Lenovo Launches 100e, 300e, 500e, ThinkPad 11e MIL-SPEC Windows Laptops And Chromebooks For Education

School is in session, and Lenovo hopes to be the dean of academics. The company just announced its biggest lineup of education laptops and convertibles ever, including both Windows notebooks and Chrome OS Chromebooks, with prices starting as low as $219. These new offerings bring vary feature-sets to the table, such as multi-mode form factors, and each one is ruggedized and MIL-SPEC tested.

Sitting at the bottom of the stack is the Lenovo 100e. There are two versions, one with Windows and the other a Chromebook. The Windows version sports "up to" an 11.6-inch display with a 1366x768 resolution powered by an Intel Celeron N3450 Apollo Lake processor and up to 4GB of LPDDR4 RAM. It also has up to 128GB of eMMC storage, a reversible HD camera, spill-proof keyboard, and a 45Wh batter that's good for up to 10 hours of battery life.


The Chromebook version is similarly configured, but with a Intel Celeron N3350 processor inside, 4GB of RAM, and 32GB of eMMC storage. It has a slightly smaller 42Wh battery, however Lenovo claims the same longevitiy—up to 10 hours. Lenovo also says these laptops are drop resistant up to 29.5 inches (75 cm).

Pricing for the 100e starts at $219.


For those who need a multi-mode form factor, the 300e answers the call. Like the 100e, it is available with Windows 10 or Chrome OS and sports an 11.6-inch HD display, but with multi-touch support. The Chromebook model pairs a MediaTek MTK 8137C processor with 4GB of RAM and 32GB of eMMC storage, while the Windows 10 model is outfitted with up to an Intel Pentinum chip and more RAM (up to 8GB) and more storage (up to 64GB eMMC or 128GB SSD). Lenovo claims up to 8 hours of battery life on the Windows 10 variant and up to 10 hours on the Chromebook versions.

Pricing for the 300e starts at $279.


Moving up the totem pole, the Lenovo 500e is strictly a Chromebook. It has an 11.6-inch HD IPS panel that is powered by an Intel Celeron N3450 processor, 4GB or 8GB of RAM, 32GB or 64GB of eMMC storage, two USB 3.0 ports, two USB-C ports, and a water-resistant keyboard and touchpad. It also has a 5-megapixel camera and up offers up to 10 hours of battery life, enough to get through the school day.

Pricing for the 500e starts at $349.


Finally, Lenovo also unveiled 5th generation ThinkPad 11e and ThinkPad 11e Yoga, both also with an 11.6-inch HD IPS display. The company didn't go into great detail on either model, but did say they will be thinner and lighter than previous generation models, with improved battery life of up to 12 hours. They've also been updated with the "latest Intel N series processors" and have undergone a dozen MIL-SPEC tests to ensure they can withstand the "rigors of classroom life." Also new this year is touch support on the ThinkPad 11e.

Pricing starts at $429 for the ThinkPad 11e, and $499 for the ThinkPad 11e Yoga, both of which will be available next month.