Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5 14 review: AMD Ryzen 4000 CPU makes a huge difference in this budget convertible
Source: Windows Central
Lenovo's refreshed IdeaPad Flex 5 14 hasn't physically inverse besides much since the Flex 14 of terminal year. Instead, the big draw is the apply of the latest AMD Ryzen mobile processors (CPU) to boost battery life, thermals, and performance. Considering these laptops are priced well within the upkeep range, they're no doubt going to appeal to those who want a well-built convertible without spending Yoga C-series prices. I've been using the Flex 5 14 for near a week to come across how well it stands up to daily use and whether or non it's worth a spot among the best AMD Ryzen laptops you can buy.
AMD-Powered Convertible
Lenovo IdeaPad Flex v 14
Lesser line: The IdeaPad Flex v 14 takes a step forward thanks to AMD Ryzen 4000 mobile CPUs. Performance, battery life, and thermals are all outstanding. If yous're looking for a budget convertible that can keep up to a rather intensive workload, this is information technology, but the single display option certainly won't appeal to anybody.
Pros
- Potent half dozen-core performance from 7nm AMD Ryzen
- All-day bombardment life
- Comfortable keyboard
- Sturdy convertible design
- Priced in the budget range
Cons
- Brandish is nonetheless underwhelming
- Touchpad is a bit wobbly
- No Wi-Fi vi
Lenovo IdeaPad Flex v xiv at a glance
Source: Windows Primal
Lenovo supplied Windows Cardinal with a review unit of the IdeaPad Flex 5 fourteen. It's equipped with a fourth-generation AMD Ryzen 5 4500U CPU with six cores, 16GB of soldered DDR4-3200MHz RAM, and a 256GB M.two PCIe solid-state drive (SSD) that can be upgraded after purchase. Information technology has a 14-inch 1920x1080 (FHD) touch display, and an agile pen is included in the box. The exact price for this model from Lenovo is nigh $670, putting information technology well within the upkeep range.
Stepping things up, y'all tin configure models with up to an AMD Ryzen 7 4700U CPU for better performance from eight cores, 16GB of RAM, and a larger 512GB SSD for more storage space. Unfortunately, at that place's no other display option in a higher place FHD.
Compared to the Flex 14 I reviewed last year, the new Flex 5 14 I have here now has slimmer mentum bezel, top-firing speakers, lighter chassis with smaller footprint, and a larger 52.5Wh battery. Here are the exact specs every bit plant in my review unit of the IdeaPad Flex v xiv.
| Category | Spec |
|---|---|
| OS | Windows ten Home |
| Processor | AMD Ryzen 5 4500U 2.38GHz upwards to 4.0GHz 6 cores |
| RAM | 16GB DDR4-3200MHz Soldered |
| Graphics | Integrated AMD Radeon Vega 6 |
| Storage | 256GB M.two PCIe SSD SK hynix |
| Display | 14 inches 1920x1080 (FHD) Touch Sleeky IPS xvi:ix attribute ratio Up to 250 nits |
| Agile pen | Included iv,096 levels pressure sensitivity |
| Ports | USB-C iii.1 Two USB-A 3.1 HDMI 1.4b SD card reader 3.5mm sound |
| Audio | Peak-firing Dual 2W Dolby Atmos |
| Wireless | Realtek 802.11ac (2x2) Wi-Fi v Bluetooth iv.2 |
| Camera | Front-facing 720p Privacy shutter |
| Biometrics | Fingerprint reader |
| Battery | 52.5Wh |
| Dimensions | 12.65 ten 8.56 ten 0.70 - 0.82 inches (321.5mm 10 217.5mm 10 17.9mm - 20.8mm) |
| Weight | three.3 pounds (1.5kg) |
IdeaPad Flex 5 xiv blueprint and features
Source: Windows Central
Similar the 2022 Flex 14, the refreshed Flex 5 14 doesn't feel like a lot of other laptops in this price range. Its hat is made of plastic and the principal portion is an ABS polycarbonate, but information technology's fairly rigid and feels great underhand. It feels like there's a slight bit of pebbling on the palmrest, which is a pace away from the ThinkPad line with its soft-touch finish. The base and lid have some flex to them — if you're used to an aluminum build you will notice information technology — simply nothing that's alarming. Compared to the previous model, the Flex 5 14 has a smaller footprint and weighs less.
The Flex 5 14'south functioning, battery life, and overall pattern don't necessarily suggest a budget price.
The convertible hinges grip enough to go on the display from moving around on its own, and converting to tent, stand, and tablet modes feels shine. It measures 0.82 inches (20.4mm) at its thickest indicate. In tablet mode that measurement might take a bit of getting used to, particularly if you're used to a Surface Pro or iPad with a much thinner body. However, this is a laptop before a tablet.
