13 Dec
Blog

Lockly Flex Touch Review: The Perfect First Smart Lock

The Lockly Flex Touch Smart Lock.

Lockly Flex-Touch

RRP $ 149.99

"The Lockly Flex Touch gives you many ways to lock and unlock your doors and make other adjustments, but some can be prevented by the additional cost of adding Wi-Fi controls."

benefits

  • Quick and easy installation

  • Responsive fingerprint scanner

  • Multiple ways to lock / unlock

  • Simple but efficient app

disadvantage

  • Bulky interior design

  • No battery

  • Requires Wi-Fi adapter for mobile functionality

Smart locks are a family of tried and tested smart home devices. For the most part, these latched internet connected peripherals have one job – to keep the door locked. The many bells and whistles, from fingerprint scanning to intuitive companion apps that offer a variety of controls for on the go, are secondary to the certainty that the lock will protect your home every night.

You can find a dizzying amount of smart lock brands on the shelves of brick and mortar and digital stores. Ideally, you want to balance a solid brand name with a great set of security and control features. Oh, and a decent price never hurt either.

Lockly, a formidable name in the smart lock market, has made a number of internet connected locks that we have installed and tested. The latest in the company's product range, the Lockly Flex Touch (available exclusively from Home Depot), does a great job offering a number of must-have smart lock features for less than $ 200. However, there are a few other features that the company hasn't built into the basic package lock (more on this below).

Read on to learn more about our experience with the Lockly Flex Touch.

Out of the box

The scope of delivery of the Lockly Flex Touch.

When you unpack the Lockly Flex Touch, you will find everything you need to install it. This includes the outer and inner lock peripherals (the latter with connected wiring harness), the bolt assembly, an assembly wiring harness and strike plate, screws for all components and an instruction manual. The lock should also come with an activation code card with the serial number and activation code of your Flex Touch.

The code is needed during setup and if you ever need to pair or replace your lock you will need the unique PIN again. After setting up the card, please keep it in a safe place.

The biometric fingerprint scanner is one of the best we've ever worked with.

Our first impression of the overall look and feel of the castle was pretty good. The outward-facing key cylinder made of satined nickel is durable but elegant. Aside from the fingerprint reader, the lock exterior actually looks like most of the traditional single cylinder locks you will find.

What impressed us less is the interior. It's big, at least when compared to most of the interior smart lock hardware. At seven inches high and nearly ten inches wide, the chassis is framed to hold the four AA batteries needed to power the Flex Touch. Let's just say it doesn't exactly fit most doors.

Easy installation, quick setup

The finished interior for the Lockly Flex Touch.

Attaching and turning on the Flex Touch was a pretty straightforward process.

To get started, you must first remove your existing lock and deadbolt. Similar to other smart locks, Lockly's included deadbolt assembly is designed for both 60mm and 70mm configurations, depending on the type of door you are working with. My door required an adjustment of the latch that was as simple as turning the latch body clockwise. You will feel and hear an audible click when the new fitting is locked.

Install the latch for the Lockly Flex Touch.

After the bolt has been screwed in, the outer lock only needs to be attached and the connection cable passed through, the inner mounting plate attached, the cable inserted and then the inner assembly screwed in place. Oh, and don't forget to pop in the four AA batteries. The Flex Touch is supposed to be included, but mine is not. So it is a good idea to make sure you have some extra batteries on hand before installing.

Before you put the battery cover on, you must hold down the programming button before inserting the last of your four AA batteries. A series of beeps will indicate that the lock is being calibrated on your door. Once the calibration is complete, you can download the Lockly Companion App (for iOS and Android devices).

Make sure your phone or tablet's bluetooth is turned on as this is how your Flex Touch will be controlled from your mobile device (more on this below). After you have been asked to enter your lock's unique activation code, general setup is complete. All said and done, you're probably looking for about half an hour (top) to install.

main features

The outer assembly of the Lockly Flex Touch.

With most smart locks around $ 200, the price of the Flex Touch is a bit lower than average, but don't expect a cheaper price to translate into less technology. While Lockly locked a number of the Flex Touch's mobile controls behind the Lockly Secure Link Wi-Fi Hub's paywall, the Flex Touch's basic functionality is pretty great.

The Lockly app has a simple layout and a number of easily accessible settings.

For starters, the biometric fingerprint scanner is one of the best we've ever worked with. Unlike more sensitive fingerprint smartlocks, which can get fussy in the rain or cold outdoors, the Flex Touch's print reader did a solid scan of my app-assigned finger every time and locked and unlocked it with almost no raids.

In fact, the only time I've had problems was after returning home from a long, cold walk. The print scanner made a mistake on the first read, but a simple re-scan was all it took. It is also good to know that the lock can store up to 99 individual fingerprints in case your dominant hand is otherwise busy or you want someone else to unlock the door.

Other important features include a reliable auto-lock function, physical backup keys and external 9V battery contacts when the AA batteries are empty, as well as quick and easy profile duplication to store your fingerprints and eKey-Passes on other Lockly Smarts Import locks.

Mobile control and the Lockly app

Three screens of the Lockly Companion app (on an iOS device).

One of the most convenient aspects of any smart lock is the ability to lock and unlock your doors on the go. Remote access is especially useful when you are on your way to the house in a car laden with groceries. Instead of fumbling for keys or deciding which finger to scan while balancing bags on either shoulder, you can simply open your lock app (after parking in the driveway, of course) and tap a button to open the door to unlock.

Yes, mobile controls are available for the Lockly Flex Touch. No, these functions are not included in the scope of delivery. If you want remote lock / unlock, multi-door lock, Alexa and Google Assistant commands, or real-time door monitoring, you need to purchase the aforementioned Lockly Secure Link Wi-Fi Hub for $ 80.

This means that a fully featured Flex Touch will cost you around $ 230. Not bad, but there are plenty of smart locks out there that include Wi-Fi controls, and sometimes for less than $ 200. Without the network module, the Flex Touch and Lockly companion apps run without bluetooth, which means you will still be able to lock / unlock the app as long as you are near the lock itself.

The Lockly app has a simple layout and a number of easily accessible settings. The start page lists the rooms in your house or houses and the Lockly devices assigned to them. If you select the Flex Touch, you will be taken to the lock status and control screen. A large blue lock / unlock button takes up most of the space, with controls, log, access, and additional settings at the bottom of the page. There's also a battery life indicator in the top right corner.

Fingerprint mapping is done through the Lockly app, and the process is a breeze. Once you tap Start, press your finger repeatedly on the scanner and lift it up when you hear a beep. As soon as the scanning process is complete, the pressure is logged in the Lockly app. You can assign multiple fingers to multiple users, and the lock administrator can enter imprints on as many Lockly devices as you want.

Adding a fingerprint in the Lockly Flex Touch app.

You can also use the app to monitor when and how (fingerprint, app, key) the Flex Touch was unlocked, adjust haptics and tones for the lock and app and add / remove users from your Lockly account.

Prices and guarantee

For now, you can only find Lockly Flex Touch in Home Depot stores and online at homedepot.com. The current retail price is $ 150, and the lock comes with a five-year limited mechanical warranty and a two-year electronics warranty.

Don't forget: if you want to use Alexa or Google Assistant to control the lock, or use other exclusive WiFi features, you need to include the Lockly Secure Link Wi-Fi Hub worth $ 80 in your total purchase price.

Our opinion

In our opinion, the Lockly Flex Touch is a great smart lock to get you started. It is a perfect gift for someone who is just getting started in the world of smart home technology. It's easy to install, the app is solid, and there are plenty of bluetooth-only features for you to enjoy. However, after a while, you will find that you want more.

When you get to that point, you can either invest in the Secure Link for additional functionality or maybe move the Flex Touch to a different door and invest in a new Smart Lock altogether.

Is there a better alternative?

Yes, especially if you want a smart lock that's instantly Wi-Fi enabled. One of our most popular smart locks, the August Wi-Fi Smart Lock, typically costs around $ 230, doesn't require a WiFi bridge, and is packed with incredible features and tons of app customizations.

If the budget matters, there is also the Wyze Lock. It's priced at around $ 130, it's quick to install, the app is great, and like the August Castle, it doesn't require a Wi-Fi bridge.

