Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5i 14 (2023) Review

About the Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5i 14

• Price as configured: $899
• Processor: Intel Core i5-1335U, 10-core/12-thread (2 performance, 8 efficient) ), max clock speed 4.60GHz
• Graphics: Intel Iris Xe (80 EUs)
• RAM: 16GB LPDDR4 4267MHz (Soldered)
• Storage: 512GB PCIe Gen4 NVMe M.2 2242 SSD
• Display: 14-inch (1920 × 1200), 60Hz, IPS LED-backlit touchscreen with stylus support
• Ports: 1 x Thunderbolt 4, 2 x USB-A 3.2 Gen 1, 1 x HDMI 2.1, 1 x 3.5 mm headphone jack, 1 x SD card slot
• Connectivity: Wireless Wi-Fi 6 2×2 AX, Bluetooth 5.1
• Battery: 3-cell, 52.5Wh
• Weight: 3.1 pounds
• Dimensions: 12.3 × 8.9 × 0.69 inches
• Warranty: 1-year courier or carry-in
• Special features: Windows Hello fingerprint reader

There are several configurations in Lenovo’s 2023 generation of IdeaPad Flex 2-in-1 laptops.

The Intel models start at $645 and can be configured with either a 14- or 16-inch display, Core i5 or Core i7 13th-gen processor, 8 or 16GB of memory, and 512GB or 1TB of storage space. The AMD models start at $495 and can be configured with either a 14- or 16-inch display, a Ryzen 5 or 7 7000-series processor, 8 or 16GB of memory, and 512GB or 1TB of storage space.

All laptop configurations come with a stylus pen and in either Abyss Blue or Arctic Grey.

We have not tested any of the AMD configurations at this time, but the HP Dragonfly Pro is a comparable alternative if you’re curious about the processor performance.

What we like

Colorful but professional design

Most laptops are constructed largely out of one material, usually aluminum or plastic. The Flex 5i takes a different approach, using aluminum for the top lid that houses the screen, while the rest of the laptop is plastic. This gives the laptop a more high-end aesthetic without inflating the price, and even the Abyss Blue finish has a clean, professional look.

Lenovo's laptops frequently have high-quality keyboards, regardless of price, and that remains the case with the Flex 5i. Keys have long enough travel that you get a good sense of registering keypresses, but they don’t offer too much resistance. The 4.75-inch wide touchpad also feels smooth to use and has excellent palm rejection. I didn’t notice a single accidental click from the touchpad during my entire time testing the laptop.

On the left side of the Flex 5i, you’ll find the power connector—a barrel plug connector rather than USB-C. There is also a full-size HDMI 2.1 port, a Thunderbolt 4 USB-C port, and a 3.5mm headphone jack. The right side has a pair of USB-A 3.2 ports, a full-size SD card slot, and a power button. It has every type of port you could realistically need on an average day.

While many laptops combine the power button and fingerprint reader, Lenovo kept them separate on its Flex 5i, placing the reader to the right of the touchpad. This feels like an odd choice at first, but it does put the reader in a more convenient location to access, without having to worry about accidentally activating it.

Decent performance for the price

The Intel Core i5-1335U is a mid-range laptop CPU, so it has more than enough performance to tackle everyday computing tasks like web browsing, word processing, and writing emails. While it didn’t get near the top scores on any of our benchmark tests, it kept pace with several laptops outfitted with Intel’s 12th-gen H-series processors, or what once were Intel’s fastest mobile processors.

Looking at our Microsoft Excel benchmark, the Flex 5i sorted our massive data set in 44 seconds, only two seconds slower than the Dell Inspiron 14 Plus with an Intel Core i7-12700H. Our median score for this test is 43 seconds, so, this could be a key feature if you spend a lot of time crunching data in spreadsheets.

For approximating a busy workload using multiple web apps, we turned to the Speedometer benchmark. The Flex 5i did even better here, managing a score of 314, which made it the third-fastest among the laptops we tested it against, coming in just below the Lenovo Yoga Book 9i (2023), which scored 332.

