This is not an IPS screen, so the image washes out quickly from off-axis views. It's also good for Webcam chats via Skype or another app. For them, a business-focused device like the Dell Enterprise Chromebook (available in a 2-in-1 version) offers better performance on our tests, and better IT manageability features too. More than that and I'd look instead to a higher-end system (such as the Yoga line), as the Flex has a budget/plastic feel that doesn't hold up at higher prices. Unfortunately, the timer facility has stopped working after less than a week and it now displays 00:00 whenever I have a timer running. The chassis hosts an impressive number of ports for a Chromebook, which often skimp on physical connections since most Chromebook users don't need to plug in many peripherals. The chassis is actually on the chunky side in larger, more premium configurations like the Flex 5 14, and it's a bit chunky for this 13.3-inch Chromebook, as well. But the Flex 5 still manages to come in just under 3 pounds, which classifies it as an ultraportable laptop. Lenovo initially quoted us a price of $750 for that configuration, but on the Lenovo site as of this writing, it'll cost you $999. That's not optimal if you're using the kiosk mode for displaying a video or PowerPoint for a group. Subscribing to a newsletter indicates your consent to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. This $600 2-in-1 convertible laptop offers better computing performance than many competitors that cost more than twice as … I never once noticed sluggishness or slowdowns in my testing. But Yoga systems, with flexible hinges that fold all the way back into a tablet mode, are expensive, starting at around $1,000. But because the basic design of the Flex 5 chassis is reused in several different SKUs that cost more, the Flex 5 Chromebook benefits somewhat from a premium, stylish design. Flex 14 configurations start at $569 for a fourth-generation Intel Core i3 CPU, 4GB of RAM, and a 500GB HDD. © 2021 CNET, A RED VENTURES COMPANY. Comcast Internet customers who do not get cable TV service can receive one Flex for free. Our configuration has a fourth-gen Core i5, 8GB of RAM, and a 128GB SSD. The largely plastic body doesn't have that premium IdeaPad feel. A full-featured convertible Chromebook with long battery life. Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 14 Acer Aspire E1 572-6870 Samsung Ativ Book 9 Lite; Price: $999: $579: $799: Display size/resolution: 14-inch, 1,366x768 touch screen: 15.6-inch, 1,366x768 It's fine for videoconferencing, but if you're looking for a Chromebook to use while taking notes in class, you might want to choose a tablet like the Chromebook Duet instead. Be respectful, keep it civil and stay on topic. The IdeaPad Flex doesn't fold all the way back into a tablet like the Yoga does. Press and hold the button, located at the upper right corner, to be transported instantly to the Chrome sign-in screen. It's finally happened. The Flex 5 even managed to come out ahead of the Core i5-equipped Google Pixelbook Go in some of our tests, which include browser-based workouts like WebXPRT 3 and JetStream 2, as well as standalone benchmarks like CrXPRT and the Android version of PCMark. The company has put a ton of research and development into key shape and spacing, and it gives typing a very natural feel with fewer errors than other budget laptops. It retains most of the simple, thoughtful design flourishes of the larger, more expensive 14-inch version that runs Windows 10. The largely plastic body doesn't have that premium IdeaPad feel. While it's not the cheapest Chromebook, it's certainly a bargain when compared to equivalent Windows machines, as well as premium members of the Chrome family from Google. In his spare time, he's written on topics as diverse as Borneo's rain forests, Middle Eastern airlines, and big data's role in presidential elections. With the 2019 revision, I've finally run out things to complain... Don't know what to watch tonight? If you keep it under $800, it's a good deal, even without the trick hinge. That said, while the key layout and design is cribbed from Lenovo's higher-end laptops, the implementation here feels clacky, with loud keys that flex more than they should under even a light touch. © 1996-2021 Ziff Davis, LLC. Two 2-watt speakers project their sound through grilles located on either side of the keyboard deck. The fold-back hinge is of dubious practical use, as it doesn't fold all the way down into a tablet, but if you pick the right configuration, this is still a good, inexpensive Core i5 laptop, even without the gimmicks. Why would you want a kiosk mode in a laptop? You may unsubscribe from the newsletters at any time. With a full HD resolution of 1,920 by 1,080 pixels, the Flex 5's display offers reasonably crisp text and vivid colors, though you will be able to see individual pixels if your eyes are located at a comfortable viewing distance of about two feet. In the kiosk or display mode, you can call up the generally very competent Windows 8 onscreen keyboard, and the rubber bumpers give you a solid enough surface to type and/or tap on. Let's round up Amazon's best gems. The Flex 5 Chromebook