How long it will take?

Due to the generous mechanical guarantee period (five years), we assume that the Lockly Flex Touch will last a long time. Keep in mind that there is no rechargeable lithium-ion battery here, so you need to keep an eye on the battery life of the four AA batteries.

Lockly claims that the first round of batteries will give you about a year of useful life, but to be on the safe side, try replacing them every six to eight months.

Should you buy it?

Depends on. If you're looking for a cheap smart lock and just want to use bluetooth controls to begin with, the Lockly Flex Touch is a solid choice, especially when you consider the responsive fingerprint reader. However, with Wi-Fi built in, you can easily grab a network-enabled Smart Lock for just a few dollars more than the Flex Touch's $ 150 price point.

Editor's recommendations



01 Sep
Blog

Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5i 14 Review: Add Intel, Lose Speed

View of the Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5i 14 laptop fully open and sitting at an angle.

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

  • Solid build quality

  • Comfortable keyboard and touchpad

  • Good speakers

  • Active pen included

disadvantage

  • Inconspicuous achievement

  • Mediocre battery life

  • Unacceptable ad

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.

draft

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.

Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5i 14 folded into a tablet.

Mark Coppock / Digital Trends

Image of the Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5i 14 notebook folded back on the floor.

Mark Coppock / Digital Trends

Image of the Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5i 14 notebook folded back on the floor.

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.

Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5i 14 right-hand USB ports and SD card port.

Mark Coppock / Digital Trends

Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5i 14 USB ports on the right.

Mark Coppock / Digital Trends

Charging port, micro USB port, HDMI port and headphone jack on the left side of the Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5i 14.

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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Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5i 14 screen.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.

Close-up of the Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5i 14 stylus and speaker on the right.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.

Image of the Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5i 14, with keyboard, trackpad and stylus.

Close-up of the Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5i 14 trackpad and stylus.

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

Image of an open Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5i 14 laptop lying on the floor.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.

Editor's recommendations



18 Jul
Blog

Twinky Flex Review: A Neon Wall Light That Bends The Rules

Twinky Flex Rating Twinkly 8 out of 10

Twinkly Flex

RRP $ 100.00

"It's the neon light that you can continuously adapt to any shape and design at home."

advantages

  • Endless lighting adjustments with the app

  • Bright and dazzling colors

  • Bends easily for unique designs

disadvantage

  • No possibility to combine two tubes with each other

When it comes to Christmas lights, nobody does it better than the smart light maker Twinkly. I've been excited about the company's smart lighting line since I first saw it a few years ago. While the choices are quite large when it comes to Christmas lights, there really isn't anything that you could use all year round.

This is where the Twinkly Flex comes to the rescue, one of three brand new smart lighting solutions the company unveiled earlier this year during CES 2021. The flex is very similar to any other LED light strip, but it is encased in a sturdy tube that allows it to be bent or bent. Think of it as a neon wall light, but which can be moved into any position you want – for that unique, individual look.

installation

The Twinkly Flex measures 6.5 feet long followed by a cable of pretty much the same length that plugs into an electrical outlet. There are some double-sided adhesives and plastic sheets in the packaging to help shape the flex. I initially used the adhesives to design the word "love" on the wall, but found it all came apart the next morning – so I ended up using the screws provided to secure the plastic panels to the wall. It's extra work, but it hands out the weight and design better than just the adhesives.

Wall mounted plastic guides for holding the Twinkly Flex design.John Velasco / Digital Trends

One of the hardest things about installing the Flex has nothing to do with the actual installation. Instead, it's about figuring out which design to go by. There are some shapes and abstract designs to go with, but the 6.5 feet I had to work with was limiting at times. Unlike other smart LED light strips, you can't physically connect two flex tubes together for more complex designs. Instead, you can use the app to buy multiple flex strips together.

software

The Twinkly app is pretty simple. After connecting the Flex to my home's Wi-Fi network, I was then able to choose which lighting effects to choose. In fact, there are many effects to choose from to suit your tastes – from standard colors that breathe to unique effects that display multiple colors at once. The options and customization are endless so it is really fun to try.

While the preset effects are nice, there is also the option of creating your own custom effect that requires you to associate the Twinkly Flex with your phone's camera. This process helps with the preset effects too, as some of them are directional – like some of the cascading effects that go from side to side or top to bottom.

Think of it like a traditional neon light sign you might see on a shop front.

There's support for Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa, which is handy if you just want to speak voice commands to turn on the Twinkly Flex. The app also lets you turn the Flex on remotely when you're not there, as well as setting up a custom playlist that scrolls through selected lighting effects for a set amount of time. With so many options and customizations, I really enjoy how I can choose different effects for holidays and special occasions. So yeah, they're the Twinkly year-round smart lights I've been waiting for!

performance

Twinkly's smart Christmas lights have never disappointed me and the Flex continues the trend of delivering mesmerizing effects accompanied by bright, dazzling colors. Because the LEDs are enclosed in a tube, you won't get the overwhelming intensity of light that you get when LED light strips are exposed. In fact, the hose scatters the light evenly – so its glow is just the right amount.

Use the smartphone camera to take a photo of Twinkly Flex on the wall.John Velasco / Digital Trends

It is sure to dazzle in the dark and attracts attention with its shimmer. Think of it like a traditional neon light sign you might see on a shop front. It is the same intensity that gives any room enough atmosphere. For this reason, the Flex is best used as an accent light rather than a primary light source, much like a reading or spot light. Even though it's isolated as an accent light, I'm still impressed with how it can dominate a room without being too overwhelming.

Our opinion

The price of smart LED light strips has dropped dramatically, so the $ 100 cost of the Twinkly Flex can be a shock to some people. However, I think it is worth investing as it is unique in the world of smart lighting. With so many dazzling effects to choose from and create, the only real limitation is determining which design is doable at just 6.5 feet.

Is there a better alternative?

When it comes to accent lighting, you can use the Govee LED light barthat's a fraction of the cost. However, it's best reserved as accent light that isn't visible – not something that would stand open on a wall.

Like other smart wall lights, the Nanoleaf Elements have a rustic look with glowing LED wall panels, but are much more expensive.

How long it will take?

The Twinkly Flex's sturdy outer casing feels sturdy enough if you want to bend and bend it multiple times. However, it is difficult to say how the lights will last over the long term with constant use. The LEDs are designed for 30,000 hours. If there is a defect, there is a one-year limited warranty to cover it.

Should you buy it?

With its year-round lighting solution in Flex, Twinkly proves that it can inspire, so the purchase is definitely worthwhile if you want to create variety with a dazzling feast for the eyes.

Editor's recommendations



20 Oct
Blog

Beats Flex Review: Bigger Bass, Bigger Battery, Tiny Price

Beats Flex

Beats Flex Review: More Bass, More Battery, Half the Price

"12 hours of battery life, great sound, and a mind-boggling price make it hard to beat."

  • Good price

  • Cozy

  • Very good sound quality

  • Very good call quality

  • Easy pairing with Apple products

  • Fast charging is slower than BeatsX

  • Using controls can be a little tricky

  • The USB-C charging cable does not fit normal USB ports

  • No official IPX rating

Previously, the cheapest BeatsX headphones for $ 100 were the BeatsX for $ 100. With their balanced sound, easy pairing with iPhones, and great call quality, they were a great choice for Beats fans who wanted something smaller and cheaper than the brand's classic foldable wireless headphones.

But the BeatsX was released in 2017 and the wireless headphone market has changed a ton since then. True wireless earbuds have become very affordable, and the connectivity issues that once plagued these devices have largely been eliminated. As a result, the BeatsX looked unnecessarily expensive due to its bulkier design behind the neck.

Answer from Apple: The $ 50 Beats Flex. They have all the features like the BeatsX that the Flex replaces, but at a dramatically lower price point that keeps them going when people are thinking of a new set of earbuds.

Did Apple have to cut too many corners to bring the Beats Flex to their remarkably low price, or are these the beats to beat?

Let's find out.

What's in the box?

Beats FlexSimon Cohen / Digital Trends

The BeatsX was already one of the most responsible headphones I've come across, and the Flex goes even further. The plain black cardboard box isn't much bigger than a deck of cards, there is practically no plastic inside or outside, and everything is easy to recycle. This is how all of our technology should arrive.

