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You could make the case that Lenovo might have done better with a larger battery than the 52.5Wh one it used, even at a modest weight gain. The slightly more power-hungry processor in the Acer Spin 5 didn’t prevent the system from scoring right in the middle on battery life, at 12 hours and 38 minutes. The Flex 5i 14 isn't sleek, though. It measures 0.8 by 12.7 by 8.6 inches (HWD) and weighs 3.3 pounds, which just barely qualifies it as an ultraportable. The stylish, ultrapremium Dell XPS 13 2-in-1 measures just 0.56 by 11.7 by 8.2 inches and weighs 2.9 pounds, though it does have a smaller display.
On the photography front, I've owned a host of 35mm cameras, both film and digital, as well as a Mamiya 645 medium format, a Toyo 4x5, and a Graflex 6x7cm. The last I modified to provide full swings and tilts (allowing you to avoid converging parallel lines, as when you photograph a tall building from ground level). I'm proud of this project, which I wrote about in View Camera magazine. The laptop reviewed here belongs to a sensible middle ground of Lenovo 2-in-1s that bear the Flex moniker. They're available in multiple screen sizes from 11 to 15 inches, but the 14-inch IdeaPad Flex 5i is arguably the sweetest spot. It's not bulky, which means you can hold the laptop in one hand and rotate the screen or tap on it with your other hand. But it has enough screen real estate to make movie watching and spreadsheet editing possible on a cramped airplane tray table. (Photo: Molly Flores) To the question of “needing” a 2-in-1 laptop, I can attest that—although I’m plenty comfortable with non-touch laptops—pressing an onscreen button or link in laptop mode is just plain simpler than with a touchpad or mouse. Likewise, it’s handy to flip into tent or tablet mode when sharing information. Battery: These systems do not support batteries that are not genuine Lenovo-made or authorised. Systems will continue to boot, but may not charge unauthorised batteries. Lenovo has no responsibility for the performance or safety of unauthorised batteries, and provides no warranties for failures or damage arising out of their use. **Battery life is based on the MobileMark® 2014 methodology and is an estimated maximum. Actual battery life may vary based on many factors, including screen brightness, active applications, features, power management settings, battery age and conditioning, and other customer preferences.
Testing the IdeaPad: Everyday Computing Is a Cinch
I've been a computer-tech writer and editor for several decades, and a photographer who writes about photo techniques and equipment for over a decade. My first job in the tech press was as a writer for Compute! magazine, where we used Commodore 64s from Circuit City as word processors. I next became the editor of Computer Dealer, offering advice to computer retailers, then moved on to Personal Computing as an executive editor, where I developed the magazine's benchmark suite. I held several positions at the massive Computer Shopper magazine before becoming editor in chief. While at Computer Shopper (owned by CNET Networks at the time), I edited bi-annual issues of Technology Review as a joint project with Fortune magazine. The optional digital pen support gives you a new way to record your thoughts and ideas while on the go. Get the most from your PC with the Lenovo Ideapad 5 Series laptops. It will keep up with you all day long with its long battery life of rapid charging, and low thermal design power (TDP) of 30W. We run the same general productivity benchmarks across both mobile and desktop systems. Our first test is UL's PCMark 10, which simulates a variety of real-world productivity and office workflows to measure overall system performance and also includes a storage subtest for the primary drive. As noted, the IdeaPad Flex 5i and the Inspiron 14 were best on the PCMark 10 storage test. The Yoga 7i did not complete the test, and the VivoBook S14 came in last. While the Inspiron 14 far exceeded the others on HandBrake, not surprisingly, the Acer Spin 5 pulled the highest scores on Cinebench, Geekbench, and Adobe/PudgetBench. Graphics Tests