The Flex 5i is far from a gaming laptop, but integrated graphics have come a long way, and the Intel Iris Xe graphics can handle light gaming with relative ease. According to 3DMark Night Raid, you can expect frame rates over 170 frames per second (fps) in Fortnite in 1080p at Ultra settings. While running Apex Legends on Ultra at 1080p will only get you frame rates in the neighborhood of 45 fps, you should be able to easily hit 60 fps by lowering a few settings.

Good battery life

The Flex 5i uses a 52.5Wh battery, which is small, but average for a 14-inch laptop. When it comes to how long it holds a charge, it holds its own against laptops of similar size and price, like the Acer Aspire Vero.

In our test, the laptop lasted for 7 hours and 49 minutes, so you can go nearly a full workday without having to charge it. Of course, in practice, you’ll rarely need to go this long without at least closing the lid and putting the laptop into sleep mode.

If you intend to use the laptop unplugged most of the time, that battery life may not sound impressive. The good news is that the Flex 5i features Rapid Charge Boost, which will get you up to two more hours of battery life on just a 15-minute charge. In practice, this feature seems to work exactly as Lenovo claims, though your actual battery life will depend largely on what you’re doing.

Responsive touchscreen

The touchscreen is one of the most important details to get right on a 2-in-1 laptop. Manufacturers don’t always choose the most touch-responsive sensors for models under $1,000, but fortunately, the Flex 5i has a quality touchscreen.

I’m not sure of the display’s touch sampling rate, but even though its 60Hz refresh rate keeps the touchscreen from feeling as smooth as an iPhone, tapping and using gestures are accurate. While I didn’t encounter any missed inputs, the screen didn’t feel overly touch-sensitive either.

The touchscreen is compatible with Lenovo’s Active Pen ($25), but one isn’t included in the box. This means I didn’t get to test how well the pen works, but based on how responsive the touchscreen is overall, the pen should work well.

What we don’t like

Display is average at best

While the touch sensor part of the screen works quite well, the actual display is nothing to write home about. It’s far from the worst screen we’ve seen, but nothing about it is especially interesting or impressive.

At 100% brightness, the display peaks at 339 nits. This is higher than what Lenovo puts in its Flex 5i spec list (300 nits), so it isn’t underperforming in that aspect—but it’s still below 400 nits, or what the average laptop (even lower-priced laptops) have these days. Lower screen brightness means the display might not be suitable for all lighting environments, especially outdoors.

The screen doesn’t have much to offer when it comes to colors, either. While it’s not unbalanced in terms of color representation, it looks slightly washed out. If you’re mainly using the laptop for web applications or editing documents, this won’t be an issue, but this isn’t a laptop you want to choose for extensive photo editing.

Sound is lacking

The display may have some minor issues, but the sound is another issue altogether. To start, I’m not sure if I’ve ever heard a lower maximum volume on a laptop. Even with the volume turned to the max, certain YouTube videos (like this Steve Wallis video) seemed overly quiet.

The sound is tinny, too. It sounds slightly fuller than my iPhone 13 Pro Max, but it doesn’t sound better. Comparing it to my 5th-generation iPad Air, it sounds quieter and grainier, even slightly distorted. The strange part is that Lenovo boasts about the Flex 5i having Dolby Audio on its website. While it may, it certainly doesn’t affect the sound positively.

For many people, this will not be much of an issue, especially if you're wearing headphones or earbuds anyway. Still, if you’re looking to unwind with a few videos after a workday, remember to either plug in a set of external speakers or some headphones.

Should you buy the Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5i 14?

Yes, it’s a solid mid-range 2-in-1

Finding the perfect mid-range 2-in-1 laptop isn’t easy. There are plenty of great models selling for over $1,000 like the Lenovo Yoga 9i and more budget models than you can count, including HP’s Envy x360. But finding a model like the IdeaPad Flex 5i isn’t as common, and while it isn’t a powerhouse, it still offers respectable performance.

The display isn’t the brightest or most colorful, the responsive touchscreen makes up for much of this. Similarly, the sound is far from impressive, and its weight slightly limits the utility of the Flex 5i in tablet mode. However, considering the price tag, especially the $645 8GB model, the low points are easier to live with than they would be on a higher-end laptop.

But as long as the downsides don’t seem like they’d impact your specific use case, the Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5i 14 absolutely worth considering in your quest for the ideal mid-range convertible.

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