Lenovo Chromebook 14" 2-in-1 Chromebook Plus Review
The Lenovo Chromebook Plus is ultra-portable and packed with 16GB of RAM, but its Intel CPU lands in a sluggish 37th percentile. Is it still worth the price?
Overview
The Lenovo Chromebook Plus is a 14-inch 2-in-1 that lands in the 78th percentile for compactness. That 1.49kg weight and 50Wh battery make it a genuinely easy carry. And with 16GB of DDR5 RAM and a 512GB NVMe SSD, it's got more muscle than most Chromebooks you'll see. But that Intel 250U CPU? It sits in the 37th percentile for performance. This isn't a speed demon, and our scores show it's best for compact use (33.6/100), not heavy lifting.
Performance
Let's be clear: this is a Chromebook, not a laptop. The Intel 250U's 10 cores put CPU performance in the 37th percentile. For web apps, Google Docs, and a dozen Chrome tabs, it's perfectly fine. But you'll feel it strain with heavier web apps or Android apps. The integrated Intel Graphics land at the 51st percentile for GPU, which is exactly what you'd expect. It can handle a 4K YouTube stream, but gaming is its weakest area at 8.6 out of 100. The 16GB of RAM is a real highlight, though, sitting at the 51st percentile and giving you plenty of headroom for multitasking.
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Great portability: Its 78th percentile compact score and 1.49kg weight make it super easy to carry. 76th
- Solid multitasking base: 16GB of DDR5 RAM gives you plenty of breathing room for Chrome tabs and apps. 76th
- Good connectivity: It's in the 75th percentile for ports, with HDMI 1.4b and WiFi 6E included. 75th
- Reliable build: A 76th percentile reliability score suggests it's built to last. 68th
- Useful 2-in-1 features: The touchscreen and backlit keyboard add real day-to-day convenience.
Cons
- Mediocre processor: The Intel 250U CPU is in the 37th percentile, so don't expect blazing speed.
- Average screen: The 51st percentile screen ranking means it's fine, but not a standout.
- Not for gaming: A score of 8.6/100 in gaming means it's basically a non-starter.
- Storage is just okay: The 512GB SSD sits at the 47th percentile, which is middle of the road.
- Battery capacity is modest: The 50Wh pack might need a charge sooner than some competitors.
Specifications
Full Specifications
Processor
| CPU | Intel Core 7 250U |
| Cores | 10 |
| L3 Cache | 12 MB |
Graphics
| GPU | Intel Graphics |
| Type | integrated |
Memory & Storage
| RAM | 16 GB |
| RAM Generation | DDR5 |
| Storage | 512 GB |
| Storage Type | NVMe SSD |
Display
| Size | 14" |
| Resolution | 1920 (Full HD) |
| Panel | IPS |
| Refresh Rate | 60 Hz |
| Brightness | 300 nits |
| Color Gamut | 45% NTSC |
Connectivity
| HDMI | 1x HDMI 1.4b Output |
| Wi-Fi | WiFi 6E |
| Bluetooth | Bluetooth 5.3 |
Physical
| Weight | 1.5 kg / 3.3 lbs |
| Battery | 50 Wh |
| OS | Chrome OS |
Value & Pricing
At $979, the value proposition is tricky. You're paying for the 2-in-1 form factor, the 16GB of RAM, and the Chromebook Plus branding. Compared to a standard Chromebook, it's pricey. But if you compare it to a similarly-specced Windows 2-in-1, the price starts to look more reasonable, especially with that reliability score. You're not getting raw power for your dollar, you're getting portability and a specific Chrome OS experience.
Price History
vs Competition
Stack it up against the competition and the trade-offs are clear. The ASUS Zenbook Duo offers way more screen real estate and likely more power for creative work, but it's heavier and more expensive. The Lenovo ThinkPad P14s Gen 6 is a proper Windows business laptop with likely much stronger CPU performance, but it won't have the same tablet-mode flexibility. Against an Apple MacBook Pro? Forget it, that's a different league of performance and price. This Chromebook carves its niche by being lighter than the ThinkPad, simpler than the Zenbook Duo, and far more affordable than the MacBook.
| Spec | Lenovo Chromebook 14" 2-in-1 Chromebook Plus | Apple MacBook Pro Apple 14" MacBook Pro (M5, Nano-Texture Glass, | ASUS ROG Flow ASUS ROG Flow - AMD Ryzen AI MAX+ 395 AMD Radeon | Samsung Galaxy Book5 Pro Samsung - Galaxy Book5 Pro - Copilot+ PC - 14" 3K | MSI Prestige MSI - Prestige 13”AI+ - Ukiyoe Edition 13.3"OLED | Microsoft Surface Laptop Microsoft - Surface Laptop - 13.8" 2K Touchscreen |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CPU | Intel Core 7 250U | Apple M5 | AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395 | Intel Core Ultra 7 Series 2 | Intel Core Ultra 7 258V | Qualcomm Snapdragon X Plus X1P-64-100 |
| RAM (GB) | 16 | 24 | 128 | 32 | 32 | 32 |
| Storage (GB) | 512 | 2048 | 1024 | 1000 | 1000 | 1000 |
| Screen | 14" 1920x1200 | 14.2" 3024x1964 | 13.4" 2560x1600 | 14" 2880x1800 | 13.3" 2880x1800 | 13.8" 2304x1536 |
| GPU | Intel Graphics | Apple (10-Core) | AMD Radeon 8060 | Intel Arc Graphics | Intel Arc Graphics | Qualcomm X1 |
| OS | Chrome OS | macOS | Windows 11 Pro | Windows 11 Home | Windows 11 Home | Windows 11 Home |
| Weight (kg) | 1.5 | 1.5 | 1.2 | 1.2 | 1 | 1.3 |
| Battery (Wh) | 50 | 72 | 70 | - | - | - |
| Compare | Compare | Compare | Compare | Compare |
| Product | Cpu | Gpu | Ram | Port | Screen | Compact | Storage | Reliability |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lenovo Chromebook 14" 2-in-1 Chromebook Plus | 50.1 | 58.5 | 60.9 | 75 | 68 | 76.2 | 59.2 | 75.6 |
| Apple MacBook Pro 14" Compare | 82.9 | 20.6 | 68.5 | 90.6 | 96.9 | 73.4 | 95.2 | 94.8 |
| ASUS ROG Flow GZ302EA-XS99 Compare | 95.5 | 80.9 | 99.5 | 98.9 | 89.8 | 93.4 | 76.6 | 55.8 |
| Samsung Galaxy Book5 Pro Galaxy Book5 Pro 14" 3K Compare | 69 | 66.6 | 86.9 | 90.6 | 93.5 | 84.9 | 72.3 | 75.6 |
| MSI Prestige 13”AI+ Ukiyoe Edition 13.3"OLED Compare | 65.7 | 66.6 | 86.9 | 98.3 | 90.6 | 95.5 | 72.3 | 55.8 |
| Microsoft Surface Laptop 13.8" 2K Touchscreen Compare | 95.1 | 42 | 86.9 | 94.7 | 81.2 | 87 | 72.3 | 75.6 |
Verdict
This Chromebook Plus is a solid pick if your needs are specific. You want a very portable 2-in-1 that's reliable, has enough RAM for serious tab hoarding, and you live entirely in the Chrome/Android ecosystem. The data shows it excels at being compact and dependable. But if you need real processing grunt, a stunning screen, or any gaming capability, the 37th percentile CPU and 51st percentile screen tell you to look elsewhere. It's a good device that knows exactly what it is.