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The Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5i is one of the company's latest endeavors in making an affordable convertible laptop, and it checks all the boxes you'd expect. The 13th-generation Intel processors are fast and efficient in delivering great battery life, and the screen is decent, if not overly impressive. It also has a nice design, with an aluminum top shell that makes it feel more premium than it actually is.
For its MSRP, though, I feel like the Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5i has some stiff competition, even from Lenovo itself. The Lenovo Yoga 6 is one of my favorite convertibles, and it has a leg up on the IdeaPad Flex 5i because it's significantly cheaper yet has a better display and a more appealing design. Still, the IdeaPad Flex 5i is a great laptop, especially if you can find it on sale, which happens frequently with Lenovo.
About this review: Lenovo provided me with an IdeaPad Flex 5i for this review. The company did not have any input in its content.
Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5i (2023)
A good convertible if you can get it for cheap
The Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5i is a budget convertible that can be used as a laptop or a tablet. You'll also get solid performance courtesy of 13th-generation Intel Core processors, along with premium design elements.
- Color
- Abyss Blue, Arctic Grey
- Storage
- Up to 512GB SSD
- CPU
- Up to Intel Core i7-1355U
- Memory
- Up to 16GB LPDDR4x
- Operating System
- Windows 11
- Battery
- 52.5Whr battery
- Ports
- 1x Thunderbolt 4, 2x USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type A, 1x HDMI, 3.5mm headphone jack, SD card reader
- Camera
- Up to Full HD 1080p webcam
- Display (Size, Resolution)
- 14-inch IPS or OLED, 16:10 aspect ratio, 1920x1200, 42% NTSC, touch
- Weight
- Starting at 3.31 pounds (1.5kg)
- GPU
- Intel Iris Xe graphics (integrated)
- Form
- Convertible
- Dimension
- 313.1x224.9x17.4mm (12.32x8.85x0.69 inches)
- Speakers
- 2x 2W stereo speakers with Dolby Audio
- Price
- Starting at $819.99
- Model
- IdeaPad Flex 5i
- Adaptor and Battery
- 65W barrel charger
- Metal lid gives it a premium feeling
- 13th-generation Intel processors deliver great performance
- Comfortable keyboard and touchpad
- 1080p webcam
- Display looks washed out
- No Windows Hello facial recognition
- Uses a barrel charger
Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5i: Price and availability
The Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5i is available at various retailers, including Lenovo's own website and Best Buy. Outside of sales, the cheapest model I could find starts at $820, but you're bound to find it on sale frequently since Lenovo often has deals.
My review unit is a slight upgrade from the base model, featuring 512GB of SSD storage instead of 256GB. The official MSRP for this model is listed on Lenovo's website at $850, but it's currently going for $550. At that price, it's a fantastic deal.
Design
Simple, but with some premium flair
The Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5i isn't exactly an exciting laptop design-wise, but you'd probably expect that from an affordable machine. It does come in an Abyss Blue colorway that's more appealing than a standard black or silver design. I also like that the lid is made of metal, which gives the laptop a very premium feel. It feels pretty sturdy, and it looks great, too. The base, however, is made of plastic, which is fine for this price range.
The lid is made of metal, which gives the laptop a very premium feel.
One thing it doesn't excel at is being light. For a 14-inch convertible, its 3.31 pounds aren't all that impressive, but that makes sense for a cheaper laptop. It's not necessarily heavy, but for reference, the 15-inch MacBook Air weighs the same despite having a larger screen.
Oddly enough, the laptop still comes with a barrel charger, even though it's the 2023 model. It's actually kind of confusing because it has a USB-C port and even supports Thunderbolt 4. It's surprising to me that Lenovo didn't just opt for a USB-C charger, especially considering this isn't exactly a bottom-of-the-barrel laptop. Either way, the left side of the laptop also includes an HDMI port and a headphone jack.
On the right side, you'll find two USB Type-A ports and a full-size SD card reader, making for solid connectivity overall. Considering you have Thunderbolt 4 if you want to connect a dock, it's hard to complain.
Keyboard and touchpad
Nailing the basics
There's only so much I can say about the keyboard on the Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5i, and that's a good thing. Lenovo has nailed keyboards for a while, and this one is still fairly comfortable, despite being on a cheaper laptop. It's not outstanding, but it's about as comfortable as you'd expect from a Lenovo, and that's a great thing.
As for the touchpad, it's only your standard affair. The Mylar surface is smooth enough for my fingers to glide across it with ease, and the size is also just right considering how much space is available. I'd expect a laptop at this price to make some sacrifices here, but I couldn't really ask for much better.
