considering the Lenovo C330 is a 2-year-old device now, it’s getting harder and harder to justify buying it. Considering that the current Chromebooks in the market have addressed some of its issues like big chunky bezels and concerning performance.
However, the C330 is perfect if you get it at a huge discount or want a cheap laptop to give to your kid.