Inside the box you'll find the Beats Flex, a USB-C to USB-C charging cable, three sizes of silicone earbuds (in addition to the factory-installed ones) and some paper documentation, including the de rigueur Beats sticker.

design

Beats Flex "class =" m-Karussell - Bild dt-lazy-no "src =" https://icdn2.digitaltrends.com/image/digitaltrends/beats-flex-00006-640x640.jpg "srcset =" https: / /www.digitaltrends.com/data:image/gif;base64,https://www.digitaltrends.com/R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7Simon Cohen / Digital Trends

Beats Flex "class =" m-Karussell - Bild dt-lazy-no "src =" https://icdn3.digitaltrends.com/image/digitaltrends/beats-flex-00007-640x640.jpg "srcset =" https: / /www.digitaltrends.com/data:image/gif;base64,https://www.digitaltrends.com/R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7Simon Cohen / Digital Trends

Beats Flex "class =" m-Karussell - Bild dt-lazy-no "src =" https://icdn4.digitaltrends.com/image/digitaltrends/beats-flex-00008-640x640.jpg "srcset =" https: / /www.digitaltrends.com/data:image/gif;base64,https://www.digitaltrends.com/R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7Simon Cohen / Digital Trends

Beats Flex "class =" m-Karussell - Bild dt-lazy-no "src =" https://icdn5.digitaltrends.com/image/digitaltrends/beats-flex-00005-640x640.jpg "srcset =" https: / /www.digitaltrends.com/data:image/gif;base64,https://www.digitaltrends.com/R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7Simon Cohen / Digital Trends

The Beats Flex is available in four colors: Beats Black, Flame Blue, Smoke Gray and Yuzu Yellow.

They use the same hybrid cable design as the BeatsX, which combines a flat, tangle-free wire and a thicker, rubberized neck section that springs back into its U-shape no matter how hard you twist and turn it. The flex is a bit thinner, but just as robust.

You never have to worry about losing an earbud. There's no such thing as a bulky charging case to stash in your pocket or purse.

At both ends of the U there are elongated plastic housings that house the battery, electronics (including the W1 Bluetooth chip developed by Apple) as well as the USB-C charging port and power / pairing button. Apple has concentrated most of its redesign (cost reduction?) Efforts in these plastic cases. Instead of placing the microphone and controls in an inline pod on the cable of the left earbud, they are now in the left housing.

The earbuds themselves are the same size as the BeatsX, although Apple claims there is a new proprietary layer driver inside.

They can really take a full day before needing to be plugged in.

It may seem a bit strange that the Beats brand is still making behind-the-neck wireless headphones while a new set of true wireless earbuds hit the shelves every day, but there is still a market for this style. You never have to worry about losing an earbud, there is no bulky charging case to tuck in your pocket or purse. When you want to have a conversation, just pull the buds out of your ears and let them dangle. For people who routinely have to switch back and forth between listening to music and listening to the world around them, it's a much more convenient design.

Battery life

With just eight hours of battery life, the BeatsX has been ruined not only by other wired wireless earbuds but also by some of the new true wireless earbuds. For example, JLab's Epic Air ANC can live for eight hours with the ANC on and 12 hours with the ANC off. And that's before you consider the extra juice in their charging case.

The Beats Flex may not have a charging case, but with 12 hours of continuous use, they can really last a full day before needing to be plugged in.

The strange thing about the Flex is that overall battery life is better than its predecessor, but fast charging is worse. You now need 10 minutes to get a 1.5 hour boost, while the BeatsX can give you two hours of extension after a five minute charge.

Maybe this is somehow related to the switch from the Apple Lightning connector on the BeatsX to the USB-C connector on the Flex.

Switching to USB-C makes a lot of sense when chasing the Android community like Apple seems to be doing with the Flex, but choosing how to do it is confusing.

The included USB-C to USB-C charging cable is an immediate problem for anyone who doesn't own another USB-C device. There's just no way to plug the cable into anything other than a USB-C charging port, and Apple didn't include a USB-C charger in the box. If you have a current MacBook Air or MacBook Pro, this is not a problem. Both computers have connectors that can be used for this purpose. However, if you're still rocking an older computer, or literally an iPhone, there's a good chance you can't top up (or buy) the Flex without an Amazon order Apple's USB-C charger for $ 20).

Convenience, control and connections

Beats FlexSimon Cohen / Digital Trends

The sound of an earphone depends a lot on how it seals against your ear canal. With four sizes of silicone tips to choose from, most people should be able to get a secure and comfortable fit with the Beats Flex. The standard set of tips is the medium size, and these turned out to be very convenient for me.

The behind-the-neck design is also very comfortable. You barely notice its presence and the rubberized texture prevents it from sliding around while you move.

As long as you properly grip the earbuds, their flat cables will stay away from your face. Twist them and the opposite will happen.

The placement of the controls in the plastic housing (compared to the inline controls on the BeatsX) makes it a bit more difficult to use. The volume rocker is easy to operate with precisely defined clicks. The multi-function button used to control play / pause, skip forward / backward, answer / end of calls and access Siri (or Google Assistant) has only a small travel and practically no click.

This can make it difficult to know if you pressed it exactly. Since it's attached to the inside of the case, you have to squeeze it with your index finger – unless you're reaching across your neck with your right hand – something that was harder for me to do accurately than my thumb. You will get used to this arrangement quickly enough and you never risk accidentally pulling out the left earbud when using them.

Beats Flex Audio SharingAs with all Apple wireless headphones that use the company's W1 or H1 wireless chips, pairing the Flex with an iOS device is a breeze. Just turn them on and wait for your iPhone to show you the one-tap pairing animation. If you own more than one Apple device, switching the Flex from one to the other is also a breeze.

It's almost as seamless on Android devices, too, as long as you download the free Beats app first.

The Flex doesn't have a wear sensor that allows you to automatically pause your music when you pull out an earbud. However, it has the next best thing: a sensor that pauses and plays when the earbuds magnetically snap in and out. It doesn't help if you just remove a single bud, but it's more convenient than stopping manually.

The Beats Flex are also compatible with Apple's audio sharing function, which allows two headphones or earphones equipped with W1 or H1 to listen to content from an iOS device at the same time.

It turned out to be a great way to compare the sound quality of Beats Flex and BeatsX (more on that in a minute).

The BeatsX missed out on being a Class 1 Bluetooth device, but the Flex has this feature too, which means a much greater wireless range – up to 300 feet.

Sound quality

Beats FlexSimon Cohen / Digital Trends

Given that the Beats Flex costs half the price of the BeatsX, I was prepared for a drop in sound quality, but that's not the case: they sound great.

For the price, these things rock.

Not only are they very closely comparable to the BeatsX, with an even stronger bass-forward sound signature, but also very close to the AirPods Pro, which is five times more expensive.

They don't quite match the AirPods Pro in terms of the width and depth of their soundstage – the flex keeps things a little closer to your head – but for the price, too, these things rock. To get a really noticeable improvement in audio quality, you need to spend between $ 200 and $ 300.

I still wish Apple offered at least some basic EQ adjustments for bass and treble. The flex is so tuned that the vocals are not quite as pronounced as I would like them to be. I think some small EQ tweaks could fix this, but that's just not an option.

Some people may prefer the way the flex has been tuned thanks to an even more pronounced lower register than the BeatsX, which is particularly good for rap, hip-hop, and a variety of club and EDM sub-genres.

Call quality

Beats FlexSimon Cohen / Digital Trends

One of the things I loved about BeatsX was the call quality. Crystal clear and ideal for separating voices from background noise. You were the next best thing to actually holding your phone to your face.

The secret was where the microphone was placed. Positioned on the left earbud wire, it was ideal for voice recording. The Beats Flex are almost as good, but the position of the microphone on the flex neckband results in a slightly poorer quality.

Your voice is still very clear under most circumstances, but background noise is not filtered as well. They don't drown you out like real wireless earbuds do, but they're more noticeable than the BeatsX.

The only thing that would make calling on the Flex better (other than moving the microphone) is a listen-through mode so you can better hear your own voice.

Our opinion

If you prefer the back of the headphone design, the Beats Flex has everything you could want, at an amazing price.

