Lenovo IdeaPad 5 (15″, 2022) review

Sometimes all you need from your laptop is to be with you in your daily routine. This may mean that it will fill spreadsheets most of its life, or it will return e-mails and view the occasional movie. Regardless of that, your best bet will be to buy something, which has proven itself over the years.

The IdeaPad brand is one of the best-selling ones worldwide. Of course, it is a secret to no one that the main reason behind its good selling figures is the low price tag. However, Lenovo is elevating its low-to-medium budget game, and this year, the IdeaPad 5 (15″, 2022) will make a lot of people happy.

We are talking about Intel 12th Gen CPUs and a choice between the more energy-efficient U-series and the slightly more powerful P-series. Also, you can choose an AMD option if you prefer, although Team Red only supplies Ryzen 5000U refresh processors.

In addition, you will find a surprise in the build quality, as well as on the display front, where 768p panels have been banished for good. Yet, there is still a TN option among the 1080p displays, which should be ignored by all means necessary.

You can check the prices and configurations in our Specs System: https://laptopmedia.com/series/lenovo-ideapad-5-15-2022/

Contents


Specs, Drivers, What’s in the box

Lenovo IdeaPad 5 (15", 2022) - Specs

  • BOE NV156FHM-N4S (BOE0AB0)
  • Color accuracy  6.1  4.0
  • HDD/SSD
  • up to 2000GB SSD
  • RAM
  • up to 16GB
  • OS
  • Windows 11 Home, Windows 10 Home, Windows 11 Pro, Windows 10 Pro
  • Battery
  • 57Wh, 3-cell, 45Wh, 3-cell, 57Wh, 57Wh
  • Body material
  • Plastic / Polycarbonate, Aluminum
  • Dimensions
  • 356.67 x 233.13 x 16.9 - 17.9 mm (14.04" x 9.18" x 0.67")
  • Weight
  • 1.77 kg (3.9 lbs)
  • Ports and connectivity
  • 1x USB Type-A
  • 3.2 Gen 1 (5 Gbps)
  • 1x USB Type-A
  • 3.2 Gen 1 (5 Gbps), Sleep and Charge
  • 2x USB Type-C
  • 3.2 Gen 1 (5 Gbps), Power Delivery (PD), DisplayPort
  • HDMI
  • 1.4b
  • Card reader
  • MMC, SD, SDHC, SDXC
  • Ethernet LAN
  • Wi-Fi
  • 802.11ax
  • Bluetooth
  • 5.1
  • Audio jack
  • 3.5mm Combo Jack
  • Features
  • Fingerprint reader
  • Web camera
  • HD / FHD with Privacy Shutter, Fixed Focus
  • Backlit keyboard
  • Microphone
  • Dual array microphone with noise-cancelling, support for Lenovo Voice Assistant (LVA), and Amazon Alexa
  • Speakers
  • 2x 2W Stereo Speakers,
  • Optical drive
  • Security Lock slot

All Lenovo IdeaPad 5 (15″, 2022) configurations

#CommissionsEarned

Drivers

All drivers and utilities for this notebook can be found here: https://pcsupport.lenovo.com/us/en/products/laptops-and-netbooks/5-series/ideapad-5-15ial7/downloads/driver-list

What’s in the box?

Inside the package, you will find some paperwork, a 65W USB Type-C charger, and a set of SATA drive connections and mounting accessories.


Design and construction

Once again, you can choose between two options in regard to the build material. The first one includes an all-metal design, which has a profile of 16.9mm and weighs 1.85 kg. In the other corner, you will find a unit with a metal lid and plastic base, which is a bit thicker – 17.9mm, but weighs less – 1.77 kg.

We were able to snatch an all-metal unit, and let us tell you – it feels really premium. The corners of the base are chamfered and have a gentle shine. Both the lid and the base are pretty resistant to flex. What surprised us more, however, is the fact that the laptop has passed the MIL-STD-810H durability test (an undisclosed number of these tests).

Another surprising feature is that the lid can be opened with a single hand. Lenovo has implemented a mechanism, which lifts the base when the lid gets past a certain angle. In our opinion, the angle is too big, and you will rarely take advantage of this function.

On the other hand, the bezels around the matte display are pretty thin. The top one houses a Full HD Web camera with a privacy shutter on top.

