The Lenovo Flex 5 14 is a great 2-in-1 laptop for those who want a device that can handle light gaming and day-to-day tasks. This laptop comes equipped with an Intel Core i7-1065G7 processor, 8GB of RAM, and 512GB of SSD storage. Plus, the 14-inch 1080p IPS display is bright and colorful. And at just 3.52 pounds, it’s easy to carry around with you.
Case
The 2021 Flex 14 has a thinner chin bezel than the 2019 Flex 14, making it look much more sleek and modern. Aside from its integrated ports and thick lid, its physical attributes are very similar. It maintains a higher build quality than most of its competitors which means less creaking and fewer instances of flexing when applying pressure on keyboards or hinges for example. On top of this, the overall plastic make up feels glossy but isn’t as fancy feeling as some more high end models from other brands.
Input Devices
Keyboard
There is no comparison between the quality of the keyboard on an IdeaPad and that on a ThinkPad. They’re noticeably thinner and lighter to reflect their cheaper price point. The Space and Enter keys, in particular, could have benefitted from having a firmer response to them but they’re still crisper than on other competitive brands.
Touchpad
The clickpad was a little undersized (10.5 x 7 cm) with a rough yet well-textured surface. Due to its roughness, fingerprints accumulated rapidly which often lead to an unsightly looking clickpad after just a few short weeks of use. The integrated mouse keys were also spongy and loud when pressed – leading to an unsatisfying experience altogether.
Display
The screens on the IdePad are decidedly inferior to those of the Yoga models. Colors are noticeably paler, giving way for less-than-ideal viewing conditions when it comes to watching movies or playing games. It does suffice when you’re just checking emails or simply surfing around the web. When you need more accuracy, connecting an external monitor is always an option – though it might come at a hefty price tag.
Performance
For this particular IdeaPad 514 configuration, Lenovo’s wild card is the AMD Ryzen 7 5700U. We recommend that users take some time to get acquainted with the Radeon Software as this laptop is one of the first in our database that is equipped with AMD’s newest Zen 2 series Lucienne CPU. It is where they can find every graphics setting and change it as they please, which is what makes this software so powerful.
However, I would argue that its interface could use some work – being arranged arbitrarily rather than logically – which makes it difficult for new users to get a hold of everything at first glance. Alternatively, Intel Command Center does well in organizing graphics settings along six tabs; ensuring easy navigation from one tab to another. Furthermore, Lenovo Vantage comes pre-installed with this laptop model and includes specific drivers for optimizing performance depending on what you’re doing (e.g., gaming).
Processor
The performance of this chip has never been so good before with its astounding CineBench scores that are far superior to what even the Core i7-10875H can do – we tested it! In terms of multi-threaded operations, it could go up to 25% faster than what you would see from one of our previous models – the Ryzen 7 4700U. The sad truth though is that there are only an average 6 cores and 12 threads available for Intel processors these days, which means it will take some time for them to catch up in this department.
GPU Performance
Graphics performance has been stagnant over the past year, but AMD’s Radeon RX Vega 8 still held its own against Intel’s Iris xe series. At best, our Lenovo laptop matched the performance of an Iris xe or, at worst, fell behind by about 30%.
Verdict
The most notable feature about this recent release from Lenovo is undoubtedly its AMD processor. With an octa-core Ryzen 7 5700U, it has an insane amount of power without sacrificing speed. In fact, it can easily outperform other Tiger Lake Ultrabooks on the market – including Core H processors found in a lot of gaming laptops. With so much raw processing capability at such a low price point, it’s no wonder Lenovo wants to release this laptop as quickly as possible!
If you are looking for an affordable laptop that offers a lot of power, look no further than the affordable IdeaPad Flex 5 14 powered by AMD. However, if you are looking for something slimmer and lighter for day-to-day use such as browsing or video streaming, then one of Lenovo’s higher end models such as the Yoga 370 or Spectre x360 would be more appropriate.
Once you unplug this system, it becomes pretty mediocre. The IdeaPad Flex chassis is bulky, making it hard to carry around – especially if it fits in your hands. It also tends to be loud when playing games because of the fan inside. When using this laptop outside, good luck seeing what you’re doing on the screen! The display is way too dim for use out in the sun at noon! Furthermore, fingerprints abound, which only makes things worse! Now add onto this the fact that the battery life can last up to 16 hours (depending on what you do), and 2TBs storage space if needed thanks to an SDD reader.
