Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5i 14 in the test: It hurts when you choose Intel
RRP $ 735.00
“The Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5i 14 lost performance and battery life in the transition from AMD to Intel. Add a bad display and it's hard to recommend. "
advantages
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Solid build quality
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Comfortable keyboard and touchpad
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Good speakers
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Active pen included
disadvantage
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Inconspicuous achievement
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Mediocre battery life
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I tested the AMD Ryzen version of the Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5 14 convertible 2-in-1 laptop last year and found that it offers a ton of performance for a very attractive $ 600 price tag. It didn't quite make our list of the best budget laptops, but it came close. This year I was given the chance to review the 2021 update which won't change much – most importantly, Intel is up to date this time around. I was curious to see how this version fares.
I tested the $ 735 mid-range configuration of the IdeaPad Flex 5i 14 with a Core i5-1135G7, which is the right Intel chip to compare to the Ryzen 5 4500U in the previous review unit. That's barely a budget laptop price point (though it doubles the memory over the AMD machine), and I found the Intel version to offer a lower value proposition than last year's model. You can get a Core i3 for the more attractive $ 570, but you're giving up half the memory and storage. In the end, it proves why AMD continues to lead the way in budget laptops.
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The IdeaPad Flex 5i 14 has essentially the same construction as the previous model, only this time fiberglass is mixed with the plastic in the lid to give it a more stable feel. The rest of the case is made entirely of plastic but still feels solid – more so than some premium laptops that use magnesium alloy to reduce weight. Compared to the budget-conscious and fairly flexible Asus VivoBook Flip 14, which uses plastic in the case and aluminum alloy in the lid, the IdeaPad Flex 5i feels like a million dollars.
The IdeaPad's hinge is surprisingly good too, it's loose enough to open with one hand, but stiffens when it reaches an upright position to keep it in place in clamshell, tent, media, and tablet modes and hold in place. Overall, the build quality of the IdeaPad Flex 5i exceeds its price.
Mark Coppock / Digital Trends
Mark Coppock / Digital Trends
Mark Coppock / Digital Trends
The 2-in-1 retains its dark gray aesthetic, with just a touch of chrome in the Lenovo logo on the lid and keyboard deck. It's a very understated look, with a few angles to give it a streamlined look, but otherwise avoids any bling or oomph. Lenovo's budget and mid-range laptops have been minimalist in design for a number of years, and the IdeaPad Flex 5i is keeping that trend alive. The Asus VivoBook Flip 14 is a little more dynamic in its appearance, but that doesn't mean it looks better – it actually suffers from a lime green border around the Enter key that breaks up its color scheme. I'd say the IdeaPad Flex 5i looks better than it costs, and it won't make you feel like putting it to sleep when you take it to a posh coffee shop.
Like last year's model, however, the IdeaPad Flex 5i 14 is larger than it should be. The display bezels are thin on the sides but large at the top, and the chin is huge. That makes it deeper than necessary. It's also quite thick at 0.82 inches and a bit heavy at 3.3 pounds. The Lenovo Yoga 7i 14 (about $ 200 more than the IdeaPad) is 0.69 inches and 3.09 pounds, while the Asus VivoBook Flip 14 is 0.72 inches and 3.31 pounds. If there is one area where the IdeaPad Flex 5i proves its low price, it is the oversized chassis.
Connectivity is solid, with a proprietary power connector (though my review unit came with a USB-C charger), a USB-C 3.2 port, a full-size HDMI 1.4b port, and a 3.5mm audio jack on the left, and two USB-A 3.2 ports and a full-size SD card reader on the right. Unfortunately, there is no Thunderbolt 4 support, which is disappointing even at $ 735. Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.0 offer wireless connectivity.
Mark Coppock / Digital Trends
Mark Coppock / Digital Trends
Mark Coppock / Digital Trends
power
We praised the AMD version of the IdeaPad Flex 5 for its performance thanks to the Ryzen 5 4500U. That was impressive back then, but what a difference a year makes. That's now a previous generation chip, and the new Ryzen 5000 series processors are significantly faster – and the delta between the previous version and the current 11th generation Intel version is also less significant. My test device equipped the Core i5-1135G7 to go with 16 GB RAM and a 512 GB Solid State Drive (SSD), so that we can compare not only with the previous model from AMD, but also with current laptops.
