Table of Contents
amazon Lenovo Flex 5i Chromebook reviews
The Lenovo Flex 5i Chromebook is a great convertible laptop that’s incredibly versatile and has good battery life, but we just wish it offered more storage options. However, it boasts solid performance, a sleek design, and a comfortable keyboard, all at a reasonable price point.
The Lenovo Flex 5i is a convertible version of our favorite IdeaPad 5i and gives Chromebook enthusiasts a more affordable 2-in-1 form factor to work with. Here you’ll find a 1080p display that can rotate 360 degrees, a pretty powerful 11th Gen Intel processor, and a massive battery, all packed into a flimsy piece of hardware. It competes with the likes of the Samsung Galaxy Chromebook 2 and other Chromebooks under $500.
Indeed, this laptop stands out as an attractive all-rounder, offering some good components at a very reasonable price. Along with that Intel CPU, the highlights start with the 13-inch touchscreen. It offers a Full HD resolution of 1,920 x 1,080 pixels and IPS panel technology. As a ‘Flex’ model, the display is expected to fit into the IdeaPad’s frame via a full 360-degree hinge and can therefore be used in full Tablet mode.
At this price point, something comes up, and as reviewed, the most obvious downside is the meager 64GB of storage. It shouldn’t have a big impact on performance since you’ll be running most of your tasks on browser tabs, but if you need to download a lot of files, that can be limited. In that case, you can get an external hard drive to store most of your files, but the 8GB RAM provides a good level for running most day-to-day tasks.
In previous iterations of the IdeaPad Flex 5, we had issues with average battery life and overheating, but with the Flex 5i, it seems the issues have been resolved. Now, offering long battery life and improved cooling, nothing can hold back the Lenovo Flex 5i Chromebook.
Specifications
Vocational College laptop class
Display 13.3-inch IPS LCD, 1,920 x 1,080
11th Gen Intel Core i3 Processor
Smash 8GB LPDDR4x
Storage 64GB
720p Webcam, Privacy Shade
Dimensions 12.2 x 8.43 x 0.67 inches
Weight 2.97 pounds
Color Abyss Blue
Design
The IdeaPad Flex 5i 13 uses the same design as the previous model, with aluminum on the lid for a more solid feel. The rest of the chassis is made from a mixture of polycarbonate and polymer, but it still feels solid – even stiffer than some high-end laptops that use magnesium alloys to keep the weight down. Compared to the affordable and fairly bendable Asus VivoBook Flip 14 which uses plastic in the chassis and aluminum alloy lining on the lid, the Lenovo Flex 5i feels more luxurious.
The Flex 5i 13’s hinge also feels good and is flexible enough to open with one hand, but then gets a bit stiff when it reaches an upright position to hold in place in a clamshell, tent, or vehicle mode. Overall, the build quality of this IdeaPad exceeds its budget price.
The 2-in-1 maintains its Abyss Blue aesthetic, with just a touch of chrome in the Lenovo logo on the lid and keyboard deck, catching up with the minimalist trend that Lenovo has used in its low- and mid-range designs. The Asus VivoBook Flip 14 is a bit provocative in its looks, but that doesn’t mean it looks better than the Flex 5.
Like its predecessor, the IdeaPad Flex 5i 13 looks bigger than it is. Its screen bezels are thin on the sides but large at the top and bottom. That gives it quite a bit more insight than it should. It’s also quite thin at 0.67 inches and fairly light at 2.97 pounds, while the comparable Asus VivoBook Flip 14 measures 0.72 inches and 3.31 pounds.
The port selection is excellent. You get two USB-C 3.1 Gen 1 ports that support Power Delivery 3.0 and Display Port 1.4, one on either side, as well as a USB-A 3.1 Gen 1 port on the left. The Flex 5i also has a microSD card slot and a headphone/microphone combo jack along the left edge. There’s also a power button, volume switch, and Kensington lock on the right edge.
Screen
On the Flex 5i, Lenovo doesn’t try to push any boundaries when it comes to choosing the display panel. Chromebooks come with a standard display that gets the job done without setting itself apart from the competition. The screen measures 13.3 inches and has a 16:9 aspect ratio, both of which are common in mid-range Chromebooks.
The screen is big enough to work with and the shape is bright enough to watch video content, although I’d prefer a taller display, like the 16:10 aspect ratio screen on the MSI Creator Z16 or the Apple MacBook Pro.
Lenovo uses the typical Full HD resolution (1,920 x 1,080) that you’ll find on most monitors in this segment. This resolution is more than ideal for casual use, delivering sharp details on web pages and keeping documents and spreadsheets readable, even when working with small fonts.
