The Flex 3i proves to be a well-made, sturdy device right from the start. It is encased in a silver and gray body, is reasonably thick, and weighs about 1.25 kg. The top of the lid is marked with the Chromebook and Lenovo branding, and it takes two hands to open the lid. Opening the lid reveals a spacious keyboard and a decent-sized trackpad. The speakers are top baked and placed above the keyboard; the 11.6″ IPS screen has HD resolution (1,366 x 768), brightness of 250 nits, and supports touch controls. A wide bezel is visible around it, and a webcam with physical shutter is present at the top. The webcam is a basic 720p, but it has a physical shutter, which is nice for privacy.
The keyboard on the IdeaPad Flex 3i Chromebook is spacious and doesn’t require much getting used to. The keys are a bit mushy and there is no backlighting, but other than that, I found the keyboard to be good for day-to-day typing tasks. The trackpad also responds decently, but I do notice that the mouse pointer sometimes jumps around a bit; you’ll notice that on Windows laptops, the top row of keys, including the function keys, are different buttons in this case. Apart from the dedicated keys for back, forward, and refresh (which work in Chrome), there are also keys here for adjusting brightness and volume.
Fortunately, Lenovo has not compromised on ports and connectivity in an era when many high-end laptops skimp on ports. This is a budget Chromebook, but the port selection is quite good for the price. On the left side is a USB-C 3.2 Gen 1 port for charging, a USB Type-A 3.2 Gen 1 port, a 3.5mm headphone jack, and an SD card reader. On the right side is a Kensington Lock port, as well as a second USB Type-A port and a full-size HDMI 1.4 port. However, an additional Type-C port on the right side would have been just the icing on the cake.
The 11.6″ for a laptop feels a bit small, especially if you are using a large 14″ or 15″ laptop. On the other hand, this display size is ideal for watching videos in tab mode or swiping through Candy Crush. That said, the Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 3i Chromebook does feature very large bezels. In an era of narrow bezels, this Chromebook’s huge chin and overall thick bezel were not very pleasing. The brightness of the Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 3i Chromebook was also a concern, especially when working outdoors. Indoors, the video quality is spotless. However, the same cannot be said when taken outside.