The next thing in line is the base. And there is a lot going on there. First of all, there is a substantial grill above the keyboard. It is meant for the stereo speakers, which are front firing. To its right, you will find the power button, which sits flush with the base, and sports an optional fingerprint reader.

Then comes the keyboard, which is a full-size unit with a NumberPad and a backlight. Now, the feedback is relatively clicky, but we find the key travel to be a bit short for our liking.

Right below the Space button is where the touchpad is located. It features a Mylar surface, which is pretty smooth. The size is 69 by 104 millimeters, which is pretty average.

Naturally, since the speakers are placed above the keyboard, the bottom panel is left only to the ventilation grill. This is where the single fan draws its cool air from. It is then exhausted through a vent in between the base and the lid of the device.

Ports

On the left side of the machine, there are two USB Type-C 3.2 (Gen. 1) ports, both of which can be used for charging. Then, there is an HDMI 1.4b connector, and an Audio jack. Switch sides, and you will find two USB Type-A 3.2 (Gen. 1) ports, and an SD card reader. By the way, both of the USB Type-Cs support data transfer, Power Delivery 3.0, and DisplayPort 1.2 output.


Display quality, Health impact (PWM), Sound

Lenovo IdeaPad 5 (15″, 2022) in our configuration is equipped with a Full HD IPS panel with a model number BOE NV156FHM-N4S (BOE0AB0). Its diagonal is 15.6″ (39.62 cm), and the resolution is 1920 х 1080 pixels. The screen ratio is 16:9, and we are looking at a pixel density of – 142 ppi, and a pitch of 0.18 х 0.18 mm. The screen turns into Retina when viewed at distance equal to or greater than 60cm (24″) (from this distance one’s eye stops differentiating the separate pixels, and it is normal for looking at a laptop).

The viewing angles are excellent. We offer images at 45° to evaluate image quality.

Also, a video with locked focus and exposure.

The measured maximum brightness of 374 nits in the middle of the screen and 350 nits as an average for the whole area, with a maximum deviation of 12%. The Correlated Color Temperature on a white screen is 7070K – colder than the sRGB standard of 6500K.

In the illustration below you can see how the display performs from a uniformity perspective. In other words, the leakage of light from the light source.

Values of dE2000 over 4.0 should not occur, and this parameter is one of the first you should check if you intend to use the laptop for color-sensitive work. The contrast ratio is good – 1180:1.

To make sure we are on the same page, we would like to give you a little introduction to the sRGB color gamut and the Adobe RGB. To start, there’s the CIE 1976 Uniform Chromaticity Diagram that represents the visible specter of colors by the human eye, giving you a better perception of the color gamut coverage and the color accuracy.

Inside the black triangle, you will see the standard color gamut (sRGB) that is being used by millions of people on HDTV and the web. As for the Adobe RGB, this is used in professional cameras, monitors, etc for printing. Basically, colors inside the black triangle are used by everyone and this is the essential part of the color quality and color accuracy of a mainstream notebook.

Still, we’ve included other color spaces like the famous DCI-P3 standard used by movie studios, as well as the digital UHD Rec.2020 standard. Rec.2020, however, is still a thing of the future and it’s difficult for today’s displays to cover that well. We’ve also included the so-called Michael Pointer gamut, or Pointer’s gamut, which represents the colors that naturally occur around us every day.

The yellow dotted line shows Lenovo IdeaPad 5 (15″, 2022)’s color gamut coverage.

Its display covers 50% of the sRGB/ITU-R BT.709 (web/HDTV standard) in CIE1976.

Our “Design and Gaming” profile delivers optimal color temperature (6500K) at 140 cd/m2 luminance and sRGB gamma mode.

We tested the accuracy of the display with 24 commonly used colors like light and dark human skin, blue sky, green grass, orange, etc. You can check out the results in factory condition and also, with the “Design and Gaming” profile.

Below you can compare the scores of Lenovo IdeaPad 5 (15″, 2022) with the default settings (left), and with the “Gaming and Web design” profile (right).

The next figure shows how well the display is able to reproduce really dark parts of an image, which is essential when watching movies or playing games in low ambient light.

