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Color options vary by retailer, too. Our review unit takes an uncontroversial approach, clad in dark Graphite Gray. I find it darker and moodier-looking than the bright silver tones of competitors like the HP Pavilion x360 15. There's also a lighter Platinum Gray option, as well as a more striking Abyss Blue scheme if you're fancying a pop of color. Whichever hue you choose, the chassis is clad in the same sturdy materials—anodized stamped aluminum for the top cover and a combination of polycarbonate and glass fiber for the base. It's reassuringly sturdy to hold. (Photo: Molly Flores) You could make the case that Lenovo might have done better with a larger battery than the 52.5Wh one it used, even at a modest weight gain. The slightly more power-hungry processor in the Acer Spin 5 didn’t prevent the system from scoring right in the middle on battery life, at 12 hours and 38 minutes. As noted, the IdeaPad Flex 5i and the Inspiron 14 were best on the PCMark 10 storage test. The Yoga 7i did not complete the test, and the VivoBook S14 came in last. While the Inspiron 14 far exceeded the others on HandBrake, not surprisingly, the Acer Spin 5 pulled the highest scores on Cinebench, Geekbench, and Adobe/PudgetBench. Graphics Tests Obviously, gaming isn’t a focus for this laptop and our 3D benchmarks show that it doesn’t exactly excel in that department. But while playing Fortnite with no other players onscreen, the fps rises to 40-50, which looks OK on paper, but it fluctuates a lot and there are a lot of dropped frames. When things start to get heated the frame rate can drop to the low 20s, which would be considered unplayable by most people. Results for the 100% brightness test was a bit of an anomaly, since the Flex 5i came in second with 400.8 nits, an impressive score. The Acer Spin 5 was best, with 552.8 nits. The Yoga 7i brought in a respectable 324 nits.
There’s also a fingerprint reader and a pair of stereo 2-watt speakers with Dolby audio. Audio quality is adequate for general use, and certainly for webcam sessions. However, when listening to music at volume, you’ll get some distortion, as with many budget portables. This year's Flex 5i 14 is almost physically identical to the model I reviewed a year ago. The top cover, instead of plastic, is now aluminum. It provides better rigidity for the display, important when you're often twisting it around for tent, stand, and tablet modes. The bottom portion of the chassis is still a polycarbonate with glass fiber woven in. There's a bit of flex due to the plastic, but overall the laptop feels rigid. Weighing in at about 3.3 pounds (1.5kg) it is certainly portable. The soft finish has a bit of texture with a nice feel, and you can get it in three different colors: Abyss Blue, Graphite Grey, or Platinum Grey. I have the Graphite model for review. It’s important to note that when shopping for gadgets and technology products, it can be tempting to go for the lowest price possible. However, be wary of retailers that offer prices that seem too good to be true. Some less reputable retailers may sell counterfeit or low-quality products, which can be dangerous and not perform as well as the genuine product.
Overall, the Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5i 14-inch is well-built, easily handled with a comfortable keyboard and a bright screen, and relatively capable for its price. You certainly wouldn’t use it as a PC gamer—but for general office work, it offers enough performance. The screen is a bit of a wild card, since we tested 400 nits, while Lenovo only promises 300, and the color coverage could use a boost.
We tested the Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5i (model 82R70007US) equipped with a 1080p IPS display, an Intel Core i5-1235U CPU, integrated Intel Iris Xe graphics, 8GB of memory, and 512GB of storage. The display, CPU, memory, and storage are configurable; you can see the available options in the table below. This review applies to all models with a model number starting with '82R7'. Screen The speakers are way better than what you would expect from a laptop in this price range. It helps a lot that they are faced upwards, and apart from the fact that they are impressively loud, they also deliver a sound stage that is both wide and fairly balanced with okay bass response, considering their size. They can't compete with a good pair of speakers or headphones, but they will do just fine for watching YouTube videos or a TV show as long as loud and dramatic sound isn't the main focus.
Power, Flexibility, and Value
As noted, the two hinges offer little play, and the laptop swings easily from closed position through 360 degrees to tablet mode (with the display facing up and the keyboard beneath). The thin bezels framing the display help it seem roomy. The laptop also features a larger ventilation grille on the bottom compared to the 2021 model.
The IdeaPad Flex 5i preinstalls 30-day trial versions of McAfee antivirus software and Microsoft Office 365. Likewise, the Flex 5i comes with Lenovo Vantage, basically an interface to let you tune your system’s performance, update drivers, personalize audio and display settings, and request remote support. A pair of 2-watt speakers produce typically tinny laptop audio. They have enough muscle to fill a small room, but that room will be devoid of bass. Movies and shows sound passable, but you'll want headphones or an external Bluetooth speaker for listening to music. All comparison systems, except the Asus VivoBook S 14 (S433), scored above 5,000 on the PCMark 10 Full Productivity Test Suite, indicating a laptop fully capable of performing standard office tasks. In fact, 4,000 is the cutoff for that, so all of these units can hold their own with productivity tasks.
Testing the Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5i: A Five-Way Clash of 14-Inchers
Another important factor to consider is longevity. When you buy a high-quality LENOVO IdeaPad 5i Pro 14″ Laptop, you’re making an investment that is likely to last longer. Cheaper products may seem like a good deal at the time, but they are often made with lower-quality materials and are not designed to last as long. This means that you may end up having to replace your device sooner, which can end up costing you more in the long run.