The Flex 5i 14 isn't designed for more CPU-intensive tasks like 3D rendering in Maxon's Cinebench, manipulating images in Adobe Photoshop, or transcoding 4K video using the open-source HandBrake app. The last trial represented a particular challenge, with the Flex finishing in last place, though it was more competitive in the image editing and 3D rendering trials. The main benchmark of UL's PCMark 10 simulates a variety of real-world productivity and content-creation workflows to measure overall performance for office-centric tasks such as word processing, spreadsheeting, web browsing, and videoconferencing. We also run PCMark 10's Full System Drive test to assess the load time and throughput of a laptop's storage. In addition, high-quality gadgets and technology products tend to have better performance. This is particularly important for products that are used for tasks such as gaming, video editing, or graphic design. A high-quality LENOVO IdeaPad 5i Pro 14″ Laptop is likely to have better specs and features, which will translate into better performance and a better user experience. Firstly, high-quality gadgets and technology products tend to be more reliable. This means that they are less likely to break down or malfunction. When you’re relying on a product for an important task, such as work or communication, reliability is key. Investing in a high-quality LENOVO IdeaPad 5i Pro 14″ Laptop can give you peace of mind and help you avoid frustrating situations where your device fails you.When it comes to buying gadgets and technology products, particularly in the Laptops category it’s important to invest in good quality products. LENOVO IdeaPad Slim 5i 14″ Laptop is no exception. There are a number of reasons why quality is so important when it comes to these types of products. The Lenovo Flex 5i was disappointing on the battery rundown test, coming in last with 10 hours and 36 minutes. Not that 10-plus hours is terrible, but the longer the better. All the others lasted for between 12 and 13 hours, with the Yoga 7i coming in just one minute shy of 14 hours. We tested the Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5i (model 82R70007US) equipped with a 1080p IPS display, an Intel Core i5-1235U CPU, integrated Intel Iris Xe graphics, 8GB of memory, and 512GB of storage. The display, CPU, memory, and storage are configurable; you can see the available options in the table below. This review applies to all models with a model number starting with '82R7'. Screen
This year's Flex 5i 14 is almost physically identical to the model I reviewed a year ago. The top cover, instead of plastic, is now aluminum. It provides better rigidity for the display, important when you're often twisting it around for tent, stand, and tablet modes. The bottom portion of the chassis is still a polycarbonate with glass fiber woven in. There's a bit of flex due to the plastic, but overall the laptop feels rigid. Weighing in at about 3.3 pounds (1.5kg) it is certainly portable. The soft finish has a bit of texture with a nice feel, and you can get it in three different colors: Abyss Blue, Graphite Grey, or Platinum Grey. I have the Graphite model for review. In PCMark 10 we get a score of 4811, which is way more than the score Intel Core i7-1065G7 is listed with (3179), and the latter is a chip that is commonly used in laptops in the same price range as Lenovo IdeaPad 5 14”. There is really no doubt that you are getting a lot of performance for your money here.High-resolution QHD displays produce images with crisp and clear colors that look accurate and realistic. Thanks to the device's ultra-narrow four-corner bezels, the screen is kept in sharp focus. A pair of 2-watt speakers produce typically tinny laptop audio. They have enough muscle to fill a small room, but that room will be devoid of bass. Movies and shows sound passable, but you'll want headphones or an external Bluetooth speaker for listening to music. Our other three benchmarks focus on the CPU, using all available cores and threads, to rate a PC's suitability for processor-intensive workloads. Maxon's Cinebench R23 uses that company's Cinema 4D engine to render a complex scene, while Geekbench 5.4 Pro from Primate Labs simulates popular apps ranging from PDF rendering and speech recognition to machine learning. Finally, we use the open-source video transcoder HandBrake 1.4 to convert a 12-minute video clip from 4K to 1080p resolution (lower times are better). Another important factor to consider is longevity. When you buy a high-quality LENOVO IdeaPad 5i Pro 14″ Laptop, you’re making an investment that is likely to last longer. Cheaper products may seem like a good deal at the time, but they are often made with lower-quality materials and are not designed to last as long. This means that you may end up having to replace your device sooner, which can end up costing you more in the long run. Overall, the Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5i 14-inch is well-built, easily handled with a comfortable keyboard and a bright screen, and relatively capable for its price. You certainly wouldn’t use it as a PC gamer—but for general office work, it offers enough performance. The screen is a bit of a wild card, since we tested 400 nits, while Lenovo only promises 300, and the color coverage could use a boost.
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