Is there a better alternative?

If you need a longer battery life, Sony makes several models with a battery life of 15 to 20 hours, such as: B. the bulkier model C400 and the WI-C310.

However, if you are an iPhone user, the Flex is still a better choice because of its great integration with the Apple ecosystem.

How long will they last?

The Beats Flex are well built with durable materials and connections. They come with an Apple one-year warranty that can be extended with an optional AppleCare purchase.

And although I don't have an IP rating for dust or water protection, a source at Beats tells me that the Flex are actually quite capable of handling a sweaty workout. The USB-C charging port is waterproof and the controls are all sealed against moisture.

Should you buy it?

Absolutely. For the price, the Beats Flex are a killer value that Apple owners in particular should definitely consider when looking for a great alternative to buying a set of true wireless earbuds.

Editor's recommendations




29 Jul
Blog

Lenovo Flex 5G Review: Previewing the Future of Laptops

Lenovo Flex 5g review 5 g lead

"The Lenovo Flex 5G is impacted by limited 5G connectivity and mediocre performance."

  • The best battery life we've ever seen

  • Solid build quality

  • Good keyboard and touchpad

  • Integrated 5G connectivity

  • The performance is mediocre

  • App and driver incompatibilities are a pain

  • 5G is still hard to find

Two massive PC revolutions are waiting for you: 5G connectivity and ARM-based processors. The new Lenovo Flex 5G is a device that should lead us into a future that encompasses both technologies.

The new Snapdragon 8cx chip from Qualcomm is the key. It offers both integrated 5G connectivity and enough power to fight Intel Core processors. This makes the Flex 5G a Windows avant-garde against Apple's own transition to ARM-based Macs.

But don't be too excited. The introduction of 5G was slow, as was the support for ARM processors by Windows. If you throw in a high starting price of $ 1,500, the Lenovo Flex 5G has to fight a tough battle. Is the world ready for Lenovo's vision of the future?

5G connectivity

What's the big deal with 5G? Simply put, it's the next generation of mobile broadband, replacing today's fastest standard, 4G LTE. It promises to provide internet speeds that compete with or even exceed the connections that most people have at home and at work. The nationwide rollout was slow.

You won't find it just outside of the major cities. I had to take a trip to Venice Beach (never a bad thing) to test the connectivity of the Flex 5G as there are only a few areas in Verizon where Verizon has coverage and none near my house in Los Angeles. However, the coverage is ultra wideband, which should theoretically deliver the best possible performance.

I say theoretically because, at least in Venice Beach, I couldn't get connectivity that was close to the two gigabits per second (Gbit / s) that ultra-wideband 5G promised. The best download speed I've seen (via Speedtest.net) was 465 megabits per second (Mbit / s), and the fastest upload speed I've seen was 51 Mbit / s. Verizon's coverage is incomplete: Los Angeles, for example, has very few locations with very limited coverage, and the number of cities covered by Verizon's 5G network is quite small.

I could go 10 feet in one direction or another and fall to an LTE connection. This is not just Verizon's problem. For example, T-Mobile covers more areas with its 5G coverage, but uses a bandwidth below 6 GHz that offers speeds that are more comparable to 4G.

It's a lot faster than 4G LTE, but far from what 5G promises.

To see how this translates to real life, I downloaded a 1.7 GB file from OneDrive and achieved a download speed of 44 megabytes per second (MBps). This is much better than 4G LTE, but again, it is nowhere near what 5G promises.

I have to say that Verizon's 5G is not quite up to date, at least in Venice (and I was looking for better places). Maybe it's faster elsewhere, or maybe the Flex 5G's modem drivers need to be adjusted. In any case, the Flex 5G lets you work quickly wherever 5G connectivity is available, but not nearly as fast as one day.

If it is not obvious, 5G, once it has made its move, will be a critical factor in data processing. If you want a fast internet connection today, measured in gigabits per second and not just in megabits, you have to use Wi-Fi or a wired ethernet connection. This binds you to specific locations and keeps you looking for a secure connection when you're on the go. With a fast 5G connection, however, you will accelerate wherever there is coverage – imagine driving down the street and working with a fast internet connection – which will ultimately be just like 4G LTE today. It will be everywhere, which means that you will finally be freed from the Wi-Fi cable.

performance

Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8cx is the company's latest ARM processor and the first to be explicitly designed for PCs and not based on smartphone designs. Not only does it have to compete with Intel and AMD, the Snapdragon 8cx also faces the challenge of running Windows on ARM.

In the past, it wasn't the most impressive platform when it came to pure speed. This is because most older Windows applications were not built natively to run on ARM, but have to be run in emulation. Performance is therefore the second most important factor behind connectivity to determine if the Flex 5G is a viable platform for mobile workers.

Many applications are not only slow, but do not run at all under Windows under ARM. This includes many of the benchmarking applications that I usually use to test performance. This is a good example of the big problem with app compatibility. It works with Microsoft's Office suite and Windows 10 apps (if you use them). And thanks to drivers that were not written to support the platform, this is a hit or miss with peripheral devices.

For example, our real handbrake test video coding cannot be performed on the Flex 5G. This is a shit because this test gives the best idea of ​​how well a processor works on demanding tasks.

Many applications are not only slow, but do not run at all under Windows under ARM.

I was limited to Geekbench 4 and 5 among our performance benchmarks to get an idea of ​​how much faster the Snapdragon 8cx really is. After these two tests, the new Snapdragon chip is definitely an upgrade from the previous Snapdragon 850. However, this in no way makes it a fast laptop.

In Geekbench 4, the Flex 5G managed 3,322 in the single-core test and 11,348 in the multi-core test. This is a big improvement over the Lenovo Yoga C630 (which uses the Snapdragon 850), which scored 2,292 in the single-core test and 6,710 points in the multi-core test. The Snapdragon 8cx is clearly much faster. In the multi-core test, which scored 4,670 and 8,750 points, it even beat the 10th generation dual-core Intel Core i3-1011U in the Lenovo Yoga C640.

In Geekbench 5, the Flex 5G achieved 700 points in the single-core test and 2,802 points in the multi-core test. That beat the 486 and 2,155 of the Yoga C640 and even competed with the Core i5-1030NG7 of the MacBook Air 2020, which scored 1,140 and 2,770 points.

Does that make the Flex 5G a fast laptop? Of course not. It ran exactly in line with these synthetic benchmark numbers and similar to the comparison laptops. It was fine for productivity tasks, surfing the Internet, watching videos, and other purposes where the processor didn't ask too much. If you use your laptop for this, you are satisfied with the performance. However, if you need it to boot up as needed, you will be disappointed.

Battery life

Longevity should be a strength of the Flex 5G thanks to the efficiency of the ARM processors in general and the Snapdragon 8cx in particular. I was expecting good things and was not disappointed.

In fact, I was blown away. The Flex 5G showed the best battery life we've seen on a laptop – it literally outperformed any other machine we've tested.

I start with the most impressive result, namely the video test, in which a local Full HD Avengers trailer is repeated until the battery is empty. Simply put, the Flex 5G was spectacular and basically took 28 hours to repeat the video (it took three minutes). This is the longest time we've recorded at almost five hours, and surpasses the best Lenovo Yoga C640 to date, which lasted about 23 hours. The Dell Latitude 7400 2-in-1 is the other notebook that lasted more than 20 hours and almost 22 hours.

This is a laptop that lasts for several days.

The Flex 5G was just as impressive in the web test. It lasted 17.25 hours and was again the best of all the laptops we tested. The only other machine that got any closer was the Microsoft Surface Book 2 after 15.5 hours, and the Surface Book 3 was nowhere near as good.

In our demanding Basemark web benchmark test, the Flex 5G – you guessed it – outperformed all other machines. It took a whopping 10.5 hours, which – you guessed it again – is another record among the laptops we tested. Admittedly, the Flex 5G didn't break any speed records, but as fast as the laptop runs, it runs as long.

Note that these results surpassed the Yoga C630, which took 17 hours to video test and 11 hours to surf the web. Qualcomm's claims to improve the efficiency of the Snapdragon 8cx are valid.

