Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5 (14″, 2022) review – affordable and practical

Lenovo produces a lot of machines that focus on affordability. In fact, it was once the brand’s identity. Now, its notebooks are a combination of high-quality materials, powerful hardware, and again – competitive pricing.

One such machine is the IdeaPad Flex 5 (14″, 2022). It comes in an AMD and an Intel option. Frankly, we had the former, which may provide a hint of disappointment on everyone’s faces, once you take a look at the specs sheet.

Yes, while Lenovo has picked the latest and greatest from Intel, the Team Red solution only features the rebranded Zen 2 chips, maxing out with the Ryzen 7 5700U. However, we have to remind you that they were kind of ahead of their time, and can still offer a ton of performance to the table.

Not only do you get some performance potential, but you also have the option to get a display with full sRGB coverage. What is not optional, however, is the aspect ratio – 16:10. As always, taller screens offer more vertical workspace, which is great for … well, work.

You can check the prices and configurations in our Specs System: https://laptopmedia.com/series/lenovo-ideapad-flex-5-14-2022/

Contents


Specs, Drivers, What’s in the box

Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5 (14", 2022) - Specs

  • LEN140WUXGA (LEN9125)
  • Color accuracy  6.3  3.3
  • HDD/SSD
  • up to 2000GB SSD
  • RAM
  • up to 16GB
  • OS
  • Windows 11 Home, Windows 11 Pro, Windows 10 Home, Windows 10 Pro
  • Battery
  • 52.5Wh, 52.5Wh, 3-cell, 52.5Wh , 52.5Wh, 3-cell
  • Body material
  • Plastic / Polycarbonate, Glass Fiber
  • Dimensions
  • 313.1 x 224.9 x 17.8 mm (12.33" x 8.85" x 0.70")
  • Weight
  • 1.55 kg (3.4 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
  • 1x USB Type-C
  • 3.2 Gen 2 (10 Gbps), Power Delivery (PD), DisplayPort
  • HDMI
  • 1.4b
  • Card reader
  • SD, SDHC, SDXC, MMC
  • Ethernet LAN
  • Wi-Fi
  • 802.11ax
  • Bluetooth
  • 5.1
  • Audio jack
  • 3.5mm Combo Jack
  • Features
  • Fingerprint reader
  • optional
  • Web camera
  • HD / FHD with Privacy Shutter, Fixed Focus
  • Backlit keyboard
  • optional
  • Microphone
  • Dual array microphone with noise-cancelling, support for Lenovo Voice Assistant (LVA), and Amazon Alexa
  • Speakers
  • 2x 2W Front Facing-facing Stereo Speakers, Dolby Audio
  • Optical drive
  • optional
  • Security Lock slot

All Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5 (14″, 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/flex-series/flex-5-14alc7/downloads/driver-list

What’s in the box?

This notebook comes in an ordinary cardboard box, which features some paperwork inside. In addition, there is a 65W charger and a dedicated Lenovo Pen.


Design and construction

One simply can’t argue that the IdeaPad Flex 5 (14″, 2022) has a stylish outfit. The finish of the device really enhances the overall premium appeal. However, we were surprised to find out that it is made out of a plastic and glass fiber composite.

Naturally, the base suffered from a lot of flex, even producing some nasty pops and squeaks, when we twisted it. On the contrary, the lid showed extreme support, mainly thanks to the glass display cover. Dimensions-wise, we are talking about a profile of 17.8mm and a weight of 1.55 kg. Not great, not terrible.

Usually, this would count as a spot-on 14-inch ultrabook. However, due to the fact that this is a 2-in-1 machine, the extra weight, and thickness, compared to a conventional tablet, may bring some slight discomfort, when the device is used as one.

Also, its lid can’t be opened with a single hand. On the bright side, the lid acts as a lever, lifting the backside of the base, when you get past a certain degree. In addition, it comes with slim bezels all around, with the top one housing an optional Full HD Web camera (the default version has a 720p shooter), and a privacy shutter.

When you flip the screen on its back, you won’t notice any wobbling, which is always a good sign. Plus, the included Pen works perfectly, and offers some comfort, due to its relatively thick diameter.

Then comes the base. Naturally, it houses the keyboard. It is a backlit unit with decent key travel and clicky feedback. It is surrounded by speaker grills, which hide two 2W runners.