The left side of the image represents the display with stock settings, while the right one is with the “Gaming and Web Design” profile activated. On the horizontal axis, you will find the grayscale, and on the vertical axis – the luminance of the display. On the two graphs below you can easily check for yourself how your display handles the darkest nuances but keep in mind that this also depends on the settings of your current display, the calibration, the viewing angle, and the surrounding light conditions.

Response time (Gaming capabilities)

We test the reaction time of the pixels with the usual “black-to-white” and “white-to-black” method from 10% to 90% and vice versa.

We recorded Fall Time + Rise Time = 19 ms.

After that, we test the reaction time of the pixels with the usual “Gray-to-Gray” method from 50% White to 80% White and vice versa between 10% and 90% of the amplitude.

Health Impact: PWM (Screen flickering)

Pulse-width modulation (PWM) is an easy way to control monitor brightness. When you lower the brightness, the light intensity of the backlight is not lowered, but instead turned off and on by the electronics with a frequency indistinguishable to the human eye. In these light impulses, the light/no-light time ratio varies, while brightness remains unchanged, which is harmful to your eyes. You can read more about that in our dedicated article on PWM.

Lenovo IdeaPad 5 (15″, 2022)’s display doesn’t use PWM to adjust its brightness levels at any point. This makes it comfortable for use during long work periods, without harming your eyes in this aspect.

Health Impact: Blue light emissions

Installing our Health-Guard profile not only eliminates PWM but also reduces the harmful Blue Light emissions while keeping the colors of the screen perceptually accurate. If you’re not familiar with the Blue light, the TL;DR version is – emissions that negatively affect your eyes, skin, and your whole body. You can find more information about that in our dedicated article on Blue Light.

Health Impact: Gloss level measurement

Glossy-coated displays are sometimes inconvenient in high ambient light conditions. We show the level of reflection on the screen for the respective laptop when the display is turned off and the measurement angle is 60° (in this case, the result is 49.4 GU, which is not too glossy).

Sound

Lenovo IdeaPad 5 (15″, 2022)’s front-firing speakers produce a sound of decent quality. However, there are slight deviations across the entire frequency range.


Buy our profiles

Since our profiles are tailored for each display model, this article and its respective profile package are meant for Lenovo IdeaPad 5 (15″, 2022) configurations with 15.6″ FHD IPS BOE NV156FHM-N4S (BOE0AB0).

*Should you have problems with downloading the purchased file, try using a different browser to open the link you’ll receive via e-mail. If the download target is a .php file instead of an archive, change the file extension to .zip or contact us at [email protected].

Read more about the profiles HERE.

In addition to receiving efficient and health-friendly profiles, by buying LaptopMedia's products you also support the development of our labs, where we test devices in order to produce the most objective reviews possible.

Office Work

Office Work should be used mostly by users who spend most of the time looking at pieces of text, tables or just surfing. This profile aims to deliver better distinctness and clarity by keeping a flat gamma curve (2.20), native color temperature and perceptually accurate colors.

Design and Gaming

This profile is aimed at designers who work with colors professionally, and for games and movies as well. Design and Gaming takes display panels to their limits, making them as accurate as possible in the sRGB IEC61966-2-1 standard for Web and HDTV, at white point D65.

Health-Guard

Health-Guard eliminates the harmful Pulse-Width Modulation (PWM) and reduces the negative Blue Light which affects our eyes and body. Since it’s custom tailored for every panel, it manages to keep the colors perceptually accurate. Health-Guard simulates paper so the pressure on the eyes is greatly reduced.

Get all 3 profiles with 33% discount


Performance: CPU, GPU, Gaming Tests

CPU Performance

The Intel version of this laptop can be found with the Core i3-1215U, Core i5-1235U, Core i7-1255U, Core i5-1240P, or Core i7-1260P.

Lenovo IdeaPad 5 (15", 2022) CPU variants

Here you can see an approximate comparison between the CPUs that can be found in the Lenovo IdeaPad 5 (15", 2022) models on the market. This way you can decide for yourself which Lenovo IdeaPad 5 (15", 2022) model is the best bang for your buck.

Note: The chart shows the cheapest different CPU configurations so you should check what the other specifications of these laptops are by clicking on the laptop’s name / CPU.