The video content you’ll find on the web and streaming services is mostly good. Full HD resolution may not be enough for you if you are doing complex tasks like editing photos or videos.
The 250 nits brightness of the 13.3-inch IPS LCD is fine for this type of device, but it could be better. The screen provides enough light for indoor viewing and working conditions, but it’s harder to read outdoors, especially when there’s a bright sun.
The colors look accurate and viewing angles are generous with a glossy finish, but it doesn’t come with annoying reflections or glare. Finally, it’s a touchscreen and supports 10-point multitouch – it responds to finger-based input and is used with the Stylus (sold separately).
Keyboard And Trackpad
The Flex 5i has a keyboard with a decent feel, and the deck is one of the best you’ll get on a Chromebook. The touchpad is also great. The keyboard is visually striking, it has black keys that complement the blue of the overall shade. The keyboard surface is concave, with the keys protruding just right against the polycarbonate surface.
The individual key sizes and shapes are exactly what you want from a laptop keyboard. More importantly, the key journey and the feedback are great. Also, the keys are backlit but the lighting underneath the keys could be brighter, which is still enough to ensure the keys are visible in any ambient light.
The trackpad has a good side too, but we’ve found it better on Chromebooks. The size is fine and it never feels like you’re moving the cursor around the screen. Lenovo uses mylar instead of glass, although it’s almost the same as glass. We love the real glass trackpad, especially at this price point. However, it still feels responsive and solid.
where can you get a Lenovo Flex 5i Chromebook online
Lenovo Flex 5i Chromebook 13.3” Full HD 2-in-1 Touchscreen Laptop, Intel Core i3-1115G4, 8GB RAM, 128GB SSD, Intel UHD Graphics, Chrome OS, Abyss Blue: Buy it now
2022 Lenovo Flex 5i 13.3″ FHD IPS Touchscreen 2-in-1 Chromebook Laptop 11th Gen 2-Core Intel i3-1135G4 8GB DDR4 256GB NVMe SSD UHD Graphics USB-C Wi-Fi 6 Backlit Keyboard w/ RE 32GB USB Drive: Buy it now
Efficiency
For a device designed for content consumption only, the Lenovo Flex 5i gets the job done. With the combination of an Intel Core i3-1115G4 chip, 8GB of RAM, and 64GB of storage, this Chromebook delivers a responsive experience within certain limits. For example, if you open a few tabs in the browser and edit a text document, all runs fine.
However, increase the number of tabs and run some image editing at the same time, and everything will stop in relative terms. Of course, having 8GB of RAM helps with everything, but it’s still limited to the number of complex tasks you can run on this Chromebook.
Given other metrics, performance is a mixed bag, unsurprisingly positioning this market. The 13.3-inch 1080p IPS display has good colors but will be brighter. The Flex 5i has speakers mounted on either side of the keyboard and tuned by Waves Audio, which provides a balanced sound. Also, the webcam is rated at 720p, which simply isn’t pixelated enough but it looks fine and comes with a physical shutter that can cover the camera when you’re not using it.
Battery life
Lenovo says the Flex 5i will last more than 10 hours on a single charge. The company did not clarify whether those numbers apply to the Core i3 or i5 or the LCD or OLED variants of the machine. Either way, you don’t get those results. Flex will give you around nine hours of continuous run time and nine and a half hours in some cases. This should get most users through the work or school day, although it may not be enough if you find yourself working late into the night.
The included 47W charger plugs into one of the two USB-C ports and takes about three hours to fully charge the Flex 5i. Competing Chromebooks work much faster.
Identify
For the price, the Intel Core i3 version of the Lenovo Flex 5i (82M7000SUX) is a bargain with good performance. Competing in the sub-$500-$600 segment takes a lot and Lenovo has done its homework well. Many of the best Chromebooks dominate this space and competing properly in terms of specs, design, and day-to-day performance requires some industry experience to get things right.
To that end, I think Lenovo has done a great job and delivered a solid product in the Flex 5i. This Chromebook isn’t necessarily the best in any area, but overall, it’s a lot more than its price to deliver good performance. When it comes to memory loss, it has a display and battery life that matches most of the competition.
The keyboard, trackpad, and ports are all useful, and while the webcam would be better, the privacy shade is much appreciated, and the speakers the best possible. Perhaps one aspect that sets the Lenovo Flex 5i apart from its peers is its sleek design, with its attractive Abyss Blue color theme. The closest competitor is the Samsung Galaxy Chromebook 2, and while this Samsung svelte can be configured with the same Full HD, Core i3, RAM, and better storage, its price tag would be too hot to deal with handle.