This is clearly a laptop that will last you days with typical productivity tasks, surfing the internet, watching videos and the like. Even if you press the CPU – which of course doesn't say much about overall performance – you get a whole day of work and a few more.

design

The Flex 5G is a match for the Yoga C630, with just a few changes to account for differences in connections. And although this results in a very conservative laptop – in line with Lenovo's recent aesthetics – in its dark gray color, which is darker but not entirely black, it's not a bad thing. Yes, there is no bling and the laptop will not stand out in a crowd, but some people like it. For example, it is nowhere near the HP Specter x360 13, which may be the epitome of a chiseled gem-cut design that cries for attention.

Better still, the Flex 5G is pretty well built. It is an aluminum case that has little flexibility on the keyboard deck, but nowhere else. It feels solid and extends to the 360-degree hinge that holds the laptop in its four modes – clamshell, tent, media, and tablet. It's fairly thin at 0.58 inches and light at 2.97 pounds. Compare that to the Specter x360 at 0.67 inches and 2.88 pounds and the Dell XPS 13 at 0.58 inches and 2.65 pounds. The Flex 5G has made a small leap in size compared to the Yoga C630, but that should be responsible for the increased battery capacity – always a good thing in my book.

Most importantly, the Flex 5G is worth its $ 1,500 investment. This is especially important as you won't get the best configuration at this price. You won't feel like you've spent that much money on a laptop that just isn't built well enough.

Connectivity is relatively limited with just two USB-C 3.2 ports on the left and a 3.5mm audio jack on the right. There is also a nano SIM card slot and a switch to physically turn on airplane mode. For such a futuristic device, we were disappointed to see Wi-Fi 5 and not Wi-Fi 6 for Bluetooth 5.0.

Keyboard and touchpad

The Flex 5G has the same keyboard as pretty much every Yoga and Flex laptop. It has wide key caps with a lot of space and a snappy mechanism with a soft bottom. It may be my imagination, but the version of the Flex 5G seemed a bit flatter than some I've tried, and that's not my favorite quality. I like traveling a bit in my keyboards. Overall, however, I doubt that a lot of people will complain, and I typed very quickly at pretty full speed. Compared to some other great keyboards, the Flex 5G falls behind the excellent examples of the HP Specter x360 13 and Dell XPS 13, not to mention the fantastic Magic keyboard of the latest MacBooks.

The touchpad has average dimensions for this size of a laptop and supports the Precision Touchpad protocol from Microsoft. Multi-touch gestures and general cursor control were excellent, and I had no complaints. The touch display also responded, although I'm sure some people will be very disappointed that there is no active pen support. This is pretty much a given for modern 2-in-1 players and is missing here.

Windows 10 Hello support without a password is provided in two ways. First, there is an infrared camera for facial recognition that works just as well as any other device with similar features. Second, there is a fingerprint reader on the keyboard deck, which was also quick and responsive. It's nice to have the option.

display

My colorimeter does not work with the Flex 5G due to a lack of drivers, so I could not operate the display with the usual test battery. I have trained the display well and can make some subjective observations.

First, the display is bright and is likely to approach Lenovo's 400 nits rating. I wouldn't say it competes with direct sunlight, but it's bright enough to be used in most other ambient lights.

Second, the colors were bright and natural, and the display showed a lot of contrast. Black text on a white background – my bread and butter – appeared, and I never thought the text looked washed out.

Finally, I enjoyed seeing Netflix on the display, and I suspect the gamma is just right. I cannot confirm how accurate the colors are and whether it is a good display for creative people, but the typical productivity worker and home user should find the display a pleasure.

The audio quality was mixed. The volume was low despite the two upward-facing speakers next to the keyboard, but there was no distortion. Not surprisingly, the bass was missing, but mids and highs were right where they should be. Again, it's a good laptop to watch Netflix on, though headphones wouldn't be a terrible idea.

Our opinion

The Lenovo Flex 5G isn't the game changer it wants to be, but it's not entirely to blame. 5G speeds and coverage make it difficult to justify a purchase based on connectivity alone. In the meantime, Windows support for ARM is an ongoing project that Microsoft is still involved in.

These two technologies are likely to play a major role in the future of laptops. The Flex 5G's incredible battery life is proof enough. However, Qualcomm, Microsoft and Verizon each need to build a lot of infrastructure before a laptop like the Lenovo Flex 5G can be truly successful on its own.

Are there alternatives?

There are no other 5G laptops on the market right now, but they are coming. And if they support more than Verizon's relatively limited 5G coverage, they may be better options from that perspective alone. So this is something to watch out for.

If you don't need a 5G, you can consider the HP Specter x360 13 with 4G LTE. You'll spend around $ 150 less and get a much faster laptop, but you won't get anywhere near enjoying the battery life. Think in half here.

How long it will take?

The Lenovo Flex 5G is a well-built laptop that should last for years, but the performance is slow. In the meantime, 5G and Windows with ARM technology could see a much wider adoption in the coming years, and the Flex 5G should last long enough to see the benefits.

The one-year warranty is typical and disappointing.

Should you buy it

No – at least not yet. While battery life is excellent, performance is mediocre and can barely keep up with basic productivity and media usage tasks. This always-connected lifestyle will be practical – but only once does 5G see a more impressive introduction.

Editor's recommendations




29 Jun
Blog

Lenovo Chromebook Flex 5 Review: What $410 Can Buy You

Lenovo Chromebook Flex 5 review 14

"The Lenovo Chromebook Flex 5 is the best Chromebook you can buy for under $ 500."

  • Responsive keyboard

  • Impressive performance

  • Great value for money

  • Under three pounds

  • Bad touchpad

  • Mediocre display

Chromebooks are getting more expensive every year. They also grow in quality. Display, performance and design improve. They're far from yesterday's cheap Chromebooks.

The Lenovo Flex 5 Chromebook tries to be the best of both worlds. At $ 410, it captures the original spirit of highly affordable laptops, yet offers an Intel Core processor, a 1080p screen, and a solid appearance.

Lenovo has struck the balance carefully, but not without a few hiccups on the way.

design

I'm not looking for anything special in a laptop under $ 500. I want modern. I want thin and light. I want a solid build quality. And bonus points if it doesn't look gaudy or plastic.

The Lenovo Chromebook Flex 5 performs better than most Chromebooks at this price. The color "graphite gray" is initially subtle. Although each surface is made of plastic, it feels firm and well built. The hinge is firm and resists shaking, even when you tap and swipe on the touchscreen.

I have a few minor complaints. The bezels are large – especially the chin. The 360 ​​degree hinge provides additional space under the screen. It is hard to miss on such a small laptop. Premium chromebooks like the Samsung Galaxy Chromebook or the Asus Chromebook Flip C436 have the thin frames we see on Windows laptops, but they're about twice as expensive. It's a problem that the Dell XPS 13 2-in-1 solves by using a slightly larger 16:10 aspect ratio.

Despite the frames, the Chromebook Flex 5 comes in a portable package. It's less than 3 pounds and 0.7 inches thick, and just a bit bigger than a MacBook Air. Options like the Samsung Galaxy Chromebook or Google Pixelbook Go are much smaller – but price tags aren't.

Most Chromebooks under $ 500 are bulky 15-inch laptops, which is a shame. The Chromebook Flex 5 fills this gap.

The Chromebook Flex 5 offers a standard selection of ports, at least for a modern Chromebook. On the right side there is a USB-C 3.1, a USB-A 3.1, a headphone jack and a microSD card slot. The other side contains another USB-C port and a Kensington lock. Unfortunately, only the right side can be used to charge the device.

As it is a 2-in-1 device, the Lenovo Chromebook Flex 5 has a volume rocker and a power switch in addition to the connections. The volume rocker is mushy and difficult to distinguish, which is a little frustrating. You'll use the volume control on the keyboard a lot more often, but that's no excuse for lousy keys.

Display and speakers

The Flex 5 Chromebook doesn't have the best display in the world. It is a 13.3-inch IPS LED display with a standard resolution of 1,920 x 1,080. It has a slight shade of green, which makes pale skin tones look sick.

It only brightens up to 250 nits. This is bright enough for home use, but if you stand under strong office light or sit next to a window, the glossy screen can cause strong reflections. A matte screen may have made the screen look cheap, but avoided this problem.