GPU Performance

As for the graphics, you get the Intel UHD Graphics for the Core i3 (because of the single channel memory), the Iris Xe Graphics G7 with 80EUs for the Core i5s, and the Iris Xe Graphics G7 with 96EUs for the Core i7s. In addition, you can opt for a dedicated GPU in the form of the NVIDIA GeForce MX550 with 2GB of GDDR6 VRAM.

Lenovo IdeaPad 5 (15", 2022) GPU variants

Here you can see an approximate comparison between the GPUs that can be found in the Lenovo IdeaPad 5 (15", 2022) models on the market. This way you can decide for yourself which Lenovo IdeaPad 5 (15", 2022) model is the best bang for your buck.

Note: The chart shows the cheapest different GPU configurations so you should check what the other specifications of these laptops are by clicking on the laptop’s name / GPU.

Gaming tests

cs-go-benchmarks

CS:GOHD 1080p, Low (Check settings)HD 1080p, Medium (Check settings)HD 1080p, MAX (Check settings)
Average FPS76 fps50 fps31 fps

DOTA 2HD 1080p, Low (Check settings)HD 1080p, Normal (Check settings)HD 1080p, High (Check settings)
Average FPS112 fps57 fps32 fps

Temperatures and comfort, Battery Life

Max CPU load

In this test we use 100% on the CPU cores, monitoring their frequencies and chip temperature. The first column shows a computer’s reaction to a short load (2-10 seconds), the second column simulates a serious task (between 15 and 30 seconds), and the third column is a good indicator of how good the laptop is for long loads such as video rendering.

Average P-core frequency; Average E-core frequency; CPU temp.; Package Power

Intel Core i5-1235U (15W TDP)0:02 – 0:10 sec0:15 – 0:30 sec10:00 – 15:00 min
Lenovo IdeaPad 5 (15″, 2022)3.60 GHz @ 3.08 GHz @ 73°C @ 55W3.44 GHz @ 2.95 GHz @ 88°C @ 51W2.80 GHz @ 2.49 GHz @ 69°C @ 35W
Lenovo ThinkPad L14 Gen 33.20 GHz @ 2.77 GHz @ 83°C @ 44W3.10 GHz @ 2.71 GHz @ 94°C @ 43W1.89 GHz @ 1.95 GHz @ 72°C @ 20W
Acer Aspire Vero (AV14-51)3.63 GHz @ 2.87 GHz @ 84°C @ 55W2.73 GHz @ 2.36 GHz @ 81°C @ 33W2.49 GHz @ 2.23 GHz @ 79°C @ 28W
MSI Modern 14 (C12M)3.17 GHz @ 2.69 GHz @ 77°C @ 45W3.10 GHz @ 2.61 GHz @ 81°C @ 45W2.69 GHz @ 2.45 GHz @ 78°C @ 35W
Dell Latitude 15 55303.57 GHz @ 3.02 GHz @ 94°C @ 52W2.03 GHz @ 2.09 GHz @ 76°C @ 21W2.24 GHz @ 2.19 GHz @ 64°C @ 23W

Surprisingly, the IdeaPad 5 (15″, 2022) is the best-performing device in this test. It finishes the Prime95 load at 35W of sustained power draw, and a temperature of 69°C. This cooling system will definitely be able to deal with the 28W P-series processors.

Comfort during full load

What is also great is that the large fan moves a lot of air, but doesn’t produce too much noise. In addition, the warmest spot of the keyboard always sits below 36°C.

Battery Life

Now, we conduct the battery tests with the Windows Better performance setting turned on, screen brightness adjusted to 120 nits, and all other programs turned off except for the one we are testing the notebook with. Here, the 57Wh battery pack lasts for 11 hours and 32 minutes of Web browsing, or 9 hours and 27 minutes of video playback.

In order to simulate real-life conditions, we used our own script for automatic web browsing through over 70 websites.


Disassembly, Upgrade options, and Maintenance

To open this laptop, you need to undo 9 Torx-head screws. Then, pry the bottom panel with a plastic tool, starting from the front two corners.

Our configuration is equipped with a 57Wh battery pack. It lasts for 11 hours and 30 minutes of Web browsing, or 9 hours and 30 minutes of video playback. To remove it, you need to undo 4 Phillips-head screws and unplug the battery connector.