Don't bother playing.
In all cases, except against the Acer Aspire 5 with its Core i3-1115G4, which was included for a bit of contrast, the IdeaPad Flex 5i could not convince. With the exception of the 3DMark Time Spy test, it was slightly slower overall than the previous AMD model, including our Handbrake test which encodes a 420MB video as H.265. In all of our benchmarks, it was also slower than the other Core i5 laptops on our list, especially the Lenovo ThinkBook 13s Gen 2. The difference isn't huge, but it is enough to place the IdeaPad Flex 5i in the lower end of our comparison group .
In real use, I didn't notice that the IdeaPad Flex 5i is a slow laptop. On the other hand, virtually all modern laptops are fast enough to run Windows 10 and basic productivity tasks like web browsing, Office apps, and the like without slowing down. When you need an extra boost in performance for heavy-duty multitasking or more intense tasks, you may notice a hiccup or two. I would rate the performance as acceptable for the price, but nothing to write home about.
| Geekbench (single / multiple) | Handbrake (Seconds) |
Cinebench R23 (single / multiple) | PCMark 10 | 3DMark time spy | |
| Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5i 14 (Core i5-1135G7) |
1397/4301 | 213 | 1325/4411 | 4550 | 1026 |
| Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5 14 2020 (Ryzen 5 4500U) |
1096/4543 | 160 | n / A | n / A | 957 |
| Asus VivoBook Flip 14 (Ryzen 5 5500U) | 1102/5432 | 131 | 1180/7579 | 5191 | 1099 |
| Lenovo ThinkBook 13s Gen 2 (Core i5-1135G7) |
1406/5379 | 178 | 1357/5502 | 4668 | 1511 |
| HP Envy 14 (Core i5-1135G7) | 1549/5431 | 204 | 1399/4585 | n / A | 1380 |
| Acer Aspire 5 2021 (Core i3-1115G4) | 1215/2544 | 300 | 1274/3128 | 3752 | 652 |
Don't bother playing. The IdeaPad Flex 5i is limited to the Intel Iris Xe graphics and didn't do very well even for that chip. The 3DMark Time Spy test wasn't great, only reaching 16 frames per second (fps) at 1080p and high graphics in Fortnite. You'll want to look your gaming needs elsewhere.
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Mark Coppock / Digital Trends
The second time I turned on the IdeaPad Flex 5i 14, I knew that the 14-inch Full HD IPS display (1920×1080) would be its biggest weakness. The colors seemed unusual, the screen had an unpleasant yellow-green cast and the contrast didn't blow me away. I don't often respond that badly to a display, but this one was disappointing. Note that the display is in the old school 16: 9 aspect ratio, as larger displays haven't gotten that advanced on budget laptops.
My colorimeter has largely confirmed this subjective experience. Initially, the brightness was low at just 231 nits, well below our preferred threshold of 300 nits. This means that the display may be difficult to see in bright overhead lighting. At 800: 1, the contrast was better than I expected (but again below our preferred level, 1000: 1). The colors were very narrow with only 49% of AdobeRGB and 65% of sRGB – midrange and premium laptops are around 72% and 95% or better – and the color accuracy was just okay with a DeltaE of 2.37 ( 1.0 or less is excellent).
Yes, budget laptops often save on the display. For example, the Asus VivoBook Flip 14 was remarkably similar with 230 nits of brightness, a contrast ratio of 720: 1, 50% AdobeRGB and 66% sRGB, and a color accuracy of 2.62. However, that doesn't change the fact that these displays are not pleasant to use even for simple productivity work and are nowhere near what creatives are looking for.
The sound was better, with upward-facing speakers flanking the keyboard on either side. The volume was more than acceptable with no distortion, and while the bass was absent, the mids and highs were clear. These speakers allow you to watch Netflix and listen to music, which is better than most budget devices.
Mark Coppock / Digital Trends
Keyboard and touchpad
The IdeaPad Flex 5i has the standard Lenovo keyboard that you find on everything but the ThinkPad range. It's shallower than I'd like, but it has enough click and comfortable floor motion to allow precise typing. The generous key spacing and key size make this keyboard a good budget keyboard that is just a few steps behind great keyboards like the Specter line from HP and the Apple Magic Keyboard. Fast typists should get used to this keyboard quickly enough and familiarize themselves with it in a short time.