does most things mainstream Chromebook users ask for, from serving as a homework companion to offering long battery life and a microSD card reader to add additional storage on the cheap. Your subscription has been confirmed. The Flex 5's right edge also features a volume rocker and the power button, which can come in handy when you're using the device as a tablet or propped up on your desk with the keyboard facing away from you. The 14-inch display has a native resolution of 1,366x768 pixels. Since the Flex 5 is a convertible laptop, its screen offers touch input. They could be an advantage. PCMag, PCMag.com and PC Magazine are among the federally registered trademarks of Ziff Davis, LLC and may not be used by third parties without explicit permission. Find low everyday prices and buy online for delivery or in-store pick-up. There's a definite budget feel to the chassis, but for the less-expensive configurations, it's a good collection of components, including the latest Intel processors -- even if you never fold the hinge back into its kiosk mode. Before that, he worked for PCMag's sister site, Computer Shopper, where he occasionally dunked waterproof hard drives in glasses of water. The Intel Core i3 and 4GB of RAM in the Flex 5 help it offer perfectly adequate performance for most common Chrome tasks, like using Google Docs, watching YouTube videos, and even participating in video chats on Google Hangouts or Skype. Amazon.com: Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5 14" Convertible Laptop, FHD (1920 x 1080) Touch Display, Intel Core i5-1035G1 Processor, 8GB DDR4 Onboard RAM, 128GB SSD, Intel UHD Graphics, Win 10, 81X1004RUS, Graphite Grey: Computers & Accessories The Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5 14 punches far above its weight. Speaking of taking notes, the Flex 5's backlit keyboard is quite comfortable. Design and features The Flex 14 has some design elements that follow Lenovo's current IdeaPad line. The most obvious is the Flex 3’s 11-inch screen. Shop Samsung Galaxy Book Flex Alpha 2-in-1 13.3" QLED Touch-Screen Laptop Intel Core i7 12GB Memory 512GB SSD Royal Silver at Best Buy. We've seen models with orange accents, another Lenovo standby, but this review unit has a gray plastic border around the edges of the screen and base. It's too cramped for my large fingers, and the stiff hinge and significant flex in the keyboard deck make accurate clicks and cursor movements difficult. Here are some of the best movies Netflix has to offer. At around $400, the Flex 5 is a midrange Chromebook. The laptop measures 0.7 by 12.2 by 8.3 inches, noticeably larger than premium 2-in-1 Chromebooks with same-size displays, like the 0.5-inch-thick Google Pixelbook Go. That device features both front- and rear-facing cameras that make it much easier to snap a photo of the blackboard before the teacher erases it. The Flex 5's chassis may be beefy, but it's not unattractive. The SD card slot is especially noteworthy, since it makes it easy to add very low-cost storage to supplement the rather cramped 64GB boot drive. No more excuses; start using Bitwarden today. Lenovo says this is its first consumer Chromebook to offer compatibility with a digital pen—the Chromebook Duet also offers it, but that tablet is geared more towards school district customers. PCMag Digital Group. Looking for a great show to watch tonight? It's significantly more powerful than the Chromebook Duet, whose cramped tablet form factor houses a pokey ARM-based processor. We delete comments that violate our policy, which we encourage you to read. Given the tablet convertible 2-in-1 remit, diminutive proportions aren’t automatically an issue. The clock is well built and blends in nicely with my Echo Flex. A graduate of Middlebury College, Tom also has a master's degree in journalism and French Studies from New York University. Because the hinge doesn't go back a full 360 degrees, it's not as useful as tabletlike hybrids. Folding the screen back to its second position is easy enough, and the stiff hinge holds at any angle, but there's too much flex in the lid to make it a completely smooth transition. The Graphite Gray color scheme of our review unit is also intriguing, making the laptop darker and moodier-looking than the mostly silver schemes of other Lenovo ultraportable laptops. By folding the hinge past 180 degrees, you can prop the notebook up like a tent, rest it on the keyboard portion like an easel, or even fold it completely flat and use it as a tablet. Lenovo's IdeaPad Yoga series is one of the best laptop lines of the past couple of years, and one of the few real standouts of the still-young Windows 8 era. The 300-degree hinge gives you a second kiosk mode, if you want. Connect, interact, work, and play your way with the IdeaPad Flex 5 (14, Intel) 2-in-1 laptop. One of several versions of Lenovo's versatile Flex 5 2-in-1 convertible laptop is the Flex 5 Chromebook ($409.99). They're powerful enough to be heard in an average-size room, but they offer slightly tinny output that makes them suitable for videoconferencing but not much else. It's a marked difference from, for example, the Yoga hinge, which is so good at camouflaging its dual