Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5 (14, Gen 8) review – solid 2-in-1 laptop that isn’t pricey

Name: Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5 14
Brand: Lenovo
SKU: B0CVXC5KBB
Price: 799.00 USD
Availability: InStock

LaptopMedia.com Reviews and Analysis Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5 (14, Gen 8) review - solid 2-in-1 laptop that isn't pricey Page 10

From: Nikolay Palaozov 19 July 2023 / 16:45 | 0

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Verdict

The Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5 (14″, Gen 8) is an almost perfect laptop for people who are looking for a 2-in-1 notebook that doesn’t cost an arm and a leg. The notebook has a stylish and modern look and the build feels nice to the touch. The lid is built like a tank, it’s very sturdy because of the glass cover of the display.

The laptop can be used just like every other ordinary clamshell notebook on the market. Of course, if you want to have some fun or maybe you want to draw something on the screen, you can use the machine in tablet mode while laying in your bed or maybe in tent mode on your desk.

The keyboard is comfortable for typing because it has decent key travel and clicky feedback. The backlight is optional so keep an eye on the specs if you want to get one of these machines. The touchpad is surprisingly large for a 14-incher which is great. Thanks to the smooth Mylar surface, the pad offers good tracking and accuracy.

The 16:10 touchscreen IPS panel that we have here (LEN140WUXGA (LEN9125)) has a 16:10 aspect ratio which means it’s taller than a conventional 16:9 model. In addition, it boasts wide viewing angles and a good contrast ratio. It’s also PWM-free so you can use it for prolonged working sessions (but don’t forget to take a break after an hour or two). If you need a panel with a higher resolution, there is an optional 2.2K display that will offer a crisper image but it’ll shorten the battery life as well. The dedicated pen (which is optional) sits comfortably in the hand and it’s very convenient to use.

The performance of this small 2-in-1 device is surprisingly good. The refreshed AMD platform isn’t that new (Zen 3) but the CPU options are still quite powerful for home and office usage. You can play some light games too because the iGPUs inside the processors are good enough for games like CS:GO. By the way, our device is able to achieve 143 FPS on Low and 95 FPS on Medium in the same title which is not bad at all. We were quite surprised by the high clocks and power limits that the CPU can maintain during any kind of load. The laptop feels fast no matter what you’re doing in front of the screen which is essential for a touchscreen notebook.

Comfort during load is good, even when the CPU is pushed to its limits, the WASD area is getting warm, but within acceptable limits so you can use the laptop for work even in this scenario. However, in normal working conditions, you can expect much lower external thermals. The noise levels are under control, in “Extreme Performance” mode you can hear the fan but it’s not too noisy. If you want to lower the RPM of the fan, you can switch to some of the other two performance presets.

No one is ideal and the same goes for this Lenovo laptop. On the bright side, the cons of this gadget are a few. The memory is soldered to the motherboard which is kind of expected for a small device with this form factor. Luckily, no matter the memory configuration (8GB or 16GB LPDDR4x-4266), the RAM works in a dual-channel mode which boosts the performance of the CPU and the iGPU. There is just one M.2 slot that is suitable for 2242 Gen. 4 SSDs (these are shorter than the standard 2280 models) but due to the Zen 3 platform limitations, the slot is downgraded to Gen 3 speeds. We observed some bends on the base when we applied some pressure on purpose but during typing, this should not be a problem. Still, the device feels quite stable and sturdy in tent and tablet mode which is also important. Overall, these are the cons of this laptop.

The Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5 (14″, Gen 8) is a snappy 2-in-notebook that doesn’t cost too much. It has very good cooling, efficient AMD CPUs, a PWM-free IPS screen, good battery life, and a comfortable keyboard. This makes the device an all-round machine that can be used on the go, at home, or even in the office.

You can check the prices and configurations in our Specs System: https://laptopmedia.com/series/lenovo-ideapad-flex-5-14-gen-8/