New to the Flex five fourteen is a move to top-firing speakers that sit along the sides of the keyboard. Yous're still getting ane 2W speaker on either side, merely you won't experience muffled audio when the laptop is in your lap. In tablet mode there's a tendency to cover the speakers while gripping the device, merely I still prefer the speakers side by side to the keyboard rather than along the bottom edges. The speakers include Dolby Atmos certification to give them a bit of a heave, and for the near role I didn't heed the sound. They're about what'due south expected from a laptop this toll; loud audio that'due south a chip tinny and some bass.
Source: Windows Cardinal
The keyboard is sized the same despite the refresh, though fundamental layout has been tweaked. In the top-right corner you now take a Print Screen key doubled up with a Snipping Tool where the Insert central used to exist. Insert has moved to the left and is coupled with a Lenovo Vantage hotkey. Other Functions take been rearranged due to the addition of a physical camera shutter replacing the camera impale central. A Calculator shortcut and windows switcher shortcut have also been added. Key travel feels skillful but not as deep as you're going to get from a high-end ThinkPad. I had no bug typing thousands of words with a backlight to help while working afterwards hours.
The Precision touchpad is relatively large compared to the laptop's chassis. Its mylar surface brings smooth pointing, though like the previous generation I noticed a slight rattle when borer without fully clicking. It's not really a big bargain simply it'due south something to note if you're coming from a high-finish laptop with a solid touchpad.
Port selection is rather generous if lacking Thunderbolt 3. On the left of the laptop is HDMI, USB-C, a 3.5mm audio jack, and a pocket-size barrel charging port. The right side has 2 USB-A, a total-size SD bill of fare reader, and an embedded ability push that does a good task of not beingness pressed when the laptop is existence used like a tablet. The review unit shipped with an AC adapter using a USB-C stop, which is a bit unfortunate. Since the barrel charging port is there no affair what, I would rather encounter an AC adapter to lucifer and exit the USB-C port free for other connectivity. At to the lowest degree a lot of hubs and docks are including power passthrough these days if you determine to deport a dongle with you.
For some added security, at that place's a touch fingerprint reader for Windows Hello embedded in the right palmrest. It's well out of the manner of your manus, meaning it won't rub confronting your palm while typing. There'south also a privacy shutter for the 720p front end-facing camera above the display. Information technology'due south an boilerplate camera that is there for video conferencing, but don't expect anything special. Notation there's no IR camera option for facial recognition.
IdeaPad Flex 5 xiv brandish and inking
Source: Windows Central
The Flex v 14'southward touch brandish is undoubtedly its weakest feature. While the functioning hardware and ports would make this a cracking laptop for most people's photo or video editing needs — excluding professional work — the display suffers from poor color reproduction and low brightness. Contrast is good and the brandish doesn't announced washed out, simply I measured just 62% sRGB, 46% AdobeRGB, and 46% DCI-P3 colour reproduction with a SpyderX Pro colorimeter. Brightness besides reached just 271 nits. Along with a glossy brandish finish, this makes it almost incommunicable to work nether bright lights or in a sunlit room.
The Flex 5 14'southward brandish is its weakest feature.
If there was an upgrade option this wouldn't actually thing, but this is the only 14-inch display Lenovo offers. It's a shame because I imagine some casual photo and video editors would pay a fleck more for a better display, especially with the functioning hardware available. Bottom line is that a lot of people will detect the display to exist just fine for their needs, specially at the asking price, but others will want something brighter and more than colorful.
An active pen is included with the laptop, making the value climb fifty-fifty higher. It uses Wacom AES tech and delivers 4,096 levels of pressure level sensitivity. Inking and palm rejection are good, and information technology works well for taking notes and sketching pictures. It's probably non what an artist has in mind, simply for virtually people it'south a nice addition. A clip fits into the USB-A port to agree the pen when not in use, only I notice it all-time to avoid it out of fearfulness of damaging the port.
IdeaPad Flex 5 14 performance and battery
Source: Windows Central
The move to 7nm AMD Ryzen 4000 mobile CPUs allows Lenovo to keep its Flex laptops affordable while also boosting performance. To compare, an Intel-based Flex five 14 with a dual-core Core i3-1005G1 (10nm) CPU, 4GB of RAM, and 128GB SSD costs almost $560, merely about $175 less than the Flex 5 14 review unit with hexa-cadre Ryzen five, 16GB of RAM, and 256GB SSD. There should be Flex 5 xiv models with tenth Gen Intel Cadre i5 and Core i7 CPUs available at some point, but so far information technology seems like but the Core i3 models are ready to buy. And considering the performance deviation, AMD should be the first choice for most people.
