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A Chromebook has a natural set of limitations that need to be considered, but the Lenovo 100S is priced low but doesn't come off as cheap. It has a solid feel, and the aluminum palm rest gives the illusion of a much higher quality machine. Still, as much as it doesn't feel cheap, it doesn't feel like a premium product, either.
We liked
Performance on the small machine is perfectly adequate for just about every task a Chromebook needs to do. The keyboard has a good feel and the tiny bezel around the trackpad gives it a nice shiny break up of the otherwise all-black shell.
We didn't like
Stains are a big problem. Anyplace your hand touches gets marked, and if a child will be using the Lenovo 100S, look forward to a lot of messy fingerprints. The stickers that identify the keys on the keyboard seem like they won't stand up to extended use. Having to close and restart tabs is a pain, but that shouldn't crop up unless you're a messy browser user.
Final verdict
The Lenovo 100S Chromebook is far from a perfect machine, but it does everything you would expect from a $180 laptop. In fact, strictly on price alone, the machine does more than it should. Given that the price is so low, you should consider buying one or two for your kids to kick around the house.
The screen and speakers provide an experience well suited for watching pre-loaded movies on the road, and the long battery life means movie after movie, or song after song, can be enjoyed away from an outlet. The matte finish screen even holds its own outside, making this laptop a great choice for anyone looking to use it in a myriad of locations.
Minor performance complaints aside, the Lenovo 100S is a competent, wholly adequate machine. It won't blow you away with its features, but neither will it disappoint by being severely underpowered or feeling like a child's plaything. For less than the price of a New Nintendo 3DS XL, you can have a laptop that does everything you would probably use a Chromebook for, anyway.