I've seen a lot worse on Chromebooks, but options like the Google Pixelbook Go or the Samsung Galaxy Chromebook do much better. The software on my colorimeter doesn't work in Chrome OS to measure color accuracy, but the Flex 5 Chromebook is probably not accurate enough for creative people. For what a Chromebook is made for $ 410, the screen does the trick.

The Flex 5 Chromebook has a set of upward-facing speakers that flank the keyboard on both sides. The placement is good, but they are as thin as laptop speakers. The Pixelbook Go is far superior in this category.

Keyboard and touchpad

The Lenovo Chromebook Flex 5 offers a pleasant typing experience. This is the typical Chrome OS layout outside of the oddly shortened left and right arrow keys. But the keycaps are big, the journey is long and the keystrokes respond. Lenovo has even installed a backlight with five brightness levels. I felt at home.

The touchpad is a different story. It's big enough, but of below average quality. The plastic, structured surface leads to skipping and sloppy tracking. Inexpensive touchpads like this slow down my workflow and make detailed tasks such as text selection difficult. The click mechanism is also quite stiff and loud. As my daily driver, the touchpad was the only hurdle to usability that I kept tripping over. I'm not shocked by the price, but I was hoping to be surprised. The switch back to a Google Pixelbook Go felt heavenly in comparison.

The Flex 5 Chromebook has a 720p on-screen webcam that can be serviced for occasional zoom calls.

performance

Many cheap Chromebooks use slow MediaTek or Intel Celeron processors. Not the Lenovo Chromebook Flex 5. It offers an Intel Core i3-10110U processor of the latest generation of Intel chips. This is a full 15-watt processor, while many other Chromebooks use an 8-watt processor. More performance means more potential performance, and the Lenovo Chromebook Flex 5 offers.

Other Chromebooks that use this 10th generation Core i3 are usually much more expensive, such as the Asus Chromebook Flip C436 for $ 800. The Flex 5 corresponds to this processor in multi-core scores in Geekbench 5 and is 18% faster than the Google Pixelbook Go.

The two cores and four threads it offers may not sound impressive, and 4 GB of RAM may not. But it feels quick. Chrome OS works on this hardware regardless of how many tabs you have open. This can best be measured in a test like the Tachometer 2.0, which measures JavaScript performance. In web applications, the Lenovo Chromebook Flex 5 is as fast as a quad-core Core i5 Windows 10 laptop. This is important because it is almost exclusively what you use this Chromebook for.

You can of course run Android apps on the Flex 5. 3D games like the mobile racing driver Asphalt 9 Legends were played smoothly. However, the integrated graphics cannot even start a match from PUBG Mobile. As strange as it may sound, your phone will perform better. Many of these Android apps are still not well optimized for the 16: 9 aspect ratio and a cursor. However, this is a problem with Android app emulation in Chrome OS in general, not the fault of the Flex 5.

A processor with higher performance has one disadvantage. Heat. The Lenovo Chromebook Flex 5 is not a fanless device like the Pixelbook Go. Open a few YouTube videos, Slack, Spotify, and about a dozen websites – that's enough to hear the fans spinning and the keyboard warming up. I never had the feeling that the fans were turning prematurely or too often.

The laptop also has 64 GB of eMMC storage. It's not a ton of capacity – and not as fast as a solid-state drive. Unfortunately, both have become the standard for Chromebooks. As long as you do most of the things in the cloud, 64 GB shouldn't be too much of a problem.

Battery life

The Lenovo Chromebook Flex 5 offers decent battery life. It has always been a Chromebook strength and budget laptop deficit. These two properties meet in the Flex 5, a laptop has a better battery life than most at this price.

On average, it took me about six to seven hours of my daily workload. Not quite enough to get through a full day's work, but close.

It's not a Pixelbook Go – or even the current Lenovo Yoga C640 – but it should take you most of a working day. In our browsing test, I zeroed the battery through a selection of websites. The Lenovo Chromebook Flex 5 lasted almost eight hours. Playing videos took a few hours longer, and I looped a video clip until it died.

Our opinion

The Lenovo Chromebook Flex 5 is one of the cheaper Chromebooks you can buy. It is characterized by excellent performance, excellent battery life and solid build quality. The touchpad is not great, and neither is the screen. It's not a no-compromise laptop, but this $ 410 Chromebook is still one of the best laptops you can buy under $ 500.

Are there alternatives?

The 14-inch Asus Chromebook C425 is worth considering. It doesn't have such a powerful processor, but it looks impressive and only costs $ 443. The Google Pixelbook Go costs a little more, but it remains my choice for the best Chromebook you can buy.

If you're looking for a Windows laptop with a similar price tag, the Acer Swift 3 is a good choice. The $ 399 model is equipped with an 8th generation Intel Core i3 processor, 4 GB RAM and a 128 GB SSD.

How long it will take?

The Lenovo Chromebook Flex 5 should last four or five years. Google extends software updates to older Chromebooks for many years. The warranty is a one-year limited warranty.

Should you buy it

Yes. If you are looking for a laptop under $ 500, the Lenovo Chromebook Flex 5 is one of the best you can buy.

Editor's recommendations




27 Jun
Blog

Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5 14 Review: AMD Nails It Again

Lenovo Ideapad Flex 5 14 Review Ryzen 01

"The Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5 offers incredible value and solid performance with few compromises."

  • Exceptional performance for an affordable laptop

  • Comfortable keyboard and touchpad

  • Active pen included

  • Excellent value for money

  • Solid speakers

  • Mediocre display

  • Boring look

Laptops with AMD's Ryzen 4000 chips seem too good to be true. The specifications are incredibly powerful and cheaper than Intel's.

Take the Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5 14, for example. It is the latest in a range of Ryzen-based budget laptops. This comes with a Ryzen 5 4500U with six cores and 16 GB RAM and costs only $ 600. Due to the technical data alone, a better performance value for the price is hard to imagine.

Is there a catch?

design

The IdeaPad Flex 5 is a plastic laptop. Lenovo calls it "normal" plastic at the top and "stable PC / ABC" at the bottom. Aside from the chemistry lesson, this means the laptop case is relatively sturdy. Don't expect it to be as robust as a unibody MacBook Pro or even the Lenovo Yoga C640 for $ 600. The lid, the keyboard deck and the case back are all somewhat flexible. However, it is not outrageous. Low prices and flexible laptops no longer necessarily go hand in hand.

Another indication of the budget status of the Flex 5 is its stature. It's pretty thick at 0.82 inches and heavy at 3.3 pounds. Compare that to the Yoga C640 at 0.67 inches and 2.98 pounds and the HP Specter x360 13 at 0.67 inches and 2.88 pounds. The Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga is available at 0.59 inches and 2.99 pounds. The display bezel of the Flex 5 is also not tiny, especially at the top and bottom, which means that the entire case is also more extensive. No matter how you cut it, this is not a small 2-in-1.

It's a rather nondescript design that doesn't catch the eye – like many Lenovo laptops lately.

The hinge of the Flex 5 is firm. The small wobble when moving the laptop does not distract excessively. Most importantly, the tight hinge allows for smooth transitions through the various 2-in-1 modes, including clamshell, tent, media and tablet. The 14-inch display and the resulting housing obviously result in a rather large and unwieldy tablet. You just don't want to try holding a 3.3-pound tablet in one hand for too long.

Aesthetically, the IdeaPad Flex 5 is an attractive dark gray all around. The only chrome is the border around the Lenovo logo on the lid and the keyboard deck. Ultimately, it is a rather nondescript design that – like many Lenovo laptops lately – is not noticeable, but still looks good. The Specter x360 13 with its gem design is at the other end of the attention-grabbing spectrum, and the Yoga C640 is very similar in aesthetics to the IdeaPad.