I ran some benchmarks to see where the Flex 5 xiv with AMD Ryzen 5 4500U sits amongst a lot of other laptops we've recently reviewed.
Geekbench v
Geekbench five.0 (CPU) (Higher is better)
| Device | CPU | Single cadre | Multi core |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5 14 | Ryzen 5 4500U | 1,087 | 4,570 |
| Surface Laptop 3 15 | Ryzen 5 3580U | 769 | 2,720 |
| Lenovo ThinkPad L13 Yoga | i5-10210U | 1,069 | 3,754 |
| Lenovo Yoga C640 | i3-10110U | one,015 | 2,111 |
| Lenovo Yoga C740 14 | i5-10210U | 1,094 | three,767 |
| Samsung Galaxy Volume Flex | i7-1065G7 | 1,317 | four,780 |
| Dell XPS 13 (9300) | i7-1065G7 | i,284 | 4,848 |
| Surface Laptop 3 xv | i7-1065G7 | 1,336 | four,893 |
| HP Elite Dragonfly | i7-8665U | ane,125 | 2,942 |
| Surface Laptop three thirteen.five | i5-1035G7 | 1,177 | iv,413 |
| HP Spectre x360 13 | i7-1065G7 | 1,006 | 3,402 |
| Surface Pro X | SQ1 | 725 | two,819 |
| Galaxy Book S | SD 8cx | 685 | 2,681 |
The Ryzen 5 4500U puts upward adept numbers in both tests. Thanks to having six cores, its multi-core score is first-class, rivaling tenth Gen Intel Core i7 "Ice Lake" and "Comet Lake" quad-cadre performance. Also note the difference in performance from the 3rd-gen Ryzen 5 CPU in the Surface Laptop 3 15. Running the OpenCL benchmark on integrated AMD Radeon Vega 6 graphics put up a score of 6,163. To compare, a Core i5-10510U with integrated Intel UHD Graphics scored 3,633.
PCMark
PCMark 10
| Device | Score |
|---|---|
| Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5 14 | iv,759 |
| Surface Laptop 3 15 (AMD) | 4,006 |
| Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 14 | 3,202 |
| Surface Book iii xv | 4,393 |
| Lenovo ThinkPad L13 Yoga | 4,899 |
| Lenovo Yoga C640 | 4,008 |
| Lenovo Yoga C740 | 4,941 |
| Samsung Galaxy Volume Flex | 3,924 |
| Dell XPS 13 (9300) | 4,524 |
| Surface Laptop iii xv (Intel) | 4,604 |
| Dell XPS 13 two-in-ane | iv,554 |
| HP Spectre x360 13 | 4,261 |
| HP Elite Dragonfly | 3,716 |
| LG gram 17 | iv,157 |
| Surface Pro 7 (i5) | three,992 |
PCMark x measures how well the PC's hardware works together to perform everyday tasks. Compared to the previous Flex fourteen model using an Intel Core i5-8265U CPU, the AMD Ryzen 5 4500U absolutely blows it away. Information technology also tested better than a bunch of the other laptops we've recently reviewed.
Cinebench
Cinebench (R20) (Higher is better)
| Device | CPU | Range |
|---|---|---|
| Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5 xiv | Ryzen 5 4500U | two,388 to ii,397 |
| Lenovo ThinkPad L13 Yoga | Cadre i5-10210U | i,137 to one,442 |
| Lenovo Yoga C640 | Core i3-10110U | 924 to 929 |
| Lenovo Yoga C740 15 | Core i7-10510U | 1,415 to i,613 |
| Lenovo Yoga C740 14 | Core i5-10210U | i,450 to i,535 |
| LG gram 17 | i7-1065G7 | ane,079 to ane,199 |
| Acer Swift 5 (SF514-54T) | Core i7-1065G7 | 1,361 to i,400 |
| Lenovo ThinkPad P53 | Xeon Eastward-2276M | 2,686 to 2,701 |
| Surface Laptop three xiii.5 | Core i5-1035G4 | one,584 to 1,606 |
| Surface Laptop 3 15 | Core i7-1065G7 | 1,703 to 1,745 |
Running the Cinebench R20 render test multiple times in a row can show how well a laptop deals with heat and thermal throttling. Scores actually got amend every bit I ran sequential tests, no dubiousness due to the fan kicking up to high speed. Unlike the 2022 Flex 14, fan noise is not virtually as loud fifty-fifty at its maximum speed. It only took about fifteen seconds for the fan to become inaudible once more following the tests.