Here, the touchpad is pretty big – 75 by 120 mm. It comes with a smooth Mylar surface, which provides good tracking, and smooth gliding. Moreover, the response rate is quite fast as well. If you look to the left, you will see the fingerprint reader.

Respectively, the bottom panel shows us only the ventilation grill. Although it seems long, the cutouts are “through putting” only above (or below) the fan. On the other hand, the heat is being exhausted through a quite sizeable gap in the back of the base.

Ports

On the left side, there is the power plug, an HDMI 1.4b connector, a USB Type-C 3.2 (Gen. 2) port with Power Delivery and DisplayPort functions, as well as an Audio jack. Switch sides, and you’ll see two USB Type-A 3.2 (Gen. 1) ports, an SD card reader, and the power button itself.


Display quality, Health impact (PWM), Sound

Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5 (14″, 2022) is equipped with a WUXGA IPS panel, model number LEN140WUXGA (LEN9125). It comes with a 60Hz refresh rate. Its diagonal is 14″ (35.5 cm), and the resolution – 1920 x 1200p. Additionally, the screen ratio is 16:10, the pixel density – 162 ppi, and their pitch – 0.16 x 0.16 mm. The screen can be considered Retina when viewed from at least 54 cm (from this distance, the average human eye can’t see the individual pixels).

Viewing angles are good. We offer images at different angles to evaluate the quality.

Also, a video with locked focus and exposure.

The maximum measured brightness is 296 nits (cd/m2) in the middle of the screen and 278 nits (cd/m2) average across the surface with a maximum deviation of 8%. The Correlated Color Temperature on a white screen and at maximum brightness is 6130K (average) – slightly warmer than the 6500K optimum for sRGB.
In the illustration below you can see how the display performs from a uniformity perspective. The illustration below shows how matters are for operational brightness levels (approximately 140 nits) – in this particular case at 83% Brightness (White level = 140 cd/m2, Black level = 0.1 cd/m2).
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 (a maximum tolerance of 2.0 ). The contrast ratio is good – 1450:1.

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 on 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 Flex 5 (14″, 2022)’s color gamut coverage.

Its display covers 54% 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 at factory condition and also, with the “Design and Gaming” profile.

Below you can compare the scores of the Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5 (14″, 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 = 25 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 Flex 5 (14″, 2022)’s display doesn’t flicker at any brightness level. This makes the screen comfortable for long periods of use.

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 109 GU).

Sound

Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5 (14″, 2022)’s Dolby Atmos speakers produce a sound of very good quality. Its low, mid, and high tones have no deviations from clarity.


Buy our profiles

Since our profiles are tailored for each individual display model, this article and its respective profile package are meant for Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5 (14″, 2022) configurations with 14″ LEN140WUXGA (LEN9125) (WUXGA, 1920 x 1200) IPS.

*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 options

This machine is provided with the Ryzen 3 5300U, Ryzen 5 5500U, or Ryzen 7 5700U.

Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5 (14", 2022) CPU variants

Here you can see an approximate comparison between the CPUs that can be found in the Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5 (14", 2022) models on the market. This way you can decide for yourself which Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5 (14", 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 options

For graphics, you “only” get what’s inside your CPU of choice.

Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5 (14", 2022) GPU variants

Here you can see an approximate comparison between the GPUs that can be found in the Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5 (14", 2022) models on the market. This way you can decide for yourself which Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5 (14", 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 FPS107 fps78 fps55 fps

DOTA 2HD 1080p, Low (Check settings)HD 1080p, Normal (Check settings)HD 1080p, High (Check settings)
Average FPS114 fps84 fps49 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 core frequency (base frequency + X); CPU temp.

AMD Ryzen 5 5500U (15W TDP)0:02 – 0:10 sec0:15 – 0:30 sec10:00 – 15:00 min
Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5 (14″, 2022)3.45 GHz @ 86°C @ 48W3.32 GHz @ 99°C @ 44W2.98 GHz @ 92°C @ 30W
Acer Aspire 3 (A315-43)3.10 GHz @ 85°C @ 26W3.06 GHz @ 86°C @ 24W3.10 GHz @ 79°C @ 20W
Lenovo V15 Gen 22.95 GHz @ 63°C @ 28W2.93 GHz @ 70°C @ 28W2.87 GHz @ 70°C @ 25W
HP Envy x360 15 (2021, 15-eu0000)2.55 GHz @ 62°C @ 22W2.57 GHz @ 71°C @ 23W2.56 GHz @ 78°C @ 22W
Lenovo IdeaPad 3 (17″, 2021)2.94 GHz @ 67°C @ 25W2.78 GHz @ 72°C @ 22W2.61 GHz @ 67°C @ 18W
Acer Aspire 7 (A715-42G)3.18 GHz @ 62°C @ 36W3.16 GHz @ 65°C @ 35W2.88 GHz @ 62°C @ 25W
ASUS ZenBook 13 UM3253.00 GHz @ 62°C @ 29W2.54 GHz @ 67°C @ 19W2.47 GHz @ 69°C @ 17W