Display and sound
It's enough for basic use
Where the Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5i falls a little flat is the display. In terms of resolution and format, it's totally fine. It uses the newer 16:10 aspect ratio, which is always nice to see, especially in a more affordable laptop. The WUXGA resolution (1920x1200) is plenty sharp for a display of this size as well.
However, the colors aren't the best. Lenovo rates this panel for 42% coverage of NTSC, which is dismal. It's functional for the most part, especially with a job like mine that mostly revolves around writing. But it's evident that colors are more washed out, and it's bad enough to be noticeable by anyone. I couldn't use my colorimeter to see the exact coverage values, but it's apparent that it's not amazing.
The media experience continues to be mediocre with the speakers. They're not particularly loud — so much so that my phone is actually louder. They're serviceable in a fairly quiet room, but if you're expecting room-filling sound, this isn't it.
A solid webcam, but no facial recognition
However, the IdeaPad Flex 5i makes up for the bad display with its webcam. It supports Full HD (1080p) video, and it actually looks pretty good for an affordable laptop. It's not going to blow your mind, but if you want just want to look clear during calls and meetings, it's solid.
The camera doesn't have Windows Hello facial recognition, however, which is something I've grown accustomed to with the Lenovo Yoga 6. You'll have to settle for the fingerprint reader with this one.
Performance and battery life
Intel's 13th-gen processors are pretty good
As you'd probably expect, the 2023 Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5i is powered by 13th-generation Intel Core processors, and my review unit specifically comes with a mid-range Intel Core i5-1335U. This processor has 10 cores and 12 threads, and it can boost up to 4.6GHz. Despite being a middle-of-the-road model, performance has actually been good for my daily use. Even with just 8GB of RAM, I didn't find myself wishing for better performance that frequently. Multitasking hasn't been a problem, and even making some light edits in Photoshop is totally fine. I'm pleasantly surprised with how well everything runs here.
It's apparent that there is a noticeable improvement in performance compared to the previous generation's processors.
Looking at benchmarks, it's apparent that there is a noticeable improvement in performance compared to the previous generation's processors. This Core i5 laptop can nearly match the performance of a high-end 12th-generation Core i7 model, like the one in the HP Dragonfly Folio G3. It's also well ahead of the Ryzen 5 5500U processor used in the last-gen Lenovo Yoga 6, though it's important to note that the latest Yoga 6 model has an improved Ryzen 5 7530U processor.
Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5i Intel Core i5-1335U | HP Dragonfly Folio G3 Intel Core i7-1265U | Lenovo Yoga 6 (2022) AMD Ryzen 5 5500U | Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 11 Intel Core i7-1355U | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
PCMark 10 | 5,356 | 5,450 | 4,732 | 5,768 |
3DMark Time Spy | 1,486 | 1,675 | 1,144 | --- |
Cinebench R23 (single/multi-core) | 1,697 / 6,962 | 1,645 / 6,673 | 1,123 / 5,471 | 1,634 / 6,779 |
Geekbench 6 (single/multi-core) | 2,367 / 8,140 | 2,370 / 8,687 |
It's pretty hard to complain about performance like this on a budget laptop. It really is perfectly fine for daily usage.
The processors also helped with battery life, too. I got solid results that spanned between 5 hours and 28 minutes and 7 hours and 22 minutes, which should be good enough for a whole day, assuming you're not using the laptop the entire time away from an outlet. True all-day battery life is rare in a laptop, so this is excellent. I also ran my usual YouTube playback test at 720p and got 8 hours and 29 minutes out of it.
Should you buy the Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5i?
You should buy the Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5i if:
- You want a convertible laptop for relatively cheap
- You care more about performance than anything else
- You have Thunderbolt 4 accessories you want to use with your laptop
You shouldn't buy the Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5i if:
- You want a good display
- You want Windows Hello facial recognition
- The Lenovo Yoga 6 is an option
At the end of the day, the Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5i has a few things going for it. It's got pretty good performance with 13th-generation Intel processors, and even being limited to 8GB of RAM didn't seem to have a huge negative impact. What's more, It's a fairly affordable laptop that comes with Thunderbolt 4 support, a pretty significant advantage compared to something like the Lenovo Yoga 6.
However, it had to make some sacrifices, like the poor color reproduction on the display. It also lacks Windows Hello facial recognition support, two areas where the Lenovo Yoga 6 has it beat. Plus, it still comes with a proprietary barrel charger, which seems to make no sense for a laptop in this price range. If you value performance more than these things, the Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5i is a good purchase, but there are better options out there if you have other priorities.
Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5i (2023)
The Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5i is a budget convertible that can be used as a laptop or a tablet. You'll also get solid performance courtesy of 13th-generation Intel Core processors, along with premium design elements.