An advantage of the Flex 5's thickness is that it offers a good level of connectivity. There are two USB-A 3.1 ports, a USB-C 3.1 port, a full-size HDMI 1.4 port, and a 4-in-1 SD card reader. Although Thunderbolt 3 is missing, many will appreciate the inclusion of some of these older ports that come in handy. Wireless connectivity is still limited to Wi-Fi 5 and not the newer Wi-Fi 6 standard, and Bluetooth 4.2 is on board.

performance

The IdeaPad Flex 5 doesn't look like a cheap laptop and doesn't work like one either. The Ryzen 5 chips from AMD keep proving that it is one of the best bargains. In this case, the Ryzen 5 4500U comes with six cores and six threads. It's the same chip that you can find in other cheap laptops like the Acer Swift 3 for $ 650. This option used the Ryzen 7 4700U CPU with eight cores and eight threads for the power supply. Interestingly, the processor performance of the Flex 5 is quite competitive with this chip.

First, it did well in the synthetic Geekbench 5 benchmark, reaching 1,096 in the single-core test and 4,543 in the multi-core test. In the multi-core test, it was 20% faster than the Acer Spin 3, a similar Intel Core i5 notebook. It is clear that the AMD chips perform well when multitasking, even though they have two fewer threads.

The IdeaPad Flex 5 is an extremely fast laptop for only $ 600.

Speaking of which, I then ran our handbrake test, which encodes a 420MB video as H.265 and uses as many cores and threads as a CPU has to offer. The Flex 5 took just over two minutes to complete the test, just eight seconds longer than the Swift 3. The Surface Book 3 13 took four minutes. Compared to the Dell XPS 13, a very fast laptop with the Core i7-1065G7, the Flex 5 was finished in 38 seconds less.

The fantastic performance of the Flex 5 is supported by 16 GB of RAM, which is surprising with such an inexpensive computer. All of this results in an extremely fast laptop for only $ 600, which is characterized by high productivity in multitasking and migration by demanding tasks such as photo and video editing. The laptop slows down when measured with Intel Core i7 laptops that have more threads, especially 45-watt parts. Compared to the typical Intel CPUs that you see in laptops at this price, AMD rules apply.

The Flex 5 also includes built-in AMD Radeon graphics, which according to 3DMark are slightly faster than Intel's Iris Plus graphics. That means you can get a little boost in creative apps that can use the GPU and play light games with lower resolutions and graphics settings. A game like Rocket League plays decently, but anything that is more intense will suffer.

Battery life

The IdeaPad Flex 5 has a battery capacity of 52.5 watt hours, which is not much for a 14-inch laptop. I therefore had little hope of longevity.

The Flex 5 was an average performer. In our web browser test, it took eight hours compared to the Yoga C640 with its CPU with lower performance of over 10.5 hours. The Acer Swift 3 lasted six minutes less than the Flex 5, suggesting that the AMD Ryzen CPUs aren't the most energy efficient. The Dell XPS 13 with a 1080p display and the Core i7-1065G7 lasted 11.5 hours.

For a lower load, I looped a local video clip, and the Flex 5 lasted 11 hours. That's not a bad thing, but it's far less than the spectacular 23 hours of the Yoga C640 and the powerful 14.5 hours of the XPS 13. Last, I took the machine through our most demanding battery test, the Basemark Web Benchmark. This replicates battery life in heavier applications. It took three and a half hours, similar to laptops like the Yoga C640.

No, it's not a leader in battery life. Unlike many budget laptops of the past, however, the IdeaPad Flex 5 should survive most of a working day on a single charge.

display

So far nothing on the IdeaPad Flex 5 screams "cheap". Then there is the display.

It's not that this display is bothering you when you work or even watch movies. Actually, this display would have been pretty good five years ago. Although the contrast is not as high as with better displays, black text is displayed on a white background without major quality problems. And colors may be limited and inaccurate when measured with a colorimeter – as creative types do – but they are neither unnatural nor do they interfere with everyday image viewing and web browsing. This isn't a terrible display, it just doesn't go well with the performance that this affordable laptop can offer.

However, according to my colorimeter, Lenovo had to use a cheaper panel. It is a 1080p IPS display, but it has a narrow color gamut (only 47% of AdobeRGB and 63% of sRGB). The screen is limited to only 242 nits of brightness, and even the contrast is low at 770: 1. It's a glossy screen, so glare issues may occur in brighter environments.

The lackluster picture quality is a shame. Otherwise, the Flex 5 would have been a powerful little photo editing device. We have seen the same panel in many budget laptops, but there are notable exceptions like the Lenovo Yoga C640.

And the audio was a plus, with high-profile speakers next to the keyboard that offer a lot of volume without distortion. The bass was missing as always, but mids and highs were good for music and occasional YouTube videos. You can even bathe Netflix with these speakers as long as you listen.

Keyboard and touchpad

If you've used one of Lenovo's yoga or IdeaPad keyboards, you're familiar with it. It's relatively flat with a lot of space and a precise mechanism, which means that it disappoints those who travel a lot but can otherwise be serviced. I was able to type fast enough at full speed, and although it is nowhere near the Magic Keyboard of the much more expensive MacBook range or even the Specter x360 13's second-best (in my opinion) keyboard, it's a solid keyboard that most works users will enjoy.

The touchpad is also comfortable and of average size for a modern Windows 10 laptop. It supports Microsoft's Precision Touchpad drivers and provides smooth and precise Windows 10 multi-touch gestures. No complaints there.

As a 2-in-1 device, the Flex 5 naturally has a touch-capable display that works as usual. Lenovo also includes an active stylus that supports 4,096 pressure sensitivity levels. This makes it a great option for anyone who wants to illustrate the display or take detailed notes. Many inexpensive 2-in-1 devices either do not include the pen (the Yoga C640 is an example) or do not support it. It's a real plus if it's in the box.

Finally, Windows 10 Hello login without a password is supported by a fingerprint reader in the upper right corner of the keyboard deck. It's fast and accurate, and again a bonus for a $ 600 laptop. However, there is no infrared camera for facial recognition.

Our opinion

The Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5 is a spectacularly fast laptop for $ 600 with a build quality that finally deserves the price. The configuration is impressive too – you don't often get a 256GB PCIe SSD and 16GB RAM for nearly that price. If your goal is a budget performer, this is a great laptop.

However, the display is disappointing, which means that all of the power that might target creative types is wasted. This is a shame and holds the Flex 5 back.

Are there alternatives?

The Lenovo Yoga C640 is a bit smaller, has a much better battery life, and a better display. It also costs $ 600, but offers less storage space and a much slower CPU.

For just $ 50 more, you can choose the even faster Acer Swift 3. It is well built, looks good, and is the fastest budget notebook we've tested. But it also has a mediocre display.

For the same price, consider considering a Chromebook route. The Google Pixelbook Go for $ 650 is an excellent choice, with an excellent display and portability.

How long it will take?

The Yoga IdeaPad Flex 5 is durable enough to last as long as you'd expect from a $ 600 machine. And it's fast enough to keep up with your workflow for years. There is no Thunderbolt 3 support, so expansion is limited, but this is expected at this price. The 1 year warranty is typical and disappointing.

Should you buy it

Yes. The Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5 is a very competent, affordable laptop that demonstrates the strength of AMD processors.

Editor's recommendations




04 May
Blog

Samsung Galaxy Book Flex Review: QLED For the Big Win

"The Samsung Galaxy Book Flex offers incredible battery life and a vibrant QLED display."

  • Light, thin design

  • Good performance

  • Excellent battery life

  • The QLED display has great colors

  • Built-in S-pin

  • Cumbersome keyboard placement

  • Huge lower bezel

Samsung operates a tech empire. From phones and televisions to air purifiers and vacuum cleaners, Samsung has expanded everything down to the individual components that drive these products.

However, laptops have always been the only small domain outside their limits. Sure, there have been a lot of Samsung laptops over the years, but none that were really worth putting up Samsung's proud banner.

But 2020 is the year of conquering Samsung's laptops, and the Galaxy Book Flex is its war horse. It starts at $ 1,349, though my more expensive configuration comes with 16 GB of RAM, 512 GB of storage, and a Core i7 processor. No question, this is the best laptop Samsung has ever made. But is that one you should buy?

QLED display and battery life

The Galaxy Book Flex has some outstanding features that come from other areas of the Samsung empire. The most notable feature is the QLED display. This comes from Samsung's hugely successful TV business. As an alternative to the standard LED, the Galaxy Book Flex is the first laptop to use QLED that uses quantum dots. The results are groundbreaking.

