The two-in-one laptop market in India has seen a sudden growth in the past couple of years. The Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5 is one such piece of hardware, in a sea of hybrid laptops in the Indian market. Despite the aggressive pricing, the laptop features some impressive hardware that can be used for both work and play.
We had the opportunity to use the IdeaPad Flex 5 and here’s what we think about Lenovo’s two-in-one offering:
Pros:
Great battery
Good performance
Cons:
Reflective display
‘Buggy’ in flex mode
What’s Good?
Right off the bat, the design catches the eye instantly. As part of the iconic yoga series, the Flex 5 lives up to its name as being a flexible hybrid laptop with its 360-degree rotatable hinge, that goes all the way to the back. The fact that Lenovo has got this foldable form factor at an aggressive price tag is commendable.
The outer surface of the laptop comes with a matte-like soft finish that doesn’t attract a lot of smudges. Although the laptop has been made of plastic, Lenovo has done a good job packaging it in a way that makes it look premium.
The 14-inch laptop weighs 1.5-kg. The compact form factor allows portability, although it’s not as light when it is in tablet mode.
The full HD resolution display offers 88 percent screen to body ratio, which allows immersive binge-watching experience. However, make sure that you are watching videos or working inside a room that’s not brightly lit.
Connectivity and ports: The Lenovo Flex 5 comes with a barrel charging port, HDMI 1.4b port, USB-C port, and microphone combo jack. On the right side of the laptop, you will find two USB 3.1 ports, an SD card reader, and the power button. You also get a fingerprint scanner right below the keyboard, which I feel is a great addition for quick access.
The tent mod is good while consuming video content. You can also use the stylus that is provided in the box. The digital pen comes with two customisable buttons, 4.096 pressure sensitivity, and runs on a 4A battery. The display supports multi-touch with support for up to 10 points and the touch response is good.
The IdeaPad Flex 5 is powered by a Ryzen 4500U processor. The six-core processor offers a max clock speed of up to 4GHz, which is capable of handling heavy graphics. The built-in AMD Radeon R5 GPU onboard assists with multimedia applications. To support the hardware inside, the Flex 5 comes with 8GB of DDR4 RAM with support for up to 16GB of RAM. For storage, it comes with 512GB of SSD storage without the option to expand.
While we worked on this piece of hardware, we found it was easy to multi-task. It is possible to play multiple videos at the same time, and we even tried playing Valorant on it. The Ryzen 4000 series processor is easily the perfect companion for this laptop.
The battery life on the Flex 5 is also impressive. The 52Wh battery pack is capable of providing up to nine hours of screen time, with average usage. Even with the use of heavy applications with optimum brightness, the battery life lasts up to five hours.
However, there isn’t much charging time. Apart from these, the backlit keyboard with and the spaced-out keys help with typing.
What’s Bad?
The design could have been sturdier. When we ran our fingers along the edge of the bezels, we could feel a part of the panel detach from the primary display, which is not a good sign.
There should have been more colour options to choose from. Although the dark grey shade looks good, customers like it when they have more options to choose from. The trackpad can also be improved. We struggled with some of the gestures, while using it, and there was a lag in the feedback at times.
The camera quality could have been improved, as a well-lit room is required currently to ensure there is good clarity during video calls.
You may also encounter a few bugs while using applications on tablet mode, which depends on the app being used too.
Even though the maximum limit of brightness is 250 units, the display panel is highly reflective. It would be better if it had an anti-reflective finish over it.
Should You Buy It?
Those who are looking for a system for gaming purposes, this is not a first option. With no dedicated GPU, it is clearly not made for gaming. However, this is a powerful piece of hardware with great battery life. Those who like to run multiple applications at the same time and want access to their work by just flicking the lid open can consider buying Flex 5.
This being one of the most affordable hybrid laptops in the market, gives Flex 5 an edge over others. We wouldn’t recommend it for outdoor use, as the reflective panel is tough to manage under sunlight. Also, it isn’t at its portable best when in tablet mode, so be aware of that.
At approximately Rs 53,000, the Flex 5 is a good option if you want a powerful laptop that is compact and looks good. Else, in this price category, you can also consider the Dell Inspiron 14-inch or the Asus VivoBook.
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