Lenovo launches four new Chromebooks aimed squarely at the education sector

Damien Wilde | Mar 24 2021 - 4:08 am PT

Lenovo has launched a series of new Chromebooks including the 14e Gen 2, 100e, 300e, and 500e Gen 3 with a major focus on the massive education sector.

The COVID-19 pandemic has seen a major influx in the popularity and need for affordable Chrome OS-powered devices, especially in the education sectors. The lightweight browser-based OS has been at the very heart of at-home learning, and schools across the globe have taken advantage of the cloud platforms provided by Google.

Lenovo’s latest Chromebooks are therefore targeted squarely at the education sector. The hardware updates simply refresh some already existing designs with notable new options available.

The Gen 2 14-inch Lenovo 14e utilizes an AMD processor, but no exact model has been specified. We’d imagine it will be fairly low-powered given the pricing. You can opt for 4 or 8GB of RAM, with storage available up to a maximum of 64GB. Ports on offer include a USB-C port for charging, two USB-A ports, plus a 3.5mm headphone jack, and even a full-size HDMI port. It also comes with a few display options including HD, FHD, and FHD touch-enabled options. Pricing starts at just $334.

Next up in Lenovo’s new Chromebook line is the 100e Gen 3. This is the cheapest in the new lineup and comes with small 11.6-inch display with a 1,366 by 768 resolution. It too utilizes an AMD CPU but lacks upgrade options with only 4GB of RAM and 32GB of storage available. The port selection is the same as the Lenovo 14e. It is priced at just $299.

The third new addition is the Lenovo 300e Gen 3 Chromebook. While still a fairly affordable Chromebook, it comes with more premium hardware and features. There’s a tilting touchscreen display that uses Gorilla Glass for protection. A stylus is also included for note-taking and quick annotation.

Inside the Lenovo 300e Gen 3 Chromebook comes with 64GB of storage, 4GB of RAM, and it sticks with an AMD processor. There’s also a 5-megapixel camera for video calling available, but you can just stick with the 720p stock camera. As the most “premium” in the new Lenovo Chromebook lineup, it costs $359.

The final new Chromebook is the Lenovo 500e Gen 3, which looks to be a more rugged option with an MIL-SPEC-810H design providing water resistance. A 11.6-inch 1,366 by 768 pixel display is covered in Gorilla Glass and has a 360-degree hinge. It’s powered by an Intel Celeron N5100 processor rather than an AMD CPU, and 8GB of RAM comes as stock. There’s also up to 64GB of storage and an array of ports including a USB-C Gen 3.2 port, a full-size HDMI, 2 USB-A ports, and a microSD card reader. It’s priced at $429.

All of the new Lenovo Chromebooks will start shipping from May 2021 at Lenovo.com.