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With a 2 in 1 laptop that turns into a tablet such as the Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5 (81X1000AUS), We’re worried about smooth multitasking. But after a week of experience, this Lenovo convertible laptop has smooth performance and pleasant experience thanks to the Core i5 Gen 10 CPU. Let’s not say much, just read our Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5 review below.
If you don’t know, then we tell you that the Ideapad Flex 5 is a completely new product line of Lenovo, with a unique 360-degree rotation design. The design is good, but the performance of this laptop is also quite wonderful.
Design
We liked the design of the Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5, it is indisputable. Given a sophisticated appearance with a shiny silver outfit, the Flex 5 impressed us when we first placed the device. Previously, we had access through other Lenovo 2 in 1 Laptops or tablets like the Lenovo Thinkbook, Lenovo IdeaPad S, and more, but in this IdeaPad Flex line, we see a difference and bring a unique impression.
The surface is not polished, so it looks a bit rough, but the rough surface limits the fingerprint marks making the device less aesthetic over time. The Lenovo logo is engraved in the upper corner of the back and is quite sophisticated and you won’t find it monotonous.
The case of Lenovo Flex 5 is made of plastic but the back is machined in luxurious aluminum metal. The metal processing on the back helps to look better and thanks to the plastic cover, the device is lighter and easier to carry around. You can hold one hand, put the device in a backpack, or use it on laps is also very convenient.
The Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5 is a convertible laptop that can turn into a tablet with just a 360-degree flip. This mechanism allows users to use laptops more conveniently, do more, and give inspiration for daily use.
The design of the Flex 5 is not too fussy but only trimmed at the corners of the device, making it look sophisticated and attractive. Because it is an office laptop and needs to serve many different types of users, the manufacturer has tried to design a soft machine so that it can stay closer to the users.
Regarding connectivity, Lenovo Flex 5 is relatively integrated with the connection port, allowing you to link multiple devices at once for data transfer. Specifically, the device has a power port, HDMI, USB-C, 3.5mm audio jack, and notification light on the left side. Meanwhile, on the right side, the 2-in-1 laptop has 2 more USB ports, an SD card slot, and a power button.
Display
Looking at the 14-inch screen, the feel of this panel is indeed very good. Because the thin screen border widens the display space, and the 2 in 1 tablet is also integrated with touch technology, which makes it easy to manipulate when folding laptops 360 degrees.
But unfortunately, the screen quality is not really attractive. In particular, the screen resolution stops at Full HD only and uses the TN panel. The laptop screen also has a blue orientation, but you can easily adjust the color in the Lenovo Vantage software.
In return, In turn, the device features luminous technology that makes it easy to use the laptop in many different conditions, especially in direct light environments. Another plus point on Lenovo Flex 5 is the webcam lock (ThinkShutter technology). Looking up at the edge of the screen, you will notice that the webcam has a lock button to protect your privacy.
Keyboard and Touchpad
The keyboard has no short-key travel nor any number keys, but we think this factor is of little importance. Because what we should be focusing on is the experience of pressing keys and manipulating.
The keyboard is clickable and feels painless. The keys have a good bounce, high information feedback helps users handle the operation and quickly create the information displayed on the screen. Another plus point for this keyboard is that it has light keys and buttons that are relatively ventilated, which helps users avoid small touches when they type quickly.
For the touchpad, we appreciate that the surface is very smooth and not hissing. So that it helps manipulation better, faster, and handle the work, rather we say even better.
We also see the one-touch fingerprint unlock on the Flex 5. We used this sensor and we found it very convenient, especially place at the perfect position and has very quick response speed.
Performance
Before entering in the detailed performance, we would like to briefly summarize the laptop’s hardware configuration:
- Display: 14-inch, Full HD, TN panel.
