Lenovo IdeaPad 15.6" N4500 2024, Celeron N4500, 4GB, 64GB eMMC, Arctic Grey

The Lenovo IdeaPad 3 Chromebook is a dirt-cheap 15.6-inch laptop that handles basic browsing and streaming fine, but the Celeron N4500 and 4GB RAM are dead last in our database. It's worth it at $234 USD for light use only. If you need real multitasking or performance, look elsewhere.

The Celeron N4500 sits at the 1st percentile for CPU performance in our database. That's dead last territory. It's a 2-core, 1.1GHz chip designed for basic tasks and nothing more. The 4GB of RAM is also at the 1st percentile, and the 64GB eMMC storage lands at the 4th percentile. This thing will handle a few Chrome tabs, Google Docs, and YouTube. Push it with more than a handful of tabs or any real multitasking and it'll start wheezing. The integrated Intel UHD Graphics are fine for video playback but useless for gaming, which scored a 3.7 out of 100. The 1080p display is at least Full HD, but it's a TN panel at 220 nits, which puts it at the 9th percentile for screens. Washed out colors and bad viewing angles are part of the deal.

Stacked against the competition, this IdeaPad is in a completely different league. The Apple MacBook Pro GSRF MWP42LL/A, HP OmniBook X Flip, ASUS Vivobook TP3407SA, Samsung Galaxy Book4 Edge, and MSI Summit A1MTG all cost several times more and offer dramatically better performance. But that's not really a fair fight. This Chromebook isn't competing with those machines. It's competing with used ThinkPads, other budget Chromebooks, and maybe a tablet with a keyboard. Against those, the 15.6-inch screen and low price give it some appeal. Against anything with an i3 or better, it gets left in the dust.

At $234 USD, this is one of the most affordable laptops in our database, sitting at the 94th percentile for affordability. For a student who just needs to write papers, check email, and watch Netflix, that's hard to argue with. But the EUR pricing tells a different story. Across DE, ES, FR, and IT, prices range from EUR 339 to EUR 559. That's a EUR 220 spread for the same machine. If you're in Europe, shop around and grab the EUR 339 listing if you can find it. Paying EUR 559 for a Celeron with 4GB of RAM is a bad deal, full stop.

The Lenovo IdeaPad 3 Chromebook is a budget machine that knows exactly what it is, a cheap way to get online, write papers, and stream video. You get a 15.6-inch 1080p display, a Celeron N4500, 4GB of RAM, and 64GB of eMMC storage. That spec sheet is modest, but the price tag is even more modest at around $234 USD.

Here's the thing though. The listing data is a mess. The product title says Celeron N4500 and ChromeOS, but the highlights section talks about a Core i3-1215U, Windows 11 Pro, and a touchscreen. That's a red flag. We're reviewing what the actual specs say: a Celeron-powered Chromebook. If you order this expecting an i3 Windows laptop, you're going to be disappointed.

If you need to run anything beyond a browser, skip this. The 4GB RAM and Celeron N4500 will choke on photo editing, coding environments, or even heavy spreadsheet work. If you want a machine that can handle 10+ Chrome tabs without freezing, look for something with at least 8GB of RAM and an i3 or Ryzen 3. And if the listing confusion bothers you, that's fair. A product page that can't decide if it's a Chromebook or a Windows laptop is a warning sign.

This is a machine for someone who needs the absolute cheapest way to get online with a full-size keyboard and screen. Students on a tight budget, grandparents who just want email and Facebook, or anyone who lives entirely in a browser will find it serviceable. The 4.3-star rating from 41 reviews suggests most buyers knew what they were getting and are happy with it. Just don't expect to multitask, run demanding apps, or do anything beyond the basics. And double-check the listing before you buy, because the spec confusion between ChromeOS and Windows 11 is a genuine concern.