The touchpad is good too, with a decent size and a smooth and comfortable surface. The Microsoft Precision touchpad drivers enable the full suite of Windows 10 multi-touch gestures, all of which worked well. I have no complaints.
The touch display was responsive and Lenovo includes an active pen with 4,096 levels of pressure sensitivity. I found it pretty good for sketching (not that I'm an artist) and handwriting on the display, though the 14-inch display and overall mass of the 2-in-1 made it uncomfortable in tablet mode. Still, the pen in the box is a plus that few budget laptops can compete with. As an added bonus, take a close look at the materials included in the box and you'll find a tiny pen holder that plugs into a USB-A port and keeps the pen handy. This, of course, blocks both ports, so you'll have to remove the pin to connect a peripheral.
Finally, Windows 10 Hello support is provided through a fingerprint reader in the upper right corner of the keyboard deck. It was quick and reliable. Lenovo also outfitted the IdeaPad Flex 5i with its ThinkShutter privacy screen for the webcam – just slide it over it and the lens is physically blocked, giving you a touch of privacy.
Battery life
Mark Coppock / Digital Trends
The IdeaPad Flex 5i retains the 52.5 watt-hour battery of its predecessor, which, in combination with the Core i5 and the 14-inch Full HD display, made me wonder what longevity I can expect. The AMD model was just fine in terms of battery life and could potentially last a full day on one charge if you don't try too hard.
Overall, the battery life of the IdeaPad Flex 5i is disappointing.
According to our benchmarks, the Intel version is just below this all-day battery life threshold. It took us just 7.25 hours in our web browsing test, compared to the eight hours on the AMD version and 11.5 hours when looping our local Avengers test video, which took the AMD version 11 hours. So that's a hit, even though the web test gives a better idea of productivity performance. The Asus VivoBook Flip 14 managed nine hours in the Internet surfing and 12 hours in the video test – certainly stronger values.
I also ran the PCMark 10 Applications battery test, which saw the IdeaPad Flex 5i last nine hours. That's only seven minutes less than the AMD version, but below the 10 or more hours we've seen as a minimum on most of the other laptops we tested. This is the best test of battery life, and the IdeaPad Flex 5i didn't do as well. It lasted almost two minutes in the PCMark 10 gaming battery test, which is about average for this test.
Overall, the battery life of the IdeaPad Flex 5i is disappointing. Like the AMD version, it can get you through a day of work if your workflow is easy, but doing real work without a plug-in can be a challenge.
Our opinion
For $ 600, the AMD version of the IdeaPad Flex 5 14 was a good bargain. At $ 735, with the main difference being a 512GB SSD versus a 256GB SSD, the latest IdeaPad Flex 5i isn't quite as attractive. It doesn't work that well and can't compete with some other laptops with the same CPU. The battery life is unimpressive and the display – albeit just as bad as on the previous version – is a real disappointment.
There are other laptops in this price range that are worth more for their money. The IdeaPad Flex 5i 14 lost its luster with the move to Intel, and I can't recommend much.
Are there alternatives?
The Asus VivoBook Flip 14 is about the same price and offers significantly better performance. The display and battery life aren't better, but at least you get a faster laptop that can handle more demanding workloads.
If you don't need a 2-in-1, the Asus ZenBook 13 OLED UM325UA is a great choice. It's only a few hundred dollars away from the IdeaPad Flex 5i, but it has much better performance, a beautiful and color-accurate OLED display, and a 1TB PCIe SSD. If your budget can handle it, the ZenBook 13 should be on your list.
Another 2-in-1 to consider is the HP Envy x360 13. It's an AMD machine too, and so much faster, and it has a much better display. It's a bit more expensive too, but well worth the extra money.
How long it will take?
The IdeaPad Flex 5i 14 offers a solid construction that should instill confidence after years of use. Its components are state-of-the-art, if not the fastest, so you can stay productive for just as long. You won't like the industry standard one year warranty.
Should you buy it?
No. Take the power of the AMD processor from its predecessor and add more than $ 100 in price, and the IdeaPad Flex 5i 14 isn't that big a bargain.
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