purpose. Discussion threads can be closed at any time at our discretion. Lenovo has a long-standing habit of offering confusing and conflicting discounts on its site, and right now a version with the same specs, but a 256GB SSD, is actually less, $899, whereas models with Core i7 CPUs top $1,100. The Bad Because the hinge doesn't go back a full 360 degrees, it's not as useful as tabletlike hybrids. The Flex 5's battery life is excellent, lasting for nearly 12 hours in our test, which involves playing a locally stored video with Wi-Fi turned off until the battery dies. 11th Gen Intel® Core™ mobile processors power immersive entertainment on the go, while a 360° hinge lets you use the Flex 5 as a laptop, a tablet, and more. Above the display, there's a front-facing camera that shoots 720p video and features a sliding privacy shutter for peace of mind when you're not using it. An inexpensive IdeaPad that's not quite a Yoga. Lenovo tries something new with the semi-hybrid IdeaPad Flex 14. Its 1.4mm of travel distance is perfectly adequate for brief typing sessions, and I appreciate that moving the power button to the right edge frees up space on the keyboard for a button to lock the device. It was also very easy to set up (plug and play) and the adaptive screen brightness is a nice touch. At first glance, the Lenovo Flex 5 seems like it should cost a lot more than it does (currently $478 on Amazon).This 13-inch convertible laptop has a 1080p screen… Xfinity Flex review: Price and availability. It sits above the $250 machines with lower-than-full-HD resolutions and ARM-based processors, and far below premium models like the Google Pixelbook Go that cost $700 and up. Its diagonal is 14″ (35.56 cm), and the resolution – 1920 х 1080. That's low for a midsize laptop these days in general, but for $600 to $700 or so, it's acceptable. Overall, the Flex 5 will suit mainstream users who have grown to appreciate the advantages of the simple, lightweight, and fast-evolving Chrome operating system, but also want pen support, physical connectivity, and other niceties common in the world of Windows laptops. Like other members of the Flex 5 family, the Flex 5 Chromebook offers plenty of physical flexibility, generous connectivity options, and premium design features. Offering robust connectivity, support for digital pens, and good battery life, the Lenovo Flex 5 Chromebook is a capable 2-in-1 convertible laptop for Chrome devotees. Price Match Guarantee. Two smaller rubber bumpers at the far left and right front corners of the wrist rest keep the keys slightly more protected when the system is in its kiosk mode, with the keyboard down against the table. Most Chromebooks come with limited storage capacity, and most Chromebook users don't need a lot of storage, but I still wish that more of them came with SD card readers for easy expansion if you need it. Benchmark results show that the Flex 5's theoretical computing performance is about what we expect from midrange Chromebooks. As a hardware analyst, Tom tests and reviews laptops, peripherals, and much more at PC Labs in New York City. Apple's ProRaw format is why my iPhone pushed aside my Google Pixel, I wanted to love foldable phones, but the novelty got old fast, Hollywood is slowly working to rectify decades of Muslim misrepresentation, Discuss: Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 14 review: An inexpensive IdeaPad that's not quite a Yoga, Stereo speakers, headphone/microphone combo jack. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Sign up for What's New Now to get our top stories delivered to your inbox every morning. Follow him on Twitter @branttom. Lenovo fine-tuned its formula for the Yoga C930, adding a trio of useful features that... Want a laptop that stands out in a coffee shop, conference room or airport lounge? The typical elegant Lenovo hinge has been replaced with a big, bulky tube that's squared off in front, rounded in the back. The Xfinity Flex became available in the fall of 2019. IdeaPad screens are typically very good, and this one, while on the glossy side, has excellent touch response, and is bright and colorful -- at least when viewed head-on. We've seen this feature on the Yoga line, Dell's XPS 12, and a few detachable hybrids. The multi-touch touchpad, whose surface is made of Mylar, is less comfortable than the keyboard. Like the Yoga, S-series, U-series, and other IdeaPad laptops, the Flex has a matte, smooth lid that tapers slightly at the edges, with a subtle Lenovo logo in the top-left corner. https://www.pcmag.com/reviews/lenovo-flex-5-chromebook, Google-Free Android Smartphones Are Now Available in the US, Verizon Support Suggests Turning Off 5G to Conserve Battery, Strike Up the C-Band: Opening New Lanes on the 5G Highway, Exclusive: Here's Where Americans Are Using Starlink's Satellite Internet Service, How to Free Up Space on Your iPhone or iPad, How to Save Money on Your Cell Phone Bill, How to Find Free Tools to Optimize Your Small Business, How to Get Started With Project Management, Read Dell Latitude 5300 2-in-1 Chromebook Enterprise Review, How to Fix a Jumpy or Inaccurate Touchpad, What to Do When Your Computer Won't Start, Dell Inspiron 15 7000 2-in-1 (7506) Review. If you click an affiliate link and buy a product or service, we may be paid a fee by that merchant. It's not quite as good as the Pixelbook Go, which lasted for more than 16 hours, but it should get you through a full day of light work. Keep an eye on your inbox! The Good The Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 14 is inexpensive for a fourth-gen Core i5 laptop, with a good keyboard and touch pad, and excellent battery life. The display of third-party trademarks and trade names on this site does not necessarily indicate any affiliation or the endorsement of PCMag. While I would have liked to also see a dedicated HDMI port, available on the Windows-based Flex 5 14, that's nevertheless an impressive offering. You also get Lenovo's excellent keyboard and touch-pad designs, which count for a lot. Wireless connectivity options, critically important for a device that needs constant internet access, include Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) and Bluetooth 5.0. Unfortunately, the display's rated maximum brightness of 250 nits is quite low, and I had trouble seeing it in a daylight-flooded room. Our expert industry analysis and practical solutions help you make better buying decisions and get more from technology. He previously covered the consumer tech beat as a news reporter for PCMag in San Francisco and Silicon Valley, where he rode in several self-driving cars and witnessed the rise and fall of many startups. The Chrome operating system has been steadily adding digital stylus capabilities, and now comes with a dedicated Stylus Tools menu that offers shortcuts for screen captures and creating notes. The Chrome operating system, an Intel Core i3 processor, and 64GB of flash-based storage help keep the price down, however. This newsletter may contain advertising, deals, or affiliate links. You can tap with your fingers or draw with the optional Lenovo digital pen, sold separately. The fold-back hinge is of dubious practical use, as it doesn't fold all the way down into a tablet, but if you pick the right configuration, this is still a good, inexpensive Core i5 laptop, even without the gimmicks. This is more of a touch-screen laptop with some extra flexibility, bending its screen back by 300 degrees to allow for what we've been calling a kiosk mode, with the screen pointing out from the rear of the laptop, away from the keyboard and touch pad. It's still not the most powerful Chromebook on the market, and it might not be the best choice for the growing numbers of enterprise IT departments that are adopting the Chrome operating system. PCMag.com is a leading authority on technology, delivering Labs-based, independent reviews of the latest products and services. If you plan on toting your Chromebook around and using it in a variety of lighting conditions, you’ll want to consider a sunnier screen, like the 400-nit one on the Lenovo Chromebook Duet. On the left edge, you'll find a USB-C port (which also accepts the AC adapter cable), a USB 3.1 Gen 1 Type-A port, a headphone jack, and a microSD card reader. If I were buying one of the more-expensive configurations, I'd want at least the option to upgrade to a higher-resolution screen. Interestingly, HP's new Chromebook 11, which runs Chrome OS has an 11-inch IPS screen in a $279 ultraportable (but it's certainly not an apples-to-apples comparison). A pair of heavy-duty rubber bumpers at the rear of the bottom panel keeps the screen from moving past the 300-degree mark, although psychologically you'll want to keep going until it's flat like the Yoga. Lenovo uses a unique soft-touch plastic coating on the sides and the keyboard deck, which makes the laptop pleasing to hold. As a follow-up, Lenovo is trying a variation on the theme, giving you a larger system (available in 14- and 15-inch sizes) that costs a bit less, and does a bit less. Additionally, the screen ratio is 16:9, the pixel density – 157 ppi, their pitch – 0.161 x 0.161 mm. This $600 2-in-1 convertible laptop offers better computing performance than many competitors that cost more than twice as … The identity you save could be your own.... Not sure what to watch on Amazon tonight? On the right, there's an additional USB-C port. Among the upgraded features are a 360-degree hinge, common on Windows laptops but somewhat rarer on Chromebooks. Lenovo Ideapad Flex 5 (14) is equipped has a Full HD IPS screen, model number LG Display LP140WFA-SPMB (LEN40A9). Let's round up some of its best gems. Reliability was good in my testing, with the Flex 5 experiencing no slowdowns or random disconnects when used with a Netgear Nighthawk router. It's good for presenting a photo slideshow or PowerPoint, or for viewing videos, giving the screen extra visual impact by hiding the keyboard and the rest of the laptop body from sight. The Bottom Line Lenovo tries something new with the semi-hybrid IdeaPad Flex 14. I like the Flex 14 as a reasonably priced midsize laptop. One of several versions of Lenovo's versatile Flex 5 2-in-1 convertible laptop is the Flex 5 Chromebook ($409.99). The Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5 14 punches far above its weight. What to watch before Zack Snyder's Justice League.