Lenovo Chromebook S330 81JW0001US Review USA 2023

Lenovo Chromebook S330 Laptop, 14-Inch HD (1366 x 768) Display, MediaTek MT8173C Processor, 4GB OnBoard LPDDR3, 32GB eMMC SSD, Chrome OS, 81JW0001US, Black

Need a new notebook without spending a lot of money? Or, just want a spare machine for college, web browsing, and the occasional YouTube video? If you don’t mind Chrome OS, the Lenovo Chromebook S330 81JW0001US might be what you’re looking for. It is economical. It’s smart. And, it is as useful for the office as it is for college.

Summary

Standing screen display size	‎14 Inches
Screen Resolution	‎1366×768
Max Screen Resolution	‎1366 x 768 Pixels
Processor	‎2.1 GHz mediatek_mt8127
RAM	‎4 GB DDR4
Hard Drive	‎32 GB flash memory solid state
Graphics Coprocessor	‎Integrated Mediatek Graphics
Chipset Brand	‎PowerVR
Card Description	‎Integrated
Wireless Type	‎802.11ac
Number of USB 3.0 Ports	‎1
Average Battery Life (in hours)	‎10 Hours

Technical Details

Brand	‎Lenovo
Series	‎Chromebook S330
Item model number	‎81JW0001US
Hardware Platform	‎PC
Operating System	‎Chrome OS
Item Weight	‎3.3 pounds
Product Dimensions	‎14 x 10 x 2 inches
Item Dimensions LxWxH	‎14 x 10 x 2 inches
Color	‎Black
Rear Webcam Resolution	‎1 MP
Processor Brand	‎Qualcomm
Processor Count	‎2
Computer Memory Type	‎DDR4 SDRAM
Flash Memory Size	‎32
Hard Drive Interface	‎Solid State
Hard Drive Rotational Speed	‎7200 RPM
Power Source	‎AC & Battery
Batteries	‎1 Lithium Metal batteries required. (included)

Design

It’s not Lenovo’s first shot at an affordable Chromebook, but the company knows how to make a durable, stylish laptop. The Lenovo Chromebook S330 81JW0001US is made from two sheets of thick plastic, a subtle business black. It has a nice finish, though it tends to pick up fingerprints on the lids. Other than that, it may not have the unique look of the Pixelbook, but it does look like the premium Lenovo Yoga Chromebook C630, the obvious Intel Core alternative.

The design of the Lenovo Chromebook S330 81JW0001US is more than skin deep, with the feel of a laptop twice its price. You won’t find creaky or sagging panels here, which are common in laptops under Rs 1,000. The same is true of some of our favorites in the budget-oriented category, like the Acer Aspire 1 and Acer Chromebook Spin 15. This Chromebook surpasses them all.

Display

Lenovo claims to be the first to offer the Lenovo Chromebook S330 81JW0001US with a 4K display, but we are waiting for the model to go on sale. As of now, we’ll be dealing with a more modest 1,920 x 1,080 panel. Still, for the average user, this resolution is good enough. This is a TN display, so the viewing angle is not as great as what you would find in an IPS display.

It’s not overly bright, though, so it’s bright enough to overcome normal office glare. If you keep the brightness at around 80 percent, everything will be visible in most situations. Options like the HP Chromebook 14 and Acer Chromebook 514 are much better.

Ports

Connectivity options on the Lenovo Chromebook S330 81JW0001US are ample but may be lacking for some users. On the left side, there’s a USB-C (DisplayPort and power connectors), USB 3.0, and HDMI ports, as well as an SD card for expanded storage. Like most Chromebooks running Google Chrome OS, the system comes with 100GB of Google Drive cloud storage for two years.

On the right side, there’s an audio jack, a power button, a volume rocker, and a Kensington lock slot. The included USB Type-C port is the only DC port and can be used as a DisplayPort connection. Hence, you have quite limited connectivity options, especially when it comes to charging a Chromebook.

Inputs

Apart from a sleek design, the keyboard is another cool feature that you need to look for. It’s laid out in a familiar Lenovo Chromebook S330 81JW0001US pattern, with a search key that replaces Caps Lock, with dedicated buttons for browser navigation, brightness, and volume keys along the top row. It feels intuitive and fast to use, something most people migrating from Windows will appreciate, but keep in mind that it lacks Page Up/Page Down and Home/End keys.

The touchpad is responsive and works as expected. The hinges open up to 180 degrees, which means you can lay the laptop flat on a table, though it lacks rubberized edges to keep it from skidding when used in a flat orientation.

Performance

Intel Core M-Series and Core i3-i5 Series CPUs could be perfect for powering Lenovo Chromebook S330 81JW0001US (budget and premium, respectively) because they offer better performance than the average Celeron chips. Our review unit comes equipped with a 2.1GHz MediaTek MT8173C processor, 64GB of flash storage, and 4GB of RAM—a combination that doesn’t offer much for multitaskers, but is fine-tuned for basic users, especially students.

It will let you perform basic computing tasks, such as allowing you to keep multiple browser tabs open and stream YouTube videos. The system is good for light graphical loads, as the Intel UHD Graphics 620 lacks muscle for gaming, but is suitable for streaming 1080p/60fps online media art.

You can boost the display to an external monitor at 4k/30Hz via the HDMI/USB-C port, but you may not get smooth pixels. For Full HD or less, you’ll be pretty fine.

If I were to rate the performance of the Lenovo Chromebook S330 81JW0001US convertible, it’s placed rightly among the Chromebooks we’ve reviewed before, though its performance falls behind the likes of HP’s Chromebook X2, which is a low-cost ARM laptop. This leads to the pack of laptops. Tabs launch fast and having a dozen browser tabs active doesn’t slow down the system. Regardless of the actual specifications, this Chromebook delivers some decent performance that most users would appreciate at this price point.

Battery Life

Chromebooks are pretty excellent with battery life, and the Lenovo Chromebook S330 81JW0001US doesn’t lose track. Its 45 Wh battery only manages over 10 hours on normal use, including continuous streaming and refreshing web pages, with screen brightness set to 150 nits.

This means that it can easily last a full day at work or school, something you’d be hard-pressed to crack on a similarly priced Windows notebook. You only need 1.5 to 2 hours to fully charge a Chromebook.

Our Rating | Excellent

The Lenovo Chromebook S330 81JW0001US has three redeeming features: It’s one of the most affordable Chromebooks out there, it’s well-designed, and it has a great battery.

Pros

• Great Value
• Excellent battery life
• Sturdy, classy design
• Thin bezels look great

Cons

• Limited CPU performance

Conclusion

In this Lenovo Chromebook S330 81JW0001US Review, we found that Lenovo’s latest Chromebook has three redeeming features: It’s one of the most affordable Chromebooks out there, it’s well-designed, and it has a great battery. But it’s also not too fast for use on complex tasks, and it functions properly as a budget notebook.

Is there a better option?

Nowhere near this price is a Windows 10 laptop that compares to build quality, performance, and battery life. The Lenovo IdeaPad 330 that comes really close won’t come close to portability, both in battery life and chassis size.

However, the Lenovo Chromebook S330 81JW0001US space has serious competitors. The ASUS C302CA-DHM4 is one such example, with an Intel Core m3 processor, 4GB of RAM, and 64GB of flash storage. Plus, if you want a 2-in-1 design with a touchscreen, Lenovo’s Chromebook C330 offers an excellent convertible experience.

Should you buy it?

Yes. If you’re in the market for a premium Chromebook—or even just an affordable laptop—the Lenovo Chromebook S330 81JW0001US is an excellent choice.