SSD
CrystalDiskMark (College is better)
| Device | Read | Write |
|---|---|---|
| Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5 xiv | 2,199.10 MB/due south | one,017.07 MB/due south |
| Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 14 | 3,405 MB/due south | ane,512 MB/due south |
| Lenovo ThinkPad L13 Yoga | three,188.82 MB/southward | 1,685.61 MB/s |
| Lenovo Yoga C640 | one,906.78 MB/southward | 970.69 MB/due south |
| Samsung Milky way Book Flex | 3,376 MB/due south | 2,983 MB/s |
| Dell XPS thirteen (9300) | 3,000 MB/southward | 1,217 MB/southward |
| HP Spectre x360 (Optane) | 2,092 MB/s | 515 MB/s |
| Dell XPS 13 two-in-1 | two,400 MB/south | 1,228 MB/s |
| HP Elite Dragonfly (Optane) | two,124 MB/s | 548 MB/s |
| Lenovo Yoga C740 | 3,408 MB/s | 2,982 MB/south |
| LG gram 17 (2020) | 3,477 MB/s | ii,900 MB/s |
| Surface Laptop iii 15 | 2,028 MB/s | 806 MB/s |
| Surface Laptop 3 thirteen.5 | two,338 MB/due south | 1,583 MB/south |
| Acer Swift 5 (SF514-54T) | 1,641 MB/s | i,025 MB/south |
| Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme (Gen two) | 3,416 MB/south | 3,016 MB/s |
The SK hynix SSD isn't the fastest stock storage we've seen — the Samsung SSD in the 2022 Flex xiv was considerably faster — simply it withal puts up decent numbers and can exist upgraded subsequently buy.
Altogether, performance from the Flex 5 14 is outstanding. I had no trouble treatment a lot of browser windows and tabs, Photoshop, Slack, and email, and the laptop remained cool under load. The sizable fan kicks on only when needed and doesn't get too loud, and it turns off before long after the laptop is washed being stressed.
Using the "Better Performance" Windows 10 power setting and with brightness cranked up almost to maximum I got simply more than eight hours of life from a charge while going about full general productivity piece of work. This will no incertitude vary based on what yous're using the laptop for, but you should await to get a full workday out of a charge. That'south a lot improve than the four to 5 hours from the 45WH battery in the 2022 Flex 14.
The PCMark 10 Battery examination, which runs mutual office applications at regular intervals, registered nine hours and 7 minutes from a charge with 5% remaining at shutdown.
Should you buy the IdeaPad Flex five fourteen?
Source: Windows Fundamental
The upgrade to AMD Ryzen 4000 mobile CPUs in the Flex 5 xiv is a definite win. The meaning heave to performance compared to 10th Gen Intel "Comet Lake" and the price deviation betwixt Intel "Water ice Lake" CPUs means you're going to get more or similar operation for less. And the AMD-powered Flex 5 14 is a performer, both in terms of raw processing and integrated graphics.
A Flex v fourteen with Intel Cadre i3-1005G1 with four less cores, a quarter of the RAM, and half the storage infinite compared to my review model costs merely about $175 less. If y'all driblet down to 8GB of RAM for the AMD Ryzen five model, that deviation shifts to only almost $100.
Information technology's a shame Lenovo doesn't offering a display upgrade for this laptop. The sole FHD touch option has poor color reproduction and brightness, making information technology really merely suitable for standard office work or casual use. If you're into photo or video work, y'all volition want to exercise much better. An external display will set up the problem — and the Flex has the native ports to handle it — but having a complete package is preferred.
All things considered, though, Lenovo has this priced in the upkeep range and at that place it excels. Typing is comfortable, battery life has essentially doubled compared to the last generation (a mix of Ryzen and a larger 52.5Wh battery), and an active pen is included to emphasize the bear on display and convertible pattern. Ultimately, if you're shopping for an affordable convertible and don't listen the underwhelming display or can piece of work around information technology, the Flex 5 14 is a (mostly) enjoyable device.
AMD-Powered Budget Convertible
Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5 xiv
Impressive operation and battery life
AMD Ryzen 4000 mobile CPUs are a great addition to the Flex v fourteen, only its display withal leaves a lot to exist desired. For the price, though, it might exist easy to ignore.
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New build!
New Windows 11 preview build brings improved taskbar for impact users
Information technology's time for another Windows 11 preview build, and this week is some other big one. Today's build is 22563 and features even more taskbar improvements, this fourth dimension for tablet users. Microsoft is introducing a new auto-hibernate Taskbar interface that's similar to the touch-commencement taskbar that was first introduced on Windows 10X and the Surface Neo.
Source: https://www.windowscentral.com/lenovo-flex-5-14-amd-review
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