- CPU: Intel Core i5-1035G1
- RAM: 8GB DDR4 (Onboard)
- Hard drive: SSD 512GB M.2 PCIe, does not support the HDD slot
- GPU: Intel UHD Graphics
With such a configuration, we really impressed and hope that the laptop brings real performance. This laptop falls under the office line, but does the Flex 5 live up to our expectations. During the laptop experience, we opened a lot of Chrome tabs and added some software for work such as Photoshop, Lightroom, and Premiere. The machine handles tasks very easily, but we did not create too much pressure, as the machine is only part of the office laptop.
We used the familiar software GeekBench 5 to measure CPU and laptop performance. In Flex 5’s CPU testing, Geekbench 5 showed that the single-core reached 1,127 points and the multi-core scored 1,931 points. Meanwhile, in performance testing, the average score of the GeekBench 5 device reaches nearly 4,000 points (ie 3,972 points).
Use heavy tasks smoothly, so we felt safe when we assigned multitasking tasks to Office applications, such as PowerPoint, Word, and Excel. We use Office software a lot (especially words for text editing) and Chrome (for search information). In fact, the machine handles all tasks very well and gives us satisfaction.
We never expected that a 2 in 1 laptop like Lenovo Flex 5 would work so well here. Previously, we had the experience of Lenovo IdeaPad 330 (see review), but that laptop did not bring the smooth performance of Office functions as we expected. Returning to Flex 5, we want to make it difficult for him to download and play League of Legends games right away.
With a higher average configuration, FPS fluctuates above 60fps and maintains from 60 to 82fps. Thanks to high stability, we played the game easily and fought the enemies confidently. We were really surprised because we didn’t think the 2 in one laptops could do that much.
Powerful CPU is not enough, IdeaPad Flex 5 also owns a 512GB M.2 PCIe SSD, allowing you to comfortably store important documents and download essential applications for work and entertainment. To measure the read and write speed of the 512GB SSD, we used the familiar Crystal DiskMark software and obtained the following result:
- Read speed: 2,242 MB/s
- Write speed: 1,079 MB/s
We continued to test SSD, we measured the speed of opening the laptop, started some familiar software, and got results as shown below. With the exception of a few software, the rest of the works were launched very quickly and easily.
Heat dissipation
One of the factors affecting CPU performance is heat dissipation. Because if the heat sink works well and efficiently, the CPU will improve performance and bring the easiest experience for laptop users. So the question is, does the Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5’s heatsink work well?
To answer this question, we used the AIDA64 software to measure CPU temperature. After opening more than 55 minutes of up to 10 Chrome tabs, AIDA64 gave the CPU temperature of 60 degrees, using additional Photoshop software to edit photos. This is an average heat and it also partly indicates that the laptop heatsink has completed the assigned task.
We also tried to touch the upper part of the keyboard and only felt slightly warm. Meanwhile, the armrest is not very hot, so it does not affect the experience of using the laptop during the long-running time frame.
Battery
What about the battery life of the Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5? Similar to previous laptops reviews, we have used software that many readers here also know is BatteryMon. This software gives quite prestigious results and with the condition that the screen brightness is 80%, sound 100%, WiFi ON with notifications from Chrome and continuous use of Chrome tab, Photoshop, gives us the result in BatteryMon was up to 3 hours (3 hours 3 minutes).
The result was really satisfactory. Because, a beautiful design that helps you confidently bring the machine out, a powerful processor to provide a stable experience, and enough battery life for you to run in a timeframe that is most essential for office personnel and students. Remember that, the Flex 5 has a touch screen display, so we think a 3 hour period is fine.
If you feel that 3 hours is still not enough, always remember to carry the charger with you, whether at home or away.
Final line
After a week of experience, Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5 has brought a lot of surprises in the price segment. Priced at $789.99, but now available at $699 with the up to $90.99 OFF along with the Bitdefender Total Security 2020 (5 Devices, 1-Year License) worth $89.99 for free only on the Bhphotovideo.com online store.
It not only has a beautiful and delicate appearance, but the Lenovo Flex 5 also provides a great experience with the ability to transform into a tablet and provide smooth performance for work and entertainment.