It's bright (428 nits) and has a high contrast (1,080: 1), but QLED really makes a difference in color gamut and accuracy. It hits 92 percent of Adobe RGB, a color space that most laptop screens struggle with. This colorful, accurate screen is important for photographers. Perhaps it is one of the best photo laptops you can get at this price.

There is even an "outdoor mode" that increases the brightness to 600 nits. This can be useful if you work outdoors. This is Samsung that flexes its muscles.

The Galaxy Book Flex offers the best battery life you can get with a laptop.

However, Samsung has two competitors. The 13-inch MacBook Pro still has a brighter, more colorful screen and a higher-resolution display. OLED screens also offer better contrast and better colors, but are rare on 13-inch laptops. There is only one option for the HP Specter x360 13 and only available in 4K. It looks good, but it's expensive. The Specter is a $ 300 display upgrade, while the Galaxy Book Flex QLED is standard.

In addition, 4K OLED screens are expensive in terms of performance. The Galaxy Book Flex's QLED 1080p is far better in terms of battery life. In fact, the Galaxy Book Flex has some of the best battery life you can get in a laptop.

It delivers almost 14 hours of battery with low power consumption and a whopping 17.5 hours when playing local videos (no streaming). Many laptops promise such numbers, but none deliver as much as the Galaxy Book Flex. It overtook the Dell XPS 13 battery life champion by an hour and lasted more than twice as long as the 4K Specter x360.

Sticking to 1080p helps here, but Samsung also jammed a 69.7-watt-hour battery. It's a huge battery for a laptop of this size that pays off.

S pen and keyboard

The S Pen was also borrowed from another Samsung product – in this case the Galaxy Note. Earlier Samsung laptops also used the S Pen, such as the Notebook 9 Pen and the Galaxy Book 2 from 2018. The pen itself has not changed, but is now in a slot above the keyboard. Clicking on the pin in the slot ejects it, making it quick and easy to access (and you won't lose it). This accessibility has always been special about the S Pen: it is part of the device and not an additional peripheral.

The S Pen is suitable for all common pen functions such as notes, sketching and selecting. A button on the S Pen opens a familiar options menu that allows you to dive straight into the drawing on the screen. These simple apps are fairly simple, but provide a good entry point to try the S Pen for the first time.

A larger pen like the Surface Pen or the Apple Pencil fits better in the hand for illustrations and detailed work. The S-pen is just long enough to fit in my hand and doesn't mimic the feel of a real pencil as well. However, that was never the point. As with the Galaxy Note, the greatest strength of the S Pen is its convenience. It's always there and it's easy to take out and start writing.

The Galaxy Book Flex is a 2-in-1 device, meaning you can fold the screen flat with its 360-degree hinge. Unfortunately, the screen is pretty shaky and the hinge is a bit loose, so using it in a position other than completely flat makes it difficult to take notes.

The S Pen's convenient location also has a disadvantage. To make room in the case, Samsung had to impair the typing experience. The keyboard sits closer to you and leaves less space for the palm rests. They are one centimeter narrower than a MacBook Air and about half a centimeter narrower than the Dell XPS 13. The lack of support is just enough to make typing on the Galaxy Book Flex uncomfortable, as the edges of the aluminum case dig into your palms . The keyboard layout also feels tight, although the keycaps are no smaller than most laptops.

To make matters worse, the Galaxy Book Flex uses a keyboard with low travel. It's not as flat as the old MacBook keyboards, but the keystrokes could take a little more depth.

The touchpad is quiet, easy to track and can even be used as a wireless charger. Now there is something I have never seen in a laptop. A Qi-enabled phone or a pair of earphones will charge wirelessly, which is a nice addition. You can't use the laptop often when a phone is in the way, but I could imagine that this is a convenient option in a confined space.

design

In the past, Samsung made some of the lightest laptops. They were also some of the most flimsy. The Galaxy Book Flex manages to balance these two things by providing aluminum for stability and keeping the weight at just 2.5 pounds. It's lighter than the Dell XPS 13 2-in-1 and the MacBook Air, but built just as well as the Galaxy smartphones with which it shares its brand.

The Galaxy Book Flex is pretty too. The silver-colored, diamond-cut edges subtly reflect the light, and of course the dark blue color is unforgettable. If you want something different, but even bolder, check out the red on the Galaxy Chromebook, the Chrome alternative to Flex.

Both are a little too brave for my preference. The flex resembles the HP Elite Dragonfly in tone, but is even brighter and more pronounced. Compared to the Flex's two main competitors, the Dell XPS 13 2-in-1 and the HP Specter x360, the Galaxy Book Flex is the aesthetic that I least prefer.

It's more than just a color preference. The steady rests are my real touch. The top and bottom edges are narrow, and to make up for this, the Galaxy Book Flex has an unusually large lower chin. It is a real eyesore. When you sit next to the XPS 13, it's strange how high the screen starts. In addition to the MacBook Air, it even looks strange, which I often criticize for its large bezels.

These bezels spoil the otherwise attractive design.

On the silver sides you will find a selection of USB-C ports, but no full-size USB-A. Two Thunderbolt 3 ports flank the right side next to the power switch and S-pin. The headphone jack, the microSD card slot and a USB-C 3.1 port are on the left.

Next to these connections is a pair of speaker grilles. The audio output is branded by AKG and the result is impressive sound quality. The MacBook Air is in another league, but the Galaxy Book Flex has a fuller-bodied audio profile than some of its competitors and even offers a hint of bass in the mix. It blows the XPS 13 2-in-1 out of the water with thin, downward-facing speakers.

performance

The Galaxy Book Flex is powered by a standard mix of high-end components. On the processor side, the latest 10th generation Ice Lake processors from Intel are used, which provide the laptop with four cores, eight threads and a base clock speed of 1.3 GHz. My test device was the Core i7 variant with 16 GB RAM, although the only 13-inch model sold in the USA only has 8 GB RAM. It also comes with 512 GB SSD storage.

I would like to see more configurations in the future, but the one offered is a fairly fast computer. My daily routine consists of dozens of Chrome tabs, Spotify, Slack, Office and some light photo editing. The Galaxy Book Flex never flinched. It'll crank up its fans and seem to get a little warm by chance, but it was never loud or hot enough to distract.

There are faster laptops like the XPS 13 in this class. The Galaxy Book Flex was only 5 percent behind in Geekbench 5, but 24 percent slower in Handbrake video coding. You may not be planning much video encoding with the Galaxy Book Flex, but the ability to create content may be somewhat limited compared to the powerful XPS 13. Still, it's one of the more powerful laptops with these processors.

The Galaxy Book Flex also has Iris Plus graphics. This is the greatly improved integrated graphics from Intel, which promises twice the performance of the old Intel UHD graphics. The Core i7 model has the best of these Iris Plus graphics, which allow for improved content creation and even easy gaming.

It was still struggling with a game like Fortnite, which is unfortunate. You need to reduce the resolution to playable frame rates. But the Galaxy Book Flex can handle lighter games like Rocket League without too much trouble.

Our opinion

The Galaxy Book Flex is everything you could want in a modern laptop. It's slim, portable, and powerful – and outperforms some of the best laptops in key areas like display and battery life. Adding the S-pin to the case is just the icing on the cake.

Some minor user experience issues such as keyboard placement and front panel size prevent them from getting really great, but it is without a doubt the best laptop Samsung has ever made.

Are there alternatives?

There are tons of laptop options out there, but the Flex's closest rivals are the Dell XPS 13 2-in-1 and the HP Specter x360 13. The Galaxy Book Flex gains battery life and display, even though I match the keyboard and frame size of the other options prefer. The Specter x360 is also a battery life champion and the cheapest of the three. I prefer the design and look of the XPS 13 2-in-1, although the Galaxy Book Flex's colorful QLED screen is ideal for photographers. I wish there was a 4K option as well as a cheaper Core i5 model.

When you're ready to go without the 2-in-1 element, the Dell XPS 13 remains the best laptop you can buy as it can be configured with a touchscreen.

How long it will take?

The Galaxy Book Flex should last for at least four or five years. The components are up to date and the build quality is excellent. Samsung offers a one-year limited warranty at the time of purchase.

Should you buy it

Yes. The first-class battery life and the display make it an outstanding 2-in-1 laptop.

Editor's recommendations