We like to see that when the “Extreme Performance” preset is chosen through the Vantage app, the laptop unleashes the devil out of the Ryzen 5 5500U. Sustained 3.00 GHz and 30W of TDP at the end of the test is a fantastic result for a convertible, which is not scared to run at 99°C on the die at some points.

Comfort during full load

Unfortunately, but expectedly, this results in relatively high external temperatures. On the bright side, the noise levels are surprisingly low.

Battery

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 52.5Wh battery pack lasts for 13 hours and 9 minutes of Web browsing, or 13 hours and 20 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 device, you need to undo 9 Torx-head screws. Then, pry the bottom panel with a plastic tool, and remove it from the chassis.

This device comes with a 52.5Wh battery pack. To remove it, unplug the connector from the motherboard, and undo the three Phillips-head screws, keeping it in place.

Memory-wise, you can get up to 16GB of LPDDR4x RAM, working in dual-channel mode. Unfortunately, it is soldered to the motherboard. As for the storage, you get one M.2 PCIe x4 slot.

In terms of cooling, you get two heat pipes, a heat sink, and a large fan. Furthermore, the VRMs come with a heat spreader.


Verdict

Ladies and gents, today, we introduced you to a beastly little convertible called the IdeaPad Flex 5 (14″, 2022). Although it was equipped with an older AMD processor, we can’t say that it was a failure. Quite the opposite in fact.

Its fantastic dual-heat-pipe cooling solution produced a heroic and managed to give the Ryzen 5 5500U (in our case) the maximum possible headroom we’ve ever seen. And we’ve tested this processor with substantially bigger laptops too.

Unfortunately, its memory is soldered to the motherboard, which is not great for future-proofing your laptop. Another nail in the imaginary coffin of this device is the 16GB maximum configuration. Yes, this is plenty, but there is no guarantee that you won’t need 32GB for something a bit more intensive in the future.

Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5 (14″, 2022)’s IPS panel has a WUXGA resolution, comfortable viewing angles, and a good contrast ratio. Its backlight doesn’t use PWM for brightness adjustment, which is great.

However, it covers only 54% of the sRGB color gamut, which essentially means that you miss half of the colors found on the Web. In addition, the glossy surface makes it pretty hard to work outdoors, as the maximum brightness is not high enough to compensate.

Obviously, there is the 100% sRGB option you can pick, but its maximum brightness is still pegged at 300 nits. What is not limited, though, is the use of SD cards. Yes, this convertible has an SD card reader. This makes it great for photographers, who can edit their pictures on the go. Well, if they are willing to sacrifice color grading (in the case of our configuration’s display).

At the end of the day, the laptop is really comfortable to use. Its keyboard and touchpad are good, but its dedicated Pen is amazing. For one, it sits as a further turn-on for the photographers we just mentioned.

If you are in the market for a 14-inch convertible, we would strongly suggest checking out the ASUS Vivobook S 14 Flip OLED (TN3402). But to be honest, the IdeaPad Flex 5 (14″, 2022) seems like a reasonable choice itself.

You can check the prices and configurations in our Specs System: https://laptopmedia.com/series/lenovo-ideapad-flex-5-14-2022/

Pros

  • 13-hour battery life
  • 16:10 aspect ratio
  • Fantastic cooling
  • Comfortable input devices
  • No PWM (LEN140WUXGA (LEN9125))
  • SD card reader
  • Fingerprint reader


Cons

  • Soldered memory
  • 54% sRGB coverage (LEN140WUXGA (LEN9125))
  • Older processors (although still pretty powerful)

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Afzal
Afzal
1 year ago

Amazing!! A very detailed review, covering every corner of the laptop. Kudos to the team