Unfortunately, the memory is soldered to the motherboard. You get up to 16GB of DDR4 RAM, working in dual-channel mode. Storage-wise, there is an M.2 PCIe x4 slot, which supports Gen 4 SSDs. In addition, you get a 2.5-inch SATA drive slot.

Cooling-wise, there are two heat pipes taking care of the CPU. In addition, you get one fan, while the VRMs are not being cooled.


Video Review


Verdict

Okay, let’s say that you have around $700-800 in your bank account, which is not allocated for bills, food, or strippers. And you desperately need a new laptop, which you’re going to use as a daily driver, and a workhorse. What should you do? Well, if you are into games, you can check out the IdeaPad Gaming 3 (15″, 2022), or the Nitro 5 (AN515-58). But if you don’t need a gaming machine, and even prefer something that comes in a stylish outfit, features a rigid construction, and feels premium, then the IdeaPad 5 (15″, 2022) might be the device for you.

To be completely honest, two things got us off-guard. The first one is definitely the build quality of the all-metal model. It doesn’t flex, the lid opens with a single hand, and the single thing that disappointed us was the base elevation system, which works when the lid is open just too wide.

The performance, however, was one of a kind. Even a “15W” chip manages to sustain 35W in long runs, which renders it useful not only for daily browsing, but also for photo editing, and why not animation, or for crunching complex equations.

Lenovo IdeaPad 5 (15″, 2022)’s IPS panel has a Full HD resolution, comfortable viewing angles, a good contrast ratio, and a non-flickering backlight. Unfortunately, it covers only half of the colors found on the Web, which renders this panel inappropriate for professional work with color-related content. Keep in mind that Lenovo offers this device with other 1080p panels, one of which features an alleged 100% sRGB coverage.

The battery life is also pretty good. Our model is equipped with a 57Wh unit, which sits in the middle of the spectrum – there are options with 45Wh and with 76Wh batteries. Anyway, our device manages 11 hours and a half of Web browsing, or 9 hours and a half of video playback. In our experience, we have found that AMD models of the same series provide a better battery life, so this is what we expect from the AMD version of the IdeaPad 5 (15″, 2022).

What may be a real dealbreaker, however, is the lack of memory upgrade options. You only get a maximum of 16GB of soldered RAM, which may not be enough on some occasions. On the other hand, you have one M.2 PCIe x4 Gen 4 slot for storage, as well as a 2.5-inch SATA drive bay with the included cable and mounting screws.

Yes, there are a couple of additional features, which will be pretty convincing – like the Full HD Web camera with a privacy shutter, or the optional fingerprint reader, embedded in the power button.

However, the one that makes the choice is you. If decide to get the IdeaPad 5 (15″, 2022), make sure you get the 16GB model, as you will probably struggle with 8GB in the future.

You can check the prices and configurations in our Specs System: https://laptopmedia.com/series/lenovo-ideapad-5-15-2022/

Pros

  • USB Type-C charging + SD card
  • Great computational performance
  • No PWM (AUO B140HAN04.E)
  • Comfortable viewing angles and good contrast ratio (AUO B140HAN04.E)
  • Good battery life
  • M.2 PCIe x4 Gen 4 support + 2.5-inch SATA drive bay with mounting accessories
  • Full HD Web camera with privacy shutter + optional fingerprint reader


Cons

  • Covers only 50% of sRGB (AUO B140HAN04.E)
  • Memory is soldered to the motherboard

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Roman
Roman
1 year ago

Thanks for your work, the review was helpfull!

John
John
4 months ago

Don’t make the mistake I made buying the Intel model with the 1235u. It has been so disappointing in performance and battery life. Buy the Ryzen model if you buy anything in this series. Overall, the features are great for the price and I like the laptop overall except for the terrible Intel hybrid CPU which in my opinion did not impress in any way over previous generation CPU’s.

John
John
3 months ago

After using it a few weeks now, my biggest take aways is the screen quality is just OK. Sort of washed out and not great. TouchPad is overly sensitive with taps. As I said in a earlier comment. Still not very impressed with Intel 1235u CPU. I almost returned the laptop except for the deal I got on Lenovo’s outlet store. Only paid $325 US. I figure that’s about what it is worth.